Martha Baldwin Funeral

We have spent a lot of time today focusing on celebrating the life of Martha Baldwin. We have listened as those who love Martha recounted their Memories and love for her.

Though I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Martha very well I was honored to sit with some of the Family and hear stories about the type of person Martha was.

I was told about how much she loved to make sure that whenever the family was together no one was board. I was told about how much she loved music. How family oriented she was as well as how caring and selfless she was.

I was told how much she loved her husband James…and I saw how much James loved Martha by the look of love in his eyes as he listened to others speak and as he himself shared memories

Martha obviously spent her life building memories in the minds and hearts of all of those that she loved, and all of those that loved her.

That is what makes saying goodby so difficult….But one of the other reasons saying goodby is so hard does not have as much to do with how much we will miss Martha but about how much we do not understand or know about death itself.

Death is often seen as the end especially for those without a faith in Christ…However Death is actually a beginning…

These times together are supposed to be about celebrating life but they are also about facing our own mortality.

That is what we will take a few moments with today.

Revelation 14:13 “13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!””

The Bible teaches that life does not end at the grave. The eternal spirit and image of God within us cannot be destroyed by the death of the body. John must have had this truth in mind when he wrote Revelation 14:13.

Obviously, this is a view of death from the other side. Viewed from our vantage point, death appears to be dreadful, defeating, and devastating.

However from God's vantage point, it is altogether different. He calls the dead, "blessed." That word literally means "happy," "to be congratulated," "fortunate." Far from being pitied. God tells us that those who die with faith in the Lord are receiving their reward…to be without pain, tears, or any sense of trouble that we face today.

While Life is a gift from God that God expects us to live tot he fullest death is not to be feared. Death is not the end of existence but a doorway to something much greater

1. THE DOORWAY TO REST

1) Death is the doorway to rest from our labors.

The word "labor" describes a wearing out from work, a wearisome toil. It suggests to us that life is often hard. It can be full of difficulties, disappointments, and disease. God promises us rest from all of that.

2) Death is the doorway into that rest for God's people.

There comes a time when we need to lay down our burden and to be at rest. The word "rest" that appears here is a beautiful word. It means to be at ease, to be refreshed. It suggests an end to the toils and tribulations of life.

This is what Jesus promised to us when He said:

– Matthew 11:28-30 “28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””

In this world of trouble, we can know rest. But there is a greater and more complete rest for us when we go to be with the Lord. It is the rest of heaven and the presence of God.

2. DOORWAY TO REWARD

Johns says in Revelation 14, "their works do follow them." We are all making a record on earth just as Martha did. We carry the record of our life with us into eternity, by the lives that we live, by the words that we say, and the deeds that we do, we are laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven.

Jesus said if we give a cup of cold water to a little child because we are His disciple, we will in no way lose our reward Matt. 10:42

The Bible tells us that God will not forget our works and labor of love which we have done in His name as we minister to others Heb. 6:10

“10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.”

Our works follow us. They accompany us to the very judgment of God.

The purpose of the judgment is not to determine our destiny but to determine our reward in that destiny. We are saved by grace, but we will be rewarded for our obedience.

If we have lived faithfully and served our Lord lovingly then death becomes the doorway to our reward. And those like Martha who have gone to a good reward are fortunate even though we miss them so….

3. DOORWAY TO RESURRECTION

While the resurrection is not mentioned in this verse, it is affirmed in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22:

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), 1 Co 15:20–22.

The Bible teaches more than the immortality or the survival of the spirit of man. It also teaches the resurrection of the body. Those who die in Christ go to be with the Lord…And when Christ returns the body that has died will come to life again.

It will be a new and glorious resurrection body and will be like the resurrected body of Christ. As His body was recognizable, so our friend and loved one will be recognizable also.

As His body transcended the limitations of time and space, so our body will not be subject to the limitations of this life. As His body was no longer subject to disease and decay, so our body will be an immortal body. It will live forever.