JACK EDWARD ARNETT MEMORIAL

Preached by his dad, Charles J. Arnett

1-15-2001

UNION BAPTIST CHURCH

528 N. Main Street, Englewood Ohio

INTRODUCTION: OVERCOMING THE ACCUSER: THE MEANS FOR & THE COMFORT OF,

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelations 12:10-12 I have taken the liberty of italicizing the text for this message.

There are events in this chapter and evening this section that refers to a specific point in time. However the part of our text is universal in respects to time. Our text identifies the character of the once cast down and the victory of those who over come Satan. That is a truth that is independent of time periods. With that in mind, we continue.

We are here to pay our respects to the memory of Jack Arnett. The scripture is clear about sorrow in death. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” While we sorrow we have a different hope than those without Christ. Hope in the archaic and biblical usage is confidant expectation and that is the way I will use it during this message.

My Compton’s Encyclopedia said, after mentioning how some religions and cultures viewed death, “… people of great religious faith are often able to face dying with composure: They know it as the final ill of life, but they also view it as a transition, not a termination.”

I thought it appropriate to consider the ground of our hope and of our belief that this is just a transition for Jack and not a termination.

THE ACCUSER HAS NO POWER OVER THOSE WHO TRUST CHRIST:

Satan is the accuser of the Brethren. But he has no power over those who trust the Lord Jesus Christ. The brethren overcome him. While he has plenty to accuse us of, he is defeated. His accusations do not damage us.

My wife has agreed that I preach this funeral sermon. Most of us who have preached funeral sermons have felt that we were expected to somehow enter into an adversary position with Satan. Satan would list before God the faults and the sins of the deceased and we were expected at the funeral to pile up enough good points so the family and friends felt that their loved one was weight and exonerated at the trial in which Satan was the prosecutor, their loved one would go to heaven.

Those of whom believe in Salvation by grace were always uncomfortable with that scheme. Frankly, as Jack’s closest relative, I don’t need to enter into a courtroom with Satan as the prosecutor and me as the defense attorney to find comfort or hope.

I have a hope that Jack is with His Lord right now. Not because his good works out weighted his bad. His mother and I, at different times during the last month, asked him is he loved the Lord – he always responded by shaking his head “yes”. That is our hope. The text that we have chosen tells us how the accuser of the brethren is defeated

THE POWER THAT OVERCOMES THE ACCUSER:

What is Satan’s defeat? What destroys Satan’s argument that Jack is not worthy to enter heaven? Or his argument that God should strike out in anger against Jack? “They overcome by the blood of the Lamb,” who is the Lord Jesus Christ. I John 2:1 “…we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” Jesus appears before the judgment seat and argues on the behalf of the Christian – he is our advocate, not the preacher at the funeral. Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Jesus argues His blood.

He gave His life to save those who would come to Him. He has promised in John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Jesus can give us that assurance because of His blood.

Hebrews 13:20 speaks of the blood of the everlasting covenant. There was a covenant in eternity, before the foundation of the world, between the persons of the trinity, the persons of the one essential God. In that covenant it was agreed that the second person would take upon himself flesh and be a substitute for all of those that would seek refuge in His blood.

The resurrection of Jesus was based on that accomplishments of the blood of the everlasting covenant. He was victorious over Satan in his death, and the Father raised Him from the dead

Giving us the assurance of the resurrection unto life of all those who trusted in Christ. Jesus now makes intercession based on His blood, the blood of the everlasting covenant

They over came by the blood of the Lamb. Robert T. Ketcham once described the court room scene in heaven which when applied to Jack is our comfort. Dr. Ketcham’s illustration went something like this: Imagine a court room in heaven where God the Father is Judge, The bailiff reads Jack’s name and before Jack can answer, Jesus steps up and says “here I am”. The charge of sin is read, in that charge are all the sins of Jack, original and actual. Jesus pleads guilty in the place of Jack. The sentence is death and is immediately carried out. The resurrection is 3 days later and now Jack is with Jesus in glory. The debt is paid, he has paid the penalty of his sin in the person of his substitute. God cannot demand payment at our bleeding substitute’s hand and at ours.

The hope of glory is only by the sovereign grace and mercy of God. The token of that grace and mercy is one’s testimony they are trusting Christ. Their testimony that they love the Lord gives us hope they have been touched by the grace of God; that they have overcame the accuser by the blood of the Lamb.

THE WORD THAT OVERCOMES THE ACCUSER:

Our text says, “and by the word of their testimony.” I like what JFB Comentary says of this verse. JFB says that “they” is emphatic in the Greek, they and they alone have overcame the accuser. They are the ones who have overcome by the blood of Jesus. On the ground of their testimony they are constituted victors. Their testimony evinced their victory over Satan by the blood of Jesus.”

That is why his mother and I asked him in his hour of weakness, “Jack, do you love the Lord.” His nodding his head “yes” is his testimony. He could not speak because of the inhalator, so we gave him the opportunity to give his testimony. But not just then, he had this testimony in health.

The incomparable John Gill says “by the use they made of the Scriptures of truth, the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, to which they bore a faithful testimony, and to which they adhered, and by so doing gained the victory over Satan … which they embraced, professed, and by their last testimony they bore to it at their death.”

The scripture tells us in Rom. 10:9,10,13 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. … For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”

I believe that Jack would want me to ask you: what is your hope for yourself based on? Are you hoping that you can do enough good things to win at your trial and to overcome the accusations of Satan? You cannot. That is one time Satan doesn’t need to lie.

Others may, but I don’t’ think Satan ever lied about me – he doesn’t need to – but he isn’t the judge

Have you ever came to the place where you have believed in your heart that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord? Have you confessed Him as Lord and Saviour? The sign that you believe in your heart is confessing Him, and the evidence of that is your calling on Him to be your Lord and Saviour. Is that the Word of your testimony? Can you tell your family and friends that you have over come Satan by the Blood of Jesus? Oh, turn to Jesus now, receive Him, call upon Him now, trust in Him now.

The Word of their testimony is the Word of God. The Bible was Jack’s testimony. The ground of their testimony is the Word of Promise.

Jack’s testimony was that the Bible was the Word of God and was without error it is trust worthy. He trusted His eternity on the record of Jesus in that Word.

The bible is so trustworthy that you can trust your eternal bliss on its statements of fact, on its promises. You do not have to enter eternity with a mere wishing – you can find assurance of your eternal destiny clearly recorded in God’s Word

HEAVEN’S JOY IN THOSE THAT OVERCOME THE ACCUSER:

The heaven dwellers are not merely the angels, which rejoice at the salvation of a soul, but all the citizens of heaven, those who have been born again. Even while we are on earth, we are citizens of heaven. Here we are strangers and pilgrims.

Amidst our sorrow, we are to rejoice that they over came unto death. And they have that testimony unto death. Not just at the time of martyrdom, but even unto the time of their death if no by martyrdom. Jack’s testimony unto death is our hope and expectation.

The last half of Rev. 12:12 has a solemn warning. Earth dwellers, those who are at home in this world, are vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. Earth dwellers are those whose life is this earth, they are citizens only of this world. With all the lies of Satan attacking those who are not joined to Christ by saving faith; how many are those whom Satan has convinced that they will go to heaven when they die if they are not too bad or if they do the best they can. Woe to those who have fallen for Satan’s trickery.

Woe, is Judgment With Out End.

We sorrow not as those without hope. Our hope is in the sovereign grace of God

CONCLUSSION: If you have not this hope, if you have not the assurance that you have over came Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of your testimony, Turn to Jesus. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Whoso ever shall call on the Lord shall be saved.

You see the question for you to answer is, “have you overcome Satan by the Blood of Jesus?” Is your expectation of heaven based on the Word of God or your own imagination?

During Jack’s stay in the hospital, I was constantly asking the doctors questions. Then I would say, now it seems to me if this then that. The doctor would say politely, that makes sense but it doesn’t work that way. When you stand before the Judge on judgment day, you may say, this is what I think.” But that isn’t the way it works. Jesus will say to them, “Depart from me.” Eternity is too sure to be hazarded on a guess or imagination or human reasoning – Find out what the Bible says – that is the sure word.

If you know you need to be saved, there are those here who will be glad to help you and answer your questions. Make sure you talk to some one tonight before you leave here.