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Vivian’s Funeral
Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
February 1, 2009
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II Samuel
12:16-20 “David therefore besought God for the child; and David
fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the
elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from
the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And
the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was
dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we
spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how
will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead.
But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived
that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants,
Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose
from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed
his apparel, and came into the house of the
Lord , and
worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required,
they set bread before him, and he did eat.”
The thing that brings us all
together this evening is something we refer to as DEATH. One of
our own has been taken in death!
Within II Samuel 12:12-24,
we have another such event recorded for us in the Word of God. A
group of people have been brought together by this thing we call
death. While the two events may be separated by several thousand
years, they hold all the common factors that are associated with
this thing we call death. The names, faces, gender, and race may
vary, but the basic common denominators of death are all the
same! It makes no difference whether it was the first death, of
Abel recorded for us in Genesis 4 or the last death which ends
life as we know it upon this earth; death carries with it
certain things that are common to all men.
There is the Sentence of
Death
While we may be surprised by
death’s arrival, we cannot be surprised by death’s
appointment.
“And as it is appointed unto
men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Hebrews 9:27
“Wherefore, as
by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans
5:12
David’s son
died because of sin, (see II Samuel 12:12-15), Vivian
died because of sin (see Romans 3:23), and all men die
because of sin (Ezekiel 18:20
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”).
If time is to go on, we will
one day gather again and the reason for the gathering will once
again be because death has taken one of us captive. It may be
you or it may be me. So long as the human race inhabits these
earthly tabernacles, death will come to call on the children of
men! You and I are under the sentence of death!
There is the Sorrow of Death
Within the text before us, II
Samuel 12, we have a broken hearted father, mother, family,
and friends.
“And David comforted Bath-sheba
his wife, and went in unto her,” II Samuel 12:24
There was weeping and lamenting over the passing of the young
child. Our situation has proved to be no different. When Glenda
and I walked into that hospital room of our dear departed loved
one and looked upon that earthen tabernacle, our hearts were
broken. Tears filled our eyes. Many of you have demonstrated the
outward signs of a broken heart in the passing of Vivian. Just
like David of yester year, we too have been smitten by the
sorrows of death. We have and will shed our fair share of tears
in the passing of our loved ones.
There is the Separation of
Death
Death comes into this world,
and carries all men to another world. On Tuesday morning at
10:30 am, death transported Vivian out of this world into
another world. When life left the body of David’s young child,
there was an immediate gulf between David and the soul of his
departed loved one!
While the SENTENCE OF DEATH,
the SORROW OF DEATH, and the SEPATATION OF DEATH are common to
all; there is ONE FACTOR that is not common to all of us! It
is:
The Settled Assurance of
Death
“But when
David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the
child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the
child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the
earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his
apparel, and came into the house of the
Lord , and
worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required,
they set bread before him, and he did eat.” II Samuel 12:19-20
Within this text, we have the
Old Testament Example of a New Testament Truth! Thank
God for such a complete and precious book as this book, the Word
of God!
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope.” I Thessalonians 4:13
For some there is a settled assurance in the time of death.
The man that could not be comforted in verse
17, “And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to
raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he
eat bread with them.” is at total peace and comfort in
verse 20,
“Then
David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself,
and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the
Lord , and
worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required,
they set bread before him, and he did eat.”
This type of behavior from David totally
bewildered all those about him! “Then said his servants unto
him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and
weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was
dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.” II Samuel 12:21
In verse 20, the Weeping David
became a worshipping David and the Fasting David
became the Feasting David. What was the difference; the
settled assurance of death! While we all are affected by the
sentence, the sorrow, the separation; all of us do not enjoy the
settled assurance of death!
The peace and comfort that comes through the
settled assurance of death is found in:
1. Knowing that God was in control.
David’s acts of prayer and worship in verses
16&20 are an evidence that David knows who has total control
over the affairs of men.
2. Knowing where the loved one is.
While David could not bring the young child back,
he knew exactly where the young child was!
3. Knowing that we will see them again.
David said, “I shall go to him, but he shall
not return to me” (verse 23).
Glenda and I have peace and comfort in knowing,
“But I would not have you to be ignorant.” Tonight we
know who is in control, where Vivian is, and that we will see
her again!
The question that we must ask ourselves is; “What
makes the difference between those that know and those that
don’t?” The one thing that makes the difference between the two
groups is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
David said, “The LORD is my shepherd.” Psalm
23:1 This is the Old Testament Example.
This is the
New Testament Truth,
“But I would
not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we
say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them
which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these
words.” I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Please note these words within
the passage, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again.” This is the gospel!
“Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which
also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye
are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless
ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all
that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he
rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” I
Corinthians 15:1-4
The difference between those that do and do not
have the Settled Assurance of Death is a personal relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ!
As long as we are in this world, death is going
to call upon the children of men! I do not know when death will
call or for whom death will call, but death will call! Tuesday
morning death walked into the room of Vivian Smith. While she as
well as we were not ready for the “Timing”, she as well
as we were ready for the “Translation.”
Vivian could say with David,
“The Lord
is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the
Lord for ever.”
Psalm 23
There is the sentence, the sorrow,
and the separation, but for those that have accepted the
Lord Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour, there is a Settled
Assurance!
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