10-21-23 Ms. Helen Hitt

John 14:1-6

Ms. Helen was truly,,, a very dedicated member of Seminary Methodist Church.

She was very outspoken about it as well!

And her dedication,,, her interest continued throughout the times that she couldn't attend.

She was always asking,,, who was there,,, how many,,, anyone new,,, etc…

She loved her church,,, she loved Jesus Christ,,, and it showed.

Even while she showed her mischievous side occasionally,,, it was evident that she loved,,, and was loved,,, by many!

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Her decisions have been made that decided the path that she would take!

But for all of us that are left,,, we must be sure that we are on the right path so that we can spend eternity in heaven.

That's why I feel like this scripture is appropriate for today.

John Chapter 14 verses 1 through 6

I'll be reading from the King James Bible.

14 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

If we are Christians today,,, our hearts should not be troubled because Jesus gave us this reassurance while He was teaching His disciples the night before He was arrested and,,, we also have 2 Corinthians 5:8,,, where Paul says: 8 and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord.

For those of you that are Christians,,, days like today aren't the end.

They really should be a day of celebration,,, since their troubles on earth are over.

But I know from experience that we don't really want our loved ones to leave us so I know there is always sadness associated with death.

But it's a sadness that can be overtaken by the knowledge that our loved ones are at peace with Jesus now even though we miss them terribly.

If you are here today and you believe that a loved one or friend has just gone from “the land of the living” to “the land of the dying”,,, you are very mistaken,,, since the exact opposite is actually true.

They have not left the “land of the living” to go to the “land of the dying”; they have left the “land of the dying” to go to “the land of the living.”

And we have God’s word in Revelation 21:4 that says: 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.

It’s this feeling of comfort that is available to us today that makes the loss of our loved ones,,, easier to experience,,, at least,,, for those of us that trust God,,, the way that we should!

And that's why a lot of times so much emphasis is put on the ones that are in attendance.

And I'm sure that if she could get word back to us today,,, she would want us to be sure that we have made our commitment to Jesus Christ.

That's why that I thought that we should look at this scripture briefly today.

We have these words from Jesus that He gave to His disciples,,, that were intending to comfort them through the trials that He knew was coming for them,,, (and through Bible reading and study,,, they are written to comfort us today through the loss of our loved ones).

We also have the assurance that He is preparing a place for us,,, something that will be above anything that we can ever think of,,, or imagine!

1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV says: 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

God will take care of us,,, through this life,,, and for eternity!

But if you don't have Jesus as your personal Savior,,, times like these can be very hard to understand.

How can we have peace while at the same time we are sad that our loved ones have gone on ahead of us?

That's what Jesus is trying to explain to His disciples in the scripture I just read.

With the confidence that God's word is true,,, we know that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us and He has said that He is coming back again.

We as Christians know that there is only one way to heaven and Jesus gives us the road map in verse 6 where He says that “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Again,,, if you don't know Jesus,,, this may be hard to understand,,, but like Thomas,,, you just have to ask,,, and really be sincere,,, and you will receive an answer through the Holy Spirit that you can understand.

The Spirit will keep nudging you and guiding you into a right relationship with God that will give you the peace of God that will help you to get through any problem that this world throws at you!

That's one of the most wonderful things about our Savior,,, is the fact that He is always trying to get our attention and make us realize that we need Him to fully have peace in this world today.

That’s how much God loves us,,, doing everything that He can to make this choice easy for us!

We just need to trust Him,,, and follow His directions,,, so that we can stay on the narrow path that He intends for us to travel!

We must be faithful to His word,,, and allow His word to guide us home!

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Psalm 116 verse 15 says: 15 The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight.

Helen was faithful,,, and Helen was valuable to God!

He was watching over her while she was in this world,,, and He was with Her as she left.

We,,, those of us left here today,,, family,,, and friends,,, are sad that she's gone!

But she was precious in God's eyes while she was here,,, and we know from scripture that He guided her home!

And we will see her again,,, those of us that have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior.

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In John 14:6 “Jesus told Thomas,,, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

The only way that we will ever experience heaven will be by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

God wants all to live in eternity in heaven with Him,,, but it's up to us to decide,,, no-one can make that decision for you.

That's why that I know she would tell us today,,, to be sure that we are making the right choices.

Choices that will change our life forever!

Choices that usually we don't think about,,, but the loss of a loved one can make us realize that our time on earth is short.

A choice that decides whether your eternity is spent in heaven or hell.

She would tell you,,, your choice should be,,, to put your trust in Jesus,,, confess your sins and ask for forgiveness,,, ask Him to come into your heart and live for Him,,, because it's only through Jesus that we will ever see heaven.

Because Jesus said that: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

And that's all the directions,,, we should ever need!

Helen was valuable in God’s sight,,, and I know that she would want the same for you!

So be sure that you have made the right choice today,,, so that you will be valuable in God’s sight,,, as well!

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Let us pray:

“Eternal God,,, we praise you for the great company of all those who have finished their course in faith and now rest from their labor. We praise you for those dear to us whom we name in our hearts before you. Especially we praise you today for Ms. Helen,,, whom you have graciously received into your presence. To all of these,,, grant your peace. Let perpetual light shine upon them; and help us to believe where we have not seen,,, that your presence may lead us through our years,,, and bring us at last with them into the joy of your home,,, not made with hands,,, eternal in the heavens; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

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