Gratitude At The Time Of Death

[Editor's Note: Frequent funerals can make it difficult for the preacher to have an new idea for the service honoring the memory of faithful, deceased Christian. The following is a funeral sermon I used and perhaps it will be of help to you.]

Gratitude At The Time Of Death

Dr. J. Mike Minnix

Introduction

I want to speak to you for a few moments today from Psalms 116:15  ...

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."

Interesting, isn't it? The Lord calls the death of a believer a precious thing. We don't often think of death as precious. Most people do all they can to keep death from thought or conversation. Yet here we have a passage in the Bible that expresses that the death of a believer is a precious event in the sight of the Lord.

Granted, the Lord does not say that the death of an unsaved person is precious. Indeed, such a death is heart breaking, but when a believer dies it is a time for gratitude. Let me share with you some reasons for thankfulness today and for viewing death as God does - as a precious thing.

I. Thankful For the Life The Deceased Was Given

Death is Precious because you can be Thankful For The Life The Deceased Was Given.

Life is a gift from God. Our days are in His hands. We can be grateful for the years of life that (name) was given.

The Scripture states in Psalm 90:10, 12 …

"The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

It is said of Jeremiah that he was known by the Lord in his mother's womb. Indeed, our lives are gifts. We rejoice when a baby is born. Let us rejoice for the years and days God has given when life comes to an end on this earth.

II. Thankful For The Life The Deceased Has Lived

Death is Precious because you can be Thankful For The Life The Deceased Has Lived.

(Here is a good opportunity to extol the qualities of the Christian who has died. Remembering years of service and faithfulness to family, church, country, work and community is a wholesome thing in a funeral for a Christian. Of course one must be careful not to overdo the praise, for one must know that the family and friends are aware of behaviors, attributes, and words stated by the deceased that a preacher is unlikely to know. The preacher can suggest in the service that the family recall the sweetest and best days they had with the deceased, and that came can take attention away from weaknesses that might have existed in the deceased.

III. Thankful For The Life The Deceased Has Now

Death is Precious because you can be Thankful For The Life The Deceased Has Now.

At this point the wonderful truth of eternal life is to be emphasized. Jesus promised that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  Death had no victory over the Christian because Jesus took our death at Calvary. Life cannot be taken from the Christian because the risen Lord secured Life for those who trust Him through repentance and faith.

Death is only precious in Christ, but it is precious for all who rest in Him.

Conclusion

(This is the opportunity to talk about the salvation experience of the deceased. The preacher can elaborate on the way to salvation. Passages which promise heaven, such as Psalm 23:6, John 14:1- 6, and others can and should be shared. A call for those present who are yet unsaved may be given or mentioned.)