Burial Sermons
✓We were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow.  — Job 8:9
Reflection……
While Job never discovered why he suffered, he did learn his place in the universe before the Almighty God (Job chapters 38-41). Each of us needs this mature perspective! When we are young, time seems to pass very slowly — especially if we are excitedly waiting for something special! But as we grow older, the years seem to fly by quickly. Regardless of our learning and experiences, humility about our place in the passage of time should lead us to two great awakenings:
(1) Our personal knowledge is very small compared to all there is to know.
(2) Our place in the passage of time is so short compared to the passage of time since creation.
These awakenings should prepare us to turn our lives and futures over to God, who longs to bring us to himself and share the greatest part of eternity with us. We may be a shadow, but God also claims us as his children!
………………………………………………………………….
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  — Psalm 90:12
Reflection ……..
We waste our time when we lose our sense of urgency to live for God, TODAY! God has a plan for us, our world, and his church. Without God giving us his gift of spiritual calendaring (*”number our days aright”*), we never *”gain a heart of wisdom.”* So how do we get such a gift? Pray without doubting, asking for God’s help (James 1:5-7). We live each day knowing that Jesus is near (Philippians 4:5; Romans 13:11) and looking forward to his return for us (Luke 12:35-40; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). Anticipating Jesus’ return as we trust the LORD for wisdom greatly impacts how we conduct our lives and set our priorities. So, rather than losing heart, let’s ask God *”to teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”*
………………………………………………………………….
–Lamentations 5:21 [Back to Eden’s beauty] Maranatha
………………………………………………………………….HHe will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge… — Psalm 91:4
Reflection………
Life is filled with many uncertainties. You never know when something unexpected is going to happen. You have no idea when the next disaster will strike. In a world filled with hate and terrorism, none of us has a clue when the next horrible atrocity will occur. So what do we do when we can’t be sure of our circumstances? We take shelter under the wing of the One who is above all circumstances! We take assurance in our Father who has promised to bring us to himself no matter what may happen today … in our world … and to our bodies. Our lives are hidden with our Father because we’ve been joined to Christ (Colossians 3:1-4). He is our Refuge! His wings are our shelter!
………………………………………………………….
–1 Cor 4:4
–1Tim 4:7
–2 Cor 10:18
…………………………………………………..
Luke 10 – What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus replied, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind; and likewise your neighbour.
Ecclesiastes – The whole duty of man is to

–Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
–John 11:25-26  “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'”
–1 Corinthians 15:54-57  – “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'”
–2 Corinthians 5:8 – “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
–1 Thessalonians 4:14 – “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
–Psalm 116:15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”
–Romans 14:8 – “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
–1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
–Revelation 7:16-17 – “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
–Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
–Isaiah 57:1-2 – “The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”
–Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
–2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

******************TIME IS SHORT******************
1 Corinthians 7:29 – “What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;”
–Paul indicates that he is getting to a main point, saying “this is what I mean.” Time is short in the sense that the Corinthians are living in the last arc of human history: between the death and resurrection of Jesus and the events that will trigger Christ’s return. Though two thousand years have passed since Paul wrote these words, Christians are still living during that season, watching and waiting with eager expectation.  (Romans 8:23).
–The time is short in another sense: our individual lives on this earth are short and uncertain. We come and go very quickly from the earth (James 4:14) in comparison to the long history of man and our eternal future after this life. Paul urged believers to accept the permanence of their place in eternity with Christ and the temporary nature of everything on this side of that moment. Christ’s return to earth might yet be some years away, but any of us might be faced with eternity at any moment.
That’s what Paul means when he says those who have wives should live as though they had none. He clearly doesn’t mean this in an overly literal sense, given everything he has written so far. Spouses should not ignore each other or separate because the time is short. Paul has already taught clearly that husbands and wives should continue to be married and even to be sexually active (1 Corinthians 7:2–5). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul commands husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church. Christian men are to focus on their wives and marriages.
****Having said that, all marriages are temporary. They end in death and do not continue in the next life (Matthew 22:30). No Christian should place their temporary commitment to their spouse above their eternal service to Christ.*****
……………………………………………………………….
I have finished the race should be said by the one dying……..those are personal words
…………………………………………………………………
‭Philippians 1:12-14 NIV‬
[12] Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. [13] As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. [14] And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

…………………………………………………………..
‭Philippians 1:20-23 NIV‬
[20] I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. [21] For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. [22] If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! [23] I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

………………………………………………………………………….

The Gift of comfort
“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. (‭‭Isaiah 40:1 NLT‬‬).
–The more the afflictions we face, the more the comfort we receive.
—We are comforted so that we can comfort others.
–When we stop relying on ourselves, God rescues us from all dangers.
v3 …………God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. v4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. v5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
v8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. v9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. v10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.
(‭‭2 Corinthians 1:3-5, 8-10 NLT‬‬)
“As the hotter the day, the greater the dew at night; so the hotter the time of trouble, the greater the dews of refreshing from God.” (Trapp)