Grace Kimball

Funeral Service—August 13, 1993

2 Corinthians 5:1-11

The Certitude of God's Love

Paul opens this second Corinthian letter with a word about comfort and assurance: (1:3-4) "Blessed be the . . . God of all comfort, who comforts us . . . so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction." Paul says there are many things we don't know, don't control. But he also says there are things that we do know— and these things we know give us great strength:

I. WHAT DO WE KNOW?

1. This house is temporary: (v 1 "the earthly tent")
2. We have an eternal home in the heavens
3. We have a witness (v 5 "the Spirit") an inner persuasion that this is true Grace Kimball had many of the stresses of aging; but she also had a quiet dignity, a quiet confidence :

The wellspring of all spiritual life and Christian love is the assurance of a right relationship with God.

The certitude of belonging, of being accepted...

Not incompatible with questing, growing.

Out of this assurance spring several things:

II. WE KNOW ENOUGH TO SERVE JESUS

We seek to please God.

We think in terms of "useful life.:' i.e., "What did he/she do in life before he/she retired?" God thinks in terms of what we ARE before Him, and our work, our service, our strength never ends!

God gives His children a gracious competence . We use our gifts to serve Christ by serving each other. In Christ we are truly One, we are FAMILY!

1- the Christian Way is family if it is anything

III. SUCH A FAITH IS WINSOME.

"We don't lose heart ..." (verse 8"We are of good courage" and such a faith is powerful!— we persuade onlookers that the faith is real!

Sometimes I think people expect preachers to say good things about the faith. But a person who LIVES the faith consistently— who walks with God— THIS IS PERSUASIVE!

May God give us what we need from His word. Amen