Rest In Peace - Funeral Arrangements

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Genesis 50:20-25
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. 22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph's knees. 24 And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
 
Joseph made his own “Funeral Arrangements” here…
 
Joseph had been thrown in a pit to die but instead of dying he was “born again”…
 
He was taken into Egypt where he signed his own “death certificate” and began to lead a new life away from everything and everyone he had ever known…
 
His rebirth would lead to his family being saved and he was granted a long new life where he was able to see his great grandchildren…
 
Here at the end we see him making his “Funeral Arrangements” and we learn so much in the simple statement he makes in Verse 25…
 
Joseph says… "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”…
 
“Funeral Arrangements” for the Christian isn’t about preparing a place to lay a dead body… It’s about developing a plan for entrance into eternal life…
 
Hebrews 11:12-16
12Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. 
 
Joseph was one of the multitude that would become as many as the stars of the sky but in his day there were only about 75 “Israelites” who were so named after his father Jacob…
 
He and many others died without receiving the promise of the promised land but He was so convinced that they would that when he made his “Funeral Arrangements” he said “God will make good on His promise and when He does I want my bones taken into the promised land”…
 
Not only was Joseph saying that God would make good for the future generation that would physically live in the promised land but also that He believed he would be raised from the dead and dwell in the land himself…
 
See Joseph and already been raised from the dead and born again and he knew that he would be raised again and be birthed into eternal life…
 
Hebrews 11:17-19
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
 
God told Abraham his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and then God told him to sacrifice the son of his old age so Abraham concluded that God would either do another miraculous conception or He would raise Isaac from the dead…
 
When we get to a place where we don’t fear what we don’t know because what we do know has deposited such great faith in us is when we become dangerous in this world…
 
This idea of resurrection is nothing new to true believers… It’s actually what the whole faith is built on…
 
Christians have just begun to require less faith and depend more on logic…
 
We have rejected the Holy Spirit and built our belief on conscience and intuition…
 
Acts 7:51 says…
51"You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit;
 
In many ways I feel like our church is drawing ever closer to the truth and sharing more and more of the unadulterated word of God…
 
It can be scary because sometimes a church can get smaller before they get larger when that is your priority…
 
The voice of the enemy begins to discourage but I believe now more than ever that he just wants to keep us from really go all the way to the point where we sign our “Death Certificates” and make our “Funeral Arrangements”…
 
In John 8:31-32 Jesus says…
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
 
Joseph says here’s some TRUTH… “we don’t die… we multiply”… and Moses says here’s some TRUTH death… the doors are covered with blood so “you can keep on knocking but you can’t come in”…
 
I can see them in heaven and Joseph says what’d they do to you? and Moses says they killed all the baby boys but God protected me… what about you Joseph? They through me in a pit to die but God delivered me…
 
Today is “Palm Sunday” where we celebrate the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus but Palm Sunday was more accurately Jesus coming into Jerusalem to confirm His “Funeral Arrangements” and take one last look at the plot He had purchased…
 
Matthew 21:5-11
'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' " 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna in the highest!" 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" 11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus
 
When “Funeral Arrangements” have been made the person looks at all those they’re going to leave behind and they say “don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of everything”…
 
JESUS!!!
 
So I want to look at a story that will give us 2 angles to look at “Funeral Arrangements” from…
 
Acts 6:8-15
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. 13 They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us." 15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
 
Now it’s time for Stephen to testify on his own behalf and he makes his own “Funeral Arrangements” because many of us know when you tell the truth people begin to say in their hearts “you’re dead to me!”…
 
and in some cases instead of saying that in their hearts they make it a reality by actually killing us…
 
So lets look at the “Funeral Arrangements” from Angle #1…  As you read this I want you to picture someone this afternoon coming into your house in front of your family and telling the truth about who you are and who you’ve been without sparing any detail and the emotion that may arise out of you…
 
Acts 7:1-60
1 Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?" 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.' 4Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 7 'And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,' said God, 'and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.' 8 Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs. 9 "And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to the Pharaoh.14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. 16 And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. 17 "But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt 18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph. 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. 21 But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. 23 Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?'27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' 29 Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons. 30 And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, 32 saying, 'I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look. 33 'Then the Lord said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt." ' 35 This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 37 "This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.' 38 This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, 39 whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' 41 And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: 'Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan, Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.' 44 "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, 46 who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.47 But Solomon built Him a house. 48 However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 49 'Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? 50 Has My hand not made all these things?' 51"You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
 
Stephen signed his death certificate and made his funeral arrangements because he believed the truth and out of love he proclaimed the truth…
 
and just like those we saw in Hebrews 11 who had gone before him he was focused on the life to come instead of being crippled by the fear of losing this life that is inevitably going to come to an end anyway…
 
Look at the contrast between two groups who heard the truth…
 
Acts 2:36-38
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
 
and today Verse 52 says… 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. (and Verse 57 says…) 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.
 
Hebrews 4:2 is definitely a theme scripture for this series…
the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
 
We are all cut to the heart by the double edged sword of the truth… BUT when we are… some make “Funeral Arrangements” and others “Plot Murder”…
 
Now let’s look at the “Funeral Arrangements” from Angle #2…
 
Acts 8:1-4 and 9:1-6 and 9:17-18
1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
9:1-6
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." 6So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
9:17-18
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
 
First we see Stephen making his “Funeral Arrangements” but here we see the “Arrangements” God is making at Stephen’s “Funeral”…
 
Stephen’s death leads to the death of Saul and the birth of Paul…
 
Imagine what the world would look like if Stephen wasn’t willing to die… No Paul?…
 
Or if Andrew wasn’t willing to call his brother to Jesus… No Peter?…
 
Or if Joseph wasn’t willing to forgive his brothers and save them in Egypt… No Israel?…
 
Or if Moses wasn’t willing to go back to those 75 that turned into millions and deliver them out of Egypt… No Exodus?…
 
What does it say about your faith if you won’t make “Funeral Arrangements” AND what won’t happen in the lives of others if you won’t make “Funeral Arrangements”…
 
See Saul was a witness to the “Peace” Stephen had when he was experiencing the worse that this world could do to him…
 
The “Peace” Saul saw in Stephen eventually led to Saul finding “Rest” from his misguided religious works… “Rest & Peace”…
 
Paul never went back to those who sent him letters to drag the people of “The Way” out of their homes and kill them or imprison them…
 
He made “Funeral Arrangements” of his own… he died to his old life… he was immediately baptized… He was born again… and he started living his new life unapologetically…
 
This is how “Resting In Peace” works and multiplies…
 
God uses our death and “Funeral” to make “Arrangements” for others to die and be born again…
 
Most of us are here because we saw someone die and yet somehow we saw them live again…
 
The lives that we see each other living on the surface are all very different and unique and special in that sense…
 
But beneath the surface the lives of all believers are strikingly similar…
 
We’ve made “Funeral Arrangements” and we are all living for the next life…
 
Listen to what Paul says and how different it is from how he use to talk when he was Saul…
 
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
 
Listen to how Jesus puts it…
 
John 12:23-25
Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
 
Ultimately we see this as we look at Easter and the single death that provides infinite life…