Funeral - The Unchangeable Promise of Jesus

A reading from the New Testament - Luke 23.33-43

33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine

37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” [1]

The life expectancy had increased dramatically over the centuries, today, it is more than double from the average of approximately 30 years in the 13th century because of medical and other technological advances over time. However, the reality of physical death is still here today. It is reality and no matter how hard we try to push the boundary, all of us will still face this reality sooner or later. This is the bad part of reality, but that is only part of the story, for the scriptures tell us in Hebrew 9.27 that “Man is [only] destined to die once” and thereafter, have eternal life.

But the question then is, where will we spend eternity? With whom? And how does one make the essential arrangements?

When Jesus was in his last hours before his death on the cross for the sins of humanity, he was crucified between two thieves. It is a possibility that Pilate wanted to insult this man who claimed to be a king by hanging him between these criminals. After all, the crucifixion is a sentence that is only reserved for the most hardened criminals.

But God had his reasons for allowing this crucifixion that went far beyond Pilate's intentions. God, in his providence, allowed two thieves to frame Jesus’ cross with their own. This was the last chance for the two criminals to go into paradise with Jesus. One took it, to which Jesus said “today you will be with me in paradise”[2].

The other refused. In the unfolding drama of the cross, the story of the one who cried out to Jesus for mercy is probably one of the most revealing incidents in all the Gospel narrative. It is essentially the climax of the entire Gospel and the ministry of Jesus’ ministry on earth.

It essentially the core of our faith and hope, based on the unchangeable promise of God on which we Christians hang on to, especially during such difficult times such as today, when we bid farewell to our husband, father, brother, and friends, Mr. James Kho.

So what are the truths about our faith and hope that we can pick up from this passage today?

I. Destroys the Idea of Annihilation

The first truth is that we will continue to live after our physical death.

When Jesus talked to the thief that repented, Jesus said that the thief will continue to be with Jesus after their time of the cross has passed.

This tells us that there is life after our physical death and that death is but the separation of our body from our spirit, which we know from Ecclesiastes 12.7 that says that “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God”.

Therefore, physical death does not result in us ceasing to exist, but rather a temporal separation between two parts of our body.

II. We will Immediately be in the Presence of God

The second truth we can pick up from this passage is that for Christians, when our time on earth has come to an end, we will immediately be in the presence of the Lord.

This we can gleam once again from the passage that says “Today, you will be with me in paradise”...

This concept is also repeated in 2 Corinthians 5:8 when Paul talks about being away from his physical body and being in the presence of God, immediately after his physical body is no longer functioning.

Therefore, there Is no between-state between death and being in God’s presence, and there is no uncertainty of our fate when our journey here is complete. There is no need to try to gain favor from deity nor is there for any form of sacrifice. What Jesus did on the cross for our sins is sufficient to cover all our iniquities.

We can be assured that James is no longer bound to the physical ailments and pain that he had to endure any more. He is no longer limited by his frail body anymore nor does he need to be connected to any medical instruments anymore. He is now in the presence of God, in a place that our scriptures in Revelation 21.4 proclaim that there no more sorrows, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain, no more infirmities, no more weakness, no more disappointments, but rather, James is now in a place of pure delight, no longer need to be bound by our weak and limited body, but able to fully enjoy life… life as how we were supposed to enjoy, before sin came into this world.

In a place described in our scriptures as a place of pure bliss, a place filled with joy, a place where fear and suffering had been banished, a place where all our troubles are banished, a place where we can enjoy rest in the presence of God, a place where we will share Jesus’ Christ glory. A place where the most amazing place on earth will pale in comparison to, where Jesus described as a mansion that will overshadow anything ever built by human hands,“ for Paul declared that “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9–10). This is the promise that had been given to us Christians, and this is the reality that James now enjoy, in the presence of God our father.

This we know not only from the scriptures, but also the accounts of people who have called on people who are able to enter the eternal bliss such as that of Rev. Sandborn who called on a Christian lady who was seriously ill who while bolstered on the bed was looking off in a distant, looking at what she described as a beautiful city and said that “as soon as the gates are open, she will be allowed in.

Then she related how she was disappointed twice when two people, a little girl named Mamie and Grampa in, ahead of her. Later in the day, Rev. Sandborn learned that the young lady died that morning. The first person she saw entering the city ahead of her, Maime was a little girl who lived near them once but had moved to another state, while the second person, was a family friend who likewise had moved to another state. When Rev. Sandborn did further investigation, she discovered that both Mamie and Grampa passed on to glory on the same hour as the young lady.

Two thieves were being executed along with Jesus that day. One knew who to reach for, the other didn't. One found Jesus’ hand. The other found an eternal death separated from the Savior forever.

For James, death is not is the end of the road; it is only a bend in the road. The road winds only through those paths through which Christ Himself has gone. The tomb is not an entrance to death, but to life. The tomb is not an empty vault, but the doorway to heaven. When we die, nothing in God dies, and His faithfulness endures.

Death for the believer is not stepping into an alien atmosphere; it is going home.

Not an empty home, but a home in the presence of Jesus forever.

James is not lost, he is now home with the Lord.

Though we may miss him, because he is such a big part of our lives, because without him, there is now a void in our lives.

Yet in our sorrow and grief, we are comforted with the promise of Jesus: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), as well as the assurance He gave us that “Where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). Amen.

Lutzer, Erwin W.. One Minute After You Die (p. 80). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition..

Henry, Jim. A Minister's Treasury of Funeral and Memorial Messages (p. 116). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 23:26–43.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 23:43.