The text this morning is from the first epistle of Peter, the first chapter:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.Thus far the text.
Mary, Deb, Rob, Sandra, Lou, Susan, Steven, Greg, Terry, Robert, Jodi, all other family, and my dear friends in Christ,
Today is indeed a day of tears and pain. Today is a day of loss and suffering. Today is a day of much sadness. But, Peter tells us today that today should also be a day of rejoicing. I know that it is hard to understand “joy” in the midst of today’s activities, and yet, joy is not something that wells up within us, it’s not an emotional state, rather joy is a gift given to us by God. It comes from outside of us.
And that’s good, because I know that today, the only real thing coming from inside of us is sadness. Yet, God tells us in the Scriptures that joy comes in the morning. Like smelling that first cup of coffee; joy is in the scent. Like seeing a baby smile for the first time; joy is in that little one. Like seeing a long lost friend again; joy is in the meeting.
And this is the joy that we have today. For indeed, we shall see Bob again one day. We shall see him as Christ has meant him to be. We shall see him raised in an incorruptible body. And this is the joy that is there; joy is in the resurrection.
Bob was not a man of very many words. But he was a man of strong faith, for indeed, through his and Mary’s work, you are here and confess Jesus to be the Lord of all creation, just as Bob did. I confess, I have not known him very long. Yet, through his family, and in my brief meetings with him, I learned that he was well-loved by each of you. Though the last years have been hard, perhaps, you have, shall we say, “risen” to the occasion, and because you have taken care of him, and because the Lord Jesus Christ has preserved him, Bob will indeed rise again to the occasion of the Resurrection.
For nearly 80 years, especially since Bob’s baptism, the Lord has placed His hand upon Bob and has been giving him the joy of the hope of the Resurrection. For nearly 80 years, the Lord has had Bob in His safe-keeping, guarding him unto the day of his death and preserving him in the faith for the day of the Resurrection. For nearly 80 years, the Lord has been speaking to Bob through His Holy Word, reminding him that he is a child of God, and that none can snatch him from His hand, for the Word of the Lord says Bob is forgiven all his sins. And for nearly 70 years, the Lord has been feeding Bob with His own hand His crucified and risen body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.
Our Lord Jesus Christ gave to Bob the very same faith that we have even today, a faith that points us to the fact of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection from dead. This faith, this trust is our hope, as Peter says, in the inheritance promised to us as brothers and sisters to Christ. And this inheritance none can steal from us, for indeed, Jesus Christ the Righteous is guarding this inheritance for us. Peter tells us that this inheritance is guarded in the heavenly places, and this is true. But, just as the New Jerusalem shall descend from heaven upon the earthly city, and from there Christ will reign, so too shall Bob’s inheritance, and your inheritance, descend from heaven, so that indeed we shall each be remade, we shall be given incorruptible bodies from the Lord, and we shall be with our Lord forever.
Indeed, the Lord is gracious and good to do this. But make no mistake, the Lord is powerful. Perhaps today we wonder why the Lord, if He is so powerful, would allow Bob to die, or for us to suffer, or for us to grieve, and, yes, the Lord’s power can take away all these things. And I tell you, truly, the Lord will take away these things. But not yet for us.
Bob died, Bob suffered in this life, not because the Lord did not love him, but because Bob was a sinner. His body lies before us today as proof of this fact. The wages of sin is death, the Word of God says. And so Bob, a sinner, has died. But this is not the end for Him. The Lord loved Bob, the Lord claimed him as His own, just as He has claimed you, and so, Bob, yet though He died, the Lord promises He lives. Though Bob’s body is here, his spirit is taken care of by Christ until the day of the Resurrection when Bob’s soul shall meet body yet again. And this is true for you.
This is the Lord’s love: that the one who came into our flesh, to take our sins, be our savior, die for us upon the tree, and be raised never to die again, this is love. For in these actions, Christ has given us a promise that we, too, like Christ, shall be raised, imperishable, undefiled, unfading. We shall rise up from the dead, we shall never, ever again approach a day of death. We shall never sin again for we have been granted Christ’s righteousness. We shall never grow sick, or weary under the heat of the sun. Rather, all things shall be made perfect and right in Christ. And this promise is for us, just as it was for Bob.
This is the faith in which Bob went to be with his Lord. And though you may not have seen it upon Bob’s face, though in his last days you may not have heard it from his own voice, though you may not have necessarily even thought of it, the Spirit was groaning in prayer for Bob with words we could not even try to understand. Yet, we still know those words. The Spirit said, “Bob Zeller is mine. He has been granted the gift of faith. He is the Lord’s. None can snatch him from my hand.” By these words, we know that Bob, though suffering according to his own flesh, was rejoicing in spirit, for he knew where he would soon be. He would soon be with his Lord. He would soon see his Jesus face-to-face. He would soon no longer suffer. He was rejoicing.
Very often, this type of rejoicing cannot be seen by us. Even in your hearts, even in your own being, you may not be able to perceive that you are rejoicing, but you are. For Peter tells us that this faith that you have will result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus. And though you have not yet seen Him face-to-face, you love Him. So did Bob. But Bob loves Jesus more fully now for he has seen Him, and he shall seen Him forevermore.
So, this day of sadness, rejoice. Know that your husband, your father, your grandfather, your friend, is with the Lord Jesus Christ. And there Bob is being kept, being guarded by Christ until the final day. And so, too, shall we be, lest the Lord returns first. If you cannot rejoice with your mouth, know that the Holy Spirit is helping you to rejoice, for indeed, He will strengthen you in the one true faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And He does this, not just so that you can get through this life, get through this grief, get through this sorrow. The Holy Spirit guards you that you shall be saved unto that last day, the day when the Resurrection comes with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ at His final return, when, truly, all shall rise to the occasion. Lean on this one, lean on the one who is coming back, bringing Bob and all the Church that is in heaven, to be back with you one day, and one day soon. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
[The audio for this text may be accessed in your internet browser by clicking this link.]
No comments:
Post a Comment