Intro

The book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, ends with Joseph in a coffin in Egypt.

One of the gifts of being a pastor is that you have the privilege of standing at gravesides. I’ve stood at the graveside of people who have lived very well, right to the end, with their families and friends present, truly celebrating their lives and mourning their passing. Those who remain cannot say enough about the person who has passed on to eternity.  

I have also had the privilege of participating in funerals where the deceased person has not lived well, because of hardness of heart toward God and broken relationships. Those present weep as they remember the long trail of pain.

Why is it a privilege to stand at a graveside? Listen to the wisdom writer of Ecclesiastes 7:2: “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” 

It is the fool who parties as if he will never die. It is better to be at a graveside service, because it is there that you contemplate the things that really matter. And, if you stare death in the face, you can decide to truly live each day to the full!! 

Death is a sure thing for every person. While we live, what can stake our lives on? What are three things we be sure of?

1. God’s Prophetic Preview is Sure (Stake your Life on it).
2. God’s Providence is Sure (Rest in it)!
3. God’s Pardon is Sure (Appropriate it)!