Funeral service for Mrs R Brooks
[0:00] Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days like the days of a hireling?
[0:13] Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. As for man, his days are as grass as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
[0:27] For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more.
[0:40] For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
[1:01] And if the tree fall toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
[1:16] It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Behold, he drummeth with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.
[1:33] And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.
[1:45] And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[2:02] Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.
[2:15] Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.
[2:32] I know that my Redeemer liveth, that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
[2:49] Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
[3:02] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working, wherewith he is able, even to subdue all things unto himself.
[3:36] If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you.
[4:06] We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
[4:25] In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.
[4:50] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others who have no hope.
[5:05] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
[5:16] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them who are asleep.
[5:33] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
[5:50] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
[6:06] Therefore comfort one another with these words. So in death, readings from the scriptures.
[6:22] In considering what should form the basis of a few words in connection with our dear departed friend at this time, a word in the 6th of Matthew, verse 21, fell upon my spirit, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[6:49] It seems peculiarly appropriate to this present occasion because, by the grace of God, our dear friend shows forth the fullness and the glory of this great word in her life.
[7:10] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. And though in a humble way, yet nonetheless in a real way, it can be said that that great word of the scripture was fulfilled, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
[7:44] Sometimes in thinking about that word, your light, the word of God declares this, that the spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord.
[8:01] How often does our spirit reflect what is the exercise and teaching of the soul?
[8:14] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. how was this affected in our dear friend?
[8:29] She had much to do with the God of heaven. She was a woman of prayer. What a distinctive character is a person that prays.
[8:46] She prayed with faith in her heart. There were troubles that came into her life and none but God could deal with them.
[8:59] And therefore, her prayers would have been waiting. Of course, we were not in a position to hear those prayers, but we have been in a position to observe the result of those prayers prayers.
[9:17] And to hear told the answers given to those prayers. Oh, how good it is for our light to so shine before men that we are men and women that pray.
[9:33] and this was certainly the case with respect to our dear friend now departed. But that sets before us this word, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[9:48] I believe that it could be said to her an answer to prayer was of greater import, of greater value, than all that the world could load upon her shoulders.
[10:08] Your treasure is above. But it was not the mere answer to prayer that was so heart lifting and so strengthening to her faith as the object of that faith, that great Lord Jesus Christ, her Saviour, upon whom she depended, to whom she committed all her cares, she came to Him.
[10:37] She came to God through Him. Deep mystery to draw an eye to God the Father through the precious intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of the Lord moving in our hearts, for we know not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit teaches us, and I believe He taught our dear friend in this connection.
[11:08] where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The Apostle Paul set forth this truth when he declared in his epistle to the Philippians, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
[11:35] So whether he lived or whether he died, it was Christ. He said, I count all things but loss that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Jesus Christ.
[11:56] Now, Jesus Christ is a very precious treasure. But the evidence of where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, is again set forth when his name is praised.
[12:16] It may be that some of you can call to mind a time or two when our dear friend would have said, Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.
[12:34] Very clear manifestation of this word. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Oh, what a blessing to have our heart in our religion.
[12:51] She manifested also this great throne as being a humble follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Humility is a very important grace to be manifested in true discipleship.
[13:11] love. We may be familiar with the gracious invitation of the Lord. Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.
[13:34] meek and lowly in heart. How shall this be, can this be obtained? Shall this be obtained? Is it not by having a closer walk with, close walk with God?
[13:52] Perhaps our own hearts have felt a deep deepened understanding of the hymn's words. Oh, for a closer walk with God, a calm and heavenly frame, a light to shine upon the road that leads me to the land.
[14:13] It is important because it manifests this truth, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. How good it is to give a clear testimony, to be a true witness that being a disciple of Jesus Christ, being manifest in the spirit, meek and lowly in heart.
[14:42] And so, we could, of course, enlarge upon this aspect of the world, but we trust that we have said sufficient, that would clearly show to you, our dear departed friend, set forth oh so clearly, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[15:13] we just mention the end of this. Because, as one has said, in heaven, my chiefest traitor lies.
[15:28] there's no hardship, apart from the weakness of the flesh, for our dear friend to die. You know, our late dear friend, that perhaps some of you know, or remember, George Rose, he used to say, when the wicked die, they're leaving home.
[16:02] When the godly die, they're going home. how much there is in that. Our dear friend has gone home.
[16:16] Her home, even on earth, would have been nothing at all if Christ was not there.
[16:30] Wherever her dwelling face lay, well, it would have been home at all if Christ was not there, if there was no throne of grace to which he could approach, if there was no Lord Jesus Christ sitting upon that throne to whom she could appeal.
[16:55] And now, she has gone to be with Christ, which is far better. she has gone home. And this is the end of this word for where your treasure is.
[17:10] There will your heart be also. God has brought her to the treasure that she sought for, longed for, strove for, prayed for, waited for.
[17:24] And now, it has been fulfilled. They that wait for me shall not be ashamed. Now it is important for us to consider this same word, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[17:49] we are here just at this present moment. I think I'm right in saying that last Saturday, only last Saturday, our departed friend was eating her dinner.
[18:15] At seven o'clock on Lord's Day, following, in the evening. Less than 36 hours after, she was no longer here with us.
[18:32] And thus we are reminded we are tending upward to as fast as time can move. If the same situation was to overtake us, is this not a pertinent question for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[18:55] To put the point simply, may I repeat George Rose's words? Would you be going home or would you be leaving home?
[19:06] Solemn thing to be leaving home. Solemn thing to leave all comfort behind. Solemn thing to leave all mercy behind.
[19:21] But oh blessed is that case of that person who is going home. How shall we be assured which way we are going?
[19:33] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. and if Christ is our treasure, it is because God has begun a good work in us.
[19:49] God has begun it. And the work begun is carried on by power from heaven above. And God will complete it. He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ for where your treasure is.
[20:09] Now it may be that there are those with us that will say now it's a great point with me. I sometimes wonder where my treasure really is.
[20:20] The things of time seem to pull me so much. Who can decide? Who can make it very clear?
[20:30] the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. Tell me, tell me, can there be in thy present room for me?
[20:46] It will be good. If we go away from this service with an anxiety upon our hearts that we may be found right in the end. Oh, this is the end of all things.
[21:01] So solemn it is for us to read perhaps the case of ignorance in the pilgrim's progress may be very forcible to us to go all the way and then to be wrong in the end.
[21:16] No wonder we may sometimes feel deep anxiety, especially when we consider that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. and when we consider that that Satan appears as an angel of light deceiving many, but God is able to assure our hearts.
[21:41] Our prayer may well be this, assure my conscience of its path in the Redeemer's blood and bear thy witness with my heart that I am born of God. Now, if we are born of God, then that's the beginning of eternal life, and that eternal life can never be extinguished.
[21:58] It is begun, and it will terminate in heaven. Eternal life in the new birth was begun in our dear departed friend, and now she has entered into the fullness of it.
[22:11] He will give grace and glory, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. But to bring the point to a small compass as it were, let us consider this word, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[22:32] That means that which is chief is to us. You see, one good man said this, I could from all things parted be, but never never lord from thee.
[22:43] That was his treasure. Now, you know, friends, we can be departed from a good many things, but there are some things that we hold so tightly to. Can we be departed from there?
[22:56] Oh, it will be hard sometimes to give up some of the things that we hold dear. But now let us speak of Christ. If it was a question, or if it was a question between you losing this and losing Christ, well, what would it be?
[23:17] How would the answer come forth from our hearts? If it has ever been your heart's desire, give me Christ, or else I die, then God will give you grace, because your treasure is Christ, must be Christ.
[23:36] Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. love.