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AN ABUNDANT ENTRANCE

I WOULD like to express the love and sympathy of the congregation that are gathered here today, and also of a vast congregation, when I think of the multitudes of people who would desire to be here with all their hearts. And to express our love and our sympathy with Mrs. Lloyd-Jones in for a while losing her partner; with Sir Frederick and Lady Catherwood and with Mrs. Arm Desmond, in losing for a while a father; and with Christopher, Bethan Jane, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Rhiannon and Adam, in losing a grandfather. Also we remember Sir Vincent Lloyd-Jones and Lady Lloyd-Jones and the family, together with the wider circle of relatives.

And if I may say this as well - I know that he belonged to you, but will you allow me to say that he belonged to us? He belonged to this world, you know. I do not believe that I am exaggerating when I say that he was the prophet of this century for the world. But in a very special way he belonged to Wales. And I'm sure that anybody not from Wales here today - and there are many from Scotland and from England - I'm sure you don't mind me saying that. There was a corner in his heart that was special for his own land. He belonged in that way.

I don't like saying 'We have lost', but 'lost for a while'. He was a great preacher. How do you describe a great preacher? A servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But such a servant. 'One star differeth from another star in glory.' There is the difference! He was faithful in a time of great apostasy and dearth in the land. And we thank God for him.

He was a friend - a friend to ordinary little ministers like myself. He travelled miles to help us. He would spend hours counselling us. He was a father and he was a friend to us as well. I know he belonged to you, but in one way, too, he belonged to us.

When things began to move in Wales after a long time of sorrow spiritually, those who came to the Lord one by one and entered the ministry-he taught us that there was such a thing as Christian doctrine. We didn't know, but he taught us-only in order that we might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. Most of all he pointed us to God and to a holy God-to a great and wonderful God. He taught us also about the work of the Spirit. And he has kept alive in our hearts a flame for revival. It was my earnest prayer that he might have seen it lit before he went home. But he has gone to the place where revivals are made-and that is heaven.

Now we have the remains here. I say 'remains', my friends. We lovingly remember him, so respectfully, not as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - although I always used to call him 'Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' - but as 'the Doctor'. And whoever may have wanted to claim that title in England and Wales and Scotland did not make much headway. There was one 'Doctor'- and it was Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. We loved him most deeply. And there are a multitude of people who are in this land who thank God that he passed their way and led them to Christ. A multitude have gone on before, and how wonderful that is! He was a faithful servant of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is not my place to bring a service of appreciation of all that he was, but I have to say a little-just a little-and to speak the love of my own heart for him.

I am sure that I speak for you all when I say that he was a guide and counsellor to us. I don't know, speaking humanly, how I would have gone on. So I thank God for every remembrance of him.

When I was with him the last time, he asked me to pray for him. And he asked me to pray this. (I wanted him to ask me to pray that he might be healed. But he didn't ask that. And I found it hard. It took me some weeks before I was able to pray this. I found it hard.) 'Pray that I might have an abundant entrance into glory.' And he simply said this sentence -and I'm sure the family will be willing for me to share it - 'I am a sinner saved by grace.' And that's all.

So I have a text. And if he were by my side now I know what he would say to me. He used to preach every year in my chapel at Heath - really he was almost the minister at Heath as well, and the congregation loved him. 1 always found it difficult to make long introductions and I turned to the Doctor and said 'I'm afraid it's so brief.' But he said 'That's good. Let's get on to the gospel.' And that is what I'm going to do now.

My text is 2 Peter 1: 1 1 - 'For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' That was his desire, and that is the desire of every believer, that when our time comes - and come it will - we might have our expected end, receiving the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.

It is put in one line that we sing so often: 'in that tremendous hour'. Have you ever thought of death like that - in that tremendous hour? The Bible tells us that when a sinner comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and his sins are forgiven - when he comes there in repentance and faith - heaven rejoices.

Well, I've been working it out. If heaven rejoices when a sinner is saved, what must it be like when a saint comes home? It must be very wonderful indeed. An abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom Of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!