funeral 20071002 Lillian Ellis

I)       Funeral of Lillian Ellis, October 3, 2007.

A)    song

B)    welcome:  purpose, thanks,

C)    obituary

D)    prayer

E)     song

F)     message

G)    closing prayer

H)    viewing

I)       recessional and exit.

II)    1 Thess. 4:13-18

III) God wants us to be informed

A)    God so loved the world – He does not want us in ignorance. 

B)    He has gone through great pains, unfolding a plan that spans 1000s of years to get us the information and prevent our ignorance.

C)    Why doesn’t He just reveal Himself.  He has – here is His Word.  There hangs His Son.

D)    Why does He want us informed?

IV) God wants us to grieve with hope

A)    V14 – “that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”

B)    Believers will grieve – just not in the same way.

C)    Grief plus hope:  What is the hope?

1)      Jesus died and rose again – total sovereign victory over death.  Giving our lives to the one who conquers death means that we can trust Him to care for His.

2)      Because God comes for His children

D)    Those who have suffered death will be resurrected first when the Lord returns – their privilege for passing through death.

E)     The remainder – those alive at the time of the Lord’s return – will be “caught up” with them and join them in the air

F)     The final hope – V17 “so we will always be with the Lord.”

V)    God wants us to encourage one another

A)    V18 – imperative – Therefore – because of this great hope – encourage one another. 

B)    Repeated in 5:11 including to build one another up.

C)    How?  “With these words”  All I have to offer is God’s Word – perhaps why I find myself often in this position.

1)      So I won’t try to give you my advice – just His Word.

D)    Therefore I encourage you – ADD HOPE TO YOUR GRIEVING.

1)      Your grief is unavoidable, normal, and even necessary.  Don’t let someone tell you to get over it – you will in time and in your own way.

2)      So grieve – let yourself go through the process.

3)      But don’t let it be a process with no hope – ask God to help you find the hope that you saw in Lillian, that you see in Jr. and in others who believe.

4)      Use this grief to sort things out with God.

5)      Understand it will be painful, but do not give up.

E)     Encourage one another: Don’t say everything will be okay, don’t avoid the subject, don’t avoid each other, don’t let each other go.  Don’t judge someone else’s progress.

1)      Just be there like Job’s friends, if possible.

2)      Make amends with one another, if necessary.

3)      Follow Lillian’s example of always being there.

VI) If you have questions – turn to the God that Lillian trusted, he has promised to give more to those that come by faith.

A)    Work out your salvation with Fear and Trembling!

B)    Discover hope – believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.