Jon Day Funeral

Matthew 19:4–6 KJV (WS)

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Introduction

You can find these words almost verbatim 4x in the Bible.

Starting in Genesis, in the gospels, and in Paul’s writing.

Marriage is such an important part of the Christian faith.

We’ll talk about why in a moment.

Before we get to that, though, I want us to compare what the Bible says with a real life couple that we know and love.

God’s intention has always been clear when it comes to marriage.

One man, one woman for a lifetime.

It’s why so many of us, in our vows, have said the words “till death do us part.”

But, as a newly married couple, very few of us think through the ramifications of this promise.

We live in a fallen world.

We are not always successful.

We must work hard to provide for our families.

Eventually all of our bodies break down and wear out.

In these moments, “till death do us part” is put to the test.

Will we cleave to each other when things do turn out the way we want?

Will we cleave to each other when the effects of time take their toll?

This is what God intended for the design of marriage.

This permanency was established before the fall of man.

It was reaffirmed 3x after the fall of man.

Though we see many examples of unfaithfulness in our world, we must not forget that there are godly examples of faithfulness all around us.

Jon and Shirley Day are one of those examples.

Today we celebrate the home-going of Jon Day.

Jon’s story is incomplete without giving proper honor to his wife, Shirley who clave to and cared for her husband faithfully to the end.

Jon life was not always an easy one.

I was unaware and some others may not have known, that Jon has never really had an easy rode to walk.

Jon faced his first neurological injury when he suffered a brain aneurysm at the age of 32.

He did not allow this to derail him from his responsibility to lead and care for his family.

Jon Day was a hard worker.

He was also a spiritual man.

Jon told me one time and Mrs. Shirley told me again the other day, that Jon regularly prayed and asked if God would call him into the ministry.

That just wasn’t God’s plan for Jon.

It didn’t mean that Jon wasn’t active in church work.

He wore many hats and taught many Sunday School classes throughout the years.

These last few years, though have been difficult.

He became more and more limited in his mobility.

He suffered more neurological episodes.

Other chronic health issues began to pop up in his life.

Throughout all of the struggles, one thing remained constant.

The love and care that Jon received from his wife.

They truly clave to each other.

When Jon Day and Shirley Jayne made their vows, they were telling the truth.

They are an example to their family and to the rest of us of lasting love.

This is the kind of love that God intended for married couples to display.

It’s not just a capricious command.

There is a reason God directs husbands and wives to love and remain faithful to each other.

Marriage is a picture of the Gospel.

The Bible tells us that the love that exists between a husband and a wife is a picture of Jesus’ love for us.

This is why marriage is so attacked in our world.

It is intended to be a living demonstration of the gospel.

Marriage shows us the love of the Savior.

It shows us the forgiveness that Jesus offers.

Marriage demonstrates the grace that God has for us.

Jon Day was a blessed man.

He had a Savior that loved him with a sacrificial love.

He also had a wife that loved him with a sacrificial love.

Together they showed us a real life example of the gospel story.

If you have not been saved, then Jesus would like you to believe, repent, and receive his forgiveness today.

The love that Shirley had for Jon is a picture of the love that Jesus has for you.

The grace that she had for her husband points us to the grace that Jesus wants to show you.

The care that she provided for him when he could not care for himself shows us how Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Thank you for the example you set with Bro. Jon.

Will you receive the gospel that Jon and Shirley allowed to shape their life an marriage?