Funeral Service - Elijah Waters

Order of Service

Prelude (Song for Prelude?)

Contact: Mike Sypult 479-422-0401

Welcome, Eulogy, and Prayer

Scripture Reading: Luke 18:15-16 - Cole

Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Scripture Reading: Psalm 31:1-5 - Chad

Hymn: Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Message

Scripture Reading: Psalm 42 - Chad

Hymn: Lord from sorrows deep I call (Psalm 42) - Matt Papa and Matt Boswell

Final Instructions

Benediction

Prelude

All rise. Song: Come Thou Fount. Enter and seat family.

You may be seated…

John 11:1-6, 17-26 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was...

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Welcome and Opening Prayer

We are gathered here today to remember Elijah Wesley Waters.

Elijah was born on Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 9:26 in the morning. He died at the age of 2 days old on Tuesday, January 17, at 6:10am in the arms of his mother and father.

He is survived by his parents, Devin and Leanne Waters; and one brother Emerson, and sister Ellie.

And 5 grandparents: Carl and Elizabeth Waters, Dave and MaryAnn Brinkman, and Phil Cushmen.

Chose Elijah because Elijah means the Lord is my God. And that was their hope for him.

And because God is a good Father, we know God answered that hope for them.

Verse they had chosen for him

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Elijah has gone to be with the LORD, and this service is a time for us to say goodbye.

Celebrate his life.

And most importantly give glory to God for Jesus Christ who conquered the grave and remember the hope of the resurrection.

Let’s begin with a word of prayer.

Prayer

Thanks for Elijah’s life

Comfort and peace for the family

God’s glory in funeral

Scripture Reading

Cole

Luke 18:15-16 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Scripture Reading:

Chad

Psalm 31:1-5 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Hymn: Tis So Sweet

Sermon

Intro - Infants in Heaven

When King David, the man after God’s own heart, lost a child, he mourned while the child still lived, fighting for his life.

He sought the Lord, fasted, and laid all night before the Lord on the ground begging for mercy that God would spare the child.

But on the 7th day, the child died.

David’s servants were afraid to tell him because of his great grief while the child lived. How would he react when he heard the child was dead.

David saw them whispering, and knew his son had died.

After this, he got up, washed himself, changed his clothes and went to the house of the Lord and worshiped.

And then he went home and after fasting for 7 days, he ate.

Everyone was confused. David mourned and grieved while the child was still alive, what was he doing now?

And David told them While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:22-23).

David acknowledged the pain of losing his child. But he knew he would see him again.

That his son went to be with the Lord in heaven, and David would one day be there too.

This is a great comfort for God’s saints when the unspeakable happens. When we lose a child.

We have every confidence that we will see our children again.

That the God who saves us entirely by His Sovereign grace and will, is gracious enough, strong enough, and sovereign enough to even overcome our original sin, the guilt we inherit from Adam, and give eternal life even to infants who are still in the womb like John the Baptist through Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross.

God is a good, kind, and loving Father.

Psalm 103:17 “But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children.”

Luke 18:16 “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

We have every confidence that when Eli passed away, he closed his eyes in death and opened in glory to see his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And though we don’t know why this was God’s plan…we trust that God is infinitely wise, always good, and perfectly sovereign over the good things…and the bad.

That He is strong enough, and powerful enough to bring good out of evil, to work all things together for the good of those that love Him...

Because we know God brought life out of the grave.

He used the worst evil to ever happen on this earth, the crucifixion of the Holy Son of God, to save sinners and give them eternal life.

God is good, but what does that mean for today, when everything about today says that’s not true?

The Sting of Death

In 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, God says...

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Paul here, is looking forward to the resurrection.

That glorious day when Christ returns to make all things new.

When He will give a mighty shout to raise everyone who believes in Him from the grave to eternal life where he will wipe away every tear from our eyes and death will be no more, neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain anymore for the former things…all the things associated with sin, death, and the curse will pass away (Rev. 21:4).

Days like today make us long for that day.

Make us long for when we will no longer feel the sting of death.

But what about today?

As we face the grief of losing a beloved son, a mere child, what comfort does God’s Word have for us today?

What comfort does the God of all comfort give when everything about today looks like Death still has the victory and Death’s sting feels sharper than ever before?

We do not want you to be uninformed brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope (1 Thes. 4:13).

We grieve. And it hurts. And Devin, Leanne, I love you enough to tell you there is a part of this that will hurt the rest of your lives.

Nothing can ever replace the loss of a child.

But because of Jesus, I want you to know, we have a great hope.

Paul says Death is the last enemy Christ will destroy when He returns leading to that great and glorious passage where Death is swallowed up in victory and loses its sting once and for all at the resurrection.

And we will not know the fullness of that promise until that Day.

But the seed of that promise is already true today.

Death might not be destroyed, but he’s already been defeated.

He’s already been conquered.

He has lost his greatest sting because he was swallowed up in victory when Christ rose and overcame the grave.

How can we say that? How can we say that death has lost its sting? How can we say that he’s been swallowed up in victory?

Don’t you see where we are? Nothing about this says that’s true. Everything around us says that is a lie.

But faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

I’m not saying that death does not still sting. We all still feel it. That’s why we’re all here.

But because of Jesus, death has lost its greatest sting and now because of Jesus we do not have to grieve as those who have no hope.

Sin

Immediately after Pauls says Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting, Paul says the sting of death is sin.

That is where death came from.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

We die because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

All of us have sinned against God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

God created us to love Him, worship Him, and live all of our lives wholly for Him. In other words, to live for His glory.

But we have all fallen short.

The proof of that is. maybe now more obvious than ever, that we are all going to die.

Death was not a part of God’s original plan. Death entered the world through sin.

We die because we are sinners.

And that’s really bad news because the Bible says It is appointed once for man to die, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

When we die we will stand before God, the holy and righteous judge to give an account of our life, and if we have even one sin we will suffer for all eternity in Hell under the wrath of God.

That’s the sting of death.

Death brings the judgment of God against our sins. And after death there are no second chances. There are no do overs.

There’s a finality to it. A once for all eternity to it.

And that’s the good news of Jesus Christ.

Gospel

The wages of sin might be death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).

Jesus died and rose again to save us from all of our sins.

That’s the gospel.

The eternal Son of God became a man in Jesus Christ.

He lived the perfect and sinless life we failed to live, and He died the death we deserve to die when He bore our sins on the cross and suffered the wrath of God on our behalf.

And when He died, our pure and spotless substitute, he cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished” (Mt. 27:50, Jn. 19:30).

Finished is a word that means paid in full.

Jesus made a full atonement for our sins so that all the wrath that God had against us was once for all satisfied in Him.

When we put our faith in Jesus, we are forgiven of all our sins and God gives us eternal life, and He proved it by raising Jesus from the dead three days later to proclaim to the world that Jesus Christ really was the Son of God and that His sacrifice was perfect and all sufficient to make a full payment for all our sins.

That’s why Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26).

Jesus wasn’t talking about physical death. Though he die, yet he shall live.

He was talking about eternal death. The sting of death. The judgment of God for all our sins.

But because of Jesus, Death has lost its sting.

It is no longer the gateway to the eternal punishment it once was.

For everyone who trusts in Christ, death has become the sails that carry God’s children home to glory.

The enemy has been defanged and thrown down, swallowed up in victory, because the tomb is empty.

Romans 6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

And so it is with everyone who believes in Jesus.

We are freed from the dominion of death.

Though we die, yet we live because we have passed from death to life through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is why we do not grieve as those who have no hope.

Death is not the end. Its not the final word. Christ is.

And because of that Eli is now in the arms of his Savior.

When he closed his eyes in death, he opened them in glory.

No judgment. No fear. No sting of death because all of his sin was fully paid for in Jesus Christ.

Death was swallowed up in victory because of Christ.

Death as Sails to Glory

We who are left behind…we grieve, and we mourn, and we miss Elijah. We miss him terribly.

But we cannot forget what Paul said. For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain…I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better (Phil 1:23)..

Because of Christ, where Elijah is, is far better.

He ran his race the Lord had laid out for him, and God brought him home.

At the moment of death, Elijah went to be with the Lord and in an instant was freed from all the limitations of our fallen flesh, to worship God just as he was created to, and there is no greater joy than that.

In an instant, he was freed to know and enjoy God for all that He’s worth as never before...

To use all the soul’s powers of faith, love, joy and happiness to celebrate the wonders of God’s amazing grace, the heights of which we can barely dream of.

My desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better.

Because of Christ our enemy death has been defeated.

He is no longer the harbinger of God’s judgment and wrath but has been transformed.

He has been so defeated, that Christ has subdued and made him His servant to be the sails that carry all of God’s children home to glory and the fullness of joy forevermore.

Future Hope

And one day, if we also believe in Christ, we will see Elijah again.

Christ will return to destroy death once and for all.

And when He does, He will bring with Him all of those who have fallen asleep.

And everyone who trusts in Christ will be raised to eternal life in glorified, resurrected bodies to live forever with the Lord.

Where He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Rev 21:4).

Conclusion/Gospel Call

We do not grieve as those who have no hope.

Christ conquered the grave and swallowed death in victory!

Jesus is our great and marvelous hope who promises that everyone who believes in Him, everyone who casts their soul on Christ and trusts in Him alone for salvation will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

And everyone that comes to Him, Christ will never cast out.

And everyone that comes to Him will never be lost because Christ promises to raise us up on the last day (John 6:37, 39).

Because of Christ, death has been swallowed up in victory. Where O Death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?

We grieve. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope.

Christ has conquered the grave.

He died and rose again to save us from our sins and robbing death of its sting.

The only question is: How will you face death?

Will you taste death’s sting and suffer the wrath of God for all your sins?

Or will Christ suffer death on your behalf?

Will he pay the wages of your sin, so that when you die, Death’s sails will carry you home to glory?

It is appointed once for man to die and then comes judgment.

Do not face that day unprepared!

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:26).

There is salvation in no other name For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.

The fact that we will all die proves proves that we are all guilty and condemned in our sin. That we all need a Savior.

And the good news of the gospel is that Jesus died in our place for our sins and rose again three days later to forgive all our sins and give us the gift of eternal life.

But only if you repent and believe.

This is good news. This is the only gospel that has the power to save.

And this is the gospel that roots our hope today.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life and be saved from the sting of death.

Let’s Pray

Father God and Sovereign Lord,

We trust your wisdom, even when we don’t see it ourselves.

Lord God, we know you are always good and all-Sovereign not only in our times of peace but in times of trouble.

Help us to see how good and perfect your will is in all things, and give us faith to believe even when it crosses our own.

Teach us Lord, how to be content, trust your plan, and pray “Thy will be done,” even when we have to pray it mingled with tears.

We thank you that because of Christ, you do love us. That all things do work together for our good.

That you are perfectly wise, infinitely Sovereign, and most of all a good and loving Father that we can confidently put all our hope and trust in.

God we thank you for Elijah. That His life was precious in your sight and that in your grace, you brought him home to be with yourself.

God, we might not understand it, but we trust it. We throw ourselves wholly and absolutely on you.

Lord we ask that you, the God of all comfort, would comfort the Waters family. Give them peace of soul, confidence in you, morning joy that comes after the night of heaviness.

Lord let us not forget that you are the All-wise God.

That your never-failing providence orders every event and is strong enough to bring true good out of apparent evil.

God, we submit to your will and say all is for your glory. As Job said “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Lord, be near to Devin and Leanne, Emerson and Ellie. Shower them with special grace and favor to uphold them in this trial, and give them peace that surpasses understanding.

That even when nothing makes sense, they would have all their faith, all their confidence, all their hope in you.

Remind them that you promise to never leave or forsake them and give them the grace even in the hardest of times to say, “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.

Amen.

(Adapted from Peril, The Valley of Vision, 101.)

Scripture Reading:

Chad

Psalm 42

Hymn: Lord from Sorrows Deep I Call (Psalm 42)

Final Instructions

If you’d like to go to the graveside service you are welcome.

There will be a procession Friendship Cemetery right down the road.

Benediction

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.