Funeral for Steven Adams

Obituary

This is a tough time. We have lost a man who loved his wife and family. A man who did good for others, and cared for others. He wrestled with health in his last years, but he had a kind heart and wanted to do good.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

In a way, it is a very good thing that we are here today. We have come to the “house of mourning” today. Not only are we mourning the loss of this man, but we are inclining ourselves to spiritual things simply by being here to comfort the family. What we learn from all this will depend on what we allow ourselves to learn.

Hebrews 9:27 mentions that it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. This is not the main point of that passage, but it is established in scripture in that verse that once we die, our life is set. There is nothing we can do after death to change our eternal place. This is terrifying for those who embrace sin, but it is a great comfort for the children of God. We trust the Bible, that Steve is in the hands of a merciful God who loves us, and who wants us to be with Him in eternity.

Rom 14:10 says we shall ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Jesus will be the judge in the last day. So, the biggest question of our lives: what happens to me after my death? Where will I go?

Earlier, Paul writes in Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

-The term “Gospel” means “good news”. To truly appreciate the good news, we have to have the bad news.

-The bad news is that we have all sinned. We have all fallen short of the standard that God has set. None of us can claim purity on the basis of how good we are or the good things we do.

-The more we try to stand without God, the more we are beaten down by this disease known as sin.

-The GOOD NEWS is this: God has made it possible for us to be justified.

Romans 3:24 “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

-NOT justified by making up for all our bad deeds. Such is impossible.

-NOT justified by saying that our sin isn’t important.

-But we ARE justified “freely BY his grace”

-“Freely” means that it is a gift from God. His grace is free to all who seek it. There is nothing we could do to earn it.

-We are not justified only “BY his grace”, but “THROUGH the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

-That redemption has not come easily. A great price has been paid for our salvation.

-Ignoring the conditions of this redemption means that we ignore the sacrifice that Jesus made.

-You might say, “wait a minute! I thought this was a free gift!”

-It sure is, but like with all free gifts, we have to receive it. (Inheritance)

Romans 3:25 “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,”

- We are saved through faith, and the remission of our sins is the outcome of God’s declaration of His righteousness.

-Jesus’ “propitiation” means that He suffered for our sins. He died so that we might live, and not just live, but live for Him.

- 2 Corinthians 5:15  and He died for all, so that they who live should live no longer for themselves, but for the One who died for them and rose again.

Jesus not only died that we might live, He was resurrected in order to prove the truth of all of this.

In fact, Paul makes this point in Colossians 2:11-15. Writing to the saints in Colossae, Paul tells them their baptism for the remission of sins meant that they were buried with Christ in that moment, and raised with him through their faith in God’s work in the resurrection of Jesus. Saints have been made alive together with Him, their sins completely forgiven, the Mosaic Law nailed to the cross, and the principalities and powers, the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, were completely disgraced in this momentous victory. When we die in Christ, we inherit the same blessings, gain the same victory that Jesus did.

This is the blessing of going to the “house of mourning”, as we have today. Just as Solomon wrote about it, we are enduring grief today, but the blessing of it is what we can learn in order to be with God in heaven for eternity.

We need to remember as we end our thoughts how much we love Steve’s family. Lynda is a godly woman who needs encouragement and support in the hard days ahead. Megan is a godly woman who needs to know her Dad loved her and also needs encouragement after this loss. Tyler is a godly man who can be encouraged to strive forward. The Lord knows you all did what you could. He will be your greatest comfort as you face this.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”