Aubrey Sararas Funeral

Welcome

Welcome,

We are gathered today to celebrate the life, and mourn the loss of Aubrey Wesley Sararas. Beloved son, brother, and friend.

But Aubrey’s loved ones do not need to mourn as those who have no hope. Aubrey put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation.

Because of Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection of the dead, though Aubrey has passed from this life, he has entered into the presence of his saviour awaiting the resurrection that we all will experience at Christ’s return.

As 1 Corinthians 15 says, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”

Prayer

Let’s stand as we begin our time together with prayer and then we will sing Amazing Grace.

Lord, Aubrey is in your hands, as he always has been, as he always will be.

We thank you for removing the sting of death. We thank you for the guaranteed promise of a resurrected body.

As his loved ones mourn, convince us of the truth that death is defeated.

Keep before us the day, the hour, the twinkling of an eye when we will see you again and when, with hope, we will see Aubrey right along with you.

In the name of our triumphant Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Song - Amazing Grace

Scripture Reading - Psalm 23

Remembering Aubrey

Song - I Come to the Garden

Message

There is much to be thankful for in life.

God has blessed us with innumerable blessings.

Family, friends, and the beauty of the outdoors were just some of the simple joys that Aubrey enjoyed in his life.

As I have been told by some of his family members, Aubrey particularly loved to go fishing, thoroughly enjoying the lakes and rivers of Muskoka.

He also enjoyed fellowship at the men’s coffee house at the Door in Huntsville.

We each have much that we can enjoy and be thankful for in this life.

But we are also aware that life is full of hardship and trouble as well.

Like when we experience the loss of a loved one.

If there is one thing that we are guaranteed in life it is that we will face trouble.

Job 5:7 tells us, “but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.”

We all will face trouble in life, this is the result of living in a fallen world.

We do enjoy wonderful things in this life, all blessings of God, but we do face serious trouble as well.

Sin against God has made the world a place of sadness, hurt, pain, and trouble. This world is not heaven, but this is not all that there is either.

Which takes us to Jesus words in John 14 verses 1-6. He says,

John 14:1–6 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is in his final hours with his disciples before his arrest, and crucifixion.

He has just told his disciples some very troubling things.

He had just told them that one of them would betray him, Judas Iscariot then went out into the night to do just that.

Worse than that Jesus told his disciples that he was going to be killed, that he was going to a place, they could not follow.

Jesus even told his disciples that most of them would run off and abandon him, and that Peter was going to deny even knowing him before the night was over.

This was very troubling news to the disciples.

But in John 14, after telling them of all the trouble they were going to experience in the coming hours he tells them in verse 1,

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled.

The disciples have just been told all of these terrible things that are soon come to pass.

How can they not let their hearts be troubled?

Jesus tells them the answer.

He says, “Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Jesus tells them to believe in him. Faith in Jesus, and in God and his plan, was what would get the disciples through the trouble they were going to face in the coming hours.

Faith in Christ can help us in times of trouble, but more than that, it is the only way to have hope for after our lives come to an end.

This is the greatest trouble that we are faced with as humans, the trouble of death.

As we will see, faith in Christ is the only way to have a hope beyond death.

Jesus teaches the disciples this in verse 2.

He says,

2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Jesus says that he goes to prepare a place for those who follow him.

He promises to bring his followers to this place, that He will be there with them.

1 Corinthians 2:9 tells us how indescribable this place will be. “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”

We get a brief picture of this place in the book of Revelation, it is a place of immense beauty and goodness. And this is what Revelation 21 tells us about it.

Revelation 21:3-4

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 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.”

This is heaven, the place that Jesus is telling them about.

A place where we enjoy the goodness of God, free of sin, free of death, free of trouble.

Jesus then says this to the disciples in verse 4 our passage.

4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

Well the disciples found this confusing.

And so Thomas spoke up in v. 5.

It says,

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus tells them that the disciples know the way, because they know him. He is the way.

See, the only way to be in the presence of God after we die is through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is just what we see here in Jesus’ words.

Jesus makes a clear exclusive claim to be the only way to God.

He says that he is the way, the truth, and the life.

That no one comes to God except through him.

This is the clear teaching of the scriptures, that salvation and eternal life with God is through faith in Jesus Christ.

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

Even compared to all the trouble that we may face in life, our greatest trouble that we face is death.

The Bible is clear that all of us after we die will face judgement for all the trouble that we have caused.

Sin and evil exist in the world, this is why we face so much trouble in our lives.

But it’s easy to think about all the sin and evil and trouble thats in the world,

very few people think about the sin and evil and trouble that they add to it.

And because God is a just God, he must judge sin.

And if we were to be honest, all of us, if we were to be judged by God for the evil that we have done, we would not be found innocent.

If I were to be judged for my sin, I would be found guilty.

If I were to be judged for my sin, I would not end up in the presence of God in heaven, but would be under God’s wrath for eternity in hell.

But God made a way for us to be reconciled to him.

He made a way for us to be forgiven of all our sin,

and instead of receiving what we deserve for our sin,

we can receive eternal life instead.

See God offers us salvation from sin, death and hell.

He offers to take away our sin,

he offers to give us hope beyond death

and he offers to bring us to himself in heaven and give us eternal life.

And God offers this to you and to me, because he loves us.

Salvation is offered to us as a gift.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, this is a gift of God not by works so that no one can boast.”

God gives us salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as a gift.

This is not something you earn but it is something you receive.

Think of the most wonderful Christmas present you have ever been given.

What would it be like if, when you were offered it, you never received it? You didn’t reach out your hands to accept it, you didn’t sit under the tree and unwrap it.

God gives us salvation from our sins, and eternal life with him, free of sin, sadness and pain and trouble, and he gives it to us as a gift.

Christ has paid for your salvation with his death on the cross.

And he offers it to you right now as a gift.

Repentance and faith are how we receive this gift.

Repentance is turning from your sins, confessing to God that you are a sinner, you have done evil, you have caused trouble, and asking for forgiveness from God.

And faith is believing that because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead, you have been saved.

Faith is simply believing in Jesus as your lord and saviour.

Repentance and faith are how you receive this gift.

From what I have been told by Aubrey’s family and friends, Aubrey received this gift.

He repented from his sins and believed in Jesus Christ as his Lord and saviour.

And because he received the gift of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, he is right now in the presence of God in heaven.

Aubrey knew the way to God, because he believed in Jesus Christ.

If you have not come to repentance and faith in Christ, I want to encourage you to find out about him and count the cost.

Repent from your sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you can receive forgiveness for your sins and eternal life for yourself.

Though life is full of trouble, and we have caused trouble ourselves. Through faith in Jesus Christ we can have eternal life, free from sin, free from death, and free from trouble.

I know, as one who shares Aubrey’s faith in Christ, his greatest desire for you would be that you would receive this gift of salvation for yourself.

Because of Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection of the dead, though Aubrey has passed from this life, he has entered into the presence of his saviour,

and those who mourn his passing, need not mourn as though they have no hope.