Alright the title of the sermon this morning is preparing for your death
Preparing for your death. Let's have a word of prayer Heavenly Father. We thank you Lord so much for this wonderful day
Lord I pray that you'd help me to preach this sermon tonight today and pray that
Lord people wouldn't just check out over a sermon like this Lord
They would pay attention and understand what the will of the Lord is and Lord what you desire for us
To do to prepare for our ultimate
Death on this earth, and I pray that you just help me fill me with the Spirit fill me with power
Fill me with boldness in Jesus name I pray Amen
So Ecclesiastes 7 verse 1 says a good name is better than precious ointment in the day of death
Than the day of one's birth now that might seem like a weird statement to say but
The day that we die if we're saved is better than the day. You know the day that we die here
We're absent from the body
We're present with the Lord and so that is a good day for those that are saved
But those that are not saved that die they go to a devil's hell for all eternity
And so I think that this is definitely aimed at the Christian here
So last week I preached about suicide two sermons about suicide, and it's pretty negative, okay
But and then you might say well pastor Thompson this seems like it's kind of a negative sermon to a little morbid
What's what's going on with you? Well? I?
Did a wedding yesterday and began someone's life and together and so I've been thinking about this for a long time
And I've been wanting to preach a sermon about this for a long time
And obviously I haven't added every single thing that I could this would be a long long sermon if I did that
So I'm just gonna cover
Some bases here about preparing for the day that you die
And there's a lot of little kids in here that they're way past thinking about anything like that
But hey why don't you get the principles now as a young child and realize because hey
I wish I would have known earlier in life that I was supposed to start preparing for these things and as a saved person
There are some things that you as a saved person
Don't think about that
You know and then people that are unsaved they have a different kind of funeral
They have a different kind of way that they pass on their inheritance is they have
But you know look we're Bible believing Christians, and we should do things by the way the Bible says
Right including preparing for your death because see a lot of people that are not saved or they just maybe they're saved
They just don't know they just don't care
But you know death is a sacred thing
It's something that we should take seriously
And that's why this chapter about half this chapter is talking about how we deal with when people die
What we're supposed to do how we're supposed to pass things along
So preparing for you to exit from this world is often overlooked by many and especially today
There's so many broken families and
Dysfunctional homes that sometimes people don't even get a proper burial
And it's really sad to me because I've gone to funerals where you know they're probably saying oh, yeah
they're in heaven when they're really not and
Then the next part of it's a big party and then hey
What bar are we gonna go to to drink and drown in our sorrows and the songs of fools?
But you know nothing seems to be sacred anymore people die and leave the cost and expense to others
it's sad you know and I think that as Christians we should be prepared for the day of our death and
You know I don't even want us to take a show of hands of how many people have actually filled out a last will and
Testament something that they can so that when they die
They know who gets what they know what gets passed on to who and a lot of times unfortunately people die
And they don't pass anything on and word-of-mouth doesn't always work
Then it goes into probate and people are fighting and and it's just it's a shame
You know and as Christians we should think about these things and obviously in this grand scheme of things how important is it well?
It's it's not up there with salvation or eternal security. You know anything like that, but this is a doctrine
That's taught in the Bible, and it's actually talked about quite a bit and so again
I'm not gonna cover everything in in the scriptures because we'd be here for days because there's a lot of talk about
burying and death and
Inheritance and things like that so again. I just want to cover some of the main points here, so
But you know people die and nobody cares to even have a funeral for them
I don't understand that I can't understand that and I I can't understand people that just want to get cremated
You know and I'll cover that you know more thoroughly later
And I understand that people have had family members that have been cremated and to me
I just I don't like that you know I don't like that because I don't see that in the scriptures where Christians are supposed to
cremate
Themselves or their loved ones, but you know sometimes it's the will of that person that says hey
I want to be cremated then you can't do anything about it right so anyway
I'll get into that a little bit later, but
People die and leave no stability to their family members today also like the wife doesn't know what she's gonna do their destitute
The children have no inheritance given to them
And you know it's it's sad
But men die and leave nothing for their wives and for their children or their grandchildren the Bible's against that
The Bible says that we're supposed to pass down an inheritance for our children and our children's children that means your grandchildren
So I want to address these things in today's sermon and try my best to give the biblical ways to prepare for your death in
This life as a Christian so number one this morning
You should have your financial house in order before death now
I realize if you're if you don't have anything well, I guess you can't really give anything away, right?
But you know I don't think as Christians that I think God is very rich
And I think he's gonna make sure that we could at least give something to pass down or make sure our wives are taken care
Of in some way now look I realize that we live in a different world than biblical times and
Things are stacked against us as Christians even this topic itself is stacked against us
Because you know you try to leave an inheritance for somebody and the government takes 40% right off the top
That's wicked that comes from Marxism and communism and it wound up in our
System here where you can't even you know you paid all that money for the house you paid all the taxes
And then when you die and try to pass it to one of your loved ones. They just say 40%
Thank you very much after you've already paid taxes on it. It's wicked
It's like taxing someone on their ties. It's like taxing a church on their ties. It's like taxing a waitress
For her tips. I think that's wrong, too
You know somewhat we already paid the taxes on those tips so that we could give that to someone
To make something above what they're already making and the government comes and it's like thank you very much
We'll take the piece of that pie too, and we're definitely overtaxed in this country
The founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves
if they saw you know if they if they revolted over a tee of what was a
Little tiny tea tax look at the taxes that we have to pay in this country now
Anyway give unto Caesar right so
Your house number one your house or your excuse me. You should have your financial house in order before
Death let's look at Ecclesiastes 7 verse 11 the Bible says this wisdom is good with an inheritance and
By it there is profit to them that see the Sun for wisdom is a defense and money is a defense
But that excellency of knowledge is that wisdom giveth life to them that have it
So wisdom you know when you have wisdom
Those people that have wisdom when the Bible is kind of alluding to the fact that you
With that wisdom are saved okay, and I believe that this is talking about
It's good to have wisdom pass that wisdom on to the next generation. I talk about this a lot
I just preached about it not too long ago
Hey as what what good is it if you are saved, but you don't get your kids saved
What good is it if you're saved and you don't get your kids saved?
And then they start the you know somewhere the dysfunction starts again
But you don't want it to be in your house
That's why you need to have your house in order
That's why you need to have a rock-solid marriage and you need to raise your kids in the ways of the Lord and that way
Your chances of their homes being dysfunctional are greatly reduced
So but it but it does say wisdom is good with an inheritance so when you die
Not only do you pass on your spiritual knowledge and that spiritual wisdom to your family members
But you also should it's good to have an inheritance with it. It's like. Hey. Here's the spiritual things, but sorry
I didn't save any money for you
Sorry, I didn't pass anything down to you so that you could be better helped in life because isn't that what it says it says
wisdom with an inheritance
And by it there is profit to them that see the Sun
So what's that talk about people that are still alive after you right for wisdom is a defense and money is a defense
Yeah, wisdom is a defense against the fact that you'd have to go to hell someday. That's that's great
That's the most important thing, but money is also a defense
So when you have money that you can pass down you can help the next generation also monetarily and that's good, too
And wisdom giveth life to them that have it. What does that mean? Well, it's being saved, okay?
So and you know the Bible teaches very clearly that there
I mean I could go through just hundreds of verses about just inheritance alone, but let me tell you something so
God gives us an inheritance doesn't he the saved are gonna inherit everlasting life
We're gonna inherit all things the Bible says
We're gonna inherit a lot of things and shouldn't we be like our Heavenly Father and have our family members to inherit things also our
sons and daughters or wives
So
Look at 2nd Samuel chapter 17
I used this verse last week to show what a dirty rotten no-good this guy was
But one thing he did that was good talking about a hit the fell turn to 2nd Samuel chapter 17 verse 23
And just in case you know we use the Bible in this church
And so we do recommend that you turn to the scriptures if you have a chance to
but anyway
Let's look at 2nd Samuel chapter 17 verse 23 the Bible says when it hit the fell saw that his counsel was not followed
He saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house to his city
And what did he do he put his household in order?
so
Hit the fell did a lot of bad things
But he one thing he did that was right was he put his household in order now. What does that mean?
Well, he probably got his finances in order made sure that his sons were getting what they got and his wife was taken care of
He says he got his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the sepulchre his father. So
One thing a hit the fell did right
Well, there's actually two things that he did right in these verses and I'll get to the second thing later on
But you can go ahead and keep like a ribbon or a bookmark right there. We're gonna come back to that later
But one thing that a hit the fell did right he put his household in order before he died
So that's what I'm talking about today making sure that your household is put in order and the number one thing
Today is that you should have your financial house in order
Have you written a will have you written something so that people know what your family?
You know what your children are gonna get or how your wife's gonna be taken care of after you
Have you thought about the inheritance that you're gonna give your children now?
Sometimes people get their inheritance before the people die
But most of the time and especially today in this world that inheritance is aren't given until that person is dead
So look at Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 15 and see what the Bible says about
Inheritance here with the sons. Okay. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 21
The Bible does command this and I I think that this is still in effect today and God does expect us
To have an inheritance for our sons. Look at what it says in verse 15
It says if a man have two wives now, you're not supposed to have two wives
Okay, but he's just saying it. This is a theory a thing that might have happened back
then if a man have two wives one beloved another hated and they have born him children both the beloved and the
Hated and if the firstborn son be heir be hers that was hated
Then it shall be when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath
That he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated which is indeed the firstborn
And so basically what is it saying here?
Well, the firstborn is the firstborn and you're supposed to give them the inheritance that you're supposed to give the firstborn son
Regardless of whether you hated that wife or not
So obviously we live in America, you know, unless you live in Utah, you don't have more than one wife
Okay, so it's against the law. It's against God's law
I'm glad that it's against that's like one thing that America does right, but
Anyway, you know obviously America does other things right besides that
But anyway, so this is a good this is a good policy because back then they seem to multiply wise when they weren't supposed to
But so in the Bible it says you're not supposed to give the second born or the third born or whatever son
The inheritance of the firstborn now look at verse 17
But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all he hath
For he is the beginning of his strength the right of the firstborn is his
Okay. Now you notice that it's talking about
Sons, it's not talking about daughters
Okay, it's talking about sons and the firstborn is supposed to get a double portion of the inheritance. That's what the Bible says
All right
So Remy, yeah, he's like over there rejoicing, right?
And I only have one wife so, you know, I love her so
Anyway, but yeah, so the firstborn that's what the Bible says, you know people get mad about that all they want
But look today that doesn't happen. Does it?
today everything usually goes to the like I
Have a family member that you know, when when the inheritance things were talked about they're like well
I'm just gonna give everything to my wife. That's not biblical. Of course. The person isn't saved
So I don't it doesn't you know?
He's he's not gonna regard that
But you know to me I think of that I think that's a wicked thing for you to do to not leave an inheritance to
your children and your children's children and
But you know, that's there's that's and that's what I'm talking about
That's why I'm bringing this up because we should be different as Christians and we should do what the Bible says
Okay, and so look and when you when I gave my daughters away
I gave them into the care of their husbands. Their husbands are supposed to take care of them
Okay, the inherent I mean and this might ruffle some feathers too, but look I don't
Biblically, you're supposed to give the inheritance to your sons. That's what the Bible says, okay
Now obviously if there is no sons, then the daughters could get that inheritance
I'm not saying that they can't but it's the husband's responsibility of the one see once the my daughter's passed out of my house
They become under the protection of their husbands and their husbands are supposed to provide for them and make sure that they're taken care of
That's the way the Bible
Presents it. Okay, and so I'm supposed to give a double portion to son number one
Son number two is you know, not gonna get as much but he's still gonna get an inheritance, right?
But that's the you know, why is that so well it just is that's the way God intended for it to be
And I think it obviously has some you know
Jesus Christ was the firstborn and he inherits all things and you know
So I think that there's some allusion to that also now look at Luke chapter 15 turn over to Luke chapter 15 in verse number 11
You'll see where the younger son gets stuff, too
So Luke chapter 15, this is about the prodigal son now the prodigal son took his inheritance early, didn't he?
And he said hey dad, give me the give me my inheritance. I'm sick of living here. I'm gonna go do something else
But notice that the father didn't deny him as inheritance. He gave him the inheritance
And so the inheritance, you know is based upon the fact that he was his son
Okay, look at verse number 11 the Bible says and he said a certain man had two sons
The younger of them said to his father
Father give me the portion of goods that follow to me and he divided
Excuse me divided unto them his living. So he took his his
Inheritance early and what he didn't go do with it
He went did a bunch of stupid stuff and spent all this money
But ultimately his dad still received him back into his own house, right?
So anyway, but the younger so this is an instance where the younger son does inherit it
It's not like the firstborn son gets everything the firstborn son just gets a double portion
So whatever your portion is you just double that for the firstborn son, and then you give the other son the other thing
So but it doesn't talk about daughters inheriting like in a way that it does sons. Okay, so
You know unfortunately though things in this world are just messed up and the way that the system is that we live in is
Messed up and so there's a lot of different variables in these situations and I completely understand that
But I think that we should with all of our power and all of our might I think that we should try
To do things as biblically as it is possible now turn over to Proverbs chapter 13 verse number 22
I already got all the ladies mad at me right now Proverbs chapter 13 verse 22
Turn over there real quick
Proverbs 13 verse 22 the Bible says a good man
Leaveth an inheritance to his children's
Children and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just so the people you know these opposite people these people are not
Saved they leave they they leave their stuff their wealth for the just
But look it says in Proverbs chapter 13 verse 22 a good man leaveth an inheritance to his children
It's children, so that's on to the grandchildren also
so and
Obviously by proxy if you give your sons an inheritance
Then your sons will have money to give to their sons right and so and it says a good man
Does that not a wicked man a good man does that and so if you want to be a good man?
You should leave an inheritance for your sons for your children and children's children
For turn to first a Timothy chapter 5 verse number 1 first Timothy 5 verse number 1
Now I'm gonna go into
How widowed wives need to be taken care of here
This is something that
Obviously I'll widow widows indeed
You know are very rare in the Bible
But it's a very rare instance where a widow indeed would be taken care of in this manner
But it is still laid out in Scripture. How we're supposed to take care of people okay the Bible says in
1st Timothy chapter 5 verse 1 rebuke not an elder
But in treat him as a father and the younger men as brethren the elder women as mothers the younger sisters with all purity
Honor widows that are widows indeed
But if any widow have children or nephews let them first let them first to show piety at home
Learn to show piety at home and requite their parents for that is good and acceptable before the Lord
What's it talking about here?
Well that word nephews there
Actually means grandchildren. Okay. It is an archaic word, but it does. I mean I looked it up in the dictionary today, and it says
Means could mean nephews well now today in our modern English
You know cool doesn't mean what it used to right it can mean both things
But cool means like you're you're cool, or what you know like people like you or whatever
But back then in the 1611 the word nephews used here does being grandchildren
And so do we need to rewrite the whole King James Bible just because of that though no
We don't I can just explain it to you really quickly like I did just there all right
But if any widow have children or nephews just talk about children or grandchildren
Let them learn first to show piety at home and to requite their parents
so
Say a young woman
Their husband dies or a widow just you know somebody dies in there, and they have just their their children
Says to have if they have children let them learn to show piety at home and to requite their parents
So go back into your parents home
So once the husband dies then that authority that covering for you now goes back to your dad
That's what that's what it's saying here that means to go back
Requite means to go back to your parents for that. It says that is good and acceptable
before God
Now she that is a widow indeed and desolate I mean she's a widow she has no money
Trusteth in God and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day
But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth and these things given in charge that they may be blameless
But if any provide not for his own and especially and especially for those of his own house yet
Denied the faith and is worse than an infidel so the context of this verse that's used a lot
It is true if you don't provide for your own house, then you're worse than an infidel so
But in this context it's talking about some husband that didn't make sure that their wife was taken care of when he died
Okay, that's what the context shows right?
Let not a widow be taken into the number under three score years old having been the wife of one man
So a widow indeed is someone that the church would help and take care of
monetarily
Financially, but they have to meet specific
Requirements and one of the things is that they have to be 60 years old okay, and having been the wife of one man
and also
that they be
Blameless, but they're you know that they're a spiritual person
It's not just you know some
Shirt-tail cousin of someone that goes to the church or some woman that you know never came to church or husband did and all of a sudden
You're supposed to take her in as a widow indeed. That's not what the Bible teaches here
Not every widow is a widow indeed so but you know sometimes
People men die, and they don't leave anything up for their wives, and they're desolate well. What does the Bible teach about?
What should be done?
Well it says in first Timothy 5 10 it says well reported of good works
That's one of the requirements if she had brought up children if she had lodged strangers
She had washed the Saints feet she had relieved the afflicted if she have diligently followed every good work
So this woman is supposed to be a super spiritual woman this widow indeed and has to be 60 years old
So can you see how rare that it actually is?
So verse 11 says, but the younger widows refuse for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ they will marry
So the younger widows you're not supposed the church was not supposed to be charged with taking care of them
This is having damnation because they have cast off their first faith and with all they learn to be idle
Wandering about from house to house and not only idle
But tattlers also in busybodies speaking things which they ought not I will therefore the younger women marry
Their children guide the house and give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully again
This is in the context of a widow now
We use these verses and they can be used for different things
But this is the main context of what it's talking about
It says that there's a younger woman and she's widowed then what's she supposed to do?
Supposed to get remarried
Okay, and bear children guide the house, you know, you don't have to get remarried
But you know in the in the case where you're destitute and you have no way to take care of yourself
you should get remarried and start it, you know start another family and
So and it says and not give occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully guide the house married bear children
says in some are already verse 15 for some are already
Turned aside after Satan if any man or woman that believeth have widows let them relieve them
And let not the church be charged that it may relieve them that are widows indeed
So it's saying hey what the church take care of the true widows indeed that meet all these
statistics all these qualifications that they're supposed to meet but
Other otherwise is supposed to be you know
taken care of by she's supposed to be taken care of by parents or her new husband or
Help with her your children or grandchildren are supposed to help
so
Look at 2nd Kings chapter 2 verse 9
So in this instance look husbands, you should make sure that you lay up something for your wife
You should make sure that when you die
That your wife is gonna be taken care of because the Bible says if you don't take care of your wife
You're worse than an infidel
So look husbands in here husbands listen up real closely. We need to make sure that our wives are taken care of after we go
It's a biblical concept. It's in the Bible. All right, that means that we should do it
And if we're a good man, we're gonna leave an inheritance for our children and our children's children
Okay, but we should make sure that our wives are taken care of because it says it talks about this widow
That's destitute that doesn't have anything, you know, why does she not have anything because her husband didn't make sure that she was taken care of
so
Look at 2nd Kings chapter 2 verse 9
the Bible says it came to pass when they were gone over that Elijah said unto Elisha ask what I shall do for thee before I
Be taken away from thee and Elisha said I pray thee let a double portion of thy spirit
be upon me now another thing we can do to prepare for our our
Departure like Elisha was was for had something prepared and he asked Elijah what he asked him for a double portion
So he's asking him for an inheritance
It's bigger than what he had right and I realized that this is talking about something completely different
But we also we also have spiritual babies, don't we?
spirit babies
When we I'm kidding, we have spiritual babies right that we get saved and hey, what are you leaving them?
Are you helping them are you helping to fulfill the Great Commission or you just leaving them off to their own and a dumpster so
To speak I mean we should be taking care of our little our little babies our spiritual babies that we have
That we get saved and we should make sure that they have the things that they need to continue on in their Christian life
Too and so a spiritual application to this
would be that that we need to make sure that we take care of our spiritual babies too because Elijah took care of Elisha did
And made sure that he had the double portion
So now we can't always necessarily give gifts like this
But what can we give him? Hey the rock-solid foundation of the King James Bible we can we can help them inherit that
How about inherit that they become soul winners also and complete the cycle?
How about we inherit the fact we help them inherit the fact that they should be going to church three times a week
And how about the fact that we should just you know, make sure that they are taught the Bible
Just like we were taught the Bible, you know
We should take care of our spiritual babies and give an inheritance to our spiritual children
And sometimes those are your literal children, too
They're they're both your physical child and your spiritual child at the same time because guess what you raise them and teach them and your children
Get saved in your house
so
We need to make sure that our family gets that
spiritual inheritance
Also that we don't just get them saved and leave them to themselves and just expect everything to be taken care of a church
Hey, look, you got a responsibility at home parents to raise your children up in a spiritual ways
Also, not just you know their physical needs but also their spiritual needs that they need
And we need to make sure we leave an inheritance if at all possible
Monetarily and we need to make sure that our wives are not left destitute and having the church pick up the tab for them
We need to make sure to have our houses in order that when we die and
Not leave our phone that we not leave our finances to people that shouldn't have them. What do I mean by that?
Well like the state
Okay, if you don't have a last will and testament sometimes your money can go to the state and obviously if you're in
Having them inherit your house or something most of the time what ends up happening if there's no will guess what?
Guess what happens the closest kin gets to divide that house up any way they want
And so if you don't make it specific then people that you don't want having your inheritance are gonna get can get your inheritance
so and and what what's the worst time of
Greediness you see in families. It's when someone dies and everybody wants what that person has it's called covetousness
They're like, well, my mom wanted me to have that broach that you know, how do you know that?
You know, there's no way that your kids can can prove that stuff unless you write it down for them
It's and spell it out and and it's important that we do that. You know, I'm not just saying husbands
You know wives need to do whatever you want to have people to inherit in the system that we live in today
It has to be spelled out. So if you want them to have that
Special jar of half dollars that you've been saving for all these years and you want to divide it up equally between all the children
Guess what you got to spell that out in the will
Because you know what's gonna happen if you don't then people are gonna start fighting over your stuff
And I don't think that you should put your children or whoever you want to inherit your things
Into a position where they're having a fight tooth and nail over something. That was their inheritance
so we need to make sure that we have our
Financial things in order in those situations
We don't want the state or wicked greedy family members to take the inheritance that was supposed to be for our children and our children's children
Have a will make it clear
Who you want to have what?
You know and again
You know relatives act wickedly over other people's property. It's weird
They'll show you know as soon as they find out someone died
They'll go right over to their house and take all the stuff that they wanted. Oh, well, they wanted me to have that
As I've seen it happen a lot of times I've seen people
I've seen people that
Said I don't want any part of the inheritance. I'm okay
You just can't you go ahead and take care of mom you take care of mom and I'll take care of all the other stuff
You know
You're the one that took care of her you deserve to have the house you deserve to have all this stuff
And then when they die they change their tune completely
They're like no we want part of that house
And it's like oh you mean you just want to leave your mom to be taken care of by someone else and then say that
Oh, yeah
You can have everything and then be wicked and come in and take something because you're greedy that you said that you wouldn't do
That's wicked. That's wrong, and if it's not spelled out in the will guess what they get it anyway
And so I think it's really important that we got to prepare
financially and lay up things for an inheritance for our children and
Spiritually lay up an inheritance for our children, and I think it's important that we get our things in order number two
preparing for your funeral
Number two is preparing for your funeral
Do you know what you want done at your funeral does anybody know what you want done at your funeral?
Nobody knows nobody I do I do somewhat
But you should know what you want done isn't it important the Bible says that the day of your death is more important the day
of your birth
So don't you think it's important to make sure that your funeral is in order
I think it is because you know what people are gonna. Do whatever they want at your funeral and
Like some wicked relative could be the one in charge of that
That funeral and then nothing that you wanted to have done at that funeral gets done
No talking about God no great hymns and songs are your favorite hymns and songs. You know no singing unto the Lord no
Nothing nothing spiritual done. They just cremate your body, and that's it
Is that what you want is that what you want for some wicked person to be in control of your funeral?
I wouldn't want that
So my wishes are to have a Christian funeral
And what does that entail well I want it to be at a church for one thing
I want to have a service at church, and then I want to have I want to be buried I
Want to be buried somewhere?
I don't want to be cremated. I want to be buried and
You know so, but does anybody know your final wish for your funeral those are things that you should think about you know
And there's young people that you're not even close to thinking about that, but there's some elders in here, too
I don't want to point them out, but
Ron
but
I'm just kidding brother on me
But you know the older we get the more we should think about things and look we don't want to drop dead someday and then
Someone have to pick up the pieces look the first thing they're already doing is mourning the fact that you're that you're dead
the last thing they want to do is have to plan the funeral and
Come up with the money to bury you and do all this other stuff
They probably want to just be able to be more mourning for you and not have to worry about picking up all the pieces
So have you prepared of nobody raised their hand pretty much so, but have you prepared for your burial?
Have you prepared for your funeral?
Have you have you done these things this and this is why I'm preaching a sermon okay because most people don't
Most people haven't and most people there's a lot of people that probably just won't do it anyway
Even though they heard what they're supposed to do let's look at Ecclesiastes 7 verse 1
Back where we started it says a good name is better than precious ointment the day of death
Than the day of one's birth. Why is it so important well first of all
Look at verse 2 says it is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting for that
Is the end of all men why is it so important because it's the end of all men and the living will lay it to his
Heart so why is it so important that you have a Christian funeral and a Christian burial
Because of the witnesses that are around that come to your funeral that come and see what's going on
Maybe unsafe people are gonna be at your funeral, and you know you're like. Oh, I just I just didn't have time to plan it
Don't you want someone to be able to get saved because they see you know they lay it up to their heart
You know I'll tell you why I got saved because I saw funerals three funerals in one year
And you know what I laid it to my heart
And I did they weren't even really Christian funerals. They were Christian ish
Christian and Native American
But hey even with that witness I still end up getting saved you know I got saved
I got saved by a funeral you know why I'm passionate about this because I got saved because of a funeral because of death I
Saw that I needed to get everlasting life
And hey as a Christian you should have you know some you know some some morals about how you were buried
You should have some morals about
You know who you leave your inheritance to you should have some morals about what is done at your funeral
You're gonna be just looking down
But you know there's gonna be people are watching everything that's done at that funeral and don't you want to have the best funeral you
can have
I'll tell you one thing I'd like to have I want hymns played at my funeral my favorite ones
Okay, which are all of them so?
What else do I want I want a saved pastor to give the gospel to the family and friends and loved ones that come to
my funeral and
Because I'm a hate preacher, I'm sure not very many people will be there, but maybe they will I don't know who knows
Who's gonna be there you won't know?
But I'll tell you what when the Bible says the living will lay at the heart that to me is a responsibility
For me to make sure that I have a Christian funeral and that I'm buried in the likeness of my Savior
The aisle says sorrow is better than laughter for by the sadness of the countenance of the heart is made better
When people mourn it makes their countenance feel better that depression that they have it helps to cry sometimes doesn't it and
Sometimes it's a good thing to cry. I know man. You're like. What is this you're talking about, but hey
Sometimes it's okay for men to cry it is and every once in a while. I do
You know like when my daughters were you know married off. I was just like it upset me I
I
Couldn't hear the wedding the the here come the
Well Canon and D for like months after the girls got married. I would start to tear up
so
Remy and Remy not so much, but no I miss Remy too. I miss having my kids at home
But so where was I at here? I was saying that it's better for
The heart is of the wisest in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth
So there's two different kinds of funerals that happen. There's the fools
That are in the house of mirth. Yeah
Celebrate his life
What the fact that he's dying and going to hell you want that's what the life you wanted to celebrate
That's sad to me
And you know what?
Funerals are necessary for everybody in my opinion because when you snow that someone's died and gone to hell
It's a different kind of funeral. I'm gonna preach
It's a different kind of funeral it's it's it's blessed to see the Saints go, you know precious in
In the Lord's eyes is the death of his Saints and it should be precious to us also
But also it should be sad and something you should think about when an unsaved person dies
You know why I got saved because I wondered where my friend was gonna go when he died
But when I found the truth, I know now I know
And I know that whether you know whether those people are in hell or not
That I'm going to heaven because I've found the truth through the fact that I went to those three funerals that year
So the Bible says it's better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools
What are they what do people do at unsaved funerals play boys to men?
You know or whatever some some secular worldly song about how sad they are and they walk out and then they go party
That's what they do
Isn't that true?
Well, you know what's better to hear the rebuke of the wise for a leather-long
Bible believing Baptist preacher to get up and rip and tell you hey if you don't want to go to hell
You'll believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
You know what I love about weddings the fact that I get to preach the gospel to people that are lost
You know what? I love about funerals getting up and being able to preach the gospel to the lost
That's what I like about them. They're both they're both good things
You know, it might not be good for the person that died but it's gonna be good for the people to get to hear
And the only like real funeral I've ever done
Was for a member of our church here and I got up and I didn't know hardly anybody there
But you know what my responsibility this is exactly what I said
I said it's my responsibility as a Baptist preacher to get up and tell you the truth
You know, you know sometimes you feel like in a situation like that
That it's gonna hurt people and maybe it will but you know, it's gonna help somebody also
So
It's better to hear the rebuke of the wise and the wives of people who are saved, right?
Hey, I'm gonna rebuke and say hey you need to get saved
Or you're gonna die and go to hell
You know and I might not say at the funeral that person's in hell
I probably you know
I would hate to say that unless somebody wanted me to say that if the family member that was having me come wanted me to
Say that but I generally probably would not do that
But I would definitely tell them that they're on their way to hell
You know through the through preaching the gospel
So the Bible says for as the crackling of thorns under a pot
So is the laughter of the fool this also is vanity, you know and the unsaved to go to unsaved people's funerals
It's vanity. It's vanity. It means it really means nothing
Because they have this you know, this person that that isn't going to heaven
Being celebrated by people that aren't going to heaven. So that's why I think it's important Christians
To make sure that when you die that you know or your loved ones know exactly what you want done at your funeral
And I've planned funerals
I've put I've planned funerals that I didn't preach I planned them and
I tried to make it as glorifying to God as I possibly could and I tried to make it as positive as I could for
Other people but the gospel has always been preached at any funeral
I've been to or have been a part of that the gospel that's a must the gospel has to get preached
so
The Bible says in verse 8 better is the end of the thing the beginning in the beginning thereof
So turn to Luke chapter 23 verse number 50 Luke 23 verse number 50
Preparing for your funeral
Well, look at 20 Luke 23 verse 50
The Bible says this and behold there was a man named Joseph a counselor and he was a good man
And just the same had not consented to the council and deed of them and he was of Arimathea
so we're talking about Joseph of Arimathea is after the death of Christ a
City of the Jews who also
Himself waited for the kingdom of God
This man went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus now people that got crucified
Generally did not get to have the body and bury it
Okay, but all you know this that would ruin the picture of Christ death burial and resurrection. So
Joseph of Arimathea went and begged the body of Christ and they took it down and wrapped it in linen and laid it in a
Sepulcher that was hewn in stone wherein never man before was laid so
Understand this that someone had carved that out already
right
Someone had carved that out and it says where never a man was laid before he didn't just borrow somebody's tomb and say hey
We're gonna put Jesus next to him
Somebody paid money the Bible says that he had his death. He was in his death
He was with the rich so somebody rich had a really nice sepulcher. They're carved out for him
And I was probably Joseph's it was probably his grave to give away
But someone had already prepared this
For the Lord for for their own burial and gave it to the Lord Jesus Christ as a place where he could be buried
so my point in showing you this is someone prepared this burial place and paid for it in advance of their death and
so when we
Think about this you know obviously the the funeral business is a racket
You know because 10 out of 10 people die and so therefore
someone's always gonna have a job burying people and
preparing them for their burial or whatever and now the cheapest form of of
Burial is what cremation. It's the cheapest to transfer. It's the cheapest to haul
It's it's cheap cheap cheap right and a lot of times people don't have a lot of money and so they want that cheap
but it's a to me it's a disservice of
You know of me showing a different picture than what God wanted me to show to be shown
He doesn't want me to be cremated and destroyed. You know who gets destroyed by fire people that go to hell
It's a heathen practice
Cremation and I'm look if you've cremated someone that you love or someone that you love got cremated look
It's not your choice. It's their choice, okay?
But I would say this if it's your choice of whether you get buried or whether you get cremated
It's gonna cost a little bit extra money a lot of extra money
because it's a racket and it really shouldn't be there should be places where we could go bury our dead and
And be and be able to bury the whole body and be able to have a coffin even if it's not you know cop
I mean coffins
I don't even know I was gonna look up the prices on on burial, and I'm sure it's it's up towards $10,000
That's what I mean
I'm pretty sure and some of the the caskets people get are just like they're super even just a pine box
I think is is more than $1,000
And it's a shame
but you know
Regardless of that we should do everything we can to make sure that we have a Christian burial
We should be prepared and we should start preparing when we're younger because it costs a lot of money
But
Look even those people that have been cremated even those people that's bodies have been lost at sea or whatever
Let me just help you out here and not make you feel too bad about it, okay?
if they're saved
Whether they've been blown to smithereens
Whether they've been burned in a fire
Or whether they drowned at the depths of the sea if they're saved when the Lord Jesus Christ comes down
The dead in Christ shall rise first
And guess what every particle of that person is gonna come back and be formed into a new body
And then the Spirit of God is gonna be with them, and they're gonna be raised to everlasting life
So we don't have to worry about that and look don't sit there
I didn't I'm not preaching this sermon to make you feel bad about what you've done in the past
But know that the Bible teaches that cremation is not
What God wants for our bodies?
So number three this morning. I'm gonna try to hurry through this one
Number three this morning is Christian burial
proper Christian burial
So look back at 2nd Samuel. I had you put a bookmark there 2nd Samuel chapter 17 verse 23
Talking about Ahithophel again, so I said that he did two things right. He did a lot of things wrong
He was a traitor he betrayed David
You know and he gave tried to give counsel of wicked
You know he gave the right counsel
But it was wicked counsel, and then he when he saw that his counsel was not followed look at verse 23
He says when the hit the fell saw that his counsel was not followed
He saddled his ass and arose and got him home to his house
To his to his city and put his household in order so that's the first thing he did right hanged himself
I don't think that's right and died and was buried in the sepulcher of his father
So he died and
What he was buried in the sepulcher of his father. That's the second thing he did right. He didn't get burned
They didn't have a funeral pyre for him. They buried him where in the sepulcher they buried him in a place
It was burial. It wasn't annihilation. Okay turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19
1st Corinthians 6 verse number 19
Now this is talking about the things that can get you kicked out of church and things like that and
How fornication is is in your own body?
It's gonna harm you and things like that, but the fact is is that these two verses in verse 19 and verse 20 teach us
Something about the Lord and something about our own bodies
Look at verse number 19
The Bible says what know you not that your body
Is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which you have of God and you're what?
Not your own
Talking about your body right is your body your own no
Verse 20 for your bot with a price
Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are whose?
God's so your body belongs to you and your spirit belong or your body belongs to God and your spirit belongs to God
Okay, both of them belong to God because if you're saved you've been redeemed and God has purchased you not just your spirit
Forever, but your body also including the body of this death that we live in right now
So look at Romans chapter 6 verse 3
Romans 6 verse 3 when we do baptisms part of the
baptismal
Thing that we do is showing the burial of the Lord Jesus Christ, right?
It's the death the burial and resurrection. We're picturing what Christ did for us on the cross, right?
So when we're talking about proper Christian burial, don't you think that we should be?
Aligned with what Jesus wants us to do or the way he was buried
Right. It's a picture of the death burial and resurrection when we get baptized look at verse number three
Know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism unto death
That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of
Life for if we had been planted together in the likeness of his death
We also shall be are we also be all we shall all good night
Sorry, but he but he but he we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection
So look baptism pictures the fact that we're dead with Christ
All right, it doesn't say the death
Annihilation and resurrection of Christ does it it says the death burial and resurrection of Christ
And so why would we be buried in a different way than the Lord Jesus Christ is it doesn't make sense
You're not showing the proper picture
All right, cuz we're if you're saved today, you're gonna be resurrected someday
And so when you identify with Christ through baptism
You're picturing the same thing that he went through and look aren't we supposed to follow after Christ?
Are we supposed to follow in his ways? Are we supposed to take up our cross daily and follow after him?
Well when we follow after him in death in our real death
Don't you think that it should be a picture the same pictures is is what he has for us
That we die also we're buried and then one day we're gonna be resurrected too
So the proper Christian burial is to be buried. It's not to be annihilated. It's not to be cremated
So look at Matthew chapter 22 verse 32 Matthew chapter 32 verse or 22 verse 32
So bat, you know, what will we establish? Well when you die, you should be buried. All right, and
Your body belongs to God and so you should do what God wants you to do with your body
And then we're buried in the likeness of his death
We're buried in the likeness of his
death and then
Matthew 22 verse 32 says I am the God of
Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead but of the living
So we say that God, you know the the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Jacob
Well, how were they buried?
They were buried with a Christian burial. They were buried just like Christ was they had a place where they were put
Their bodies were put whole they didn't burn them. It wasn't a cremation. It was a burial
Now turn to Genesis chapter 23 verse 19. We'll see some examples of the patriarchs being buried
All right, Genesis chapter 23 verse 19
The Bible says and after this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of
The field of Machpelah before Mamre the same as Hebron in the land of Canaan
So Abraham did not annihilate Sarah. He didn't cremate Sarah. What did he do? He bought a place and it cost him some money
So what does that teach us that hey it might cost us some money to do the correct burial
But you know what? That's what God wants from us. I mean, do you think Abraham was doing something wrong here by
Buying some piece of land so that no that's what the Bible teaches that we should have a place where we could get buried and hey
It might cost us some money to do things the right way, but you know what?
We're still doing the right thing. You know what if you want to do something like that and God, you know
You just say God I want to be able to afford to be able to be buried or be able to afford to bury so-and-so
then do you think if you
Try to make it happen that God's gonna help you. Of course he is
He's always gonna help us to try to do the right thing
So it says in verse 30 and the field and the cave that is it is therein were made sure unto Abraham for a
possession of a burying place by the sons of
Heth now turn to Genesis chapter 35 verse number 29 Genesis chapter 35 verse number 29
the Bible says and Isaac gave up the ghost and died and was gathered unto his people being
Old and full of days and his sons Esau and Jacob did what?
buried him
They buried Isaac Abraham and Sarah were buried and his sons buried
Isaac Esau and Jacob buried Isaac. He's the God of Abraham. He's the God of Isaac. He's the God of Jacob
Genesis chapter 49 verse number 31 turn over there Genesis chapter 49 verse number 31
Genesis 39
Or excuse me 49 verse 31
I'm almost done. So hang tight there
Genesis 49 verse 31 says and they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife and they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife and
There I buried Leah
So Leah was also buried in the same place that Abraham had bought for his family to have a burying place there
Verse 32 in the purchase of the field of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth
When Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons
He gathered up his feet into his bed and yielded up the ghost and was gathered unto his people
Jacob died in the land of Egypt and guess what they buried him in the land where he was where he was from
It's one of the things he asked for Joshua chapter 24 go to verse 32 Joshua chapter 24 verse 32
The Bible says in Joshua chapter 24 verse 32 and the bones of Joseph
Which the children of Israel brought up out of the out of Egypt buried they in Shechem in a parcel of ground which Jacob?
bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver and it became an inheritance of the
children of Joseph
So Joseph was buried. He said don't bury my bones here
They embalmed him and guess what they carried
That sepulcher all the way from Egypt all the way to Shechem where they buried him
And you know what? It probably wasn't easy. It wasn't in an urn
It wasn't in a little box with a fancy bow on it. That was you know, just the cremation parts
All right, it was the whole coffin the whole thing
And it probably was a pain in the neck, but you know what?
Because
They wanted to fulfill the picture of Christ
I think that that's why they didn't want to be burned or buried somewhere else, right?
So John chapter 19, let's turn over to John chapter 19
I'm trying to hurry. This is the last verses
I'll have you turn to John chapter 19 verse 38 the Bible says and this is another
Part of the story of Joseph of Arimathea is just told from a different perspective here from John
It says and after this Joseph of Arimathea being a disciple of Jesus
But secretly for the fear of the Jews besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus and Pilate gave him leave
He came therefore and took the body of Jesus and there became also Nicodemus
Which at the first came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pound weight
So we're talking a lot of myrrh and aloes, okay
And why were they doing that to prepare the body of Jesus to be buried?
The apoca theory is what it's called then took they the body of Jesus wound it in linen clothes
With the spices and as the manner of the Jews is to bury
not not
Annihilate but to bury now in the place where he was crucified
There was a garden and in the garden a new sepulcher where in a never man was yet laid
There laid they Jesus therefore because the Jews preparation day for the sepulcher was nigh at hand
So it's not the death
Cremation and resurrection. It's very clear that the patriarchs the God and the God of
Abraham Isaac and Jacob thinks it's important that people are buried. They thought it was important
They thought it was so important that they went into the land
You know and they were in Canaan and he bought a place there so he could bury his dead
It's important. It's not something that we should just look over and go out well
You know I just I can't afford to be buried someplace. You know we should you should look into it
We should look into
Where we're gonna be buried and how we're gonna be buried how we're gonna do our funeral how we're gonna make sure that people
Inherit the things that we want them to inherit and look as Christians. We should be different
And we're amongst the heat that we're in the land of Canaan basically and
You know there's a lot of wicked things that happen in this country
But you know what we can be a picture of Christ even in our death
We can we can make sure that people have a chance to be saved at our funerals
But guess what if you don't plan for these things then it's not gonna get done
And you could be
Put in the hands of someone that you don't want to be putting the hands up people can inherit the things that you don't want
Them to inherit you know the cousin that you hate
You know is gets part of your silver dollars that you've been saving for 30 years or whatever
You don't want that you want people to inherit that you want to inherit
You want to be buried at the place you want to be buried at and you want to you know?
Have the funeral that you want to have not the funeral that some unsaved
Atheist wants you to have okay, and look
I'm not saying that people in here would do that
But you know you just don't know who's gonna still be alive when you die
You don't know how everything's gonna be handled and that's why it's so important to have our affairs in order concerning these things
And you know I talked a lot about cremation
Cremation in the Bible if you see the people that were
Destroyed by fire they were people that God cursed
Aiken comes to mind he was stoned to death and what happened they burned him and
And
So there's many different stories about people being burned in the Bible, and it's not a good thing
It's not something that God wants for his people
so
Also as Christians we need to
Make sure that we follow I think that we should follow these principles
You know and if you think I'm just full of it, and you're gonna do that whatever you want. That's fine
But you know I just thought it would be good for our people to
Understand what God expects of us what God expect you know that he doesn't
He doesn't expect us to cremate ourselves. He expects us to bury ourselves
That's what I believe and look if you don't believe that it's fine
It's not like it's a salvation doctrine or something, but it is in the Bible
I think I've showed plenty of verses to prove that so
And I hope I wasn't too morbid today
Hopefully it's positive in some ways for you because now you can look forward to
You can look forward to your funeral and planning it and making sure that the people that are there
You know I know that sounds weird, but making sure the people that are there. Hey, what's the last thing that you do?
Wouldn't you like?
For people to be saved when you're buried wouldn't you like for people to be saved when they attend your funeral?
Instead of it just being like everybody here saved
Make sure you have a good preacher to preach the gospel for you
Anyway, let's close on a word of prayer Heavenly Father. We thank you Lord so much
For the teaching in the Bible Lord pray that you just help us to
Lord enact these things in our lives and Lord that we would start to prepare for the day of our death
which is important Lord and
Lord sometimes it seems like it might be a morbid thing, but we need to
Do things in all things according to your will and how you want us to do them pray to help us to do that in
Jesus name we pray amen