Celebrating a Believer
Celebrating the Life of a Believer
Theme: Celebrating a Believer
Scripture: Romans 12:15
This is a sermon about death, dying and funerals. It’s from my personal experience from conducting over 100 funerals.
During the course of my time as Senior Pastor, I have conducted about 100 funerals.
I have buried heroes of the faith.
I have buried people who died too young.
Others who died at the right time.
I have buried people who died from sickness, people who have been murdered, people who took their own life.
I have buried Christians and I have buried atheists.
So I have done 100 funerals and attended probably another hundred. I think we should be talking about death as the latest statistics say that 10 out of 10 people die. But often death is not spoken of as we think that if we talk about it, death might hear us and somehow be attracted to us.
So I want to talk about death by looking at some observations that I have made through the funerals that I have either officiated at or have attended.
Observations About Death
We need to understand that death changes our perspective on things. A great example of this is the song by Nickleback – If today was your last day.
There are approximately 2 deaths per second around the world. Some deaths go unnoticed, unmourned with people unmoved by the death of someone else. An example is the death of an elderly woman who died and there was outcry when no one noticed for months.
1. Speak Well of the Living
People always rave about the dead person at their funeral – encourage them to speak out while the person is still alive.
They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad that I’m going to miss mine by just a few days.
At a funeral, people get up and talk about how wonderful the dead person was and how much they meant to them. My observation is this – don’t wait to the funeral to tell people what you think of them. The funeral is too late. Tell them today. Tell people you love them. Thank people for their input into your life.
2. Remember the Deceased
Talk about the person who is now gone.
When a person dies, the fact that they existed isn’t erased from people’s memory. So don’t stop talking about the person.
3. Reach Out
When someone does die and you want to ring the family, but you don’t know what to say and you don’t want to say the wrong thing – ring anyway.
Presence yourself in their time of grief. Just being there with a person is very powerful.
4. Hope for Heaven
Every family at the funeral wants to believe that their loved one went to heaven.
In other words – the majority of people like to think that their loved one and themselves are Christians at a funeral – yet they walk away and don’t change to an active faith.
Ever noticed that overwhelmingly – everyone goes to heaven at a funeral?
I personally refuse to say that they went to heaven unless I know or can ascertain that they had a faith in Jesus Christ. I do however tell people at a funeral that death reminds us to think soberly about our own mortality and that we need to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
5. Sober Thoughts About God
Death causes us to have sober thoughts about God.
6. Prepare in the Natural
In other words – have a will. I have sat with too many families and the loved one I am doing the funeral for didn’t have a will. This leaves a mess for the family as death and money bring out the worst in people.
7. Wisdom in Mourning
Wisdom is found in the house of mourning. What wisdom can be found in the house of mourning? Here are some points from my funeral preach that I often do.
- Wisdom uses death as a reminder.
- Death reminds us to reflect on life’s true value.
- Wisdom comes to the house of mourning as there is no other time in life than at the time of mourning when we understand the briefness of life.
- There is wisdom in knowing that death is a certainty.
- Wisdom comes to the house of mourning when death is prepared for when and the hope that is in Jesus Christ is accepted.
- Wisdom comes to the house of mourning when we realize that not only is death inevitable it can come as a surprise.
8. Thoughts on Suicide
There is a pr... keep reading with free account
Celebrating the Life of a Believer
Theme: Celebrating a Believer
Scripture: Romans 12:15
This is a sermon about death, dying and funerals. It’s from my personal experience from conducting over 100 funerals.
During the course of my time as Senior Pastor, I have conducted about 100 funerals.
I have buried heroes of the faith.
I have buried people who died too young.
Others who died at the right time.
I have buried people who died from sickness, people who have been murdered, people who took their own life.
I have buried Christians and I have buried atheists.
So I have done 100 funerals and attended probably another hundred. I think we should be talking about death as the latest statistics say that 10 out of 10 people die. But often death is not spoken of as we think that if we talk about it, death might hear us and somehow be attracted to us.
So I want to talk about death by looking at some observations that I have made through the funerals that I have either officiated at or have attended.
Observations About Death
We need to understand that death changes our perspective on things. A great example of this is the song by Nickleback – If today was your last day.
There are approximately 2 deaths per second around the world. Some deaths go unnoticed, unmourned with people unmoved by the death of someone else. An example is the death of an elderly woman who died and there was outcry when no one noticed for months.
1. Speak Well of the Living
People always rave about the dead person at their funeral – encourage them to speak out while the person is still alive.
They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad that I’m going to miss mine by just a few days.
At a funeral, people get up and talk about how wonderful the dead person was and how much they meant to them. My observation is this – don’t wait to the funeral to tell people what you think of them. The funeral is too late. Tell them today. Tell people you love them. Thank people for their input into your life.
2. Remember the Deceased
Talk about the person who is now gone.
When a person dies, the fact that they existed isn’t erased from people’s memory. So don’t stop talking about the person.
3. Reach Out
When someone does die and you want to ring the family, but you don’t know what to say and you don’t want to say the wrong thing – ring anyway.
Presence yourself in their time of grief. Just being there with a person is very powerful.
4. Hope for Heaven
Every family at the funeral wants to believe that their loved one went to heaven.
In other words – the majority of people like to think that their loved one and themselves are Christians at a funeral – yet they walk away and don’t change to an active faith.
Ever noticed that overwhelmingly – everyone goes to heaven at a funeral?
I personally refuse to say that they went to heaven unless I know or can ascertain that they had a faith in Jesus Christ. I do however tell people at a funeral that death reminds us to think soberly about our own mortality and that we need to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
5. Sober Thoughts About God
Death causes us to have sober thoughts about God.
6. Prepare in the Natural
In other words – have a will. I have sat with too many families and the loved one I am doing the funeral for didn’t have a will. This leaves a mess for the family as death and money bring out the worst in people.
7. Wisdom in Mourning
Wisdom is found in the house of mourning. What wisdom can be found in the house of mourning? Here are some points from my funeral preach that I often do.
- Wisdom uses death as a reminder.
- Death reminds us to reflect on life’s true value.
- Wisdom comes to the house of mourning as there is no other time in life than at the time of mourning when we understand the briefness of life.
- There is wisdom in knowing that death is a certainty.
- Wisdom comes to the house of mourning when death is prepared for when and the hope that is in Jesus Christ is accepted.
- Wisdom comes to the house of mourning when we realize that not only is death inevitable it can come as a surprise.
8. Thoughts on Suicide
There is a prevailing thought that if you commit suicide you go to Hell.
The Bible doesn’t say one way or the other. In fact, the Bible makes no differential about the impact of the various ways you die on your eternal destiny.
Many of the greatest saints and heroes of the Bible faced overwhelming depression and sometimes wrote that they wished they had never even been born. But they did push through which should be an encouragement that suicide should not be an option for us.
So here are my thoughts on suicide.
What is more important is – did the person have a relationship with Jesus?
God’s grace is sufficient.
9. Living with a Time Limit
How would I live different if I knew I had 12 months to live?
How would I live if I knew I only had 12 months to live?
What would my priorities be?
What would the passion of your life be and would that be different to what it is now?
How would I conduct my walk with God?
How would I treat others and would it be different?
10. Biblical Perspective on Death
What does the Bible say about death?
Believers can face death without fear.
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Believers enter the Lord’s presence at death.
In essence, the moment we die, our spirit and soul go to be with the Lord.
Believers will dwell with God forever.
Heaven will be far better than earth for believers.
The death of a believer is precious to God.
Believers belong to the Lord in heaven.
Believers are citizens of heaven.
After their physical death, believers gain eternal life.
Believers receive an eternal inheritance in heaven.
Believers receive a crown in heaven.