Bruno Sousa 1989-2014

!On June 16th, in the early morning hours, Bruno Sousa was brutally murdered in front of his home in the Coroadinho neighborhood of São Luís. The following text was read at his funeral. !In Genesis 18:25 the patriarch Abraham poses a question to God: “Will not the judge of all the earth do right?” This type of question is called rhetorical, that is, a question whose answer is already understood. If I were to ask any person here “Don’t you want Brazil to win the World Cup this year?” the understood response would be “of course we do!” In the same way, the understood response to Abraham’s question is “yes, the Judge of this earth will do right.” !

And it is based on this affirmation: the Judge of this earth will do right, that today I want to deliver four messages: one to the family and friends of Bruno, one to the authors of this crime, one to the government authorities, and finally, one to those who are here without Christ. !First, to Bruno’s family, the Judge of this world will do right, and it is with this great truth that we can console ourselves. The World of God states that God does not look on the outside, but rather on the heart. And if it is true, as some have confirmed to me, that Bruno, during his time at the rehab center, responded in faith to the call of the Gospel; if it is true, as Bruno’s sisters have told me, that he spent these last days searching the World of God; if it is true, as his brother-in-law recounted, that at the time of his death he expressed his faith in Christ—in short, if Bruno was trusting in Christ and only in Christ for his salvation, we can be confident that the Judge of this earth will do right, and that at this very moment Bruno is with Christ in Paradise, free from all the ills that tormented him in this life. !The Word of God is clear: believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and there is no clause that excludes drug addicts from this pro mess. The Judge of this earth is perfectly able to look through a chemical dependency and see a heart that cries out have mercy on me, a sinner, and responde today you will be with Me in Paradise. Bruno’s family should console themselves with these thoughts. !Second, I want to leave a message for the authors of this barbarity: the Judge of this world will do right. You may think you have gotten away scot free, that nobody saw, or that the people who did see are powerless to act. You are very wrong. This cowardly act (and there is no other word to describe what you did—it was cowardly indeed) was seen in all its terrible details by the great Judge of the Universe, the same One who

formed Bruno before the foundation fo the world, the same One who created him in His image and gave him an intrinsic value. You, in your arrogance, nominated yourselves judges, jury, and executors of Bruno. Now, it is possible that you may never respond for your crime before the civil authorities. Unfortunately. But be sure that one day you will have to testify before the true Judge of the Universe, who will that execute his eternal judgment. You may try to flee, you may try to hide yourselves in the noise of the party lifestyle or false escape of drugs, but the Spirit of this Judge will be there, reminding you of your crime, bedeviling your thoughts and robbing you of sleep. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. !And the great irony is this: at the moment of your miserable act, the Hell that Bruno lived here ended. But your Hell is just beginning. There is only one way to escape, of which I will speak later. !But before that, a word to our government authorities: the Judge of this earth will do right. Like the blood of Abel, the blood of Bruno clamors for justice, and it was to bring about this justice that God put you in your positions of authority. A society where a barbarous crime such as this can go unseen and unpunished by the powers that be is a society about to unravel. The same God that gave you these positions of power and influence will call you into account for their use. For this reason, you must execute justice for this family. !Finally, a message to those who are here outside the family of faith: the Judge of this earth will do right. At these times we focus on the dearly departed and on his family, on the authors of the crime, and on the civic authorities and their responsibility before society—and it is right that we do this. However, we must not forget the fact that every one of us—regardless of social status, economic situation, or religious affiliation—are guilty before a totally just God. As the World of God says, we will all have to give an account before this Judge, and none of us are sufficiently righteous to escape His wrath. But the great and good truth is that the same God who is perfect in his justice is also perfect in his love. And this love caused him to offer Jesus Christ, his Son, as the target of his righteous wrath, so that we may therefore enjoy his great mercy. And all who put their faith completely in the persona and work of Christ—be they businessmen or addicts, criminals or officers of the law, rich or poor—can affirm that the Judge of this earth HAS ALREADY DONE RIGHT, and now I am declared righteous. !I end this reflection imploring everybody present that this tragedy—the death of our beloved Bruno—not be in vain. Believe on the Lord Jeus, and you will be saved. The great desire of every child of God here is to one day see all of us, together with Bruno, in one Spirit, rejoicing before the throne of the Great Judge, in the presence of our marvelous Redeemer, Jesus Christ. May today’s tears be turned to joy, and may salvation come to this house today. !!!Pastor Andrew Comings, in São José do Ribamar, june 17, 2014