Ambrose.J. Chakre
I will trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among lands you have not known. I will cause kings to shudder with horror because of you when I brandish my sword before them. On the day of their downfall, each of them will tremble each moment for his life. Ezekiel 32:9, 10
Where there is a great gathering, there can also be great revivals and the happenings of the past and the present is also a testimony of the future. In my earlier article, “Funeral of an Alien” I emphasized on the need for sinners to come to the way of truth. It is true that the hearts of many sinners have to be touched and it is only in the truth that sinners can be delivered from their sins. Some days back as I shared in a church, the pastor of that church rushed out in a hurry and as I wondered to what the reason was, the news came of the death of his son. The program started at 10 am and ended at 12 O’clock.It was reported that the pastor’s son fell into a ring well and since the impact of the fall was so great, his life had to come to an end there. I was told that the teenager who died lived a life which was admired by everyone. It was the first time I visited their church and the death also caused many to shed their tears. We never know what comes next till it comes, death does not come till it comes, disaster does not strike till it strikes but even in all of this if we are alert, equipped, we will always be on the upper hand on the safer side. It has to be remembered that the world and its order will ultimately come to an end at its appointed time and the Word is so clear of this that it says all sinners will be destroyed and the future of the wicked cut off but for us who are of the truth, we will have no fear, for we will be protected and empowered by God’s own power. (Proverbs 14:32) (Proverbs 3 25,26) So many destructive events of the world are clear to us and it is always more desirable to be on the safer side, rather than experiencing disasters, which many dreads. Thus the Scripture accounts “Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come? No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it. (Ecclesiastes 8:7,8) The truth has to be preached, the realities have to be acknowledged and most importantly repentance has to be embraced by everyone who need salvation.
The message inscripted in the ‘Funeral of an Alien’ was all about the realities of heaven and hell and of life and death. Those who had read it earlier will understand the seriousness of what we preach. Everyone has to listen to the realities of what we preach lest they experience the dangers which sinners’ dreads. (Proverbs 10:24) Even as I write this, this came to mind of what happened in the past. There was a girl I met in a certain part of a town and since it was in the dark of the night, I asked her who she was waiting for. Her boyfriend was her reply. To this I said to her, I trust you must be so serious about eternity, the reply she gave was almost an obvious annoyance at what I said. Then as I shared of heaven and hell and of life and death, she became tensed and started avoiding me urging me to go. When I said to her, are you trying to shy away from God’s Word, she said no but please go. She then said, I beg you in the name of God. So I said to her will you sin repeating it as I warned her of dire consequences if she defies the truth. The rebuke I gave her certainly confronted the evils in her and I trust that she will think of eternity more seriously as she journeys to heaven. Remember it is always God’s desire to love and it is everyone’s choice to either accept or reject His love. The lines of eternity are also in this, and we trust all of God’s people to take the right step as they journey into the future. God accepts sinners but not their sins. May the powers of heaven cover the families and the churches of everyone who have read this. The Church prays for the salvation of everyone.
N.B: Sermons like this may be rare but it is our heart’s desire for everyone to turn to Christ in repentance even in a funeral message. Like it or hate it, the truth has to be preached in the way it should be. Everyone has to understand that whatever is of the temporal is of the temporal but whatever is of the eternal is of the eternal. May the eyes of all those who have seen this benefit more as they earnestly pursue the truth. God is the King.
