O Death, Where is Your Victory

Me

I never met Treva. But these past couple days, I got a glimpse of her legacy. Treva’s worth was not placed in herself, but in the lives she touched.

During the holidays, Treva’s home was filled with laughter, full bellies, and great memories. Her great love was for her family.

Treva loved to sew. Treva would make quits for all her kids, pouring her love into each one.

Everyone who knew Treva, knew just how strong she was. She didn’t let anyone push her around. That strength and love flowed from Treva and touched every heart she came in contact with.

Treva was an incredibly strong woman. Everyone who knew Treva

Today Treva is surrounded by people who love her. Each person here is a testimony, a story to who Treva was.

Treva wasn’t just a mother and a wife, she was also a singer and a dancer.

Today we are gathered here to honor Treva for everything she stood for. We are here to celebrate Treva’s life.

Treva’s Stories

I love hearing stories of what made people great. Over and over again Treva’s greatness is told through the lives of her family.

Treva loved her children, but she was also serious. More than a couple of times, her kids would be fighting in the back seat of the car, so what would she do? She kicked them out and drove down the road. Gary, Kathy and the rest of their siblings would have to run and catch up. No longer where they fighting over the best seat, they were just happy to be in the car and off their feet.

But no matter what kind of legacy we leave behind, death hurts. It hurts especially when we are emotionally connected to someone. The trouble is, that Treva was emotionally connected to everyone. She loved everyone, and everyone loved her. So what do we do with death? What do we do when we lose someone so close to us.

God

Some archeologists in Egypt discovered a tablet. This tablet contained a story, a conversation between two women. The first woman had just lost someone close to her and the second woman was doing her best to comfort her friend. At the end of the conversation both women arrived at a conclusion. If this life is all there is, there is no hope.

All throughout human history, we have been searching for eternal life. Explorers were looking for the fountain of youth. The crusaders searching for the holy grail. Humanity has been on a search of a life better than this.

While those Egyptian women long ago gave up hope for their loved one, the bible says that we can have hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Paul gives us some encouraging words. That those whom we love and lost, we will see again. Paul says we can have hope because our lost ones will be reunited with us. They will be resurrected and we all will be with Jesus.

Not only will we be reunited with our loved ones, but Paul gives us the icing on the cake.

1 Corinthians 15:50–58 ESV

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:50-

Revelation 21:4 ESV

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Romans 6:23 ESV

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

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 ESV

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Not only will we be reunited with our loved ones, but they will no longer feel the pains of disease and frail bodies, they will be made new.

This is why Paul exclaims, “O death, where is your victory? Where is your sting?

There will come a day where all of us can be reunited with Treva.

Reunion

There is a reunion coming soon. Treva is going to be there. When she sees her husband Frank, her children and grand children she loved so much there is going to be hugs, kisses, and probably some tears as well.

On that day, we can all gather around Treva, and she can see what we see today. That she was and still is loved. She can see just how many lives and homes she touched.

I can’t wait for that day and I bet neither can you.

So today we celebrate Treva, because she always celebrated us.

We