VICTORY OVER DEATH

A. Macdonald

Jeremiah 12: 5; Hebrews 11: 21, 22

If the Lord leaves us here, everyone in this room, everyone—if the Lord does not come for us—will have to face the matter of the swelling of the Jordan. As the scripture says, “It is appointed unto men once to die”, Hebrews 9: 27 (A.V.). I would like to say very plainly at the outset that if you are without Christ, if you die in your sins, you will come under the judgment of God.

What a tremendous privilege it was to spend the last few days and hours with our beloved brother. He was facing the swelling of the Jordan, but he said clearly to some of us, ‘I know that the Lord is going to take me, but I have absolute peace, and underneath are the everlasting arms of Jesus’. The facing of death is a very real thing and I think the Lord would challenge every one of our hearts as to how we are going to face the article of death, the swelling of the Jordan. “How wilt thou then do in the swelling of the Jordan?”—that is the word of God. Our brother was one, among many, many others, a cloud of witnesses, who have borne witness to the truth, thank God. God has never been without a witness right down through the ages. Even in the middle ages he had a man who was bold enough to stand up and say, under tremendous pressure, ‘Here I stand; I can do no other’, and he stood for the truth.

Our beloved brother was one like that; he stood for the truth, and he suffered for the truth, and there was a burden upon him. But as looking at our brother as he was lying in death one felt that

every burden had been lifted. He has fallen asleep through Jesus; there is no doubt, absolutely not a trace of doubt, in our hearts that our beloved brother is beyond all suffering and all pressure, and he is safe with Christ.

We need to be absolutely sure and certain in relation to these things. Other things do not matter, the trivial things of this world. The whole world is passing, and all the pleasures of the world are passing, the temporary pleasures of sin, from which Moses turned. Our brother has referred to Moses, who faced these things in his younger days. May you face them in your youth. Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt (Hebrews 11: 26). O, beloved brethren, what a time it is for us in our feeble way to testify for the Lord Jesus; it still remains open to us. The Lord has left us here. He has taken our brother, but left us here; He has that right.

It says, “By faith Jacob when dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped on the top of his staff”. I would say without reserve that our beloved brother was a blesser as he was dying, and he was a worshipper. In almost my last conversation with him he referred to Ephesians and said, ‘Is it not grand? It is grandeur’—Paul bowing his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in order that we might fully apprehend with all the saints “what is the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge”, Ephesians 3: 14–l9. He said, ‘Is not that grand?’ You could see the bent of the mind of our beloved brother as he was dying. It was not here at all, it was not in this scene; the bent of his mind and his heart and his affections was toward Christ His Saviour and another world entirely.

I think that connects with Jacob and Joseph—“By faith Jacob when dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped ...”; he was a blesser and he was a worshipper. We have seen it; what a privilege it has been to have our beloved brother amongst us.

Then, “By faith Joseph when dying called to mind the going forth of the sons of Israel”; they are not called the sons of Jacob, they are called the sons of Israel. Beloved brethren, we need to clothe one another with dignity. Let us put aside what is trivial; let us put aside what is personal, and let us be helped by the Spirit of God to clothe one another as divine Persons would look upon us. Let us love one another. Joseph called to mind “the going forth of the sons of Israel, and gave commandment concerning his bones”. Our dear brother in his will gave commandment in relation to his bones—a matter which also relates to the burial of Stephen (Acts 8: 2). 1 hope those in this room will understand that it was the express desire of our beloved brother that those who participate in any way in this service should be walking with him in happy fellowship on the basis and ground of 2 Timothy 2, “those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2: 22). May it be so for His name’s sake.

Word at the burial of Mr. A. B. Parker, New York
29 December 1982