Funeral for a Lost Person Delivered to Lost People
June 12th, 2007 by Carl Thomas.Last week I wrote a post about a funeral I had to do for a woman who was lost and her family was lost. It was my first funeral and this is not exactly how I wanted to start this part of my ministry career.
Anyway, for those who may search for a sermon to preach when the deceased and the family are not born again I am going to post this.
Please note that the first two points of this sermon were based on a funeral sermon that I found on an online sermon site that I cannot remember the specifics of.
I had every intention of having an altar call at the end but when I got close if felt like it would have been really out of place. Instead I talked about God’s desire to have relationship with the people and that He made a way by the sacrifice of Jesus. I prayed at the end that those in attendance would receive the comfort, hope, and salvation afforded through giving one’s life to Jesus.
Prelude - music
Greetings / Welcome - Rev. Carl Thomas
Invocation / Prayer - Rev. Carl Thomas
Poem from Funeral Announcement €“ Read by family member
Reading of the Obituary - Rev. Carl Thomas.
Song €“ played by son
Eulogy €“ Son and family
Recollections by Family and Friends
Message - Rev. Carl Thomas
Closing Prayer - Rev. Carl Thomas
Welcome
Good afternoon and thank you family and friends for joining us for the funeral service for XXXXX XXXXXX.
We gather to put our arms around one another, and especially around this family, and to say to each member: You matter to us, your grief has reached into our lives, and we are sad for ourselves and for you. We gather with broken hearts to do our grief work to the end that we might discover both comfort and courage.
And we gather to celebrate the life of XXXXX XXXXXX to remember the life that she lived, and to hold it before us today as one utterly unique and significant human life. We gather, too, to worship the living God - the one who is Lord of life and of death, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father in heaven,
we thank you because you made us in your own image
and gave us gifts in mind, body and spirit.
We thank you now for XXXXX
and what she meant to each of us.
As we honor her memory,
make us more aware that you are the one
from whom comes every perfect gift,
including the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
RIGHTEOUS HAND FROM ABOVE ISAIAH 41:10
PASSAGE: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”
I. THE WORLDLY REALITY OF HURT
A. Unfortunately, God never says that our lives will be free from pain,
suffering, or grief.
B. In fact, God knows that at times we become afraid, dismayed, or angry.
This short verse from Isaiah tells us as much. God knows this life is hard
and that there are disappointments.
C. We were expecting XXXXX to walk out of the hospital. She never did.
D. Death is something that touches each one of us at different times. We all
experience grief. Even Our Lord grieved for His dear friend Lazarus when
he died. We all must face the loss of someone we love dearly.
II. GOD PROMISES HELP IN THESE HURT TIMES
A. God first promises strength.
1) When faced with the loss of someone we love: our spirits feel weak, our emotions are weak, and even our bodies can become tired and worn. God says He will strengthen us in such times.
2) Ephesians 3:16 records Paul praying that each of the believerslistening to his message would receive “strength through the power ofHis Spirit in [our] inner being.”
This is the strength God promises.
B. God next promises help.
1) Our God tells us time and time again in His Word that He is here to help us.
He is our shield (Psalm 28:7) in times when we are under attack.
He is our deliverer (Psalm 40:17) in times when we are poor and down and out.
2) God also promises comfort when we are mourning (Matthew 5:4).
The Lord offers His aid to you today in your tears and in your grief.
C. God finally promises to uphold us: In days ahead, we will miss him/her.
We will grieve and may feel like we are at our wits end. Yet, the Lord
says He will uphold us and will keep us from falling.
III GOD PROMISES TO GATHER THOSE WHO LOVE HIM
A. Jesus said He would keep those who were gathered to Him.
1) In the Gospel of John it is written that Jesus told His Father that He would keep those that were given to Him.
2) It was said of XXXXX that once you came into her inner circle, you never left.
3) Yes she was stubborn. She liked to be the center of attention. But once she got your attention, you never left her life.
B) None of us know what XXXXX’ last moments were like. But we have the hope that through Jesus we can see her again.
C) XXXXX always wanted the best for her children. As does God.
D) Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for you in heaven.
1) We know that XXXXX did not have the benefit of knowing the peace that comes from an intimate relationship with Jesus while on this earth, but you can.
So you may be hurting today, you may be wondering about the mysteries of life and death or a number of other things but I am telling you today that God is a comforter.
Today, XXXXX is no longer suffering from the things that plagued her here on the earth. And I tell you that through faith in Jesus Christ y0u can know the same freedom.
Lets pray.
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Carl,
I printed it off and put it in my “Funeral Bible.” Thanks for sharing.
[Reply]
Carl,
When we are contemplating entering the ministry, we never think about situations like these. And yet that’s what ministry is.
I don’t think anything we do is harder to do than funerals, especially for the unsaved. It’s a walk on eggshells, in which it’s much easier to say something negatively memorable that leads to a anger and bitterness, rather than the thing that turns unbelieving hearts to God. Nonetheless, the dead are gone and we can’t help them, so we must speak to the living and grieving in God’s name and give them what they need to turn to Christ and be saved. It sounds like that’s what you did, so God bless you, brother.
[Reply]
Carl, way to go, excellent presentation. I could actually feel the Spirit as I read it.
[Reply]
michael - thanks. I wanted people to experience the comfort of God in the hopes it might draw a few closer.
I could not rightly say that she is in heaven because all indications were that she was not. But you never know. So there is a hope that we will see her again. And He is the God of all hope.
[Reply]