How a Death Caused a Birth

I had the opportunity this past week to preach a funeral service for a dear friend. He won his battle with cancer by going to heaven! Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints, but it is not so precious to the hearts of those who love them to see them go. It is good they suffer no longer but it is hard to part with them.

When praying and preparing for the message I was drawn to the story of the rebellious son who ran away and came crawling back home; you have heard it called the parable of the lost son, or the prodigal son. Now in my study of the parable the Holy Spirit drew my attention to the father in the story instead of the son. A father which never gave up hope that his son would come back home. I explained to the congregation that I believed every day after breakfast and just before he went in for the night, the father would go out on a big front porch and look down the road toward the horizon hoping that today would be the day. That day finally came for him.

The Bible is clear about the boy coming to his senses in the middle of a pigpen; stinking and starving. I alluded to the fact that I too had come to my senses at a point in my life when I came to Christ. I then shared with them what the Lord had shown me about this story, how the father in the parable differs from our Heavenly Father. Oh, he was forgiving and merciful and rejoiced that his son came home but there is something he did not do that our Heavenly Father did for us that Jesus wanted His audience to acknowledge; He came to the pigpen looking for us. He left His home in Heaven and came to the pigpen, this world, in order to find us and lead us home. Jesus took our filth upon Himself that we may be cleansed and He became the Way for us to come back to God. I then challenged the congregation to examine their lives that evening. “Are you still in the pigpen this evening?” I asked. “Then climb over the fence and take hold of the hand of Christ that is outstretched toward you.”

The next day after the graveside service an out of town friend of the family came up to me and said, “You touched my heart last night with that sermon. I decided to climb over that fence!” I then told her, “Jesus touched your heart last night and you took hold of His hand.” A soul reborn at a funeral! My friend won someone to Christ via his death.

My Scripture for the message: “For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:24).