A sermon for a mother of sons.

Philippians 4:10–13 KJV (WS)

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Introduction

We are here to remember the life and celebrate the homecoming of Kenneth Doss.

I have chosen this passage this morning because I feel like it could just as easily have been a conversation between Kenny and his mom.

Nobody would accuse Kenny of having an easy life, from the moment he was born, he faced an uphill battle.

And no, I’m not talking about the fact that he was born with Cerebral Palsy, I’m talking about the fact that he had two older brothers, one of which was Tony.

I selected this passage after talking to Kenny’s brother Tony and his mom, Mrs. Nellie because it almost perfectly presents Kenny’s life in reverse.

Now at the last your care of me hath flourished again.

Paul writes these words from prison.

He does not know what his future holds.

He may be living out his last days.

And yet, there was one church that continued to minister to him despite his difficult situation.

It cost them something, but they were glad to pay it.

Two years ago, Kenny had a stroke that severely impacted his ability to live on his own.

Rather than see him placed in a home, the wonderful mother that had cared for him through his growing up years welcomed him back into her home.

Her care for her son flourished once again.

In doing so she prolonged her son’s life and allowed him to expereince a level of care that he would not have received elsewhere.

This did not come without cost to Mrs. Nellie, but it was a price she was willing to pay.

This is the kind of support that was typical from Kenny’s family.

I have learned to be content.

Paul knew what it was to have everything going well, but he also knew what it meant for everything to be going poorly.

Kenny, through his life, definitely experienced his own ups and downs.

He was an OU fan after all.

Kenny found great joy in his family, especially his kids and grandkids.

And, despite his physical challenges, he was not one to accept that he couldn’t do something.

He loved riding his bike.

He loved working with his dad, Jimmy, at Maxwell Supply.

He even tried riding bulls.

Kenny got the victory over alcohol.

He was an overcomer in so many ways.

He reminds us of that last phrase in our passage.

I can do all things.

Kenneth learned his tenacity and hardiness from his family.

We come full circle when we talk to Mrs. Nellie about Kenny’s childhood.

Despite the challenges that he faced, she was determined to treat him like the other boys.

She believed that Kenny deserved the freedom to try.

She never lost faith that God had a plan for Kenny’s life.

She saw Kenny graduate high school.

She saw him get a job and become a father.

Most importantly, she Kenny get saved as a 21 year old man.

Statistically speaking, t’s rare for an adult to get saved.

Usually, if someone doesn’t accept Christ as a kid or a teen, they won’t accept him.

It’s just another way that Kenny upended expectations.

As a forgiven child of God, Kenny is now reunited with his father and other loved ones in heaven.

He is in no more pain and one day he will receive a perfect body that is not limited the way his body on this earth was.

If he were able to come back today, I know he would want his friends and family to be saved too.

God was able to forgive all of Kenny Doss’s sins because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Kenny is alive today because Jesus rose from the dead.

God is able to do the same for you.

Will you ask God to forgive you of your sins today, just as Kenneth did 40 years ago?