Funeral Sermon: Lisa Weaver
Notes
Transcript
Obituary
Obituary
Melissa “Lisa” Reed Weaver, 60, went to be in the arms of the Lord on Friday, August 11, 2023. Lisa was born to Emmett Van Reed and Lois Horton Reed on July 23, 1963 in Mobile, Alabama, and was a life-long resident. …
Lisa was preceded in death by her father, Emmett Van Reed; and one nephew, B.J. Reed.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Van A. Weaver; mother, Lois Elizabeth Horton Reed; two daughters, Ashley (Ricky) Ziebach and Lauren (Michael) McDowell; three grandchildren, which she loved with her whole heart: Cooper, Ava, and Mia; her brother, Ronnie (Jeanie) Reed; as well as a host of other cherished family and friends.
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
[PRAYER]
Introduction
Introduction
[READING: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
We are frail creatures. We know that our physical lives this side of eternity won’t go on forever, but somehow we seem to forget that all of this is temporary; all of this is passing away.
With Mrs. Lisa’s passing we are reminded that all of this is passing away.
We gather here this morning perhaps a bit surprised, perhaps a bit still in shock. But it is comforting to know that nothing that happens surprises God, not even Mrs. Lisa’s passing.
God knows the end from the beginning.
He wrote the number of Mrs. Lisa’s days from before the foundation of the world.
How did Mrs. Lisa spend her days?
Well, she spent some of her days shopping.
Well, she spent some of her days shopping.
Lisa like to tussle with other shoppers in stores to get those must-have Christmas items.
When she couldn’t get out to the stores in the last year and half, she liked to order those items online.
I believe it was before Christmas of this past year, I came to see Lisa after she had been so sick. Van wasn’t home when I arrived, but he came in after a few minutes with a couple of bags.
Even though she had been so sick, Lisa had sent him to pick up something she had ordered.
Their Christmas tree was up, and Lisa asked if noticed the gifts around it. She said that she had been supervising Van as he wrapped the Christmas presents she bought—she was apparently very particular about her bows—but she said she had made the mistake of telling Van that he could just put one of those gifts in a bag with tissue paper…
…and from that point on every gift went in a bag with tissue paper.
Sure enough, on the way out, there was the Christmas tree, and there were a lot more bags with tissue paper than wrapped presents with pretty bows.
When Lisa couldn’t get out to the store and couldn’t order the item online, she sent other to do the shopping for her.
During one of her last trips with the family, she went to watch Lauren’s daughter dance. On one morning, she made poor Van walk to get donuts. She said the donut place was right nearby, but it turned out to be 1,000 miles away and uphill in both directions.
When she couldn’t shop for her cherished Christopher Radko Christmas ornaments, she made Ashley fight the crowd. As she elbowed people away, Ashley used her phone to show her Mom pictures of the ornaments, so she could be sure to get the right one.
One of the last things she said before she passed, she to Van. After she had ordered another pair of shoes just to get her mind off her suffering, she said to Van, “Let’s splurge.”
She surely is splurging now.
Mrs. Lisa spent some of her days traveling.
Mrs. Lisa spent some of her days traveling.
She traveled to Hawaii, Aruba, and made numerous trips to Disney World to spoil her girls.
She once took another trip with her girls to Florida. They decided while they were in the area, they would go by and see the beauty of the University of Florida’s campus.
This was just after Urban Myer, the head football coach at Florida, had resigned, so reporters were everywhere.
As they rode through campus, Lauren decided she was going to take a picture with Florida’s big gator statue just outside the football facilities; and she decided she was going to do it while wrapped in an Alabama Crimson Tide blanket.
But as she smiled for the picture, her Mama drove off and left her.
Now, she eventually came back, but she said that she wasn’t going to sit there with all those cameras around.
Mrs. Lisa spent nearly all of her days in charge.
Mrs. Lisa spent nearly all of her days in charge.
Mrs. Lois said that from a very early age, Lisa decided that she was in charge.
But when Lisa said that she didn’t want her Mom to see her in that condition during her final days in the hospital, Mrs. Lois said to me, “But I’m the Mama, and Ronnie is picking me up at 8 in the morning.”
That’s when I knew where Lisa got it from.
She often told her girls, “I won’t be ignored.”
Van verified that was true.
They said that once her mind was set, there was no changing it.
And Van also verified that that was true too.
But Mrs. Lisa surely spent all of her days in love.
But Mrs. Lisa surely spent all of her days in love.
She was in love with her Mom, Dad, and brother.
Of course, her Dad, Mr. Emmett, was there to welcome Lisa home. She loved her Dad.
And as I visited with Lisa one day, she talked about what a blessing it was to have her Mama at home with her during this time.
And she talked about what a help Ronnie had been in taking care of Mrs. Lois while she was fighting cancer.
And of course she was in love with Van for 41 years.
Van told me yesterday about their wedding day, how one of his groomsmen had put a thousand crickets in his truck as a gag.
Van had to get every cricket out before Lisa would get in the truck and go on the honeymoon. When he got the crickets out, maybe Mrs. Lisa thought, “I got a good one.”
I know Mrs. Lisa thought that by the way Van cared for her this last year and a half.
She was in love with her girls, Ashley and Lauren, and in love with their husbands too; and she was over-the-moon in love with her grandchildren.
You all grieve because you all loved her so much and you all know how much she loved you, but God has given an even greater love in Jesus. and it is His work, His presence, and His truth that comforts you now.
[CONTEXT] In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18—that passage of Scripture I read just a moment ago, the Thessalonians were surprised. They were in shock. They thought they all would go on living until Jesus returned in glory.
They were grieved because they thought that their dead loved ones who had died believing in Christ had nevertheless missed out on eternal life because they died before Jesus returned.
[CIT] The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, encouraged the Thessalonians with the only hope there is when we are faced with the death of a loved one—the hope found in the death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
[PROP] And this is not just encouragement and hope for the Thessalonians; this is also encouragement and hope for us today as we mourn.
Through these words in 1 Thessalonians 4, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus comes to us right where we are today to comfort us in our grief.
MAJOR IDEAS
MAJOR IDEAS
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 we see our grief.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 we see our grief.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
[EXP] As I said the Thessalonian believers were confused about their loved ones who had fallen “asleep” which is a NT expression for death. If their loved ones had died, how could they experience the return of Christ? How would they receive eternal life?
They were “uninformed,” but Paul was about to inform them with words from God. But before he did that, he told them why he was going to inform them.
He said in effect, “I’m telling you this so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope,” (1 Thess. 4:13).
Paul did not write, “I’m telling you this so that you will not grieve. Period.”
Paul did not write that because the Holy Spirit would not inspire him to write such an ignorant thing.
There is pain in this world.
There is suffering.
The curse of sin and death spreads to everything and everyone.
It touches us wherever we are no matter who we are.
During this life here on earth, we will certainly mourn.
We will certainly grieve.
But those of us who know God through faith in Jesus, do not grieve as others do who have no hope.
[APP] Some have said that it is wrong for a follower of Jesus to grieve because we know that death is not the end. Death is surely not the end, but it is still heartbreaking.
In moments of heartbreak like this one—when we are grieving Mrs. Lisa—we are grateful for what God gave us in her, but also envious for what heaven has gained in her.
We are grieving, and it is not wrong for a Christian to grieve. It is, however, wrong for a Christian to grieve like the rest of the world—as others do who have no hope.
Those who have NOT trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord grieve, and in their grieving they turn to many things that they think will provide them some measure of comfort or some measure of hope in their grief.
BUT as followers of Jesus we know that Jesus is the only real hope in grief because only Jesus conquered death.
In v. 14 we see that hope...
In v. 14 we see that hope...
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
[EXP] The Bible is clear, Jesus came into the world to save sinners through His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to Peter, the twelve, then to more than five hundred brothers at one time, (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-8), and then He ascended to His Father’s right hand.
He has gone to prepare a place for us that where He is we might also be.
And one day—at a time we do not know—Jesus will return bringing with Him all those believers like Mrs. Lisa who died before His second coming.
[APP] The Lord Jesus is our hope! He is our only hope in the face of death! His death, resurrection, ascension, and return speak a sure word to our hearts saying, “Death is not the end!”
We mourn, we grieve, and we cry, but one day the Lord Jesus will wipe all the tears from our eyes.
Those who trust in Jesus as Savior go immediately into His presence when they die.
They exist before Him in glorified spirit eagerly awaiting the return of Jesus and the gift of their resurrection bodies.
First Corinthians 15:52-55 says...
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because Jesus has died and risen, he has defeated death!
Death no longer has any sting for those who are in Christ Jesus!
Death is not the end for those who have set their hope on him!
God has given Mrs. Lisa and all those who trust Him the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Oh, but we are prone to doubt, that’s why in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 we see our assurance...
Oh, but we are prone to doubt, that’s why in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 we see our assurance...
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
[EXP] There is a lot in these few verses, but here’s the big picture: (1) Jesus Christ is coming; (2) the dead in Christ are coming with Him and will rise to meet Him; and then (3) all the rest of us who have trusted Jesus as the Christ will be reunited with our Christian loved ones when we meet the Lord in the air.
BUT how do we know this is true?
Answer: Because the Word of God says it is true.
Remember, at the beginning of v. 15 what Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote...
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
This is our assurance—the inspired, inerrant, infallible, eternal Word of God!
[APP] How do we know that Christ died for us?
How do we know that Jesus died to save us from God’s wrath on account of our sins?
How do we know that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead so that we might be counted righteous before God?
How do we know that Jesus ascended to Heaven? How do we know that He is coming again?
How do we know that our loved ones who have died in Christ will come with Him when He comes?
Answer: Because the Word of God says so.
The song we teach our children is true— “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”
In moments of grief, our hope is only Christ for the Bible tells us so!
Our assurance is His inspired, inerrant, infallible, and indestructible Word.
Finally, 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 offers us encouragement.
Finally, 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 offers us encouragement.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
[EXP/APP] This is when grief turns to joy, when tragedy turns to triumph, when tears of sadness become shouts of praise—WHEN WE WILL ARE WITH THE LORD!
No, death is not the end for our loved ones who have died in the Lord...
...and death will not result in wrath for us if we have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Even if we die, as Mrs. Lisa has, before Jesus comes, we have the assurance of God’s Word that when He comes, we will come with Him, and rise to meet him in our resurrection bodies—AND SO WE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD!
Those words—that truth—is meant for your encouragement today and always!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
[PRAYER]