Funeral of Ruby Gilly

We all knew this day would come, as long as Jesus delays his coming we know that death will visit every home and every life around us, and yes even our own.

You know if there is anything I could talk about today, it is faithfulness, Ruby was a faithful member always praying, reading her Sunday school lessons even after she couldn’t attend.

And she supported her church faithfully, every month she made sure to send her tithe and support the work that God was doing in her church.

And when you look back at her life, to live 105 years, how special that God allowed her to have all those years with her family. Now Ruby never liked to talk about her age, she kept that quiet but what I noticed was after she 100, she seemed to almost be proud.. not in a bad way. But she knew the Lord had blessed her.

The Lord blessed her that she as able to live alone for so many years, even driving herself around until she was 98.5 years old.

Often Miss Ruby would tell me, I don’t know why the the Lord has allowed me to live so long… and I would always tell her, Ms Gilly, the Lord is not done with you.. there is a purpose for your life.

The Lord blessed her that she as able to live alone for so many years, even driving herself around until she was 98.5 years old.

And i think even in these last day she remained a blessing to those around her, her daugther and Ray, other family members and yes those dear ladies who helped care for her each day. She blessed them as well.

And she knew death would visit if the Lord delayed his coming… but death isn’t the end, we know that all who live in Christ have life.

It reminds me of , Jesus had a friend who was ill, and his sisters called for Jesus to come… But Jesus delayed his visit, he knew and told them “the sickness wasn’t unto death but for the glory of God so that the Son might be glorified through it.” ( )

This chapter, is a wonderful blessing.... for in it we see the a wonderful truth about Jesus.

Jesus delays visiting and finally when he come to Bethany, Lazarus is dead and Mary and Martha are mourning… like us today.

Mary Ruth you loved and did all you could to ensure your mother was provided for… cared for and blessed in these last days… You have had your mother a lot longer than most and that is a blessing as well.

In , Martha sees Jesus coming and tells him, Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died...

We hate death… death was never ment to be a part of our life. Sin brought death and the sorrow that accompanies it.

Our only hope is Jesus...

Jesus tell Martha, your brother will live again… and he knows this… she believes there will be a resurrection on the last day… The Jews believed there would a general resurrection of the dead good and bad on the last day, and the God would deal with the just and the unjust...

But Jesus clarifies her thinking… the whole point of this chapter is in verses 25-26, listen......

John 11:25–26 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

When Jesus says he is the resurrection and the life, he says I am the power to restore, impart and maintain life....

says

John 1:4 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

And then in

John 5:21 ESV

21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

So He is life.... Colossians says that all things were created by Him and for Him. He is the agent of creation that lives life to all, in fact Jesus has the power over life and death…

Even though death comes, the separation of the body and soul doesn’t mean life has stopped or been interrupted… instead we have a new life and one day a new body...

In , we know that Jesus will ask to see where Lazarus lay… he will command the stone to be rolled away and when he calls out.... Lazarus come forth… and he does....

He who was dead is now alive and whole… no longer sick, no longer under the paralysis of decay… He is well, he is live.. and he is returned to his family.

There is coming a day when the paralysis of death will have no control over this life… Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Paul says a day is coming then the dead will return and be reunited with those bodies that have been called forth from the grave, and they will be caught up in the air and forever they will be with the Lord...

What a blessing… death is powerless, it has no sting and no victory in the lives of those who live for and love Jesus.

My blessing today is that Ms Ruby knew Jesus, loved Him and her church. She loved her family… what a blessing She has seen her Lord and she is well and whole.,

We will see her again....

Now we will

Psalm 19:14 ESV

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

says

We will be traveling to Powell valley Memorial Gardens for a short interment service for Miss Ruby, you are welcome to go in procession with us if you wish too.

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Amen

John 11 ESV

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. 55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.