The Comfort That The Divine Shepherd Gives

THE COMFORT THAT THE DIVINE SHEPHERD GIVES

A Message for the Funeral Service of Rebecca Cleveland

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: September 8, 2024

Series: Funeral/Memorial Services

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION: SOME PERSONAL WORDS

On many occasions Rebecca attended our worship services at South Paris Baptist Church in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Until my recent conversations with her family members, I didn’t realize how much she appreciated our services. On one occasion, at the beginning of either 2022 or 2023, as she was making her way out after the service, she put a generous financial gift into my hand as a personal gift to me. This stands out to me, because she was relatively new to the church and we really didn’t know each other that well. But that she would give me such a thoughtful gift encourages me, because Jesus said: “… whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

I also didn’t realize the extent of Rebecca’s illnesses until my recent visits with her and her family. After she was unable to continue attending our church in the middle of 2023, we were out of touch for a long time. I’m very glad that her daughter Melissa tracked me down via email, as this gave me the opportunity to visit Rebecca four times – two times in late July, and two additional times in mid-August. I enjoyed these visits with her and her family. I shared Scripture with her, I sang Christian hymns to her, I reminded her of the truth of the gospel, and I prayed for her. One of the most memorable moments for me personally was when I spoke Psalm 23 to her – I didn’t read it, but recited it from memory, and this enabled me to look at her and make eye contact with her. It is a profound spiritual experience to look someone in the eye and speak God’s words to the ears of their heart. Do you know Psalm 23? Listen to these words, which speak of God’s personal care for each one of His people:

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever. (Psalm 23:1-6)

THE MESSAGE

I will return to Psalm 23 at the end, but first I would like to share with you a short message. I am known in some circles as a longwinded preacher, and Rebecca has heard me preach many 40-45 minute sermons. But I assure you that I have a shorter message for you this afternoon – I would ask you to give me your attention for about 12 minutes! Ultimately, I would be very happy if my message contributed to the comfort of your heart – not only in this tender moment, but forever. The Bible really does speak of eternal comfort, which is a type of comfort that only the eternal God can give. And He does give it to those who trust Him.

So what I’d like to do is share with you some very basic truths from the Bible – and I hope to give you just enough to whet your appetite, to stir up your desire for more, to draw you to the heart of God, to direct you to His comfort.

The Heart of God

First, I want you to know that the heart of God is worlds apart from the efforts of men to create religious platforms and build religious empires. Some people who chase after power, greed, and fame go into business, others go into politics, and still others go into entertainment, and yes, some go into religion. They all have an agenda, but it is not God’s agenda. When God became a Man, He took the name Jesus. He was the only perfectly holy Man who ever walked this earth, and ordinary people wanted to be around Him.

¹ Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:1-7)

Jesus cares about people. He’s not interested in the show. The Pharisees knew how to put on a good show, a good religious performance, with all their checklists and rules. The Pharisees didn’t have time for the people who knew that they don’t measure up. But Jesus did. He came to seek and save the people who lost their way. He is the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in order to find the one that is lost. And when He finds the one lost sheep, He is overwhelmed with joy. Think about that: people often get excited about more stuff, more success, more pleasure. But the thing that thrills the heart of God is when people who had gotten lost finally come home again.

We All Have Lost Our Way

Second, I want you know that every single one of us has lost our way. I think it is very freeing to acknowledge this truth: we are lost and we need to be rescued. Think it through with me: God created us in His image in order to be in a real, loving, and obedient relationship with Him. God made us to know Him and reflect His character. Knowing God is not a sentimental feeling of dependence upon a vague higher power. God has given us His Word. It is accessible and understandable to anyone who pays attention. God wants us to know Him – the true and living God; the one God who eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God calls us to walk in holiness, purity, wisdom, and righteousness. But each and every one of us is like that one sheep that wandered away from the fold. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6a) “[For] all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). None of us has the moral high ground. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” (Romans 3:10b-11) Jesus didn’t come into this world in order to give good folks a little pick-me-up. Jesus came into this world to save sinners from sin and death. In the familiar words of John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

We Will All Stand Before God at the Final Judgment

Third, I want you to know that every single one of us will stand before God at the final judgment. Scripture says, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13b-14) Now this presents a sobering dilemma for each and every one of us, because every single one of us has more than a few evil deeds on our record. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37-38). How often have we failed to love the Lord? The second most important commandment is to love our neighbor in the same way that we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). How often have we failed to love the people around us? None of us measure up to God’s standard, and yet we will be judged according to God’s righteous standard.

And so, when you stand before God at the final judgment, it’s going to go one of two ways. You’re going to either stand before Him as a sinner who has been forgiven because Christ died for your sins, or you’re going to stand before Him as a sinner who has not been forgiven. If you have been forgiven because Jesus died for your sins and you trusted Jesus, then you will be welcomed into heaven because of Jesus’ grace and righteousness. But if you have not been forgiven and you don’t trust Jesus, then you will bear the consequences of your sin forever in hell. Jesus, the most loving person who ever walked this earth, put it this way: “[The wicked] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous [will go] into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)

Jesus Laid Down His Life for Sinners

Fourth, I want you to know that Jesus laid down His life for sinners just like you and me. There are a lot of people out there with a lot of different angles and agendas, with a lot of different products and therapies, with a lot of different offers and promises. There are a lot of people out there who would like your attention, your money, your vote. But here’s my question: which of these people laid down his life for you? Jesus said, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:8-11) Jesus died for our sins: “[He] was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Jesus Wants You to Trust Him

Fifth, I want you to know that the thing that Jesus wants from you is your trust, your confidence. Jesus doesn’t need you; you need Him. Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man, and on one occasion He said, “[The] Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) The Lord didn’t come in order to be served by you, as if you could help Him or lift Him up. He is the Lord! He doesn’t need you to help Him or lift Him up. The Lord came in order to serve you, to pay the price of your redemption, to forgive your sins, to cleanse you heart, to transform your life from the inside out, to bring you home to the Father, and to give you the hope of eternal life. Whenever Rebecca took the bread (representing the crucified body of Christ) and the cup (representing the blood of Christ) during the Lord’s Supper, she was acknowledging that her help came from outside herself, that her help came from the Lord, whose body was broken and blood was shed on the cross.

Jesus died for your sins on the cross, and He rose from the dead in order to lift you out of your sin and make you a member of His forever family. Scripture gives this promise: “[If] you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” (Romans 10:9-11)

I spoke of these things when I visited Rebecca. I told her that sinners don’t make it to heaven because they are good enough to get themselves there. Instead, sinners only make it to heaven because Jesus is good enough to get them there! And that is exactly what Jesus will do for anyone who trusts Him.

Living in the Comfort of Psalm 23

When you put your ordinary sinful heart into the hands of the Savior, then you get to personally experience the comfort, hope, and strength of Psalm 23. When you turn to the Lord and enter into fellowship with Him, then He takes care of you, refreshes you, watches over you, directs you, accompanies you through the dark valleys of this life, fills you with joy, and leads you all the way home to heaven. May the comfort and benediction of the Divine Shepherd descend upon you now and forevermore:

²⁴ The LORD bless you and keep you;
²⁵ the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)