Exposition and Sermons

This is the text of the message I gave at my grandma’s memorial service on Saturday, July 31, 2010.

Copyright © Joel W. Nelson.  All rights reserved.  The text of this post or the contents of the message, including any excerpt thereof, may not be quoted, copied, or re-published in any form.

“By Faith”

We are gathered here today to reflect on and remember the life of Margaret Noel. But as I look around I realize some who are here today may be perplexed by the service so far. This may be unlike any funeral service you’ve been to in the past. Shouldn’t a funeral service be a time of great sadness, weeping, and mourning? Yet today we have sung happy songs, not dirges.  We’ve spoken not of ending and finality, but of new life and beginnings. We’ve spoken confidently about seeing Margaret again one day, not in some vague sense, or wishfully, but knowing and believing it to be true. Why is it so?

The reason for this is what I want to focus most of my message today on – Margaret’s own faith, the faith she was so eager to share with those around her for over thirty years.  So internalized was this faith in her life that even in her final days, one of the few things she really visibly responded to was the voice of a family member reading the Scriptures to her, or talking about heaven and how she would soon see Jesus – what she had been longing for – for so long.

What is this faith?  In what is often called the Faith chapter of the Bible, Hebrews 11, the author describes it this way:  “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. . .  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Just a couple paragraphs later, speaking of the many saints of the past who went before us, before even the time of Christ, at verse 13 we read, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

I’ve gone over many passages of Scripture over the last couple weeks considering what to focus on in my message today. But I’ve decided that this is the one that really stands out as something that describes Margaret. She firmly believed that all things were created by the word of God, that God exists, rewards those who seek him, and that this world was not her home but instead that she longed for a much better place. And not only did she just give verbal assent to this faith, but she lived it. From 1978 when she first professed faith in Jesus Christ to 2010 when she entered into his presence for all eternity, her love for her Savior was clear to all who had the privilege of spending any time around her.  I’d like to start by going back and telling some of her story – the beginning of her faith.

In the late 1970s, Margaret became aware of God’s work in her life. God opened her heart to spiritual things and put new life in her so that she could understand and believe that the only way to eternal life is through faith in Jesus Christ, and in August 1978 she trusted in Christ for salvation.

But Margaret also knew that this salvation was not something she had done for herself. She was quick to tell people that her salvation was a gift of God. Her salvation was also a work of God; not a decision she just made all of a sudden but rather something God did in her life. God used a number of different means — the preaching at Indian Hills Community Church here in Lincoln was an effectual means of convincing and converting Margaret.  Discussions with her children were another.  So was a popular Christian book written a few years prior to the time which really got her thinking about spiritual things. All of these were things God used to point her toward Himself, and then He awakened her soul with new life so that she could take the step of believing in Him through faith alone for salvation.

Here are her own words on this – a few months ago, I found a handwritten account of her life written about twenty years ago. I’ll now read some excerpts from that.

In 1977 Bill started attending Indian Hills Community Church, and in January 1978 he began to invite me to go with him. One Sunday I decided to go, and it was a novel experience to be told I would need my Bible! Bill and a good friend of his had given me a New American Standard Bible which is an excellent translation written in modern language.

I learned that at IHCC they believe the Scriptures – both the old and new Testaments – to be the verbally inspired Word of God, written by men in God’s control, inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts and the final authority in faith and life.

Sometime in August 1978 – one Sunday – Bill asked me if I would go to Heaven when I died. I said I thought so but I wasn’t sure. He told me I should be able to know. We had a wonderful talk and he showed me the booklet “The Real Purpose of Life.” Things began to fall into place for me. For the first time I realized that John 3:16 meant me personally, but I had to claim God’s promise by declaring my faith. I had a little green Gideon New Testament – I still have it, I should say. In the back is this printed statement: “Confessing to God that I am a sinner, and believing that the Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins on the Cross and was raised for my justification, I do now receive and confess Him as my personal Savior.” I signed that on 8/20/78.

Well, there was a lot to learn and I found myself eager to pursue. There are many verses in the Bible that mean so much, but few, if any, mean more to me than Ephesians Chapter 2, Verses 8 and 9 –
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” You see, that means it isn’t my effort that saves me. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And God hates sin and has declared the “wages” of sin is death. So for a long time I tried to figure it all out. If no one is good enough, who gets to heaven? God knew – and in His great mercy provided the way. Jesus left the Glory of Heaven to become a man. He went to the cross and in one horrible moment assumed… the sin of the world. When at the end he said, “It is finished,” He meant that – the price had been paid. When He rose from the grave He had conquered death, so He could promise eternal life to all who believed in Him and gave their lives to Him. It is all so simple when you once believe, but is difficult for most of the world to accept.

I don’t know why one person believes the gospel and another does not. I do know that since I came to know Christ I have not had one moment of doubt. Most of us spend our lives believing if we are good enough we will make it to Heaven, but salvation solely by faith is the primary doctrine of the Christian faith. This is not just faith in the person of Jesus Christ, but also faith in His sacrificial act on the Cross.

These were Margaret’s own words on this.

From the time she believed onward, this became one of the defining features of her life, and one of the things she most enjoyed talking about. In fact, the aforementioned document I recently found actually concluded with a statement – which I have interpreted to be one of her primary desires.

Speaking of her grandchildren, of which I am one, she wrote – “It is my joy to help their parents teach them about the Lord Jesus Christ much earlier than they or I knew Him.”

As I stated earlier, from as far back as I can remember, this was one of her greatest joys – sharing her faith with her grandchildren, so that we could come to truly believe in Jesus Christ through faith alone by grace alone just as she had.

She lived her faith by her life’s example; she frequently spoke about the Lord and what He did. She would read stories about people of faith in the Bible to her grandchildren, buying books for us that helped to reinforce these themes.  Also, she would not only pray for but also with us. She was directly involved in the spiritual upbringing of her grandchildren.  I remember how every visit to her house started with a long catch-up conversation that included commitment to prayer, talking things out, and her working with us while at her house.  Her phone calls, and later, email messages were focused in that direction, too. We knew she was praying for all of us and was listening to us too.

She also came alongside her children in raising her grandchildren. We weren’t able to get away with extra things when our parents weren’t around, except maybe for a few extra cookies or glasses of Gatorade on occasion. She respected her own children’s parenting styles, carrying on their values.

She often spoke about the example in the New Testament of the Eunice/Lois/Timothy relationship, where young Timothy was brought up by both his mother and grandmother, both having strong influence in his life, and Margaret delighted in it. She also gave a Bible to every grandchild and wrote a personal message to each grandchild in each Bible.

Speaking of her faith, Margaret also was quick to say that her belief in faith alone in Christ alone was by grace alone. As I look back today, as someone who has professed faith for over twenty years but only grasped the concept of grace for the last few years, and even still feel like I’m barely getting it, I see just how much she lived and showed grace.

As just one example, and I could give many, I recall a time a number of years ago when I really doubted whether I was a Christian. I even wondered if I had committed what’s called the eternal sin, or one that will never be forgiven.  I remember she told me that if I was concerned about it, then that was pretty much a sure indicator I hadn’t. It was years before I heard that said again, but that is such a true and grace-filled statement. I also remember during the years I was growing up, when I just wasn’t sure I measured up, I could count on her to listen and remind me that God still loved me and wasn’t angry with me. She also frequently reminded me to lighten up and worry less. In fact, I think the last email message I received from her was one from last summer when I’d been through a time that had really tested my faith but I’d come out of it seeing God’s plan all the way through, and told her that – and even though it was by that point painful to type a response, she did so as to tell me how glad she was to hear that. These are but a few personal examples I can remember of how Margaret demonstrated her faith and her strong belief in the grace of God.

3 John 4 is another verse from Scripture that really applies to Margaret’s life since she believed by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone, and shared it with her children and grandchildren, and I know would have also shared it with her greatgrandchild and future greatgrandchildren. The verse reads, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

But now at this point we must turn our attention from the past to the present and the future.

As long as I knew her, one of Margaret’s favorite topics to discuss was the doctrine of the last days, and especially to talk about heaven. It only seems fitting that on this occasion I should spend some time on this topic, considering her fondness for the topic – and that what she longed for so long, to see Jesus face to face, is now reality for her.

I’m reminded of Romans 8:18 at this point, one of the many verses that family members shared with Margaret and reminded her of in her final days. Romans 8:18 really speaks to the way Margaret lived her life – living in the present but with the future always in view. It says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Life wasn’t always easy for her. For almost as long as I knew her, she dealt with back pain that especially as the years progressed became more and more painful and restricting. But until more recently, you really wouldn’t hear her complaining about it that much. She would talk about how it’s part of living in this world, and use that to lead into how much better the future perfect new creation would be.  By faith she desired a better country, a heavenly one.

The Bible is full of references to the future new creation, from Old Testament references to the coming Messiah, the Kingdom he would bring, and ultimately, the eternal joy of God’s people – to the New Testament references after the Kingdom was inaugurated speaking of the time when it would be consummated – the time still to come when Jesus will return, judge the world, reveals His own, and makes all things new and right.  One of the most vivid depictions of this is found in the final chapters of Revelation, where Jesus revealed to John, his beloved disciple, a look at the spiritual side of the trials and tribulation of the present time and the wonderful promise of future eternal restoration.   Revelation is a book that as we well know has had a wide variety of interpretations over the years, and perhaps there have never been more interpretations than there are now.  I’m not here today to make a statement on how one should view the book of Revelation and other instances of Biblical prophecy, though in saying this I am reminded of a time within the last 18 months when Margaret and I were discussing Revelation and the nature of things surrounding the Second Coming. She told me, “Joel, you know, I really don’t think I see things the same way you do, but one thing is sure, in the end, we’re going to see Jesus.”  And that’s so true.  As much as she loved to read different authors and commentators’ works on their interpretation of prophecy, what she loved even more was to look forward to the time when it will all be over and we’ll be face-to-face with Jesus in the new creation.  This was also one of the things that we kept reminding her of in her final days – soon you’re going to see Jesus, and that’s going to be so much better – and then one day we’ll be reunited in His presence.

Now with that in mind, I’d like to read an excerpt from Revelation 21. This is at the end of all things as we know them, but for all who believe in Jesus Christ for salvation by faith alone, this will be the beginning of a perfect and wonderful eternity.

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

You see, though we are here today in memory of Margaret Noel, and this reminds us how much mourning, crying, and pain there is in this life – and the reality of death – because Margaret trusted in Christ for salvation, this really is a time of joy.  The struggles of this life are over for her. Her soul is in the presence of Jesus now, and for all eternity. Those of us who also have received salvation through faith alone by grace alone in Christ alone do look forward with certainty to seeing her again.

But I also realize that not everyone here may be in that same position. You don’t know where you stand with God right now, whether you really have been justified by faith alone. Maybe you assume you’ll see her again because you’ve lived a pretty good life, or maybe you believe in who Jesus is and what He has done, but because you trust also in your works you’re not really sure if you’ve done enough for Him to accept you. Either way, maybe as you think about it now, you don’t know for sure whether you will be reunited with Margaret one day and whether you will spend eternity in the wonderful new creation in the presence of Christ. If this is you, and you are concerned about this, then I urge you to not dismiss it from your mind.  Over thirty years ago, God changed Margaret’s heart so that she realized she wasn’t sure – and enabled her to believe and gave her the desire to believe, and she knew for sure.  Just recently, realizing Margaret would soon be leaving this world, God awakened one of her grandchildren to be able to believe and caused her to see this and want to know for sure that she would one day see Margaret again.  I can’t pressure you to make a decision right here on the spot — that’s often not how God works – but if you take anything away from my message today, I am convinced Margaret would want it to be this – if God is working on you right now and you want to know for sure, don’t dismiss the thought. There are pastors here today and many others who would be happy to talk with you and pray with you.

And finally, I want to end with this reminder – if you have believed in Jesus for salvation and you know where you’re going and you know you’ll see Margaret again – while we miss her and are sad about the time of separation we now have – then this is also a time to rejoice as we celebrate Margaret’s graduation from this life to eternity, and we look forward to that day which is coming, when all who have been redeemed will dance in the presence of Jesus at the great wedding celebration when we are all reunited in the new creation. It’s coming! The struggles we have now will be gone. Mourning, crying, and pain will all be things of the past. Sin and death, sorrow and hardship, will all pass away, and in their place will be eternal joy and unbroken fellowship with God, and all things will be new.

©2010 Joel W. Nelson. All rights reserved.