Funeral Sermon for Ms. Debbie Burkhalter

The Comfort and Call of the Savior

Psalm 118:1-9 opens up with words that seem odd at a funeral. We are here to mourn and comfort the family. We all face death. Yet there is joy in this psalm. Not just joy, but exuberant joy! And it is from this joy that we draw comfort. Let us first consider the comfort from the Savior.

COMFORT FROM THE SAVIOR

This psalm offers us comfort. It reminds us, as Ms. Debbie would do now, of the goodness of God.

In verse 1 we have comfort because of the love of the LORD. We are reminded of the goodness of the gospel in John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The love of God is the foundation for a peaceful soul.

In verse 5 we have comfort in answered prayer. We can go to God with our prayers and God answers. You are broken hearted in the face of death. Go to God in prayer. You need comfort, call out to God and pray and He will answer. In this psalm, David is referring to enemies without. In death, we often face enemies within. Doubts about God’s goodness, His love, His tenderness. But when we go to the LORD in prayer, He hears and He answers. Listen to Peter’s words of encouragement: 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” We have comfort from the Savior.

In verses 8-9 we have comfort from the right source: God alone. Family and friends are here this morning to comfort the family, and what a precious gift this is. But many do not have this comfort. Many turn toward everything else. But the LORD is the giver of true and lasting comfort. God comforts us through His Word and His Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul gives us this exhortation: Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

There is an abundance of comfort from the Savior for you, family, today. Let every feeling of grief drive you to Jesus. Let every tear remind you of that glorious day on which the Savior will wipe every single one of them. Let every pain in your heart as your mourn the loss of your mother, grandmother, friend, turn you in your deepest need to the one who supplies all our needs according to the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus.

But there is one more comfort that we draw from the Savior in 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 “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.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The comfort is that death has been defeated. Ms. Debbie is now free from pain and suffering. She has put off the perishable, and through God’s wonderful grace has donned the imperishable. Christ has given her the victory. Therefore, as Paul encourages, “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.”

If you do this, then like the psalmist you will say, even in the midst of your grief,

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

This is comfort indeed. I trust that you, family and friends, will draw deeply from this well of encouragement. But this comfort is only for the Christian. Perhaps you do not know Christ as Savior. Then there is another comfort you can draw. It is the reality of death. Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” Judgment? That does not sound like comfort! This is why we consider the call from the Savior.

CALL FROM THE SAVIOR

In Psalm 118:22-24 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” That Stone is Jesus Christ. The Jewish people rejected their Messiah yelling Crucify Him!

Jesus had to be crucified. We sin against God and need to be saved from the judgment to come. But we cannot save ourselves. There is no amount of good that a human being can do to earn God’s favor. The good news, or Gospel, is that you do not have to. Jesus already did it. Listen to John 3:14-18 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

This is the call of the Savior. Believe me! Be comforted in a way that you cannot imagine! Come, confess your sins, be saved by the salvation I offer. If Ms. Debbie could come back this morning she would implore everyone to be saved.

Listen to the rest of Psalm 118:25-29 “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

CONCLUSION

Family and friends who know Jesus, be comforted by the almighty grace of Almighty God. Turn, like the Psalmist, to the LORD. He will comfort you in a way that is incomprehensible.

Family and friends who do not know Jesus, answer His call. Ms. Debbie’s death, which is precious in the sight of God (Psalm 116:15), is an opportunity for you to answer the call of Jesus to come to Him.