My grandfather passed away this morning around 12:15. Yesterday afternoon, I put together my thoughts on what I would like to share at his funeral. I wanted to post them here for you to read as well:


I was reading Psalm 43, and I believe it captures this moment very well:


We know from John 1, that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men… That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

We also know that Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

So Jesus is the light and the truth.

The psalmist continues:


I am glad that I can tell you that the Light and the Truth did lead my grandfather. Paul tells us that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” I can tell you that my grandfather heard the word of God, and faith was given to him.

I am so glad that, in the words of the Apostle Paul, I can tell you today,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed my grandfather in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose my grandfather in Him before the foundation of the world, that he should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined my grandfather for adoption as a son through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed my grandfather in the Beloved. In Him my grandfather has redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of his trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon him, in all wisdom and insight making known to him the mystery of his will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Him my grandfather has obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In Him my grandfather also, when he heard the word of truth, the gospel of his salvation, and believed in Him, was sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

To the praise of His glory, my grandfather has now acquired possession of it. As the psalmist says:


My grandfather has many friends in heaven who went before him. He has many relatives who went before him. There are many joys for my grandfather in heaven. He’s not confused anymore. His thoughts have been made perfect. He won’t fall down anymore. He can walk and he can talk with Moses and Elijah. He can sit with John the Baptist and with John the Apostle. But as the psalmist said, my grandfather has gone unto God his exceeding joy. Now and forevermore my grandfather knows the incomparable bliss of the presence of God.

The psalmist says:


My grandfather loved music. And I am sure that he loves it no less now. Now he’s hearing the good stuff. My grandfather loved Gene Autry and he loved Bill Gaither. But those are at best a shadow of the amazing music he is enjoying now. I don’t know if he has a mandolin or a banjo with him. But I know that he’s right in there with the rest of the celestial musicians making a joyful sound of praise to our God.

Now, let me read the rest of this Psalm to you.


We’re sad to see my grandfather go. But we’re not sad for him. I for one might be not a little jealous for him. But we’re sad for each other. We’re sad for ourselves. We loved him and we’re sorry that we are going to miss him.

But let me remind you that our time here is so short. It’s a vanity. It’s hardly worth considering. As I told a friend of mine recently, this life doesn’t deserve to be called life when compared to the life that is to come.

The psalmist finishes:


Hope in God.

I know my grandfather would not want me to close this without telling you this. My grandfather’s biggest problem was not that he had a broken hip. It wasn’t Alzheimer’s. No his biggest problem went deeper than that and went all the way back to the very beginning of his life.

My grandfather’s biggest problem – and it is my biggest problem and your biggest problem – is that there is a God who is holy and just and you and I are not. When my grandfather died, he stood before a holy and just God. And you and I will do the same when we die. He was to be judged on the basis of his own righteousness, or lack of it, or the righteousness of another.

My grandfather’s hope was this: Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, perfect obedience to God, not for His own well-being, but for His people. He did for my grandfather what my grandfather could not possibly do for himself. Not only did He live that life of perfect obedience, but He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

When I witness to someone and point out to them that they are a sinner, they say, “But God will forgive me! God will forgive me!” Listen, for God to forgive you cost Him the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead, so that Christ died for our sin, He was raised for our justification. The gospel is objective: it is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. The gospel is also subjective: how are the benefits of Jesus made your own? How do you get it?

The Bible makes it clear: We are justified, not by our works, not by our effort, not by our deeds, but by faith and by faith alone. The only way my grandfather received the benefit of Christ’s life and death – the only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him and in Him alone. If you do that, then God declares you just, He adopts you into His family, He forgives you of all of your sins, and you begin your pilgrimage for eternity.