Sermon Cloud

Burial of the Dead

Lt Col George Benjamin Valentine, USAF (ret)

February 21, 2009

 

In the Name of God: + Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

We’re here this morning to celebrate both the life of Lt Col George Benjamin Valentine and his life after life!

 

Therefore; there is much to be thankful for: his faith; his love for his wife and family; his love and service for his country.

 

His life lived on this side of the resurrection was long and eventful even though it also seems short and gone by too quickly. . . . . time has a way of doing that.

 

As we are gathered now we must first turn to his Lord and the faith given to him.

 

Why?  Well its our faith, collectively, that allows us to gather this morning with a certainty that George is both with Christ and will one day be raised bodily from the dead.

 

It is the mystery of our faith and confidence in Christ that draws us to this place today to celebrate even in the midst of sadness.

 

You see our faith gives us certain assurances that are unchanging and trustworthy.

 

In a world that is broken and often chaotic scripture gives us a consistent message.

 

Listen . . . . . .

 

God’s WORD is eternal and unchangeable!

 

Faith once given to one of His elect cannot be revoked!

 

Jesus offers an inheritance that cannot be stolen from us!

 

Jesus is the foundation that cannot be shaken! 

 

His seal/promises cannot be broken!

 

He offers new life that cannot perish!

 

These promises are vitally important because we all are frail and weak at times; many of us have felt like we’re at the end of our spiritual ropes. 

 

Through God’s WORD we’re given great hope through Jesus.

In light of that let’s look at John 6:37-40.

 

Let me read it once more – page 1034 in the bibles in our pews.

 

³⁷All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

From this we learn three important truths that build our faith and give us hope:

 

1. What the Father gives the Son welcomes.

 

Jesus revealed a life saving message to St Paul.

 

In Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome, he contends that all men fall short of God’s standards and desires and are therefore in need of salvation.

 

He goes on to say that death is a result of sin and that freedom from sin is a matter of the heart.

 

For our hearts to be pointed toward God we need to be transformed into the image of God’s Son.

 

For that to happen we have to receive Jesus by faith because we can never be good enough nor work hard enough or be perfect enough in thoughts or words or deeds: Galatians 3.11 ¹¹Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."

 

Scripture goes on to tell us that faith is a received gift from God given by grace so we cannot boast of ourselves – Ephesians 2.8-10 and Romans 10:17, “¹⁷Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

 

The gift of faith is just that  - a gift from God and not one that we choose on our own.

 

John 15.16 in part says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. . . . “

 

Why is this important to know?  Because when we finally come to faith in Jesus it was actually a supernatural work of God in our hearts through grace . . . . . .

 

It wasn’t because of anything we did. . . . . the only thing we bring to our salvation is our sin. . . . this is what makes it such Good News. 

 

God saved us from a fate which we could not save ourselves from – that is an eternity of separation from Him.

 

John 6.37 is a great encouragement! “³⁷All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

 

There is complete harmony between the Father and the Son: the Father gives and the Son receives – never rejecting the work of the Father – accepting ALL the Father gives Him.

 

The Father’s love shown through His Son empowered by the Holy Spirit calls us to faith by His love for us – He beckons us and gives us to His Son who gladly welcomes us.

 

Our responsibility is to answer the call to faith by turning to Christ out of thanksgiving for His love for us on the Cross.

 

Once welcomed He will not drive us away from Him.

 

James tells us that God cannot be tempted by evil nor tempts us by evil (James 1.13);

We can rest secure that God is for us.

 

And again in Romans 8.1 we learn that, “¹Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

 

At some point in George’s life, God the Father came into George’s life through the Grace of the Holy Spirit and handed Him to Jesus for ever.

 

2. The Son never looses anything the Father gives Him.

 

³⁸For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, . . . . . “

 

To say that Christ looses nothing (no one) given to Him means that through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to persevere.

 

Nothing will shake us loose from Christ.

 

Even if our faith is unperceivable to us or anyone around us once given saving faith we will never be slip out of Christ’s grip and be lost again.

 

The saints of God will persevere until the last day . . . .

Look with me at John 10.28-29.

Jesus is speaking about His sheep (people) and He says, “²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.”

 

Again look at Romans 8.29-30, “²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

 

He calls us – adopts us and carries us all the way into eternity and His perfection.

 

Philippians 1.6, “⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 

This is a critical point for us to grab on to-God’s finishes what He starts in us!

 

Did God let go of George once he had the stroke?  NO!

 

George came to the Son out of the Fathers will and the Son’s promise was not to loose him!

 

Years ago this truth came home to me as I took communion to those who had strokes and couldn’t talk and to those who were weak and near the point of death.

 

Faith lived out does not change once one is sick or incapable of speaking or walking.

 

Faith is a matter of the heart; it’s a matter of grace.

 

I have often taken the blood of Christ and applied it to a dying persons lips and knowing full well that if that person were capable of eating the host and drinking the cup they would do so believing it to be the body and blood of their savior Jesus.

 

It is through intentionality that they receive the benefit of the sacrament.

 

George’s stroke disabled him physically but did not erase his faith nor his status as an heir to the Kingdom through faith in Christ.

 

The final promise in the last part of v. 39 and v. 40 apply to him – look with me.

 

3. What is given will be raised up at The Last Day.

 

Perseverance of the Saints is the Father’s will inasmuch as it leads the saint to the Last Day.

 

It is the Father’s will that we run the race (as Paul puts it) with a strong finish; and once run as the Gospel Hymn says, “to trade our cross in for a crown.”

 

“ . . . . . but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

The Godhead will raise George and we who believe in Jesus on the Last Day.

 

Listen to what Paul teaches in Romans 6.3-5, “³Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  ⁵If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

 

John 5.28-29 teaches us not to be shocked to believe in the power of God to justify, to sanctify and to resurrect, “ ²⁸"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

 

When will this occur?

 

Only the Father knows for sure. . . . . . .

 

Listen to 1 Thessalonians 4.13-14, “¹³Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. ¹⁴We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  ¹⁸Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

 

Lt Col George Benjamin Valentine will one day – along with his wife and all those gone before or after who trusted Christ for their lives will be raised again.

 

He was given to the Son by the Father.

 

His faith and soul were guarded by the Son and kept safe.

 

He will be lifted up from the grave at the Last Day.

 

Listen to the promise:

 

John 6.39, “³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

Give rest, O Christ, to your servant(s) with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.
 
You only are immortal, the creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return. For so did you ordain when you created me, saying, "You are dust, and to dust you shall return."

 

All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song:

 

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

 

Amen.