Funeral Service For Israel
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Intro: There are two different kinds of funerals you will attend in your life. Funerals for those in Christ and for those who are not. The funeral service for the believer is one of celebration and hope because that person has not died but fallen asleep in Christ.
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.
But for those who die without Christ, we know we will not see them again, and finding comfort in that situation is very difficult. That funeral will be hard for the pastor, the family and all who attend. But we must remember that one who leaves this earth without Christ made that choice on their own.
25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
This morning we will look at the “Funeral Service For Israel” as conducted by the prophet Amos.
Text: Amos 5:1-15
1 Hear this word which I take up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 The virgin of Israel has fallen; She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; There is no one to raise her up.
3 For thus says the Lord God: “The city that goes out by a thousand Shall have a hundred left, And that which goes out by a hundred Shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live;
5 But do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing.
6 Seek the Lord and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel—
7 You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”
8 He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.
9 He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them.
12 For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.
13 Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.
15 Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
In most funeral services there is an order of service that usually includes the following; Songs, Eulogy, Message, Graveside
1. Songs; 1-3
1. Songs; 1-3
Songs in the funeral services of the believer are uplifting, celebratory, hopeful.
Amazing Grace, Take My Hand Precious Lord, Go Rest High On That Mountain, I Can Only Imagine
But the song that Amos sings is a “lamentation”. That’s a song of grief, sorrow and pain. It is used throughout the OT to mourn the death of a city, people, or nation. [2 Sam., 2 Chron, Jer., Ezek., Lam.]
[2] The song began by describing Israel as a young virgin who was dying in her prime years. As a nation, Israel was young; nevertheless, she was doomed to die soon, never to rise again.
She was forsaken by God, so there was no help for her anywhere. She could not defend herself. She has recieved her death sentence.
15 “The Lord has trampled underfoot all my mighty men in my midst; He has called an assembly against me To crush my young men; The Lord trampled as in a winepress The virgin daughter of Judah.
I believe a “lament” has been sung over this nation already. America’s prime years have come and gone and she is quickly dying spiritually. Just like Israel, the obituary of America has already been written.
2. Eulogy; 7, 10-13
2. Eulogy; 7, 10-13
Eulogy- Comments of praise and endearment of someone. Eulogies are given by family members, friends or pastors praising the life of the deceased individual. In the case of the believer its usually their service to the Lord, family and community.
Eulogy of Israel
[7] Corruption had permeated the court officials and system. Justice was turned into bitterness and righteousness was cast aside.
[10] They hated honest judges and witnesses. They opposed any person who sought to uphold the truth within society and within the courts of the nation.
[11] They abused and stole from the poor for their own profit in order to build large mansions and farms (vineyards).
[12] They took bribes in exchange for favors to take advantage of honest people and deprived the poor of justice.
[13] They silenced the wise of the nation. When those who were wise attempted to bring true justice and righteousness to the court system and society as a whole, those who were unjust stood against them. When a righteous or honest person spoke up against injustice, those who were dishonest made threats against them. The times were so evil that injustice ran rampant throughout the nation.
It has been said that an individual preaches their funeral by the way they live. So does a nation.
America The Beautiful, The Worship Hymnal, page 641 [A nation of the past]
3. Message; 4-6, 14
3. Message; 4-6, 14
Every good pastor will bring a message of hope in any funeral service. He does so to comfort the grieving and stir the spirit of man. That message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of salvation.
The reason you preach the gospel in a funeral service is because man is most vulnerable in spirit when we face death. Amos pleaded with the people to repent, turn away from sin and back to the Lord before its too late.
In these three verses Amos proclaimed for those who would listen; Seek Me and live, Seek the LORD and live, Seek good and not evil that you may live!
[4-5] Seek Me not religion. Religion can make a person happy [circumstantial], but a relationship with God in Jesus Christ makes one holy!
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
[6] Seek the Lord in life not His wrath. Every person has a choice of how they will stand before God in the judgment. Either washed in the Blood of Christ without spot or blemish, or without His blood stained in your sin.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
[14] Seek good not evil so the Lord will answer you. Every person chooses to either seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, or love the things of the world in which the love of the Father is not in him.
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Even though God may be done with America as a nation, He still calls out to those who will hear to “repent and be saved” while there is still time!
4. Graveside; 15
4. Graveside; 15
Most graveside services are a goodbye to the departed with the hope of being united with loved ones again in heaven.
Amos gives a final plea to those gathered at the funeral service to turn to God, to hate evil and love good.
To love something means to choose it and to delight in it. And to delight in seeing good prevail, one must hate evil. Seeking God and his kingdom is not a one-day-a-week activity. It’s a daily attempt to adopt God’s perspective on life as revealed in his Word. And because God is a gracious God, He will gladly pardon those who repent, and desire to live for Him, even if its a remnant.
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Close;
We have come to the close of this Funeral Service for Israel. And true to God’s Word, the nation was destroyed and carried away captive and only a remnant remains today. That remnant are Jews that came to saving faith in Jesus Christ their Messiah, [Messianic Jews].
Unfortunately, like Israel, many departed loved ones in America will never see the glories of heaven but will be tormented in the flames of hell because they have rejected the Messiah, Jesus Christ. That doesn’t have to be you.
Everybody is going to have a funeral one day. It will either be a celebration of hope or a lamentation of sorrow based on what you do with Jesus!
This morning, Jesus, Yeshua the Jewish Messiah, is standing at the door of your heart right now, knocking and asking to come in. Would you consider Him! Open the door and allow Him to come into your life before its too late!