Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
For our hope in time of sadness,
we read the words of our God in Jesus’ name:
Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort, comfort my people, says your
God. 2Speak to the heart of
Jerusalem and call out to her. Her
warfare really is over. Her guilt is
fully paid for. Yes, she has received
from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3A voice is calling out: In the wilderness prepare the way
for the Lord. In the wasteland make a
level highway for our God. 4Every
valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The rugged ground will become level, and the
rough places will become a plain. 5Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh
together will see it. Yes, the mouth
of the Lord has spoken. 6A
voice was saying, “Cry out!” And I said,
“What shall I cry out?” All flesh is
grass, and all its beauty is like a wildflower in the countryside. 7Grass withers, flowers fade, when
the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Yes, the people are grass. 8Grass
withers, flowers fade, but the Word of our God endures forever. 9Get up on a high mountain, O
Zion, you herald of good news. Lift up
your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, you herald of good news. Lift it up!
Do not be afraid! Say to the
cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10Look,
God the Lord will come with strength, and his arm is ruling for him. Look, his reward is with him. The result of his work is in front of him. 11Like a shepherd he will care for
his flock. With his arm he will gather
the lambs. He will lift them up on his
lap. (EHV)
The Lord Jesus is your comfort and strength.
Dear friends of June Kosen, and especially you, her family:
Sherry, Eric and Taunya, Lance and Laura, grandchildren and spouses, and
great-grandchildren,
It is no
secret that there is a lot of pain and sorrow in this world. Today, again, we experience, in a very
personal way, the pain of loss that death has inflicted on all of us. In too many ways, death seems to rule
everything. Most of us try to put off
death as long as possible, because death scares people. It’s why some people get a thrill out of
trying to cheat death. Yet, there is no
denying that death comes calling for everyone, and that is because death is the
curse put over the world because of sin.
Now, I don’t mean this as an insult, but June
was a sinner. The evidence is right in
front of us again with her passing. On
the other hand, this truth didn’t shock June.
She readily confessed that she was a sinner. She didn’t want to be, of course. No, the truth is, she loved her Lord. She truly tried to live her life according to
God’s plan and will for her. Yet, June
recognized that God is God, and she is not.
However, June knew Jesus as her Savior, and as the poet wrote, “That has
made all the difference.” With Jesus as
her Savior, June is now experiencing death-conquered, with her soul residing
eternally in heaven.
We would be remiss if we failed to notice that
death had been troubling June for a long time.
Death attacked her through the hardships and trials of life, with a
motorcycle accident, two serious bouts with cancer, and with the loss of some
of those near and dear to her, especially, the loss of her dear husband, Byron,
just days more than a year ago. In fact,
June’s heart finally stopped beating on the anniversary of Byron’s funeral, one
year ago last Saturday.
Truth be told, the curse of sin, which is
death, causes all the troubles in our world; it is the root cause of all the hardships,
failed relationships, and pain in our lives, and there is no escape from
death’s curse except through the Savior promised in our sermon text. Here, through the word of God given to
Isaiah, we see that The Lord Jesus is your comfort
and strength.
God commanded His prophet, Isaiah, to address those
who mourn, “Comfort, comfort my
people,” says your God. “Speak to the
heart of Jerusalem and call out to her.
Her warfare really is over. Her
guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has
received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” This is a direct
prophecy of the forgiveness and salvation God has given the world through His
Son. Jesus came into the world to pay
our debt to God for the guilt of our disobedience and rebellion against His
will. We can rejoice, today, even in our
sorrow, because Jesus paid all the debt June owed. He paid for your sins and mine, as well.
If you’ve ever had a mortgage, car payment, or
any burdensome debt, you probably were eager for the day it would be paid
off. Then, what relief you felt when you
burned your mortgage or received the clear title to your car. In a time of loss like this, we may not feel
the joy that is now June’s. The weight
of her earthly debt is now lifted completely.
Today, June walks in glory.
Reunited again with her beloved Byron, her parents, and so many others
who have gone before, June is at peace in company with the Lord Jesus who was
her source of peace and hope throughout all the trials this life threw against
her, because her Lord declared, “Her warfare really is over. Her guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.” This
doubling is God’s declaration of a debt paid in full granting freedom from sin’s
burden and everlasting peace with God.
The prophet wrote, “Then the glory of the Lord
will be revealed, and all flesh together will see it.” God first revealed His glory in Jesus though
hidden in human flesh. God’s own Son came
into this world to live holiness for us, so that we could be found righteous in
God’s eyes. Jesus then gave His life on
a cross in full payment for all sin. The
world may call it shameful. Many today
think it of no consequence, but by His humility and death, Jesus gave us the
opportunity to experience His true glory in His Father’s home in heaven, and by
His resurrection from the dead on Easter morning, Jesus gave us sure proof that
He will raise us from the dead on the last day, just as He promised.
Today, the
glory of the Lord is also seen in how He rescues us from the curse of sin. June
received a foretaste of God’s peace at her baptism when the Holy Spirit marked
her as God’s own dear child, and washing her clean of all guilt, He dressed her
in Jesus’ righteousness, making her radiant in God’s eyes. As radiant as June was at her Christmas Day
wedding to Byron, wait until you see her again glorified in the heavenly realm
where every vestige of sin’s curse is forever removed, and death can trouble
her no more.
On May 6, 1956, June confirmed her God-given
faith in Jesus, and I can confirm that throughout her life, June didn’t waver
in that saving faith. Her trust in Jesus
carried June through the pain of her accident and cancer treatments. These last months as her health deteriorated
and loneliness brought so much pain, she clung firmly to the salvation and
forgiveness she has in Christ Jesus. Furthermore,
as I told you all last year at Byron’s funeral, it was their sincere wish that
you all enjoy that same peace and confidence in what Jesus has done for you, so
that at all times The Lord Jesus is your comfort and strength.
Through Isaiah, God in heaven declared, “Say
to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’
Look, God the Lord will come with strength, and his arm is ruling for
him. Look, his reward is with him. The result of his work is in front of
him. Like a shepherd he will care for
his flock. With his arm he will gather
the lambs. He will lift them up on his
lap.” There are many idols and false
gods worshipped in our day and time, but June knew and believed the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, as her Savior from sin and death.
Today, June’s faith in Jesus is rewarded.
Last Saturday, the Good Shepherd, who has been
taking care of June from the day she was born, came to carry her home. Though she was wounded by the troubles and
trials of life in this sin-broken world, Jesus was always with her and watching
over her. Now, as her remains rest in
peace until the Glory of the Lord returns to gather all His elect, June’s soul dwells
in peace with her Savior, safely at home forever where the devil, the world,
and death can never trouble her again.
After His ascension to heaven, Jesus gave the
apostle, John, a glimpse of what is to come for the believer in Jesus. In that Revelation, John “heard a loud
voice that said, ‘Look! God’s dwelling
is with people. He will dwell with them,
and they will be his people. God himself
will be with them, and he will be their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sorrow or
crying or pain, because the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation
21:3-4)
Today, we have our tears, and tears will come
over us from time to time as we remember loved ones like June. Yet, for her, last Saturday was the beginning
of eternal joy and peace. Likewise, we
will see her again when the Lord returns in glory to judge the world as He
promised. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St.
Paul assured and comforted us for the future saying,
Look, I tell you a
mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the
blink of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed. For this
perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on
immortality. But once this perishable
body has put on imperishability, and this mortal body has put on immortality,
then what is written will be fulfilled: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the power of
sin is the law. But thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
The remains we will bury this morning will rise
again, glorified and triumphant with Jesus, and re-united with her soul, June
will dwell for all eternity in the glory of heaven, along with all those of us
who will believe in Jesus and with all those believers who have gone to heaven
before her. May this confidence always
be with you that The Lord Jesus is your comfort and strength. Amen.
The peace of God, established and won for you
and for all by the sacrifice of God’s own precious Son, be with you always to
the very end of the age. Amen.
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