Funeral Service for James Thornhill

2/16/2002

I want to welcome you today on behalf of Donna and the family as we celebrate the life and grieve the death of James Thornhill.

I want to read some Scripture appropriate for this occasion:

1 Thessalonians 4

13 ¶ Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever.

18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Corinthians 15

20 ¶ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

SERMON

Acts 20

17 ¶ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.

19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.

20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

25 "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.

26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men.

27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.

30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

33 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.

34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.

35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

36 ¶ When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.

37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.

38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

BACKGROUND

Paul was completing his 3rd missionary journey and was traveling in the middle east on his way eventually to Rome. He knew that he wouldn’t see the elders of the church in Ephesus again. Paul gathered them all together and they had a time of sharing, crying and releasing. Paul had been in Ephesus for years facing good times and bad times with them. They owed so much to him that they couldn’t bear the idea of not seeing him anymore. This setting provides a very similar situation to what you are facing today. You face a very similar loss with the loss of Jim.

1. THIS WAS/IS A TIME OF SORROW AND GRIEF

-The people here had a time of grief because they would see Paul’s face no more.

-The Scripture we started with talked about not grieving like the rest of men who have no hope.

-In other words, don’t grieve as if this is the end…of Jim…of the future.

-Jim had a relationship with God.

Lu 20:38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."

-When someone close to us dies, we have to face the reality of death and let natural grief run its course.

-But we are told that we should have hope when we grieve.

2. THIS WAS/IS A TIME OF SEPARATION

-Life as you have known it with Jim being here has changed.

-The transition you make can be healthy if you do it God’s way.

Pr 10:7 ¶ The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

-Thank God Jim got to live.

-He had a long life.

-Focus on his life and its positive impact upon you.

-As you do that, God’s Spirit brings healing to the tear in your heart of losing him.

-Only God and the choices you make can bring real healing.

3. THIS WAS/IS A TIME OF VICTORY

-Paul had experienced the third heaven and his perspective was that it was better to be there than here.

-To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

-Paul said it was better by far to be with Christ.

-In the Old Testament the Bible refers to death as “BEING GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE.”

-In their heart they knew they would see Paul again.

-In the same way you will see Jim again.

-Because he made the decision to follow Jesus, he is better off than he has ever been before.

-Jesus had some things to say about death.

John 11

21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

-That’s what it comes down to, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT?

-Even in death the righteous have a refuge.

-Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

-Jim has eternal life. That is the bridge that covers the chasm of death.

-Do you know Jesus? Are you ready to die? You aren’t really ready to live until you are ready to die.

CLOSING STATEMENT

Burial Service

These Words of Jesus from John 14

are known as:

The Greatest Promise ever made

By the Greatest Person who ever lived about

The greatest place ever imagined

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jim Thornhill is not here. He stands in the presence of the Lord who said to one dying on a cross, “Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” What stands before us is the earthly tent, the house in which He lived among us for a time. Tenderly and reverently we commit that house to the grave. The body returns to the earth from which it came; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The spirit returns to God who gave it, awaiting that day when both body and spirit shall again be united at the coming of the Lord; “for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise.” For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” “Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

PRAYER