REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

Preached at the Funeral

Of a Suicide

8/6/99

Charles J Arnett

Also at the Sovereign Grace Fellowship

under the title

Does Suicide Bar The Door To Heaven

1/25/00

REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

I Pet. 1:18-21

Introduction: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."

Angela, Lisa, Ralph, Tony, Pamela, Sherry & James, Kathy & Denis, Elizabeth, Kindra, Family and friends, I cannot add to your memories and I certainly do not want to take away from your precious memories.

The circumstances of Nancy’s passing always gives rise to questions that is hard to keep quite in our hearts. I pray that I can answer some of those questions this afternoon and give you some comfort.

I have known Nancy for quit a number of years. What I say this after noon I do not say as a stranger. I have had over the years quit a few serious talks with Nancy. Bro. Ron Thomas was with me most of those times. Our new pastor, Pastor Baldwin has had a good visit with Nancy. I do feel, as does Bro. Ron, some of what you are feeling.

First, I want to give you a brief outline of a person from the Word of God.

SOME ANSWERS FROM JOB

    Who was Job? His patience is a proverb. People use to say of someone who endured much trials and suffering, "They have the patience of Job." James says "Ye have heard of the patience of Job." In chapter 1 God said that Job was "… an upright man, one who feared God.” God indicated there was no one like Job – he was a Godly man. I suspect none of us here measures up to Job. God allowed Satan to test Job – Job went thru some very hard times.
    In Job 6: 8, 9, Job was prayed for death. Job gives us the picture of utter despair, of extreme depression. In Job 7, Job gives us the excuses for his despair. In verse 5 Job says his days are spent without hope.    As he looked around, and remembered the former times, he lost it all. He had no expectation of circumstances changed, he was discouraged.
    But we need to understand that even if Job was in extreme depression, he never lost hope in God.    There is a difference between losing hope in this life and hope in the life to come. Job 19:25 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:” We may not excuse Job, but we can understand him. I repeat, there is a difference between hope in this life and hope in the life to come.   You may be sad now, but are you depressed? Do you have hope in this life? Do you have hope in the life to come.

THE TAKING OF ONE'S LIFE IS NOT THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
     Most mistakes about taking one’s life is because a person does not understand Salvation. Taking one’s life is not the unpardonable sin. Matt 12:32 “And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” We will not take time to explain this but clearly Nancy did not commit the unpardonable sin.
    Another misconception is that the sin of taking one own life is unforgiveable because it is an unrepented sin.      I don’t think we can say that with certainty that the person sis not repent in the last moment. However, unrepented sin does not cause a person to lose eternal life. Unrepented sin does not keep a person out of heaven.   Sin unconfessed does not keep a person out of heaven.   If that were so, none of us would have eternal life.   I know I will probably die with unconfessed sin, I know that I overlook some of my sins and completely ignore them.
     We do not go to heaven by asking for forgiveness of each and every sin.    Let us be clear about what is the basis of enjoying eternal life.

THE BASIS OF ETERNAL LIFE
    Notice our Text in 1 Peter 1:18, 19. A person goes to heaven thru the blood of Jesus. Entrance into heaven, or salvation is not something we earn but something that is earned by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
    Sin does not keep us out of heaven. Listen to this list of verses.
    John 1:12 “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:”   Those that believe on his name, are given the power to becomes the sons of God.       Not those whose life merits it, those whose good deeds balance out, but those who receive Christ. Children do not stay your children by always doing what you please. I have been in funeral homes when the children were very sad because the last words to their mom or dad were angry ones. They did not cease to be their children.
    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”   How do we get eternal life? By believing on Jesus. How long is eternal life?
    Rom. 3:23-25 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, ..."   No, we are not saying that a person can be saved and live like the devil’s child and be happy and be cocky about it. A person who truly believes will be conscious of their failures before God and have deep regret about it. But a person who has mental or emotional problems, extreme depression, does not lose eternal life.
    Job, still had hope of eternal life and he was in great despair. Yet Job, was probably a lot stronger in his faith than any of us. He had lost hope in this life.

A VERY SERIOUS QUESTION
    Have you ever received Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour? Do you claimed Jesus Christ as your sin bearer?
    How can the blood of Jesus redeem us? He died in the place of sinners. He took our guilt upon Himself, and took the punishment due us.
    When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, our sin, all of our sin, is under the blood of the Lamb. As a child of God we may displease the Father, but we no longer have the legal relationship where God the Judge of all the earth condemns us. But as a child of God we are treated as a child of our heavenly Father.

CONCLUSION: Will you turn to Jesus now, receive Him by faith? Rest in the redemption of His blood. You may leave this life a nice person, but without Christ you are lost. Turn to Him now.