Funeral Based onÝ Job 19

In memory of _________________________ I want to read Job 19:25-27.

Job said, ìFor I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the  

latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this         

body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and       

mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed   

within meî (Job 19:25-27).

1^st---Job said, ìI know.î

Sometimes, its hard to know what a verse of Scripture means;

Hard to know whoís telling the truth;

Hard to know some things.

But Job said, ìI know.î

ìI donít have to guess about this.î

ìIím convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that what Iím saying is right.î

2^nd---Job said, ìI know that my redeemer liveth.î

What is a redeemer?

One definition says a redeemer is someone who regains something.

Another definition says a redeemer is someone who buys back something     

they once owned.

In Jobís lifetime, a redeemer was someone who paid a debt for someone else.

Sometimes they did it so the other person could get out of jail or be set free.

Job could have easily said, ìI know that my Saviour lives.î

Or, ìI know that the One who ransomed me lives.î

Or, ìI know that the One who set me free lives.î

Christians call Jesus the Redeemer.

Jesus said, ìthe Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,

and to give his life a RANSOM for manyî (Mark 10:45).

Paul said, ìWe have REDEMPTION through his blood, even the forgiveness         

of sinsî (Colossians 1:14).

And Peter said, ìyou know that you were not REDEEMED with corruptible  

things, as silver and gold . . .î

ìBut with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and      

without spotî (I Peter 1:18-19).

So Job had a Redeemer.

And I want to point out something very important here.

The Bible says, Job was ìperfect and upright, and one that feared God, and

eschewed evilî (Job 1:1).

He abhorred sin.

He lived right.

He respected God.

But he still needed to be redeemed.

He knew that no matter how good he was he still needed to be redeemed.

He was saying, ìI know that Iíve been bought with a price.î

ìAnd I belong to God.î

______________ had this kind of a relationship.

_______ made a confession of faith in Christ.

_______ was a member of ____________________________________.

_______ attended Church for many years.

_______ understood the Bible.

_______ could say, ìI know that my Redeemer lives.î

A woman wrote to Dr. J. Vernon McGee and said, ìOur preacher told us that         

Jesus just swooned on the cross.î

Our preacher said, ìThe Disciples nursed him back to health.î

She asked, ìDr. McGee, What do you think?î

Dr. McGee replied, ìBeat your preacher with a whip.î

ìGive him thirty-nine lashes.î

ìNail him to a cross.î

ìLet him hang there in the hot sun for six hours.î

ìRun a spear through his side.î

ìEmbalm him.î

ìPut him in a sealed tomb without air for three days.î

ìThen, check to see if heís dead.î

Some of you have recently seen the movie about ìThe Passion of the Christ.î

You know what He went through.

Jesus died alright.

But His death wasnít the end of the story.

A group of Church members was watching the Jesus film.

When Jesus was crucified several members in the congregation started crying.

One little boy got upset by their crying.

He shouted, ìDonít cry.î

ìHe gets up again.î

A few months ago, there was a report that many people in the United States

don't know why our nation celebrates Easter.

I'll tell you why Christians celebrate Easter.

ìHe is risen.î

ìWe know that our Redeemer liveth.î

And because He lives, we know that we will live.

And because He lives, we know that ______________ will live.

3^rd---Job said, ìI know that my redeemer liveth, AND HE SHALL STAND    

AT THE LATTER DAY UPON THE EARTH.î

This amazes me.

Thereís good reason to believe that Job lived before the flood.

But even though Job probably lived before the flood, he still believed in the   

ìSecond Coming of Jesus.î

When Christians take Communion we say, ìChrist has died, Christ is risen,   

Christ will come again.î

His nail-scarred feet stood on the Mount of Olives when Jesus ascended into          

heaven.

And they will stand on the Mount of Olives again when He comes back.

4^th---Job said, ìthough after my skin worms destroy this body . . .î

Job had fallen on hard times.

Some of his animals and servants had been killed.

The rest had been destroyed by fire from heaven [perhaps lightening].

His children had been killed by a tornado.

His body was covered with sores.

He knew that he would eventually die.

If Jesus doesnít return soon, we will too;

ìIt is appointed unto man once to dieî (Hebrews 9:27);

Death is ìthe last enemy that shall be destroyedî (I Corinthians 15:26).

We know this.

We need to prepare.

How do we prepare?

When King Hezekiah learned that he was facing death, he prepared by

turning his face to the wall and crying.

He prayed and asked God for help.

We prepare by turning to God for help.

King Hezekiah needed grace and mercy.

We need grace and mercy.

We receive it by accepting Jesus as our Saviour.

_______________ was like Job.

_______ had fallen on hard times.

_______ was sick.

_______ had lost _______ sight in one eye.

Fortunately, _______ was prepared.

5^th---Job said, ìthough after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh        

shall I see God.î

He didn't say, ìIf I live long enough.î

Or ìIf I'm alive when Jesus comes back.î

He said, ìEven though my body is destroyed, yet in my flesh shall I see        

God.î

ìIíll have a new body;î

ìIíll have flesh.î

ìIíll have eyes.î

ìIíll see God.î

In a way, he was saying, ìMy death wonít change anything.î

Paul said, ìwe know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were    

dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,       

eternal in the heavens.î

ìFor in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house   

which is from heavenî (II Corinthians 5:1-2).

If something happens to this body, weíll get a new body;

Not a temporary body;

A permanent body;

Not an ordinary body;

A supernatural body.

Iím often asked, ìWhat will my new body be like?î

ìWill it be like I was when I was sixteen years old, twenty-one years old, or  

what?î

ìI don't know what weíll look like.î

ìBut weíll have a better body.î

And age wonít matter because weíll live to be trillions and trillions of years   

old. Weíll live forever.

And all the money in the world canít purchase a body like Christians will      

have.

Paul said, our resurrected body will be like the glorious body of Jesus after   

He was raised (Phil. 3:21).

His disciples could hear Him, see Him, touch Him.

He could eat and drink;

Appear and disappear.

He had a wonderful body.

John said, we donít know what we will be like, but ìwe know that when He  

shall appear, we shall be like Himî (I Jn. 3:2).

And Paul said, ìwe are predestined to be conformed to the image of Godís  

Sonî (Rom. 8:28-29).

6^th---Concerning Jesus, Job said, ìI shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall

behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.î

ìI shall see for myselfî means ìIíll see Him with my own eyes.î

ìMy eyes shall behold, and not anotherî means ìIt won't be a different person       

who sees Him.î

ìIt will still be me.î

Several people saw Jesus after He died.

Jesus was raised from the dead.

Then, He appeared unto Mary Magdalene.

Not long after that, He appeared unto the disciples in the Upper Room.

Thomas wasnít there.

Jesus came back later and Thomas was there.

Jesus showed Thomas His wounds.

Later, He appeared at the Sea of Galilee.

Some of the disciples were fishing.

He asked them, ìDo you have any fish?î

We may be asked this same question some day?

Do you have any fish?

Did you win any souls?

Did you lead your loved ones to Christ?

Then, Jesus appeared unto the disciples again.

He ate with them.

He appeared unto Peter and asked, ìDo you love me?î

He appeared unto Peter again.

This time, Jesus said Peter would be a martyr.

Why do I remind you that Peter would be a martyr?

Even the best of God's children have to die.

Job was good and perfect.

But he had to die.

Peter was a disciple.

But he had to die.

______________ was a Christian.

But _______ had to die.

Thereís something else.

Job had ten children:

Seven sons and three daughters.

The death of one child would be devastating.

But Job lost all ten of his children at the same time.

In fact, Job was a farmer.

He owned land and raised cattle.

He lost his children, land, cattle, servants, money and health.

He lost everything.

The extent of this is beyond our comprehension.

How did Job cope?

He said, ìI know that my redeemer liveth.î

No matter what comes our way, we know that our Redeemer lives.

No matter how much we suffer, we know that our Redeemer lives.

And if our Redeemer lives, Heís still on the throne.

I mentioned the movie ìThe Passion of the Christ.î

Thereís a big debate about who killed Him.

The Jews donít want to be blamed for His death.

The truth is that Jesus died the death of a Redeemer.

Thatís what the movie is all about.

He died to pay for our sins.

Martin Luther was a great Christian.

But he was plagued with depression.

One time he got depressed.

And he stayed depressed so long that his wife put on her black funeral dress.

He asked, ìWho died.î

She said, ìGod.î

He said, ìGod hasnít died.î

And she said, ìThen, live like it.î

Trouble will come our way.

But God isnít dead.

Heís still on the throne.

And He wants us to live like it.

Itís alright to grieve.

Thatís good for us.

But God also wants us to go on with our life;

To trust Him.

Our Redeemer lives.

And ______________ will live again.

_______ will see our redeemer with _______ own eyes.

I mentioned that ______________ had lost her sight in one eye.

The doctor told _______ that _______ would get it back.

But he didnít realize what he was saying.

_______ will be healed.

And _______ have perfect vision in heaven.