Safety at First, Safety At Last!
Notes
Transcript
Dear Family, Friends, and Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
“Safety-First” common little phrase I am sure bantered around landscaping equipment. Even in later life apartment - neat tidy, safe live in a place in a moments notice. IN last months - safety protocols of hosptial and nursing home, though I am certain he felt safest when you Audrey were by his side. Whether it’s boating, jumping on a motor cycle, we crave security. It’s what Eliza and Audrey provided to launch you out in to life - see how thankful you are.
Why do we crave security and safety? It’s because we live in a world where everything from birth til our final breathe - tentative, risky, fragile. Storms fly up in a lake, think of Jenn telling story of simple slip on slippery deck out in the wilderness cottage, all those trees downed - hopp in that car get help - get mother to the hospital before she bleeds to death. THink of raising these children - mother heart that calls out Versichte - carefull watch out don’t ddo such daring things.
But life is risk, and there is no way we can find enough locks, or enough procdures to stop all that threatens us in this life Car accidents to cancer, to heart disease stroke, but for all the ways we seek to build on our own safety, sadly the Great Threat at the end - - so often we seldom give thought to the safety we need from it - the last enemey DEATH! Come to a funeral after all that persons living on earth is done, we ask the big question well what kind of safety can we have from death! Doesit really have to end this way Ecclesiastes - wearing down of the grinders, like Jesus said to Peter - in verses that came after Eliza’s profession of faith test, wehn you older, another will lead you … - are we to leave this place that’s it … or a pipe dream that maybe in some ethereal cloudy place maybe live on?
Well, the Bible declares taht just like amother calling versichte as children teeter on danger, just like a Father watching his child go through hardtime and heart break - I would go through that for them, so too the Living God - calls out to us VERSICHTE WATCH OUT IN THIS DANGER OF LIFE - over here , come here I will protect you, I will take you place I will see you through. And these Scriptures that Eliza has picked as his favourties and the texts for his funeral they tell us both waht the real danger in life really is, and here these words now from your huband, father, grandfather, , fellow friend Christin brother - like his last word telling you how meet the great and last danger and find true and forever safety in the prsence of the living God! And the heart of the answer is that - if you want to find saety in deathat last, eternal rest as God designed it, in your end which can be a new begining, you must find Safety at the first. You must find it now in this life before the end comes. Something he struggled with do I have that saeety, what comes in the end, really all true how can I know, am I good enough, and He leaves us these wrods from Romans to give the answer!
Hear first the good news of safety now \
A. Safety in Life from Living a Damned Life
Most of us think of life without disease, job loss, famly or finanicial crisis - when we think of the dangers of life. None of us compeletely escape of tose kind of dangers, and he was happy for the kind of blessings of life in work, fishing, cottage, happy for his kids. But you know what he knew weighed more in life than those kind of blessings or struggles. You know what he was proudest of - that you all got along, that you haven’t rejected or hated each other, that with each a good relationship. And what bothere him big time was that thought that he failed you. And even more the thgouth that he had failed God, wasn’t good enough.
Hve you ever had that feeling that youwere not enogh, not matter how much you’ve done - in fallen world an imoprtant humbling feeeling. He felt it big time. Why are we afraid of not being enough - fear of being rejected, condemned - bad enough from each other, held all bad stuff against me, incomplete and broken. But it is that getting what I deserve and Iknwo it isn’t good - he really felt. It is that word condemended - condmenation, human or divine judge to hold it against and mete out punshment. English word actually comes from the stronger wrod you see in it - when translated from Greek to Latin - damnation!
Do you ever feel damnation in life - when someone writes you off, when someone wants to get even with you, won’t forgive but exact justice, holds that grudge, Ltle bit like feeling this. But even more it is the actions from that person judging whether your friend or God Himself. And we wonder why things go wrong in this world, but the big wonder if how so much goes right. Because the Bible tells us - death is part of the curse, the damnation, for sin in this world. The brokeneness of disease - the conflict - all part of that fall in to sin and the WOE IT reeleased, Expressions of the wrath of God - when we abandoned God, built in curse -this is what life is like when you live without me, ignore, live inrebeellino to me!
If you have not felt this in regular struggle and pains and struggles of life - you will in death. But there is a safety from this condmenation in life. First vrse, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God sent his son in our weakned broken flesh, He sent His son under the law, undr the cruse of dmanation, subject to die, In gethsemane the cup of wrath for our sins, said he would drain, Jesus accepted that on the Corss, My sin and your iputed upon him Made the indelibe stain of your sin, forever clean! He died for our sins. He suffered not just physical but spritual death of hell for you and me!
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
This world lives under that law of sin and death, and merely trying to be good, to follow you conscience, to follow the law, follow religious routine, never get you from under that law and condemnation. How we lived our lives, but that our acceptance by God and indeed by each other is based on what God has done in Christ. In the Lrods’ Supper celebrate not my self-righteouness, but Christ’s reightoeusn — competlel veeran nd s hadeve nltew lir fe in ofHim - awrdopted, efilled wieeth Sprit fh o Christ.
And God says , watch out , over there - my Son - by faith be in Him, over there, stop living just by the flesh with your mind just set on the things of this world. He syas, those who are in Christ, no longer any condemnation - safe.
And God says , watch out , over there - my Son - by faith be in Him, over there, stop living just by the flesh with your mind just set on the things of this world. He syas, those who are in Christ, n o longer any condemnation - safe.
What happens when a kid knows he or she is saf, relax, they enjoy, they are able to live for so much else. And so those who are covereered by Christ have life in Christ, they toostart to live - beyond just pleasing people and getting things in this life - those in Christ - says they are free in Christ to live by new law of the Spirit. says they set their minds on new things!
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
The rest of describes all the inheirtance and the Spirit within us - describes the Christain life that results from being justified and sanctified in Jesus in this life. This is important safety at first, means that God didn’t just save you to live for him forever in the next world; he saved you so that you live a new life now, that you bear fruit to God in this life. Significance of not dates, 1924-2019 but of the dash in between
But if you get htis safety first, if you find true peace with God, acceptance instead of condemnation, adoption, instead of distance, joy instead of anxiety; you are also guarantted to safety inthe last! What is the safety in the last?
What remains for us in the last - the Bible says in
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
As a Christian minister at a Christian funeral, I must describe the dangers of the end! There is your death and mine physically, then there is separation of our bodies and souls - either to Christ our head, or to place of eternal punishment. But understand that the danger is not just a soul in hell, the Final Judgment before the great white throne at the end of time preceded by resurrection - those in Christ and those out of him, all raised and not just souls in heavenly places, but bodies reunited with our souls - final state in new heavens and earth of hell its self. And the good news ins that in Christ there is safety at the last for all who find safety in Him at the first!
B. The Safety in the Last is Being Made MORE THAN CONQUERORS< Literrally Super Victors, or HYPER -COnquerors in Christ even through death!
B.
Paul has just said none can condemn us, even in death! If God didn’t spare his own Son to justify us and if Christ intercedes for us, graciously giving us life for every stage. But what about after hte last stage of our earthly life, end of the line of life in this world - says: now ultimate problems -
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Not just like Carl Sagan says, a world with just star dust space and matter - going on and on and on. No, there really realm of things-invisible - of being Persons such as God angels, demons, Satan. really is a Person a Maker beyond all. In death our spirit passes into that realm beyond the physical world And Paul asks what then? In life nothing could separate us from the love of God in Christ, Spirit came to make us victors then.
But what about now for Eliza? What about you after your body set to rest until the resurrection? Paul goes on there are angels, rulers, not talking about Justin Truda and Donald Trump or Ceasar August or King Herod, Talking about POWERS… Satan and spiritual powers in the world beyond our world that you and I willl pass into - Are we going to be OK then - wihtout Christ big unkonwn , and worst dreaful punishment, but in Christ , through Him who loved us we are what?
Who knows what the Swoosh is - NIKE God of Victory , word is hyper-nikkos - HYPER _VCXITORs in Christ nor efveil power, no death can keep its prey, icy gfingers over us, no in death , ithe next realm - because of Christ and His resurrection we too will be victors over death.
Death is more persistent than CRA hunting tax evaders. It is more snister than a terrorist - and so hard because its so final… But I will never forget sitting in a tomb in Israel, much like the one Jesus was sealed in. Wim and Jennifer in there and sitting around it two. And the gospel is that the same power that raised Jesus from the e dead, same power in us. INvited to have that power to work in me in life, and one day that power will open the door through the grave to eternal life with Jeuss. But listen that same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is going to raise up my very body - death will not have the victory but Christ and Christ in us! With our very bodies redeemed on the last days, Christ in glroius victory willrenews the whole earth, after the judgment in which we face our judge andmaker unafraid - make all things new - new heaven and new earth to enojy God and all the redeemed for eternity. And we will be together with the LORD. Our lives here will just be like the introduction the preace of story - and the fuller unending story will begin anew! How does that make you feel in Christ now as we stand on the brink of this world and the next?
Remember how a kid in safety feels - opposite of that fawn licking wounds, run from everything anxious - CHrist who is raised, and is at the Father’s right hand, interceding through all our struggle battle and weakness here. He says, Come on up - nothing will be able to separate you from my love in Christ! In me you are supervictor and share in my super victory of the end. He says come on up - and forever come on in…
IS IT SAFE? Life in this world? Life in the world to come for you? Is death Safe? You and I know it isn’t - God knew it wouldn’t be, in love He sent His Son and the Son freely choose to come into your trouble and sin, condemnation, to be good enoguh for us. … He came to take hold of and deliver us from not only condemnation, but from death and the silence of the grave.
So Jesus says:
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus of the next world
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
I will never forget the break through in assurance Eliza received two years ago - hard to hold on to - not condemned, but totally accepted in Christ - around time celebrated commmunion in your apartment. Never forget break through closer to death - in Midland again around time of taking comunion - yes have doubts, yes don’t feel worhty - but Christ is my Saviour and my life and my dying is in Him. And in Him nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
The separation of loved ones and of bodya nd soul remain in death until Christ comes or takes us home. But let us press on as victors