I would take nothing away from the grief you feel today.

I would not say to you that everything is all right. Because it’s not
and you know it. You hurt. And we know you will hurt for a long time. God made us so that we can have relationships with one
another and when that relationship is lost we feel pain. You have lost a loved one - and it hurts.

Yet, I would like to speak a word of comfort today. It comes from John 14:1-6, where it says;

“Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. And wither I go ye know. Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not wither
thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the
Father, but by Me.”

“Huwag magulumihanan ang iyong puso: magsisampalataya kayo sa Dios, magsisampalataya naman kayo sa akin. Sa bahay ng
akin Ama ay maraming tahanan; kung di gayon, ay sinasabi ko sana sa inyo; sapagka’t ako’y paroroon upang ipaghanda ko kayo
ng dakong kalalagyan. At kung ako’y pumaroon at kayo’y maipaghanda ng kalalagyan, ay muling paririto ako, at kayo’y
tatanggapin ko sa aking sarili; upang kung saan ako naroon, kayo naman ay dumoon. At kung saan ako paroon, ay nilalaman
ninyo ang daan. Sinabi sa kaniya ni Tomas, Panginoon, hindi namin nilalaman kung saan ka paroroon; paano ngang malalaman
namin ang daan? Sinabi sa kaniya ni Jesus, Ako ang daan, at ang katotohanan, at ang buhay: sinoman ay di makaparoroon sa
Ama, kundi sa pamamagitan ko.”

From this passage of scripture, I find three thoughts of comfort.

The FIRST THOUGHT is that peace is promised. Notice the words “Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in
Me.” Yes, I know that today is a day of sadness - a day of grief, a day of mourning, yet even in the midst of this you can have peace.
Why? Because we have faith - we believe. We believe that even in the midst of the storm - even in the valley of the shadow of death
there can be a peace that pass all understanding - because we know that God is with us. The 23rd Psalm says that too, doesn’t it? “Yea
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” He is here. He is present. Believe
in Him - Trust in Him and God will grant you his perfect peace.

The SECOND THOUGHT of comfort is that God has prepared a place for us. Did you notice that in John 14, it says; “I go
to prepare a place for you.” The Bible tells us that in six days God created the heavens the earth, but just think, Jesus has been
preparing a place for us for two thousand years. What a place that must be. The verse tells us that it is The Father’s house and that
there are many rooms. A room for you - a room for me. Isn’t that a comforting thought? God has prepared a place for us.

The NEXT THOUGHT of comfort is that God has prepared a way for us to get there. Everyone wants to go to heaven, some
just don’t know the way. But Jesus tells us in John 14 that, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life; no one comes to the Father,
but by me.” We are all travelers on a road called life. There are many detours and many side streets. We don’t need to be confused -
we don’t need to be lost. All we need to do is follow Jesus. He will show us the way - in fact He is the way. He will lead us and He
will guide us. That’s comforting.

Today is a day of sorrow. Today is a day of grief. I will not say that everything is all right – because it’s not. We hurt. And
we know we will hurt for a long time. Bro. Rudy has died and we feel pain – we feel loss. Those are normal feelings. God expects us
to feel pain when something bad happens to us. He has made us that way. He has made us with the ability to have a relationship with
Him and with one another. And when we lose someone we feel pain.

We are not the only ones who feel pain. It seems that pain and sorrow has been around as long as people have been on the earth. Yet
so has joy and hope. I would like to share a word of hope with you today. It is found in one of the oldest books of the Bible. The book
of Job. If you know the story of Job you know that it is a story of pain and of sorrow. Job suffers a loss of his wealth, of his health and
of his children. Yet in the midst of the pain – Job cries out a cry of hope. It says in Job 19:25-27:

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and 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: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;
though my reins be consumed within me.”

“Nguni’t talastas ko na manunubos sa akin ay buhay, at Siya’y tatayo sa lupa sa kahulihulihan. At pagkatapos magibang ganito
ang aking balat, gayon ma’y makikita ko ang Dios sa aking laman. Siyang makokota ko ng aking sarili, at mamamasdan ng akin
mata, at hindi ng iba. Ang aking puso ay natutunaw sa loob ko.

Job tells us two important things.

1. THE BODY IS NOT PERMANENT. Not one of us would doubt this fact. If you have lived any time on this earth you have seen
the aging process. If you stick around very long here, you will also experience it. We get older, we don’t see as well as we once did, or
hear as well, or sleep as well. We don’t move as fast as we once did. Our hair changes color or leaves us. That is all a part of the aging
process – because life on this earth is not permanent. Paul speaks of this fact in 2 Corinthians 4:16 when he says:

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man may perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

“Kaya nga’t hindi kami nanghihimagod; bagama’t ang aming pagkataong labas ay pahina, ngunit ang aming pagkataong loob ay
nababago sa araw-araw.”

Paul and Job knew life on this earth was not permanent yet they both had hope in the future. That brings us to point two.

2. Because THERE IS A REDEEMER, there is life beyond the grave.

What is a Redeemer? It is one who pays a price. It is one who delivers from bondage. It is one who fixes things. It is one who
sets things straight.

Did you know that God never intended for anyone to die? He never intended for anyone to get sick. He never intended for
anyone to become crippled with age. Some of you may say, how this man can make such statements? I can make these statements
because Heaven is a place where there is no more death, no more sickness, no more effects of the aging process. It is a place where
everything is as God intends it to be. Revelation 21:4 says:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

“At papahirin Niya ang bawa’t luha sa kanilang mga mata; at hindi na magkakaroon ng kamatayan; hindi na magkakaroon pa
ng dalamhati, o ng pananambitan man, o ng hirap pa man: ang mga bagay nang una ay naparam na.”

Heaven will be a place where everything will be as God intends it to be. But it took a Redeemer. Job knew that someone
would have to come and fix it. Someone would have to come to make things right. Someone did. That someone is Jesus Christ. He is
the one who can fix things for your future – for your eternity – but you have to trust in Him. You have to believe in Him. You have to
put your faith in Him. John 3:15 says:

“That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

“Upang ang sinomang sumampalataya ay magkaroon sa kaniya ng buhay na walang hanggan.”

Job knew that there was a Redeemer. He believed – He had faith and because he had faith he could say:

“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter upon the earth: And though after my skin worms
destroys this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;
though my reins be consumed within me.”

“Nguni’t talastas ko na manunubos sa akin ay buhay, at Siya’y tatayo sa lupa sa kahulihulihan. At pagkatapos magibang ganito
ang aking balat, gayon ma’y makikita ko ang Dios sa aking laman. Siyang makokota ko ng aking sarili, at mamamasdan ng akin
mata, at hindi ng iba. Ang aking puso ay natutunaw sa loob ko.