R925 A Christian Funeral

Purging word with Dr. Don Wilton. We talk about something no one wants to talk about. Everyone thinks about the The Encouraging Word Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton love to connect with you on our website as well. Tewonline.org he DEW online.org now Dr. Don Wilton something that sometimes we think about bombs we don't run and it's kind of all around us, and maybe sometimes when we just boys and girls ready only affects us might be when our granddaddy, grandmother or somebody real close to us goes to be with Jesus but death is something that we all have to deal with. I'm just going to tell you right now when you know the Lord Jesus, you have got nothing to even worry about when it comes to bait you don't ever have to worry about that because of what the Bible teaches us and it's a very special thing. Something happened to me are going on five years ago now some of you probably know this, but I just shared with you in parsing because very important in my own life but that we would together with Stephen. We were at mirror image client to I think we went to Texas that year, Stephen cost Texas can be awfully hot in the month of June. If you haven't been there and the man we were having just the best time going into prisons and telling people about Jesus. But I personally felt pretty sick. I mean I just didn't feel will I try to hide it is based good. I'm not even sure if Mr. Steve knew about it. He probably did because he is one of my closest friends but I mean that dear. I do need to go ride roller coasters and I love to ride roller coasters and I mean I like to get up there and just absolutely go screeching dollars hills and turn upside down and every what you can so you can just imagine when I told Steve, was it steep. I don't think I'm going to go anywhere today I think I'll just stay right here and watch everybody else but I had this pain in my all my left all, couldn't describe what was it, yet everybody gets planes that the somebody probably got a pain right now you know you get aches and pains will I had the spine, but it was getting worse and I'm turning it started to hurt me. I couldn't move the Psalm around and I when you get in the shower in the morning and you put that shampoo on your head glad to do it with one hand you know because I couldn't lift the song and by the time we got back to on that Saturday. Mama always really bad but we got to Sunday morning and so I got up and preached and you will didn't probably know too much first thing that came over with my watch and then I want to take my waiting band couldn't get it off. I had to loosen my my buttons on my shirt. And I could feel my all and your swelling up while I was preaching on Sunday morning got to Sunday not bold the young people went to Bonnie.

I just felt awful and often Bonnie Parker ran into some friends of mine. Again, doctors and so on.

And one of them said how you doing, Donna said, be honest with you I don't feel too good about these guys looked at Paul Allman pseudo-oh and I one of them was a cardiologist.

I mean, a heart doctor. He said when I looked at his face. I said listen, you gotta tell me everything I don't like the look on your face.

Well some of you remember that story when offered they discovered it that I had to massive blood clots in my show that was good news and bad bad news. I had big bug thoughts in my shoulder and cuddle for circulation. That was bad news.

The good news was the doctor I one day the doctor told me it was the result of muscle boot up. Did you get this and I really want everybody to know the good departed muscle build up a segment. I'll take a blood clot.

Every I'm going to be full of blood clots and in that way you know I'm going to be swelling up all over the place.

You know, but you know what happened.I went through 4 1/2 hours of surgery right away. They would let me get off the table and the doctor. One of the specialists same to me said I want you to know this is serious and basically said told me and my wife said, look, it's possible you are get off this type you could die on this type said thanks a lot, you know what else can you tell me deduct and the like. Try to open that thing couldn't. I went to for five days in the ICU and there I am hanging all over the place with pipes and everything and choosing the arms of and some of you might remember that, but while I was lying there and the doctors were working on me. Something happened. A folks archive. I called describe this property with as I was lying there, basically out of it but sort of semi-conscious all of a sudden found myself looking at myself. I was looking down, so there I wasn't type line on this table. I could see it.

I was watching so in one of the specialists suddenly put down these instruments and he walked over to my wife. She had her back to me and he put his hand on her shoulder and he said to her I'm sorry, but he's gone.

I couldn't see my wife's face, but I can't tell you the peace that I had in my heart I wish that I could describe it to you when basically whatever it was is going through. I felt like the doctor was telling my wife that I was dead and I had this piece, you know, like when you just nothing worries you.

I wasn't even concerned about my wife family.

I just had justice. Wonderful sense of joy and peace. Just a call and then all of a sudden the doctor was talking to me. Now the doctors of never told me folks that I died they never saved it on. I didn't die I don't anybody yet thinking that are not on the type I never said that I never stopped breathing. Nothing like that. I was just something happened to me like you know when you go to sleep and you have a dream of something that's what happened to me. I didn't actually die. Doctors never said hundred and 70 came back into my body and the next move they will. I can still see Steve and Guy Skinner standing at the door naming so much to me and Karen and I and and I remember being wheeled through an alteration of course I got better and I'm just totally recovered from all of that. But when I came out of that. I picked up the pin literally a pain longhand pin on a computer pin and I started to write.

I didn't know what I was writing and I wrote almost almost nonstop like two weeks as I was recovering and I wrote a novel story called the absolute certainty of life. Off to do. I thought wrote about 2 million are based on what Jesus said and he told us about these things. I wrote about 2 million Lotta humor and story just real stop. I didn't know half the time. What I was writing and then these two men got sick and it's an interest during intricate story. Lotta humor and all kinds of things in it to people living here in America. I got sick. I went to the medical profession. I researched the dates. One man dies of prostate cancer. The other want of diabetes and I researched what actually happens to a person medically. When they die of these diseases and I wrote it in a story for and I wrote about what went through their mind and then as they died what happened.

I mean, the Bible says that the angels come and get you and God began to speak to my my heart and I wrote the story about how one man who doesn't know Jesus dies and what happens to him. I I've always read in the Bible about wailing and gnashing of teeth and the Bible says that there is a lake of fire, at least for me, and I am not. I don't know how to describe how someone gets burned alive for ever but never dies. The somehow bought allowed me to write without apology. I didn't hold back not sugarcoated dramatic and how this man goes to all the echelons of hell. And what happens in the battle lines and the regimens that are formed. The demon angels and God just wrote. I never stopped to think about a thing, not the name of anything not a place of anything I just wrote nonstop when it came to the other man and how he gets transported what this chariot is what he goes to how he arrives. What is heaven look like when he meets people, and so on and what have you, and how their lives become intertwined that I can't explain it to you.

The publishers gonna get over because they will hardly any corrections.

The book that is published that you have available today is almost exactly how I wrote accepting for some grammatical changes almost exactly how that's exactly. I submitted that novel to the publishers. I did a seminar up at the Billy Graham training center at the code and they rush copied us hundreds of copies and in one hour they sold out, and I believe all of my heart that God wrote that book, he just use me. It's not my book and it is dramatic books of books is not about the book and I don't get anything from this book so it's not about Don's about the word of God. This word that's all I'm interested in folks when it comes down to the dramatics of life. Off to be what we do when we go do we avoid that subject I want you to just open your Bibles this morning because I want to introduce the subject to you on a wonderful note. I'm about to show you something incredible. First Corinthians chapter 15 verse one. That's our starting point for this whole series of folks are going to tell you we are going to get into some incredibly deep stuff. We got to be looking at where people go and what they do and can do they know what goes on this earth and all we going to have bodies and how do we know one another and what are we gonna look like and what is heaven look like and what is held blackened. How do we get there and how do we not go there.

We look at all of these things, but today I want you to look at one.

First Corinthians chapter 15 verse one says this now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you the gospel. What is the gospel. It is the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ that cannot just say this and then I'll read the rest of that verse you talk about the gospel folks. It is the gospel which is about Jesus Christ which gives to us the reason why we have such joy and everybody can know that there's not one person who can say on this that I be stopped from going to heaven because God's word says Jesus died for body red, yellow and black and why all people, doesn't matter where you come from a list of books, it doesn't matter what you done if you willing to put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, to tell you how to do that you can have a Christian funeral and he sees your folks. I want to remind you the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand today we're going to celebrate a Christian man's funeral and some of my brothers to bring a casket in here this morning. I want you to notice an empty casket.

There's nobody in the it's just the box but I've lost my brothers to bring the suit. We had many funerals in this church.

Some of the greatest celebrations I've ever been around, and this one here that are boarding here is just to show you what it looks like this is what happens when you open it up there for me. Someone see there's nobody in the this is just an empty cost somebody in here that we can just leave it open 80 II just want you to see. You know all of us one day will will have a few see in this is what you do it.

Funerals, boys and girls at funerals. You come and edit Christian persons funeral.

It's a time of wonderful celebration.

If it's a it's the most incredible time. Now watch this.

That doesn't mean to say that you not real sad and have tears in your eyes and that you miss you grandpa Granny and you.

Your daddy and your mom and your brother and your sister because it's real sad when somebody that you really love is no longer there and you know that that grief goes on for a long long time doesn't because you miss that person that you love so very much. But when a Christian person dies, you have a great celebration.

Please forgive the interruption would be back with the rest of today's message with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment the doctor done want you to know we're here for you.

Would love to pray with you and 86688668999673 and would love to connect on her website as well. TW online.org where you'll find great resources like this is easy to celebrate Valentine's Day by buying candy and flowers. The last time you actually pray for your spouse join Dr. Wilton as he unpacks a powerful message on the forgiving family. You will receive 31 days of prayer books for my husband and wife this office that will help you learn how to support each other through prayer and how important forgiveness place in the family not only our marriage is under attack. Family is also under attack.

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Commit to praying 31 days for your spouse commit to praying 31 days for your spouse God change your spouse. Let God change your family. Call us today at 866-899-WORD word and request the February offer for your gift of $25 or more percent. Thank you for your support of The Encouraging Word. That's is one of many great resources all in her website@twonline.org now back today's great teaching with Dr. Don. Remember when precious Mrs. Ruth Graham went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ want to see liberation in Montreat that funeral services are the greatest worship services God could ever give us when someone dies in Jesus Christ because you're celebrating the life of our Savior and our Lord and the Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord oldest body is somebody, like my jacket. I can take my jacket off this morning. It's kinda like God gives to all of us. Our hearts and our soul does me. Boys and girls who we all as people and then he gives us a body like me putting on my jacket this morning. Any clothes us. He decodes and closing gives. He gives our soul spirit something to wear and carry us around.

But you know every day that goes by, or this all clothing gets worn out present at gonna get so frayed on the edges and you know develops a few wrinkles in the changes, sometimes because it's in the sun too much and you not. The Bible says that when a Christian man will laid you a boy or girl dies that we receive a brand-new set of clothing and that we this this clothing that we wear the body.

That's why we refer to that when a person dies. We call that they remains. It's just that which is left behind. It's just leftover because we are going to become brand-new in the Lord Jesus and Paul said when we are absent from the body. The moment we stop breathing we just open our eyes in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and I got to think about this. I thought to myself, you know, I wish in a way, don't you, that neoprene I think about it now… Wish that I take that back, but would it not be something of God just brought back people that we know from the bed to come and preach instead of me is ready.

They know what they talking about the but you know that's not the way God doesn't that's not God's chosen method of telling us about black off today because he's already brought somebody back from the data tell us his name is Jesus, and Jesus rose from the dead, and he came back to this earth, and he appeared to 500 people and he explained all things that we need to know about black off today and he said you don't have to feel these things. And death is nothing to be afraid because you're going to happen to be with me forever and for ever and I was just thinking to myself, you know, if somebody were to come back from the dead, and he was a Christian manner. Christian lady hi I wonder what they would say if I was standing up. I wonder what kind of message we would hear. I got to thinking about that a lot. Well, you know we'd probably have to give him or her. At least about 25 hours to speak because they now know because they are in heaven, that time is absolutely irrelevant fact that I know what time is anymore because they become eternally accepted in God's presence. But if they did, and we were decided and not wait a minute you still speaking on earth.

So we want you to, restrict yourself a little bit as we gotta get to lunch and we go to get the Sunday school and Bible study and all those good things I want to work, a person who has given their hearts to Jesus would say that we share three things that I think they would say number one I think such a person would say that God can indeed be taken at his word that watch the spokes they would say to us that God is who he says he is using everything in heaven revolves around God, by the way what our lives revolve around walking tell you what mom revolves around my family, my favorite football team, my barbecue, my going to school my I mean I got lots of things that go on in my life. You know when you get to heaven.

Everything's gonna revolve around God we not going to have any of those distractions.

One thing about heaven that you need to just remember, folks, we are going to be so focused in on the one who sits on the throne. It's all about him and I think if there was a man or a lady who had died in a given their hearts to Jesus and they are in heaven and they would come back and stand Your Honor, I'm turning the first thing they would say I have no doubt is that God is exactly who he says he is. He's the king Bible tells us that God told us that he created everything about the Bible says that God is love. He cities look and is he loves us and others. Some people out there who say will listen and how can a God who loves us and us to a place that's not heaven court held about they would come back inside. God is love. You doesn't seem anybody to that place. That's why he gave us Jesus and God is exactly who he says he is and you see folks watch this when somebody that we really love goes on to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven.

You know it's all goodness. It's it's real sadness hello and we must stay. I tell you, folks, one of the things that you know that I always think about a think of so many of our precious friends folks right here in Spartanburg have gone on to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus, and we remember them with such do we give anything to have been with us would and we remember special occasions when a birthday was and how old they would be in, we remember what they did back there and that Christmas time and here comes somebody back from Haven and sales listen God is exactly who he says he is.

It's all okay. It is wonderful. It's just fine. You need to know that because God is who he says he but I think there's another thing that they would cite. I think if we were having a Christian funeral here and if there was somebody there and they were able to stand up here they already have and they would say hi.

Listen folks need to share this with you. The only way to get into heaven is through the Lord Jesus.

Now, that person could be a long time businessperson could be a wealthy person a poor person for person a short person could be a black person a white person a Chinese person South American person could be a person from this way. From that way it doesn't matter who they are, they would say look it actually it doesn't matter doesn't matter with you this while that weather with you Rachel with you tall or short. It doesn't matter whether you went to high school away didn't go to high school, but it doesn't matter if you are Baptist or a Methodist or Presbyterian or the content doesn't matter because the only way to get to heaven is through Jesus. He's the one he's the son of God.

He's the one he paid the price. He's the one who gave of himself on the cross.

The only way to get the Jeep to God in heaven is through Jesus, but you know I think there's 1/3 thing that he would say not only that God is exactly who he says he is that the only way to God is through the Lord Jesus, but I definitely think that a person would coming back from Haven would suck it. You must give your heart to Jesus. Now you must do see Jesus spoke to that great man, Nicodemus, and he said to Nicodemus unless you give your heart to Jesus. You cannot enter into God's heaven 20 told us in John chapter 3 he said you must be born again, unless you give your heart to Jesus, you cannot come into God's heaven and and you know I think he would stand and he would I tell you, folks. When I get to heaven one day all man. I'm a little bit nervous about is I really think some of those powerful wonderful prophets of old. Like Moses, and I got the community are just going to be with the Lord. So many great giants of the fights on them and innocently not insane me pasta for you missed it on this morning you missed it on that one and you listed on this one.

You know you really struggle to understand a lot of things that I think I really think there's one thing that that I really believe that a man, a woman coming back from Haven say to me pasta. One thing you write about is how to give your heart to Jesus. That's the most critical truth is we've been studying God's word today you been listening to Dr. Don Wilton teaching and preaching from the pulpit but now open your heart to what he wants to share next steps in the studio with us. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. They have gone. I know that Iversen and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my phone in Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is citing you if you displayed on the document.

Give your life to Jesus Christ or rededicate wrestlers and stirring in your life and you want to have some questions answered about what it is to say just fresh then call us at 866-899-WORD Dr. Don Wilton to have some fresh resources and help you begin a brand-new life giving your life to Christ. Again the number is 866-899-9673 is now doing about 24 hours a day, 86689996730 m online on our website@twonline.org