10-13-2024 When Loved Ones Die

Text: John 11:25-44

                    Every person in this world will at some point experience the death of a loved one.  When that happens, even though it may have been expected or we experienced a similar loss before, each time we lose someone we love, we are forever changed.  There is no age restriction on when these losses will happen.  We lose infants, children, teenagers, young adults, and the elderly.  And we wonder how we will survive the loss. 

                   Jesus experienced the loss of His dear friend Lazarus, which is recorded John 11:25-44.  He understands what we go through when we must say goodbye to those we love.  As hard as these things are to deal with, He teaches us that as Christian believers, we have help and more importantly hope because all is not lost.  His love and our faith will sustain us through our grief and allow us to continue to live even when our hearts are shattered.

                   Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha.  This family was loved deeply by our Lord.  Verse 35 of John 11 tells us that Jesus cried.  Those that saw His outward display of grief spoke about how much love there was between the two.  Yes, Jesus dearly loved His friend, but He was also grieving because mankind had to experience death as a result of sin.  There are those that think they have to apologize for the tears they cry because it may be interpreted as a lack of faith.  But this is not true.  Tears are God’s tension-relievers for us during our grief.  The wise King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:4 that there is a time to cry.  We see in the account of the death of Lazarus how the strongest man that ever walked this earth cried at the grave of His friend.  He did this even though He knew that He would raise him up before the visit was over. 

                   We aren’t made of wood, stone, or steel.  We each have feelings, and our hearts will break when we grieve the loss of the ones we love.  Those without faith grieve differently than those who have faith and believe in God.  This is because nonbelievers have nothing to look forward to after this life.  But as Christians, we grieve with hope because we have the promise of a future with our lost loved ones.  Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 4:13 that while we grieve those who have died, we grieve with the knowledge that because Jesus died and rose again, so too will Christians.  So, we have that promise that we will be reunited with our loved ones again in the Kingdom of Heaven.

                   We learn in verse 37 of John 11 that life goes on for us after we lose a loved one.  Lazarus was in the tomb while his friends talked and grieved for his passing.  Our lives also go on just as God intended.  Not only does our life go on, the life of our deceased loved one also continues as well.  Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:8 that as believers, we can be confident that when we physically die in this life, we will immediately be in the presence of Jesus.  So, you see, death is not something to be afraid of.  It is simply a transition from our human life on earth into our Heavenly life with Jesus.

                   Psalm 90:10-12 tells us that the average life span on earth will be about 80 years.  That seems like a long time.  But in truth, it is a small part of our entire life when you factor in our eternal life when we get to Heaven.  We will have everlasting life because of the willingness of Jesus to be crucified on the cross to redeem us from our sins.  Jesus tells us in John 3:15 that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.  Jesus also tells us in John 14:1-3 that we need not worry because when we believe in God we can also believe in Him and that He is preparing a place for us so that we can be with Him for eternity.  Then in I John 5:13 we are told that when we believe on the name of the Son of God, we know we will have eternal life.  Paul says in Romans 8:37-39 that believers are conquers because of Jesus’ love for us.  This means that death, life, angels, governments, powers, things present or to come, not height, depth or any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  It is all of this that gives us hope that even though we lose those we love, there will come a day when we will see them and never be separated again.

                   In verse 43 of our story of Lazarus, we read how Jesus called Lazarus from the grave.  There will be a time when He will call everyone who has died from their graves at His second coming.  I Corinthians 15:20-23 tells us that because Jesus rose from the grave, our resurrection is assured.  When that happens, we will be like Jesus with new glorified bodies that will never grow old.  When we die we are spiritually present with the Lord.  At the Second Coming, all will be given glorified bodies to live eternally in the new Kingdom of God.  So, you see, every believer has an indescribable future waiting for them.

                   We never have to doubt that God feels and understands our grief.  He allowed His Son to die a horrible death so that sinners who believe in Him can be restored to the family of God.  He knows and understands the pain we feel.  Remember that darkness covered the earth when Jesus was on the cross.  God couldn’t bear to watch the pain His Son was experiencing.  So, our mighty and all powerful God also feels our every pain.  Paul wrote in II Corinthians 12:9 that the grace of God is enough for us because His power is made perfect in our weakness.  This means we can make it through grief, hardships, and every difficulty we will face in this life because when we are at our lowest, we can call on Him for the strength to get us through.  He has promised that He will always be there for us, even when we feel we can’t take the pain and grief for one more minute.

                   We can take comfort knowing that our loved ones are not lost to us forever.  Believe and trust that they are resting comfortably in the arms of Jesus until our time comes to be called from this life into the next.  Grieve because it is the release God has built into the fiber of our being.  But do so while also trusting that God is faithful to the promises He gives us in His Word about what happens when we go from our earthly life to our Heavenly life.  Then happily look forward to that wonderful day when we will be reunited with all those who have gone before us.  It’s OK to grieve those we lose but do so with the assurance that our grief is lessened because of the promise of a glorious future when we will be reunited with all those who have gone before us. 

                    Until we meet again, may God bless and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.