Buddy Hines Funeral

Opening

Thank you for being here today as we remember the life of Buddy Hines.

I remember Buddy best from the times I would pass by him on Sunday mornings. He would sit out here in our lobby at the coffee tables. Always in the same spot.

If I were walking down the hallway, I would say hey to him, and he was always friendly saying hey back.

He was a consistent presence. I could always count on Buddy Hines being in that exact seat, facing this direction, and being part of this church family.

Buddy lived 91 years, and was just three days away from turning 92. Isn’t that incredible?

While Buddy lived a long life, he faced various health challenges over the past few years.

This made life difficult towards the end.

Tension

Buddy’s long life, and health challenges towards the end of it, are a reminder that life is fragile. Even if we live many days.

It reminds us that our days are numbered.

Moses in Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Our life may be long, or it may be short compared to others, but the truth is: our days are numbered.

Maybe you think about this, maybe you don’t. Maybe you choose not to. Maybe you ignore it.

But anytime we are faced with death, it is a sobering reminder of that reality.

Law

Have you ever wondered why death exists in the first place?

I mean, we’ve all been to funerals before. We’ve lost loved ones. We recognize that it is something that happens in life.

Is this normal?

No.

It’s normal in that it happens, but this was not God’s original design.

The answer to why death exists is found in God’s Word

I want to share just two verses with you today.

The first:

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

God created us to know Him and have a relationship with Him.

However, we, God’s creation, rebelled against Him. A term the Bible calls sin.

And sin has a consequence. A very serious one.

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

All of us in the room know what a wage is. It is something you earn. Like you hear in the term minimum-wage.

The wage, the payment we deserve for our sin, is death.

It’s the most gut-wrenching equation of all time: sin = death

And no one is exempt from this equation.

This is not good news.

Gospel

But I do not stand up here to only give you bad news.

I want to give you good news. The best news.

That verse that I just read, Romans 6:23, doesn’t end there.

It continues. And in a powerful, beautiful way.

It says,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Here is where everything changes.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to this earth for a very specific purpose.

It wasn’t to live his best life now. It wasn’t to live a comfy, cozy life.

He came to this earth to die.

Why?

To pay the penalty for our sin.

Jesus never sinned, not even once. He didn’t deserve to die.

Yet, He took the place of guilty sinners on the cross, paying their sin penalty before God.

What’s crazy is: He did not stay dead.

When have you ever known of someone to come back from the dead?

I only know of one: Jesus Christ.

He died, then history and Scripture records that He came back to life three days later.

This proved that He was God, and that He holds power over sin and the grave.

Even death couldn’t hold Jesus down.

Response

What does this mean for us in the room today?

We all will face death one day, unless the Lord returns before.

But those apart from God will die and be separated from Him forever

But in Christ, we don’t have to experience eternal death and separation from God.

This is not a fiction story; it is the truth.

How do we escape an eternal death?

By trusting in an eternal Savior.

Scripture is clear, that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

You can’t be spared from death by being a good person.

Or by relying on your church attendance.

Or by relying on your grandmother or grandfather’s faith.

It is by you, as an individual, recognizing you have sinned, you deserve death, but Jesus took your place, and you trust in Him.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

We can have assurance today that if we are in Christ, we are safe. We will not experience separation from God.

And although we may face death in this life, Scripture says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

And all who have gone to be with the Lord will be united again with their bodies one day, but a resurrected body, just like Our Lord. One that has been perfected and will never experience death again.

I believe with all of my heart that Buddy would want you to know this today.

Conclusion

If you are looking for hope today in the midst of grief, come to Jesus.

He will give you exactly what you need.

He is near to the brokenhearted, and He saves the crushed in spirit, as the Psalmist writes.

He cares deeply for you.

Buddy will be missed.

His smile, his quiet, consistent presence will be missed.

But death doesn’t have to be the end.

For those who have trusted in Christ, death is just a doorway that leads to eternal life with Him.

You can have that exact comfort today by placing your faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation.

To the family:

We are so very sorry for your loss. We are here for you, and may the Lord’s supernatural peace be with you in the days to come.

Let’s bow and pray together.

Prayer

Father, we thank you for who You are. You are good. Even in the midst of our sin, you made a way for us through your Son Jesus. We thank you for His life, death, and resurrection.

I lift up everyone in Buddy’s family before you now. Would You comfort them with your presence. Would You give them strength that is supernatural. Strength that only comes from You. Would You give them peace, peace that surpasses all understanding, as Your Word says. And ultimately, Father, would You give them hope. That although our days are numbered here in this life, they will not be numbered in the next, as we live eternally with you.

May everyone here be reminded of all the good memories with Buddy, and may we leave here encouraged and strengthened by the hope we have in Christ.

We ask all of this in the name of Jesus, amen.