He says there's no need in a funeral to make any pronouncement about the faith or non-faith of the deceased. You have servants who are owned by the master and are accountable to him. Deserts will bloom and the thorns and briars In all this, she used that which God gave her to multiply Gods gifts to her in order that she might do the will of God! There are certain verses in Scripture that become the strength of Christians. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. When Jesus Comes to Reign (by Dr. John R. Rice, 1895-1980). Look to His bloodshed on the cross. You have been faithful with a few things. But the one with the one talent, he goes off and he hides his master's money in the ground. To nail that in place, Jesus told a troublesome little parable. He speaks of wrestling, boxing, running, winning the race, winning the prize, and winning crowns. In our service in the church and in the community. Learn about the parable that this Bible phrase originates from and the wisdom we can gain from it. Brother Moore, we love you and will carry on your legacy. He's going to entrust things to you, but He's testing you now to see if you're faithful with somebody else's property, namely God's. Even if there were a system whereby, we could pay for our good works through our sins, through our good works, you would empty out your pockets on Judgment Day and find you didn't have a single one. Because the father's happy with it, that's going to band us together. If you could see me now, Im walking streets of gold, if you could see me now, Im standing tall and whole, if you could see me now youd see the pains erased, if you could see me now youd know Id seen His face. Were all enjoying Jesus, just kneeling at His feet. Therefore, we have no good works apart from Christ. No ones in a hurry, no schedule to keep. Feb 17, 2013. Put oil on your head and wash your face. The purpose of this website is to provide free sermon manuscripts and sermon videos to pastors and missionaries throughout the world, especially the Third World, where there are few if any theological seminaries or Bible schools. I saw what you did. As soon as the casket is in the hearse, please come upstairs for a wonderful Chinese meal and time of fellowship as we watch a video of the life of Mrs. Eloise Roop. These words are - "Well done, good and faithful servant." Our works, good works apart from faith in Christ are actually corrupt because they're not done for the glory of God, but rather for the glory of man. Her body will go into the grave in a few days, awaiting the rapture.. Isn't that funny? Shall end with all its tears. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. Everybody in the room is focused on death, so utilize this as a time to connect people with the truth that this life is short, and the Gospel is the only hope of eternity with Jesus. Whenever you write to Dr. Hymers always tell him what country you live in, or he cannot answer you. Include poetry and music. This concept of authority structure is taught openly in the Parable of the 10 minas[money] which is a parallel parable here. It does to me, but it is true. The kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. Hundreds of others watch the videos on YouTube, but they soon leave YouTube and come to our website. Again, and again, this is taught in the Bible. by Timothy George 2 . Well done, good, and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things. Joy is a powerful word in the happiness family, it is the most powerful happiness word, I think. He was talking about his different triumphs and different things that happened, and he said the most memorable championship he ever won was his last championship at Wimbledon, seventh championship. The other day as I was thinking about what to preach for Elaine's funeral sermon, I was scanning my mental files for possible biblical texts to work with. Check out these helpful resources Biblical Commentary Sermons Children's Sermons Hymn Lists. He will save you for all time, and for all eternity. Flee away that glory day! We are to give comfort and uplift and help. 36. Matthew 25:23New International Version. Our good works are generally motivated by pride and self-focus, I feel good about myself, and I look good to others when I do good works, like the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Invested in the kingdom, God can multiply, A. They testify to our relationship with Him. Give hope. Then He rewards us for doing it. Well done, you good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over little. That is his praise for the deeds done, for the actual work done, so the character of the servant and the work are both focus of praise. Secondly, greater responsibility entrusted by God. B. Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? Sorrow and sighing shall flee away! Did you know that the New Testament mentions rewards 28 different times? He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations (Revelation 2:26). If these sermons bless you send an e-mail to Dr. Hymers and tell him, but always include what country you are writing from. The one with the five talents comes and he says, "Master, I put your five talents to work and look, I've gained five more," And he hears these beautiful words, "Well done, you good and faithful servant. First of all, it's not your place. All their work for the United Way and for UNICEF and Habitat for Humanity and Walk for Hunger and cerebral palsy and all of that, all our righteous acts are like filthy rags in the sight of God. Funeral Sermons For A Good Man. Matthew 25:14-30 . You're going to be busy. Preaching a funeral is one of the greatest responsibilities of being a pastor. No, he didn't reach millions but he was faithful right where he was. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." It's profound happiness, a delight that's very difficult to capture in words, and notice the invitation: Enter into the joy of your Master. If you've not been trustworthy with someone else's property now, who would give you property of your own? He won it seven times, but this one was different because his father was there to see it for the first time. An unregenerate person cannot improve his or her status in God's sight one fraction of an inch by his good works. Good and faithful Christians like Eloise will descend with Christ to rule and reign over the earth for 1,000 years. Look at verse 21 again, his master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a little. So, we have to be told over and over again, we are never going to be justified or vindicated or forgiven for our sins by any good thing we can do. So, it will not be obvious to men that you're fasting, but only to your Father who's in heaven, and your Father sees what is done in secret and will reward you. Then He says, generally, about all of this,"Do not store up treasure on Earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal but store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is there, your heart will be also." You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers. Right from the beginning, God said in Genesis 1:31, God saw all that He had made and behold it was very good. See, here is what belongs to you." taken her place among the heroes of faith now to cheer us on and to pray for us that we also might follow and finish well . This will happen after the rapture. James tells us how the mechanism works. That gold medal is a symbol of a lot of self-sacrifice of some extraordinary skill, and at the key moments when the time came to perform, winning that race or that contest and winning that gold medal. You may telephone him at (818)352-0452. Christ is there in Paradise, seated at the right hand of God the Father (Romans 8:34). Do you want to know what true ownership is? Justice Scalia on Funeral Sermons. I will do whatever I can to maximize my heavenly happiness. Then when I came back, I would have received it back with interest. Write a script. The Bible also tells us that rewards are given to us by grace, dear friends, we cannot demand them, and we know we don't deserve them. Story #4: In My Father's House. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. The sermon manuscripts are given in 46 languages to about 120,000 computers each month. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile, but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile, for God does not show favoritism.". I'd like 100 cups of cold-water rewards. Every time you go into your room and close the door and pray for a missionary, a brother and sister in Christ, somebody sick, somebody struggling, a marriage is struggling. He was being exiled to the tiny volcanic island of St. Helena, which is in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, 700 miles from the nearest landfall, several thousand miles from coastlines of Africa or South America, just in the middle of the ocean. The one with the two talents reports that he gained two more, and gets the exact same commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Good job". For me, John Wilde was one of those people. FUNERAL HOMILY DOROTHY THOMPSON It is a basic tenant of our faith / that human life is sacred, / that the human person is respected, / that we are made / in the image and likeness of God. This isn't just any joy; this is the happiness that comes from God. He moves in us by faith through the Holy Spirit when the time comes to actually do those good works, overcoming our own native selfishness and weakness. Your love has been appreciated very much! He uses it for all eternity, so there it is, that's praise. You too could have this wonderful hope for the future. It is said that when one of his church members was dying, John Watson, the Scottish preacher of Edinburgh, would kneel down and whisper in the person's ear: "In my Father's house are many rooms.". Medals of honor, medals of valor, medals of glory, medals of achievement, medals of bravery, medals of service. I am now turning the service over to the funeral directors. But not so fast, dear friends. 122 views, 1 likes, 1 loves, 0 comments, 5 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Christ Lutheran Church: Violet Hahn Funeral missionaries throughout the world, especially the Third World, where there are few if any 5. As a matter of fact, the rewards can go down to a small deed as in Matthew 10:42, "Giving a cup of cold water to a servant in Lord who's out on mission, and you just help him on his way." Yet, even in the context of a funeral, we remember what Ezekiel learned: God's breath suffocates death. III. If you want to write to Dr. Hymers by postal mail, his address is P.O. Those who have done good will rise to live, those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." What Jesus did was great, it was infinite. He only wanted one thing, he didn't even care about Gold Medal at that point, Where is my father? He wanted to hug him and be with his father to share that moment together. If you're here today and you're lost, if you don't know Jesus, and the rest of the sermon is going to be about rewards, just know this, if you stand before God on Judgment Day without Christ as your Savior, you will have no rewards, there will be none, nothing but wrath and anger for sin. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. So that's the parable. The one who had taken the one mina and got five, he's entrusted with five cities to rule and to be in charge of. I will set you over much. Amen. (21&23). Keep your . Don't wait till your spouse dies to express your love. As we remember *********, let us remember: worker. Without faith, he says, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. You've got to believe in rewards to be pleasing to God. His property, everything in the parable is his, it all belongs to him. But it says in Hebrews 6:10, God is not unjust, He will not forget your works and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and as you continue to help. Tongues of the dumb shall sing. She invested her talents in her love for her, children - all of them. But genuine saving faith always results in good works. Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them." 34 And Jesus said, ''Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.''. Note: Ephesians 2:8-10: Works do not save us, but we are created in Christ to do them. They must be used for the glory of God. However, all of Dr. Hymers video messages, and all other sermons on video Perhaps you remember in 1980, after the men's hockey Olympic hockey team had defeated the Russians and went on to win the gold medal. Wow. He says later,"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead." It says in Romans 14:23, "Everything that does not come from faith is sin." Many times, actually in Scripture, God with unbridled joy, just celebrates something he's made, he talks about its attributes and its nature. Note: The reward for both the one with 5 and the one with 2 is the same! Come and share your master's happiness" We serve God faithfully week in, week out. To one servant he gave 5 talents - that was 5 sacks of treasure. What do you say to the servant when he comes in from the field? We swam in it and you couldn't go under the surface of the water. He made it for Himself. He might say, "Do you realize what this individual did, this Martyr, this missionary, this evangelist, this Pastor, this servant? In John 11, the Bible tells a story about a funeral for a man who had been one of Jesus' close friends. We're going to be judged by our works, assessed by them. Those who are Christians in name only do not have this blessed hope. Do you think of what you can do with this to enhance your earthly situation, or are you thinking like a steward saying, Lord, what do you want me to do with this money?. Today we're going to focus in on verse 21, verse 23, this statement you've heard already a number of times this morning, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Garden of Eden restored that day! In Hebrews 11:26, Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as a greater value than all the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. The third aspect of joy is he's going to teach you to rejoice in everything he rejoices in, in detail. I'm going to put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master." 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Scriptures: Mark 4:35-41. We are going to be praising him and giving him glory and honor. A funeral service is an event unlike any other. To another he gave 2 sacks of treasure. The healing that has been delayed, has now been realized. Fourth, Eloise and all good and true Christians will return to this earth to reign with Christ. God is measuring our accountability with what we're doing with what He's given us now. "Here I am God to talk to you about me. A Brief Sermon For A Memorial Service. I fast twice a week and I give a tenth of all I get." A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly. I. What is heaven going to be like when your Father embraces you and says, I'm pleased with what you did there. I think it would behoove you to have as many moments as possible like that with Him stored up. Now by way of review, you've known the reading of the parable of the talents is rich and full. I'm going to close now with Jonathan Edwards' resolution, by way of application. When we reach the end of our life, unless Jesus comes, it will be the most precious thing said at our funeral. theological Isn't that good news? The rewards Christ will give at this time will determine the position the Christian will have in Christs earthly kingdom (Luke 19:12-26). What's it going to be like in the new heaven, the new Earth? Whatever pleases Him. Matthew 7:16-20, "By their fruit, you will recognize them. . 23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! It would be this, "To hear these words from Christ, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'" Secondly, it's not becoming. In Luke 19 says, The king sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, each person getting the same one mina, to find out what they had gained with it. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away! People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? The one with the five talents comes and he says, "Master, I put your five talents to work and look, I've gained five more, And he hears these beautiful words, "Well done, you good and faithful servant. But, Jesus and His men do not go straight back to Jewish country. Sitting in on a service where I knew no one except the minister is how I came away with one . Including words or songs from others in your funeral sermon can be "meaning-making.". It says in verse 14, it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. So, you have this master and he's the owner. Good works cannot pay for our sinfulness, only faith in the blood of Jesus Christ can. God will withhold the reward if we fail to use the talents He has given. Can you do this like I did? IT is the happiness of our religion, that all mankind, poor and rich, are equally able to please God. First, the true Christians spirit goes immediately into the presence of Christ when they die, Luke 23:43; Romans 8:34, II Corinthians 12:2, 4. Remember when God's just celebrating all the stuff He's made, the stars, and the animals and all that sort of stuff, and basically putting Job in his place. The siren is going off. This is the focus of the rest of our time. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Let's look at the first one: praise from God. In 1 Corinthians 4:5, what we get is praise from God. It's all gone, He's going to teach you to delight in the widow who gave her two little coins and out-gave you. The unbelieving will never hear those words, for "without faith it is impossible to please God" ( Hebrews 11:6 ). So obviously, then, your sermon needs to be shorter than a traditional Sunday sermon. The servants must give an account back to the master what they did with the things entrusted. These are the basic ingredients of stewardship. He identifies them based on their works. What it does, can you do all that? It's like God got carried away, like He's on a horse riding it, says Isn't this awesome? But we also know from the world around us / the struggles and the conflicts / the pre-determined attitudes and fixed mind-sets / which do not uphold those Turn away from your sins and trust Jesus with all your heart. On July 15th, 1815, the defeated former Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, boarded the British warship, the HMS Bellerophon, and was being sent to his final earthly destination. To miss one is to miss a part of life's full recipe. By the way, whoever does not have what? Can you do that? All of my biblical training is saying I should be praising Him. Garden of Eden restored that day! By the way, only God can make a bad tree good. Will we too hear those words, well done my good and faithful servant? A key lesson of these parables is that God expects us to gain a measurable increase in our lives. Things seem to go well for us at one moment, then somehow in the next moment it is matched by an equal amounts of misfortune. 3 Finishing strong can only be done by a life that has chosen Christ as Savior and Lord. Jesus shed His Blood on the Cross to cleanse you from all sin (I John 1:7). XXV. Second, Eloise is fully aware of what is happening to her in Paradise right now. They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years (Revelation 20:6). There are six characters we play out in life. Even as we rejoice, however, let us not forget that Lent is still not over. We may not wait . He is very zealous that you learn to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret and your Father sees what is done in secret and will reward you. and went to the most spectacularly beautiful place I've ever seen in my life, the Karakoram mountains, 20,000 feet high, plus the incredibly beautiful Hunza Valley, less than a day's ride from there. A life well done, "Well done, good and faithful servant." God asks no less of us then he asked of His son. The master comes back and settles accounts with these servants. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. A. We know this because God says He will do it for his servants who's serving by faith, He says it multiple times. He's going on a journey, the master is going to be away for a key period of time, so the servants are going to be able to function without him visibly right there. Then that one with the one talent comes in and insults the master, not a good way to begin your Judgment Day encounter. Ever. I pray my interpretations and shadings are accurate and help find some "comfort in life and death" for the community here and, with God's grace, for some others dealing with great pain while hoping in the Lord. Read full chapter. 2. But for those who are self-seeking, who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger."
Gilbert Artemus (Artie) Darrell