The last Chapter of our life

 

Psalm 31:24

 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

 

   Many loved ones have left this life behind and went on to the next phase or segment of their spiritual existence. There is still a day when we shall all appear before the throne of Jesus Christ and we will have our faith our life and our works reviewed by Christ. We will all take our places there as God has willed for each of us to do. Meanwhile we that are left behind in this life must continue to live in the hope of God’s Grace, Mercy and Blessing as we await our own time of passing or the completion of the Great Plan of Salvation when Christ shall part the eastern sky and descend again to the earth with the heavenly host of angels.

You and I were created spiritual beings inside this body of flesh and we were created to exist in harmony and fellowship with the creator God. We will find ourselves free from this flesh and blood body in the spiritual realm one day when we also have shaken off these old bodies that have disappointed us and failed us in this life. Then we’ll be free from the corruption of sicknesses and diseases that break down and destroy this flesh body that attack our minds and set our minds in turmoil as we wrestle with our feelings and emotions.

On the other side when we depart from this life there will be no tempter there to lead us astray. There we’ll be free from all sickness and disease and the temptations and desires of this human nature and will. The powerful temptations and struggles we face to choose between right and wrong inside this body and mind will cease to torment us and the effects caused by life’s tragedy’s pitfalls and disappointments will all disappear.

Over there sorrow, grief, depression or anger will have no hold over us, nor the power to break us. Over there if heavens door is opened unto us we will be fully redeemed from all the power of the enemy and we will become fully empowered to live a life innocent and free from the knowledge that has brought so much death, sickness, war, and grief upon this earth.   

At the resurrection Jesus Christ conquered death, hell and the grave. Those that choose to follow Christ are quickened by the Spirit of Christ.

John 11:25-26

Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we come face to face with the gospel, which represents Christ’s death, burial and resurrection which to us means being born again from above, and being baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins, and receiving into this temple the spirit of Christ.  

The last enemy to be conquered in God’s great plan will be the death of this body. One day all of us will be resurrected to stand before the throne of Jesus Christ to have our faith our life and deeds our reviewed by Christ. At the resurrection we shall receive a glorious body like unto Christ’s resurrected body.

Many misunderstand the source of their pain, the feeling they have of loss, and many wrap all these things into an emotional sense of hopelessness and helplessness because they cannot change the final chapter of a loved one’s life’, or control the outcome of a sickness or a disease that has effected them or someone they love.

Some blame God rather then the enemy who deceived Eve and caused Adam to err bringing all these things upon mankind in the “Garden of Eden”.  

The wrong perspective may cause us to poison or sabotage our own lives, though it may not be our intention. In the course of our personal struggles with loss and grief we often fail to focus inward upon our selves and peer into the spiritual depths of our own souls to see if we are truly living the triumphant life that God wills for us and wants us to enjoy. We all must from time to time do a self examination to guard ourselves from deceptions such as the one that deceived Adam and Eve in the garden.

Painful questions about things we may not completely understand concerning God’s duty to us and to those we love in this life can influence the choices we make as individuals and greatly influence the futures of our children.

Unresolved questions can sometimes cause us who are left behind to question where God is in the midst of our troubles and circumstances.

When a loved one is taken by death the enemy often comes to try to convince those who are left behind that it’s all over that there is no God, no future, no hope, there is no life here after. But the devil is a liar! The Bible say’s the enemy cometh but to steal, to kill and destroy! All these are works the old spirit that was in the Garden of Eden.

When we have a flawed understanding such as this, it can rob us of faith and often where faith should be, it is replaced by overwhelming grief, anger or an unforgiving attitude that may look for a place to put blame or the responsibility for one’s grief.  

God understands our pain and He Himself has suffered in the body of Jesus Christ more then any human being that has ever lived. God is not a stranger to the trials and heartaches we endure in this body.

Grief and sorrow can sometimes cloud our vision and lead us to wrongly make accusations concerning God and lead us build a wall between us and God and cause us to resist or resent the good things that God would like us to partake of and enjoy in this lifetime.

Many of us here today have at some time or will at some time be tempted to blame God for something that has brought us overwhelming grief or sorrow. This deception to question how God operates is often used by the enemy of God to sway a discouraged soul away from the path of God’s blessing. Often a discouraged soul will never find true happiness and true contentment and will attempt to live on old memories and pursue unrealistic dreams that are not practical or not really God’s will for their life. 

Many of us here have or will in our lifetime face many different types of pain, emotional traumas or enticements that may suggest that relief might come from other things such as addictions that have crippled the lives and happiness of millions and has robbed many that we know in the end of their happiness.

The enemy always encourages us to reach for a substitute to mask our pain because he knows those things are not good for us, but rather will work to destroy and separate us from healthy relationships with God, our loved ones and those that live around us.

 Many are led to believe that somehow a little more money, a better job, a little stronger drink, or a better drug, a better high, or maybe a new car or a house, maybe a new significant other, would dull the pain of our disappointment, failures and short comings in this life and somehow help us complete our lives and help us find the contentment we long for.

 We may even feel just for a brief moment that taste of victory on the horizon the smell of success that seems to be right at the tips of our fingers and we can almost grasp the objects of our desire but again without God’s blessing and companionship with us in our ventures we might find ourselves settling for something less, maybe even something inferior to that we had determined to achieve and hold on to when we began to pursue our hopes and our dreams.  

We were not made to tread the paths of life without the guidance and fellowship of God’s Spirit living and dwelling within at the very heart of our existence.

 It is the Spirit of God that completes us, to give us encouragement, and the strength and direction to lead us toward success and blessing as we journey through this life.

Success in God’s economy is not measured by the standard that this world uses to measure success. It is not the value of a person in dollars and cents that determines their net worth. Ones net worth can only be summed up by the place one has made in their heart for God and family and the sincerity of their heart to love and share their life with those around them.

God has provided everything we will ever need. If we will come to Him honest and sincere, and stay close to Him we will receive those things God has purposed for us in this life.

God will comfort us in our darkest hours, He’ll lift us when we find ourselves in the lowest of valleys, and Jesus Christ will even celebrate with you in your greatest triumphs and joys and help you walk in victory over all the enemy and all his attacks and deceptions that will come against you.

Jesus Christ said, I will never leave you nor will I forsake you but (I will) go with you even unto the end of the world.

Jesus Christ has provided us everyone the tools to put our lives together, and to overcome our greatest tragedies and obstacles in this life. Christ will come to all who voluntarily open the door of their heart to Him and he will not just come along beside you to comfort you like a friend but He will make His abode in your heart and the love of God will heal your greatest sorrows, deepest hurts and take away the heartaches that distract you from the true happiness and contentment that God wills for your life.

Christ’s finished  work at the cross will take away the power of sin and the strangle hold it often gets on our life and our future, but also Christ restore us to a new life free from bad habits and addictions and the pain and emotional trauma of failed relationships. God will fill you with an eternal and endearing love, gladness and hope, far beyond anything that is describable by the language of words.

Those of you here today that will reflect and let go of deep seated feelings and the questions you have asked in your heart about God and open the door to the most private parts of your heart and mind today will find that God is a master at healing hearts and restoring hopes, dreams and lives.

God cares how you feel, how you hurt and how you handle your sense of loss. Christ has come knocking on some of your hearts today to present you a better hope and a fulfilled life and a better future with benefits that are eternal.

In heaven there will be no final goodbyes but unity in the love of God, peace, joy and a happiness that cannot be described in human terms. 

We, you and I can enjoy God’s comfort, God’s grace from this day onward and if we take care to establish or continue in our relationship with God, it will extend beyond the limits of any clock or measurement of time known to mankind.

When the time comes to pass from this stage of life to the next your loved ones can know and understand that the end has not come as we passed from this life, but rather an opportunity has come to behold a new day, a future time when we will be resurrected and we will gather together again in heaven at the throne of Jesus Christ.

When we submit and accept this understanding of the mysteries of life and God’s plan for each of us, our faith and understanding of God’s provision for you and I will hold a special blessing and there will be a looking forward to that great appointment with God that each of us here today has been appointed to at some time in our futures.

Yes it often seems that life deals us a bad hand and we may feel discouraged at times because we may feel we cannot handle any more of the negativity we often face in this life.

But all is not lost, you are in control of your destiny and nobody or any thing can take this control from you. There is yet one more chapter unwritten of our lives on the other side of heavens door at the throne of Jesus Christ, and you’re going to be the author of that chapter. You will decide in this lifetime, some may decide in this very hour whether you will commit to share a glorious future life with your family in heaven.

God has prepared a place for you and your family that makes the angels of heaven stir with wonder and amazement at the great things God’s love has determined to bring to pass on your behalf.   

 

Our journey here is ever so brief, and precious is this gift of human life and the love we share with those we hold dear. God offers His love and His blessing and provision to each one who will travel this highway of life and you and I will eventually arrive here also, at the summation of our journey and have somebody preach our funerals also. 

 

Today we have come together to offer our love our support and encouragement to this fathers children, his family and his friends. And we have heard Godly counsel today to help us gain an understanding of some of the mysteries that surround our passing from this life. Today hear the Word of the Lord and by faith take this Word into your hearts and be strengthen by it and know that God is in the midst of your trials, and your pain and comes today to comfort you and bring peace in the midst of your loss.

 

I as a father, a son, a brother and a friend I believe these are all things a father who loves his children like this father loved his boys and his family would have wanted to convey to his family if the opportunity were made available. Many of us think there is time for talks like these later on in our life but sometimes we never get around to it and time simply runs out on us. And we never get to say those things we really wish we could have said.

But there is still one more chapter of your life after this one is over, that will not be read until resurrection day in heaven and nobody but you controls the conclusion to that chapter.

Jesus Christ was the bravest loyalist most courageous man that has ever lived in the history of the world, he had more love for his fellow man then any man has ever displayed and he was more a man then any other in every sense of the word. Christ willing came to face the challenges of life and to endure death on the cross that you and I might escape the eternal death of this spirit man which is struggling to existing inside of this temporary body of flesh.  

We do not have to accept that all is lost forever when this life is over.

After Christ’s resurrection and He had ascended to heaven The men of Jerusalem asked Peter the apostle what shall we do to receive the promise and Peter said, Repent, turn away from your sins, and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of Jesus for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. For it is a promise to you your children and all that are afar off even all those whom the Lord shall call.

Seal these words in your heart and mind today and Know that this earthly man’s journey here is over but the last chapter is when we will all stand together again before the judgment seat of Christ and have our lives and our works evaluated by Jesus Christ.

There is no greater choice more honorable that a person could make then to get to know Christ and follow Him in total commitment and sincerity

 Jer 29:11,13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

Consider where your at today in your relationship with God and make a decision to be just what God has designed you for sir, ma’am and make this day a blessed day, a day that will not be remembered as a conclusion to life’s journey but a new and glorious chapter that is beginning to open pointing us toward the day when we shall all gather again before the throne of Jesus Christ.

                                                                                                                         JW Mills

                                                                                                                       Jan 12, 2009

                                                                                                                       S. Jones Funeral