Pinkerton Funeral

We are here to celebrate and reflect on the life of Pam Clifford

Funerals are commonplace among churches. Christians are people who must be comfortable with death, because we know that it’s an integral part of life and eternity.

Jesus, even, was familiar with funerals.

Jesus and Lazarus story

Jesus’s friend Lazarus died and so Jesus went to the funeral. While He was there, He spoke with Lazarus’ sisters, His good friends Mary and Martha. He spoke tenderly to both of them, and wept at the tomb of His friend.

Then, because Jesus is God in the flesh, He called Lazarus out of the grave and into new life, and Lazarus got up and walked out of the grave!

It’s an incredible witness to the power and holiness of Jesus, but there’s on specific line in this passage that is so beautiful. He tells Martha, John 11:25–26 “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?””

Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

That’s true for Lazarus, that’s true for Pam, and that’s true for you and I.

See, Lazarus was risen from the dead, which is miraculous! It’s yet another miracle of jesus that shows that He is God in the flesh!

But, Lazarus still died again! All Lazarus got in the deal was a few more years on earth, and then he died again! That’s wonderful, but it’s not near the gift that we receive from believing in Jesus.!

On the cross, Jesus took all of our sin and died a death we deserved so that the chains of death no longer bind us! We can have new life and a relationship with Jesus that fundamentally changes who we are if we believe in Him!

Death no Longer Binds Us.

It doesn’t for Pam and it doesn’t have to bind you.

Christ has given access to life with Him, which transcends death!

That’s how we get stories like Courtney’s on how her grandmother was so influential to her faith! Pam belongs to Jesus, so she could be His disciple, His apprentice, for all eternity.

That’s how we get verses like 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 “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.”

Paulis confident that we will be with Jesus in eternity!

And so, we come to this moment when it’s time to close. When, in the celebration of Pam’s life, I must plead with you: give yourself to Christ!

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

That’s the gospel! It’s that we are sinners in need of a Savior and that Christ is that Savior! He is God who died for you to take your brokenness on Himself!

Tim Keller: “The gospel is this, that we are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe, but we are more loved and accepted in Jesus than we ever dared hope.

You are loved and accepted in Christ if we believe in Him.

And so, if we believe in Jesus as our Lord and King and Savior, we are forgiven of sin!

We can experience the resurrection and the life of Christ. We can have a real relationship with Jesus.

Pam seemed to believe this, and you can too.