Preaching the Funeral of an Unbeliever

Last updated on: September 5, 2017 at 1:05 am by Matt Pearson

Preaching the Funeral of an Unbeliever 2017-07-01T01:09:50-05:00 Matt Pearson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If you pastor long enough, you will eventually be asked to preach the funeral for someone who died without Christ. No funeral is easy or fun. Knowing you have to speak to the family and friends on behalf of one who passed into eternity without Jesus can be excruciating. However, it can be a unique and effective time to do real, raw Gospel ministry.

When this opportunity presents itself, keep these 3 thoughts in mind:

1. Honor the deceased and comfort the family.

This is a primary goal of every funeral you preach, believer or unbeliever. The deceased was made in the image of God. There are characteristics about his/her life that can be honored and cherished. Draw them out. Ask the family about them beforehand. Pray for the family. Do what you would do before, during, and after any funeral in this regard.

2. Don’t try to preach them into heaven.

If there was no sign of faith in Jesus, no evidence or history of ever trusting in Christ, don’t force it. Don’t try to make this person a Christian based off of assumptions or wishful thinking. On the one hand, it would be a lie. On the other, you don’t want your listener’s to think you can get to heaven by being a human. My advice would be to stay away from any words about the afterlife of this person during the funeral service. For the one in the casket, what has happened has already happened and you cannot change that.

3. Speak Gospel truth to the living.

What you can do is help those attending the service think about where they will spend eternity when their time comes. Let the hearers know that everyone will die and everyone will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Proclaim the Gospel, pleading with them to trust the One who loves them and accomplished everything for them. Tell them that you don’t know why God allows death to happen to people when and how it happens. But assure them that He has His ways and purposes and one purpose may be to help them think about where they will be when they die.

When the preacher stands over a casket, it is prime Gospel proclaiming time. Everyone in the room is there because someone passed on from this life to the next. Though a deceased unbeliever cannot change their fate, the preacher can be used of the Lord to help others not be found in the same situation when their time comes.

The Preaching Event

Previous Post

September 2, 2017

Sermon Illustration: The Wedding Prayer

Next Post

September 9, 2017 Sermon Illustration: The Real Article

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Biblical Reflections Devotions Fridays are For Illustrations General Challenge General Preaching Resources Letters to West Franklin Preparing to Preach Table Talk Questions The Preaching Event Top Ten Quotes Uncategorized West Franklin West Franklin Talks

Select a Month March 2023 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How long did David reign as king?

Select your answer to see how you score.

50 years 25 years 40 years 33 years