Linda Kay Sowards Funeral

I want to thank everyone for coming out today in the rain to honor the life of Linda K Sowards.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Linda, but Shirley has told me much about her. And we all at our church know her as “Kay”.

Even though I did not know her, I can imagine what kind of lady she must have been if she was anything like her sister Shirley.

I know that Kay had been sick for quite some time. And I know that many of you have prayed for her, wept for her, and all of this has not been easy on her family.

I can’t imagine the difficulties you all have experienced during these trying times.

But I wan’t you to know that you are not alone. And there are many others who have wept with you, prayed for her and for those who are grieving today.

We also must remember that there are many others who have walked this same path, and God has carried them through it.

~Prayer for the family~

I want to share a story with you today from the Bible of a friend of Jesus who became sick. His name was Lazarus. He had two sisters named Martha and Mary.

And when the family found out that Lazarus was sick, his sisters knew just what to do, they sent for Jesus. The miracle worker. The Healer. The only One who could heal their brother.

This is what we do when our loved ones face difficulties.

When we have someone who is sick, we go to Jesus! We get down on our hands and knees and pray, and plead, and beg the Lord to heal them and bring them through it

And sometimes Jesus brings healing and sometimes He doesn’t.

And in the situation with Lazarus< Jesus did not go and heal him:

John 11:5–7 “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.”

Jesus was about about 20 miles from where Lazarus was, and instead of coming when Martha and Mary called for Him, he delayed two more days, and when he arrived Lazarus was dead.

POINT: Sometimes God’s will is not to heal. Sometimes God’s will is not to bring our loved one through. Sometimes God does things that wed cannot understand, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE DOES NOT LOVE THEM OR US!

(v 3) “Lord, he whom You love is sick”

(v 5) “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus”

(v 36) “See how He loved him!”

Jesus’ hesitation in responding to Lazarus had no correspondence to His love for Lazarus or Mary or Martha.

Three times we are told, Jesus loved them, Jesus loved them, Jesus loved him.

And we need to keep that in our hearts during our grief. An unanswered prayer does not mean Jesus does not love us. Someone not being healed does not mean Jesus does not love us. Losing a loved one, does not mean Jesus does not love us.

What it does mean is healing is not always in God’s plan.

Jesus intentionally waits to come and see Lazarus. WHY?

Well we are told in verse 15, “and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe”

The greater concern in Jesus’ heart was that that one would come to faith in Him through this entire event. He waited because what he wanted people to see is that HE and He alone has the power to raise the dead.

And that was His greatest concern! Jesus knows that spiritual healing is far greater than physical healing.

Jesus knows, and we know, that death will come to us all, but to those who believe in Him, death has lost its sting, death has lost its power.

What death always does to us on earth is force us to think about eternity. We are reminded when a loved one dies that our lives are temporary and our souls are eternal.

We are reminded that one day we will all come before a holy God and the only ones who will be able to stand are those who believe in Jesus.

The Bible says, “God has put eternity in every man’s heart” and when our earthly existence comes into contact with eternity such as in in great losses such as these, God uses them to open our eyes and hearts to HIM.

I want you to listen to what Jesus told Martha.

After a couple days of waiting, Jesus makes his way to the place where Lazarus was buried. And there He is greeted by Martha and then Mary. And she tells Jesus, If you had been here, my brother would not have died!

AND LISTEN TO WHAT JESUS SAYS TO HER: (v 25) “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,”

See what Jesus is saying is that this life is not all there is. That what we see in front of us, is not everything. That death is not the end!

There is a resurrection of the dead, there is something that comes after we leave our earthly existence!

And Jesus is the only ONE qualified to testify of this, because Jesus Himself had stepped down from heaven and into the flesh of a man, to die for the sins of the world, and be resurrected from the dead.

Death can be a life shattering event for an unbeliever, but not for those who believe.

We know that anyone who dies in Christ will live again.

This is why the apostle Paul said “we do not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”

Friend there is hope beyond the grave, and all who are in Christ Jesus will live after they die.

This is the comfort that Christ gives.

Jesus said, “he who believe in Me will live even if He dies.”

What does it mean to believe in Jesus?

It means much more than believing that there is a God who exists or even much more than believing that Jesus walked upon this world 2,000 years ago, died and rose from the grave.

Most of the world believes that there is a God and much of the world believes that he sent His Son to die for the sins of the world!

BUT Scripture is clear that most the world does not follow Jesus.

Jesus said, “Why do you call ME ‘Lord’, ‘Lord’, and not do what I say”

To believe In Jesus means to surrender one’s WHOLE life to Him, to trust Him with your life!

Jesus wanted Martha and Mary to see that He could be trusted, even in the event of death!

And Jesus wants us to know we can rely on Him even in the face of death!

So what happened to Lazarus?

Well he had been in the tomb Scripture says for four days before Jesus arrived. By this time, all hope had been lost! They considered death to be the end and no one not even Jesus could do anything now.

But Jesus tells them to remove the stone that covered the tomb, and He commanded Lazarus who was dead to come out!

And the Scripture says, “The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

This entire event was not about Lazarus being healed so he could continue on in his earthly life.

Jesus purposely waited two days so that he would die, so that he could raise him from the dead, not so that he could live again, but to show everyone there that day and even in the surrounding towns and cities that Jesus has the power to resurrect the dead!

And as we read this event today, that is the truth we should take away from it. This Jesus whom we have heard about our whole lives, who has been worshipped and adored for 2,000 years, holds the keys to death.

And the truth and application is given to us in verse 26

(v 26) “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?

Jesus declares this truth and then asks Martha this: “Do you believe this?”

And that question is the same question Jesus is asking us today.

Do you believe in Jesus? If you do, then you will live on after the grave.

I told you that I never met Kay, but from the testimony of her sister Shirley, she was a believer. And if she was a believer, I can tell you by the authority of God’s Word today, she is alive and in the presence of Jesus right now!

And that if you will surrender your life to Jesus, you will live on after the grace and spend eternity in the presence of Jesus.

I plead with you today, that you would hand your life over to Him, by faith, and trust Him!

HE IS TRUSTWORTHY!

~PRAYER~