Viewing…Friday Night

Welcome

On behalf of Clif’s family I want to thank each one of you for being here…

Most of us, if not all of us, are here tonight because we lost a dear person in Clif…

A husband, a dad, a granddad, a brother, an uncle, a friend…

In some form or fashion Clif touched our lives.

And, we will miss him dearly.

So, we are mourning our loss.

We’re not mourning for Clif…

Clif is in glory with the King of Kings—JC…

The moment Clif left his earthly body…

He inherited glory in the presence of the King…

He met his Savior face to face…

Clif is seeing and beholding physically.

So, if anything we envy Clif…

And we mourn our loss.

So, tonight we’re going to have a time of singing…

And a time of sharing memories that we have of Clif…

Maybe you have a simple story you want to tell.

Maybe there’s something that you admired about Clif.

Maybe you want to share something Clif did for you.

We’re going to take some time to share some of our memories…

And, I know the family will probably share, too…

And it will, we pray, a bit of healing upon us tonight.

So, Justin you come and lead us in congregational singing.

End

Devotional for Viewing

To the Family

To Cheryl & to the family…

I want to remind you that you have each other, your churches and your community…

Do not hesitate to lean upon them.

Do not hesitate to lean upon your church.

Allow God to minister to you through His people.

Mourn your loss, it’s the godly thing to do.

Speak openly & often of Clif.

Remember all of the good times with Clif.

And remember the goodness of God to Clif and to you in this life.

Clif is enjoying the next stage of God’s promises…

Clif has shed the body that was wasting away…

The Bible promises…

To be absent from the body, for a Christian, is to be present with the Lord.

What a promise.

Clif is enjoying this promise because of a faithful, forgiving, glorious Savior…JC

One of Clif’s favorite passages was...

Read

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

I want to start off with the warning of what not to do...

Before we get to the urgency of what to do.

Beware: There’s A Danger Within You

do not lean on your own understanding

Why does this need to be stated?

Why does God call us to abandon our understanding?

Well, let me say from the outset that we need only abandon our own understanding when it disagrees with God’s Word.

But we have this fatal flaw within us...

We, in our fallen sinful condition...

We prefer to suppress the truth of God in un righteous ways.

We prefer to worship and serve the creature rather than God.

We prefer to raise our opinions as divine wisdom...

And relegate God’s word to foolishness.

John 3:19 (ESV)

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

We love our sin.

We love to feel right.

We love to think that we are righteous in our self.

That we do not need a righteousness given to us.

And, God says that is the folly of mankind.

The folly of mankind is to think they know creation better than the Creator.

The folly of mankind is to think they know what is best for them, rather than their Creator...

Who has designed them and given them purpose...

And that purpose is to find your hope, satisfaction, and fulfillment in Him.

The reason why Clif is in heaven right now is because the grace of God reached down to him...

And caused Him to abandon hope in his own understanding...

And, to place his hope, his security, his life in the understanding of God...

Revealed in Jesus Christ.

Clif was a sinner.

Clif had no righteousness in himself.

He would be the first to admit that, if he were here with us.

And, having ministered side by side with Clif for years...

I know that he not only would admit it...

He readily did all the time when he shared the gospel.

What Must You Do?

God tells us here what to do.

He says in...

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And...

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

These are commands for our every day.

These are not suggestions.

These are commands that must be our heart and soul.

So, we are to trust in God completely.

We are to take Him at His word.

We are to believe what God says.

We are to abandon what we think or believe if it is not in accordance with God’s Word.

This is what our life is supposed to look like.

Now, I don’t know about you...

But, if that’s the requirement...

I’m in trouble.

I have not trusted the Lord with all my heart.

I have not acknowledged Him in all my ways.

I have failed at this horrifically.

But, there’s good news.

There is someone who has lived this life.

There is someone who did trust God the Father with all His heart.

There is someone who did acknowledge His Father in all His ways.

And, His name is Jesus.

Look at this condition that is stated in v.6...

and he will make straight your paths.

Straight paths mean a righteous life.

God requires a righteous life.

And, at the same time God promises to make His people’s ways straight.

So, our ways can be made straight by trusting in the one who perfectly obeyed the commands here.

And, that person is Jesus.

The commands and promises in these verses can only be real to us if we are in Jesus.

If we are trusting in the One who perfectly kept these verses.

So, here’s the beauty of the Christian life.

We get to pursue these commands practically...

Trusting that God will guide us in our life.

But, the only reason we can rejoice in this pursuit...

With our failures to keep these commands perfectly...

Is because Jesus kept these commands perfectly for every person who puts their faith in Him.

As Christians, we don’t lose the blessings of God when we don’t live up to these verses...

Because these verses have been kept perfectly for us in Jesus Christ.

If you’re faith is in Jesus.

And, as Christians, we don’t stop pursuing these commands because they do two things:

They honor our God and Savior.

They place us in the context of a life of greatest joy, happiness, and peace.

The gospel says...

See these commands and your failure to keep them.

Recognize this as unrighteousness before God.

Look to Christ for them to be kept for you perfectly.

And, you will receive the blessing of these commands being kept as if you kept them...

Because of the righteousness Christ gives to all those who put their faith in Him.

Romans 11:33–36 (ESV)

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?”

35 “Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Now, Justin is going to come and lead us in singing praises to our God...

Who redeems through His Son Jesus Christ.

End

Prayer & Dismissal

On behalf of the family, thank you so much for being here and supporting them.

I want to remind you or make you aware that...

The Funeral Service for Clif will be held here...

(Walhalla Assembly of God Church)

tomorrow morning at 10:30am.

Let’s Pray.

End