True Beauty, Peace, and Happiness

Introduction: Well, if you haven’t already had the thought—you might be having it now: why in the world is this young minister leading Bob’s funeral? Well the answer would be that Bob is the reason I am here today. When I was a candidate for ministry at Calvary Bible Church, it was Bob who fought for me to be the new pastor—it was Bob who encouraged the Elders to take a shot on this young guy—Bob is the reason I am here today.

And with all sincerity—I am not worthy of such a calling. I am not worthy to preach at Bob’s funeral. I can’t even begin to gather the words as I think of the honour of being able to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ here this afternoon. And so, in honour of Bob, and for the glory of God—I trust that this message will be a refreshing oasis of life in the scorching desert of death.

Title: True Beauty, Peace, and Happiness

Purpose: To honour the legacy of brother Bob who had true beauty as he published the good news of Jesus; and to call everyone to find victory over the grave, through the death and resurrection of Christ the Lord.

Read Text: Isaiah 52:7- Immediately after Bob asked me to preach at his funeral—this text was impressed on my heart, and has remained in my heart as I’ve prepared for this occasion. And it didn’t even occur to me until a couple days ago how fitting this text is, especially in regard to Shalimar Shoes! So let me pray, then let’s walk together through this passage of God’s Word.

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) Bob had True Beauty in Christ.

Isaiah 52:7 (ESV)

How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of him who brings good news!

(1) Bob had True Beauty in Christ.

The prophet Isaiah declares a deep and true beauty that far surpasses any sort of worldly standards. This is a beauty that comes from being a bearer of good news.

You all know what that’s like … when your waiting for a bad phone call—but it turns the other direction, into a huge blessing—and the beauty of good news fills your heart with true warmth and joy.

That’s sort of what’s going on here. True beauty is found in bearing good news. Bob didn’t only have beautiful feet because he owned the shoe store—according to Isaiah he had beautiful feet because he heralded good news wherever he went. What is this good news that Isaiah speaks of? What is this beautiful news that Bob declared for all his days?

Well in order to understand it, sort of like when your waiting for a bad call… we must understand the weight of the bad news. And the bad news is this: we are sinners who have rebelled against the God of the Bible, we are enslaved to the shackles of the enemy of death, and everlasting judgment and justice is coming against all evildoers.

We have rebelled against the God of the Bible. In the beginning God created us very good—in Paradise—free from sin, cancer, brokenness, tears, death, and sorrow. God made us very good. God made us in his own image. The God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—an absolute and relational being—made us relational as men and women, to reflect his goodness in the earth.

But we have spat in his face. Our first parents rebelled—and every single one of us has too. We fail to glorify God in all things. We rebel against his goodness by selfish ambition, pride, and evil hearts. Instead of loving God with all our hearts—we make idols to fill the place of God in our lives. We have all fallen short of the glory of God—no one is good, no not one. We have all broken God’s good law, and thus come under its just curse. And the Bible says that the wages of sin is death—sin brings death—and sin brings slavery. We are not born free—we are born slaves to a foe that is unrelenting in his tyranny. And thus:

We are enslaved to the shackles of the enemy of death. We all know this very well. But we try to hide it, we try to suppress it. We take death and we throw it into a dark closet, plug our ears, and carry on with our lives. But here’s the bad news. Slaves aren’t free—and they can’t free themselves. Death is a tyrannical master and an unrelenting enemy. You might try to forget about him, but he won’t forget about you. We might put the dying in a hospital, and the sick in nursing homes (out of sight)—but one day we will join them no matter what we do. Funerals remind us of the inevitability of death.

We are all dying because of our sin, because of the curse on this creation. And the bad news is that we can’t fix this problem ourselves. We can’t defeat the grave. There have been countless millions who have tried to stay young—newsflash—it doesn’t work. Death will hunt you down until you rot in the grave. And not only physical death of the body—but spiritual death of separation from the gracious presence of God, as we bear the wrath of God that we deserve for our evil lives of rebellion against the Lord. And so:

Everlasting judgment and justice is coming against all evildoers. There is no good news without the bad news. And the bad news is that God is love—and we are not. And because God is love, God is good—and because God is good, God is just—and because God is just, God is wrathful against sin. The Scripture says that we are all storing up wrath for the day of judgment. God is so good—that he can’t delight in evil; and the bad news is that we are evil. Sin and evil must be punished. And we have sinned in infinite evil against our infinitely good Creator. And Scripture says that God will by no means clear the guilty.

Hell is a real place, where real men and women are suffering the wrath of God. Jesus said hell is outer darkness, where the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. People go to hell because they have rebelled against their Creator, rejected the good news of Jesus Christ, and chose their own path of sin and death, rather than God’s path of salvation and life.

Therefore, there is only one kind of person who truly rests in peace after death—and this is the one whose been redeemed, whose been born again, whose been saved, whose been delivered by Jesus Christ.

And so that brings us back to the beauty of good news! Oh what good news is there in Jesus Christ! Oh what hope is there in the Gospel of God’s Grace. This is why Bob had true beauty, because he proclaimed our only comfort in life and death, the only mediator between God and man, the only Saviour of sinners, the only Victor over the grave, the only Redeemer who can free us from our slavery.

Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, God in the flesh— is the only way, the truth, and the life—no one comes to the Father except through him! This is the good news that Bob believed, proclaimed, and lived worthily of. Oh how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

But Isaiah continues. Not only is there true beauty in proclaiming the good news—there’s also beauty in proclaiming the effects of the good news! So secondly:

(2) Bob had True Peace in Christ.

Isaiah 52:7 (ESV)

who publishes peace.

(2) Bob had True Peace in Christ.

Brother Bob didn’t just proclaim this good news, he also called upon men and women, boys and girls—to receive the good news which brings peace with God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to true and everlasting peace. How can this be?

Because though we are naturally enemies of God, rebelling against Him—Jesus Christ came into the world to die for the ungodly, to die for God’s enemies, to pay the punishment that we deserve, to bear the wrath and hell of God in our place, to satisfy the justice of the eternal Judge—and to accomplish true peace, restored relationship, and everlasting rest for all those who come to Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life.

On that old rugged cross, our sin was nailed to the tree, as the hands and feet of Jesus were pierced for our transgressions! He was crushed for our iniquities! Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace! And with his wounds we are healed!

Oh family and friends of the Hawkins family—hallelujah! True peace, true healing, true rest is found in Jesus Christ and Him alone. You won’t find it anywhere else. You can’t find it in your work. You can’t find it in your family. You can’t find it in your hobbies. You can’t find it in your investments. You can’t find it in your vacations. You can’t find it in your religious rituals.

It is only found by faith in the Gospel, by repenting of your sins, and by committing yourself to the Prince of Peace—who makes peace by the blood of his Cross.

Since we have been saved by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This was Bob’s anthem, that he so loved to declare! But the Gospel doesn’t only bring peace, it also brings true joy! So thirdly:

(3) Bob had True Happiness in Christ.

Isaiah 52:7 (ESV)

who brings good news of happiness,

(3) Bob had True Happiness in Christ.

Now if there’s anything the Gospel does to a man—it gives him true joy in the Holy Spirit. Bob was a man of deep happiness. Every time I would see Him he was smiling with the living hope of Jesus Christ, with the deep joy of being able to share the Gospel with those around him.

I kid you not—I think every single Elders meeting we had at the church—the first 15 minutes were Bob sharing about how he had just preached the Gospel at the nursing home, or how he was sharing the Gospel with his neighbours at the apartment building, or how he had just led someone to the Lord Jesus Christ on the street. It was his greatest joy to tell people about Jesus. Bob delighted in the Gospel, and delighted to share the Gospel—the good news of that brings true happiness in Jesus.

And why can the saints have joy in the Lord, even in the midst of sorrow?—why is it that Christians can have joy in the Lord, even as we face death? Because Christ has conquered the grave! Bob didn’t only have true beauty in sharing the gospel of peace and happiness—he also published salvation in the reigning King. So lastly this afternoon:

(4) King Jesus Reigns to Save.

Isaiah 52:7 (ESV)

who publishes salvation,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

(4) King Jesus Reigns to Save.

Jesus came to save his people from their sins! He came to deliver us from the fear of death, by destroying the devil who had the power of death. He came to free us from that tyrannical master, from that unrelenting enemy. Jesus stormed the gates of hell, sweating drops of blood, as he died in our place, for our sins, as he redeemed us from bondage to death and destruction! And so we sing: where oh death is your sting! The casket is not the end! One day it will burst open as the last trumpet sounds! And the dead in Christ will be raised first. Lift up your eyes to the hills, from whence cometh your help!

Can you see Jesus Christ reigning from heaven above? All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. Christ is the King of kings, and Lord of lords! The tomb is empty, the grave is defeated! The shackles of death have been broken, the iron bars of hell have been ruined—and all those who trust in Jesus, though we will die, yet we shall live forever. Though Bob’s body is dead, his soul is more alive than ever before. Absent from the body, present with the Lord.

Oh come to Jesus—who reigns above—who defeated death as he rose again from the dead—who ascended into heaven, and who is coming again to judge the living and the dead—to save those who belong to Him, and to judge those who reject Him.

But for those who repent and believe—who are saved by grace alone—and who follow Jesus in new obedience—we will be resurrected with perfected bodies, freed from sin, freed from cancer, freed from pain, freed from sorrow—and we shall reign with Christ in the new creation, forever and ever.

Don’t grieve with despair, oh family and friends of the Hawkin’s family—grieve with hope, with living hope in Jesus who now lives with the power of an indestructible life to save to the uttermost!

Praise God for the risen and reigning King of Zion—whom Bob is worshipping even right now—and who is coming again to make all things new, to wipe away every tear of his people.

Trust me when I say this—if Bob were here he would tell you to give your heart to Jesus, to cast your sins upon Calvary’s Cross, to trust in the Risen Lord, and to follow him into heavenly glory.

And if you belong to the King—your inheritance is kept for you in heaven, and it can never spoil or fade away. Jesus is coming again—and no one can snatch us from his hands. Dear believer, you will be reunited with Bob, to reign with Jesus in resurrection life, for all eternity. Oh hope divine!

But If you don’t belong to the King—you need to. You need to cast off every other hope. Nothing else, and no one else—can save you from sin and death. Only Jesus. True beauty, peace, happiness, and salvation is found in Christ alone. And when Jesus returns, he will defeat the last enemy, which is death—for all those who cling to the old rugged cross.

So let this funeral & celebration of life—prepare you to face death, prepare me to face death—so that we can enjoy the eternal pleasures that are at God’s right hand forevermore. Bob used to sing: running over, running over, my cup is full and running over—since the Lord saved me I’m as happy as can be, my cup is full and running over. If that was true while Bob was on earth, how much more so now that he is in heaven with Jesus.

In a book Bob gave me, there was this underlined poem. I think it would be fitting to read:

There’s no disappointment in heaven, no weariness, sorrow, or pain; no hearts that are bleeding and broken, no song with a minor refrain. There’ll never be crape on the door-nobs, no funeral train in the sky, no graves on the hillsides of glory, for there the saints never die. I’m bound for that beautiful city, my Lord has prepared for His own, where all the redeemed of all ages, sing ‘Glory’ around the white throne. Sometimes I grow homesick for heaven, and the glorious I there shall behold, what a joy that will be, when my Saviour I see, in that beautiful city of gold.

Family and friends of the Hawkin’s family: may the God of all comfort and the Father of all mercies be with us as we grieve the loss of Bob and celebrate his life; but let us not forget to hope in Bob’s Saviour, and carry on Bob’s legacy: how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

That’s how Bob will be remembered. How will you be remembered? To live is Christ, to die is gain. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory over death, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.