Alexandria
Funeral - Suicide • Sermon • Submitted
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A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Today is tough!
In fact, this entire week has been tough for many people here. We cannot sugar coat the challenge and sadness of today.
I am sure Ally is loved by each person who is here, and in addition to questions of “Why?” — your love for Ally is what has brought you here today.
It is good to remember and celebrate how God has blessed you through Ally’s life.
Take a moment to think how has God blessed you through Ally’s life…
And today I want to tell you about someone who also loves Ally:
God
God loves Ally a huge amount…
Listen again to His Word of Romans 8 that we heard earlier, but this time with Ally’s name:
35 Who shall separate Ally from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 37 No, in all these things Ally are more than conquerors through him who loves Ally. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate Ally from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And God shows His love to you and Ally through the actions of Jesus…..
Listen to John 3:16-17
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Here’s the deal, God so loved the world that He gave his Son so that we can have life!
This is the reality; God whats us to have life, and He gives us life even when our lives don’t quite measure up. For example,
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
There is nothing we can do to earn God’s acceptance except have faith that Jesus’ death and resurrection are enough to pay the penalty for all our sins…
As we heard in John 14, our place in heaven is made possible by Jesus. Jesus is the one preparing heaven for us. In other words spending eternity with God is a gift from Him. A gift that Jesus makes possible for us through His death and resurrection.
And so when we look at Ally’s death, we first recognize that you have lost someone from this earth you care about and love. But, we must also recognize that this is not something that God wanted to happen. Why? Because God is about life.
However I want to be very clear:
Nowhere is Bible does it say that suicide prevents a a person receiving the gift of eternal life with God.
Suicide is not an unforgiveable sin! But it is also not God’s plan for us. Christ died for us while we are still sinner — even in the very act of sinning. Yes, suicide is never God’s plan for His children, BUT this is a perfect example of why Jesus Christ came, suffered and died on that cross. It was all for YOU, for Ally, and for all the sins we do.
God still loves Ally.
God still loves you and me….
Please hold onto this….
No matter what is happening in your life….
God always is throwing His love our way.
You will find God’s love in the Scriptures.
You will find God’s love in church, don’t listen to the media about the church…the church is a community of people who God uses so His love becomes evident in our life.
You will find God’s love amongst your friends and family.
And this is one of the reasons why today is important.
God has placed people in our lives to help us, especially to help us when life is tough.
One of the most well-know part of Bible is Psalm 23: It is about God getting involved in our lives when things are rough. Listen carefully to verse 4 and 6:
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
God Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff,
they comfort me.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
When times are tough, when we experience days like today—tough and difficult times—they are not a sign that God is punishing us. However, when difficult times happen accept God’s help. Accept His support. He is always willing to help us, and He uses people to accomplish His purpose in our lives. So, lean on the people around you.
Listen to God’s Word of promise that He brings to us through the Scriptures.
Engage with His community, the Church.
God wants to help you through the difficulties you face.
Rely on God and the gifts He gives you to help you through tough times.
And for those us who wonder, “Did I Do Enough?” or “Could I have Done More to Prevent this Tragedy?” — We need to remember, none of us are God. We cannot control another human being’s behavior. And though we may have missed the signs, we are not to blame. We are all limited in our ability. Feelings of guilt are normal, but remember these feelings are not true.
Allow God to help you with these feelings.
Listen to what He says in
As 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10 says
Godly sorrow.... leads to salvation and brings no regret….
And one final thing for each of you who love Ally…. today is not the end….. death on this earth is not the finish.
Remember God’s promises
The promise of a new life with Him in heaven
That for all who have faith in Jesus there is eternal life….
So let us give thanks to God for His love for Ally and for you.
One more thought:
Listen to these beautiful words from Isaiah the Prophet:
“A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench” (Isaiah 42:3).
If someone is hurting or suffering, the Lord doesn’t reject them or put them out of their misery. Depression—or whatever the condition may be— will not have the last word; God will.
When we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in Him—as I’m told Ally did—our rights as His children are restored. This is because Jesus has transferred the shame of our sin upon Himself. We celebrate, therefore, not a right to end life but to receive life. Even if one’s battle continues for some time, the outcome is sure. Instead of questioning, “how long can I last?” the Christian can now confess, “my Savior has come to me that I may have life and have it abundantly’” (John 10:10).
In Jesus Name. Amen.