What Can You Say?

Last week I experienced one of the more sobering jobs a preacher must ever experience. You see, I had just started a new job that day, and that morning one of my elders and I had driven to Jackson ,TN to see one of our members in the ICU. When we returned later that morning the secretary told me that a local funeral home had called because they were handling the arrangements for a lady recently deceased and the daughter from out of town simply requested that a local church of Christ handle the service because, though her mother had not been faithful, she had in the past been a member. Well, we got the call and for a woman whom I had never known or even met, that next morning I preached a funeral.

While I had been taught how to handle such an occasion when that time came, I had no personal precedent by which to determine my course of action. In many ways I had a double whammy in not knowing the woman and also being aware of her spiritual neglect for many years. What can you say? I am not going to pretend that I did the most effective job that possibly could have been done, but I hope that maybe by providing the words I shared that others without experience in this area might have some idea of what to say themselves.

First, I informed those gathered that Jesus offers assurance. “Assurance” is our ability to determine the consequences of right and wrong based on the rule of standard authority. Right ultimately will always result in blessing. Wrong will ultimately always result in punishment. And regardless of what many people believe, the Bible does reveal that man is able to know his future state based upon the fruitfulness or unfruitfulness of his life. In Acts 17:30-31, Paul talked about the assurance that has been given unto all men through the resurrection of the dead. Later on, Paul would tell the Colossians about the riches of the full assurance of understanding (Colossians 2:1-2). Then, later, John mentioned that he wrote that they might know that they had eternal life (1 John 5:13). Such assurance is completely possible, but I was sure to remind them that it is only possible in the bonds of New Testament Christianity and the blood of Jesus contacted in obedience.

Second, I let them know that Jesus also offers peace. In Philippians 4:7, Paul talked briefly about the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” There is a degree of peace that we can enjoy in this life such as marital peace, military peace, family peace, financial peace, etc. None of these, though, can even begin to compare to the eternal peace that we can enjoy in Christ. It is a peace that in a very literal way goes beyond any experience or even our ability to comprehend it. But it is only because of Jesus’ sacrifice and the obedience of our faith by which we can access God’s grace wherein is redemption (Romans 4:23-5:2).

Finally, I told the assembled that Jesus offers rest. Multiple times in scripture heaven is referred to as a place of rest: (1) it is a place void of tears, pain, death, and sorrow (Revelation 21:1-4), (2) it provides rest for the weary labourer (Hebrews 4:9-11), (3) it contains the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8), (4) it is a gain, a place that is far better than the earth below (Philippians 1:21-23), (5) it is a perfectly pure place where nothing defiling can enter (Revelation 21:26-27), and (6) it gives rest to those who have faced trouble in life (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). We all enjoy taking a break at times so that we might “refresh, rejuvenate, and restore” ourselves; but there is absolutely no rest in this life that we can compare to the rest that is available to us once this life is over (Revelation 21:1-4). That rest awaits the faithful in Christ and is worth far more than the trials and tribulations we face in this life.

I was sure to emphasize the necessity of gospel obedience as the gateway through which all of these blessings are obtained and I pray that among those gathered the gospel message was received within good and honest hearts whereby some might be saved upon its reception. That’s what I said, and I pray it was enough.

-Andy Brewer