Roderick Trampass Gilbert (Champ)

In this short time, Trampass had some heartache along the way. He lost his brother Robin and his son Gerald. A pain I never want to endure. If you haven’t figured it out yet happiness is determined by your relationships in life. Trampass had some good one and some broken ones.

Some of the joy in his life was his daughter DeAnne Turner and Brad and his two grandsons Bristol and Brody. As I scrolled through some of DeAnne’s pictures on facebook I saw Trampass hanging with Bristol and Brody on the baseball field. It looked like to good time and great memories.

Ms. Betty Barrett understands grief and loss as she has survived her two sons and a grandson. Ms. Betty I’m praying the family will put their arms around you in this moment and comfort you in your loss. I will be praying for you in the weeks to come.

At the end of King Solomon’s life he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to enlighten his son before he passed.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 KJV 1900

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.

He concluded the book with these words

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 KJV 1900

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Poem Song My name is Bill Sizemore. I’m the pastor of Reliant Ministries here in Dallas. I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Trampass and I’m not going to pretend like I did.

I’m here because I helped Brad through a rough patch in his life about 8 years ago and had the privilege of marrying him and DeAnne down by the lake.

I believe you ask a pastor to come in these moments to provide comfort, clarity, and hope to a hopeless situation. That’s not an easy task, but I believe in the Comforter and I know where our hope comes from and that is what I want to share with you today.

Clarity

Let’s start with a little bit of clarity. When a person’s life comes to an end those left have questions about the afterlife. Words like Heaven, Salvation, Judgement, a better place, rest, and peace begin to emerge. I know that Trampass is experiencing all the truth that we find in the Bible and I want to try and bring a little clarity to that.

Jesus, Emmanuel, God in the flesh came to seek and to save that which is lost. While were yet sinners Christ died for us so that we might be saved.

Jesus got in trouble one time because he was hanging out with the publicans and sinners.

Matthew 9:10–13 ESV

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus came to heal the sinners, not the saints.

Jesus came to die so that sinners can be set free from the penalty of death.

1 John 4:9–10 ESV

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The sinner becomes a saint through the finished work of Jesus. Jesus conquered death and the grave and extends his mercy to all who believe in him.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So salvation doesn’t come because you are good enough.

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Salvation comes from our faith and trust in Jesus.

Romans 10:13 ESV

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 ESV

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. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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. 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.

Comfort

1 Thessalonians 4:18 KJV 1900

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

There is a time for everything. This is the time to morn and comfort one anther. There will be time for everything else but now is the time for family to comfort family the way only family can.