Pastor Rich Brown – Trinity Alliance Church

1Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba(that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. Genesis 23:1-2

STAGES OF GRIEF Denial – “Not me!” Anger – “Why me?” Bargaining – “What if?” Depression – “Poor me.” Acceptance – “It’s okay.”

The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over. Deuteronomy 34:8

A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. Matthew 2:18

Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. Acts 8:2

Indeed he was ill, and almost died Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Philippians 2:27

You have kept record of my days of wandering You have kept record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them. Psalm 56:8 (Contemporary English Version)

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE PAIN? ADMIT THE PAIN

Tears are not an indication of a lack of faith Tears are not an indication of a lack of faith. Tears are an expression of grief.

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said,  4 “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.” 5 The Hittites replied to Abraham,  6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” 7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.  Genesis 23

8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf  9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.” 10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city.  Genesis 23

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.” 12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land  13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.” Genesis 23

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants. Genesis 23

17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded  18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.  19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan.  20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site. Genesis 23

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE PAIN? ADMIT THE PAIN REMEMBER YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:  21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram),  22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.”  23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.  24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah. Genesis 22:20-24

If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Hebrews 11:15

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE PAIN? ADMIT THE PAIN REMEMBER YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES MAKE THE PAIN PART OF YOUR FAITH STORY

When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you’re the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become a person of mature character. James 1:2-4 (Phillips paraphrase)

1Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,  3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. Genesis 50:1-5

4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” Genesis 50:1-5

12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: 10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father.  12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them:  13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. Genesis 50:10, 12-13

Take Home Thought When life hurts, our response will make all the difference in the world in the kind of person we will become as well as in our relationship to God.