Joe L. Memorial "Servanthood"

Josiah Ott

Special Services • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 7 months ago

0 ratings

· 2 views

Notes

Transcript

Friends and family members, we are gathered here today to remember the life of Joe Long, father, husband, and friend.

DIDN’T KNOW JOE VERY LONG

ONLY @ GRACE CHAPEL APPROX. 1.5 YEARS...

REMEMBER INTRODUCTION W/ MIKE F.

HEARING ABOUT a MAN on OXYGEN WHO SERVED LIKE CRAZY

--------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------

PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS = OFTEN USED as EXCUSE

DESPITE LIMITATIONS/HEALTH PROBLEMS/ ETC.... JOE WAS FAITHFULLY HERE.

POPULAR SAYING: IN CHURCH… 10% of PEOPLE DO 90% of the WORK.

MAYBE NOT STATISTICALLY VERIFIED,

BUT PRETTY CLOSE.

THERE’S DEDICATED PEOPLE…HERE WEEK AFTER WEEK AFTER WEEK.

EVENT AFTER EVENT

WORKDAY AFTER WORKDAY

GET TIRED & SHOW UP ANYWAYS

WOULD LIKE a BREAK & SHOW UP ANYWAYS

IF THERE’S a NEED… THEY SHOW UP ANYWAYS...

BECAUSE IF THEY DON’T DO IT…IT DOESN’T GET DONE.

JOE LONG WAS ONE of THESE PEOPLE...

----------------------------------------------

COUNTLESS TIMES: I’D SEE JOE WORKING

RUNNING SAWS

MOVING STUFF AROUND

HEAD in CEILING TILES W/ HEADLAMP ON

ADDRESSING AIR CONDITIONER LEAK.

NO JOB BENEATH HIM

ALL HANDS on DECK SORT of PERSON.....

----------------------------------------------

JOE. L HAD BEEN a PART of GRACE CHAPEL for 40 YEARS...

OFFICIALLY in MEMBERSHIP for 20 YEARS

P.F.C. for 15 YEARS

JOE LONG WAS a SERVANT HERE FOR OVER a DECADE BEFORE I WAS EVEN BORN.

----------------------------------------------

(T) JOE EFFECTIVELY LIVED OUT WHAT JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES REGARDING SERVICE...

ONE TIME: JESUS’ DISCIPLES ARGUED ABOUT GREATNESS

“WHO WOULD BE GIVEN the SEAT of HONOR??”

RIGHT HAND???

JESUS RESPONDS:

Mark 10:42–44 (ESV)

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

ESSENTIALLY: the LINE of THINKING THAT WANTS to BE ELEVATED = PAGAN!

NOT REPRESENTATIVE of JESUS or HIS WAY @ ALL!!

YOU WANT to BE GREAT??? ---> BE a SERVANT

YOU WANT to BE FIRST??? #1??? ---> BE a SLAVE of ALL!

GREATNESS REQUIRES SERVANTHOOD...

PREEMINENCE REQUIRES SLAVERY

JESUS TIPPED the HIERARCHY UPSIDE DOWN.

----------------------------------------------

@ TIMES in the CHURCH, PEOPLE ELEVATE THOSE in “MINISTRY” AS BEING SOMETHING GREAT...

BUT BIBLICALLY.... “MINISTRY” is SERVICE… AND SERVICE is MINISTRY…

THEY MIGHT APPEAR DIFFERENT in FUNCTION…BUT THEIR ESSENCE is THE SAME!

YOU EITHER SERVE in MINISTRY.... OR YOU HAVE the MINISTRY of SERVICE...

ALL of US ARE to LIVE for THE GLORY of GOD & the SERVICE of OTHERS...

ROLES = DIFFERENT… BUT EACH PART = ESSENTIAL.

IF I SPENT ALL MY DAYS FIXING AIR CONDITIONERS & DOING PROPERTY CLEANUP I COULDN’T PREACH on SUNDAYS

EACH PART of the BODY is ESSENTIAL

NOW THAT JOE HAS PASSED… WE’RE FINDING OUT MORE & MORE ALL THAT HE DID...

SHOW UP & HEAT ISN’T ON,, THERMOSTAT TIMES HAVEN’T CHANGED. ((WHEN WE TRIED to SAVE DAYLIGHT AGAIN))

SECTION of PROPERTY ISN’T GETTING MOWED ANYMORE

IN DAYS to COME… I’M SURE MANY of THESE THINGS WILL CONTINUE to ADD UP.....

A LOT of THINGS SEEMED to BE on AUTOPILOT…BUT REALLY it WAS the HAND of JOE LONG.

----------------------------------------------

(T) I BELIEVE JOE’S CHIEF REASON HE SERVED…WAS FOLLOWING in the FOOTSTEPS of OUR LORD...

PASSAGE from MK. 10 CONTINUES W/ VERSE 45:

Mark 10:45 (ESV)

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

CHRISTIAN SERVICE = ACT of THANKSGIVING to GOD FOR HIS WONDERFUL GRACE

WE PROBABLY ALL KNOW the SCRIPTURE: 1 JOHN 4:19

1 John 4:19 (ESV)

19 We love because he first loved us.

SCRIPTURE ALSO TEACHES US the PRINCIPLE: “WE SERVE BECAUSE HE FIRST SERVED US.”

----------------------------------------------

JESUS’ SERVICE TOWARDS US WAS EXEMPLARY in EVERY WAY...

PAUL the APOSTLE WRITES on CHRIST’S HUMILITY in PHIL. 2:6-8

Philippians 2:6–8 (ESV)

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

JESUS CHRIST = PRE-EXISTENT, ETERNAL GOD… CO-EQUAL W/ the FATHER...

YET HE DIDN’T HOLD ON TO THIS FOR ADVANTAGE...

HE EMPTIED HIMSELF...

BY TAKING on THE FORM of a SERVANT/SLAVE...

----------------------------------------------

2. LEAVING HEAVEN’S GLORY is ONE THING...

TAKING on HUMAN FORM & LIMITATION is ANOTHER...

NOT ONLY HUMAN,, BUT a SERVANT/SLAVE...

HE DIDN’T COME DOWN as a KING to SIT in PALACE & BE SERVED...

&& HIS SERVICE WAS MOST MANIFESTED WHEN HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE...

& NOT ONLY DID HE DIE…

BUT HE SUFFERED the MOST EGREGIOUS DEATH on a ROMAN CROSS…

EVEN THOUGH HE WAS WHOLLY UNDESERVING!!

JESUS CHRIST… THE WORLD’S GREATEST SERVANT… DIED THAT WE MIGHT BE SAVED...

BY a FREE GIFT of GOD’S GRACE...

NO HUMAN BEING WAS RIGHTEOUS/COULD ATTAIN to HEAVEN

ALL HAD SINNED

NO ONE DID GOOD

ALL HAD RIGHTEOUSNESS as FILTHY RAGS...

JESUS MADE a WAY FOR US....

AS WE GATHER TODAY… to REMEMBER JOE LONG’S LIFE… I KNOW HE’D WANT US to REMEMBER the LIFE of JESUS CHRIST MOST...

THE ONE WHO LIVED SINLESSLY ON OUR BEHALF & DIED FOR US...

& BECAUSE of THIS…THE SCRIPTURE SAYS:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

JESUS BORE OUR SIN…THAT WE MIGHT BE SAVED…AS a FREE GIFT!!

THAT THROUGH HIS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS & SACRIFICE & TRUSTING in HIM WE CAN BE FORGIVEN....

IF YOU DON’T HAVE THIS HOPE, I’D LOVE to SPEAK W/ YOU AFTER the SERVICE TODAY...

----------------------------------------------

AND FOR THOSE WHO DO HAVE THIS HOPE...

THOSE WHO’VE BEEN REDEEMED...

REMIND: GOOD WORKS/SERVICE == NOT the ROOT of OUR SALVATION…BUT IT’S an OBVIOUS & NECESSARY FRUIT.

OUR SERVICE = AN ACT of GRATITUDE to GOD WHO SO LOVED US HE GAVE HIS SON FOR US...

WE SERVE,, BECAUSE HE FIRST SERVED US...

WE SHOULD AIM to BE GOOD STEWARDS of the GIFTS/ABILITIES/OPPORTUNITIES THAT GOD GIVES to US…

SERVING GOD & OTHERS W/ ALL OUR MIGHT...

SO THAT ON THAT FINAL DAY, LIKE JOE,

WE WILL HEAR the BLESSED WORDS:

“WELL DONE, MY GOOD & FAITHFUL SERVANT.”

Close in Prayer

GRAVESIDE:

Opening prayer:

Scripture Reading (Ps. 23 or JN. 14)...

Psalm 23 (ESV)

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

John 14:1–6 (ESV)

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

3. Committal:

As we gather here today… we commit the body of our loved one, husband, father, grandfather, and friend...Joe Long...to this earth, from ashes to ashes, dust to dust— in hope of final resurrection.

4. “Let us Pray”— Closing personal prayer

6. Finish with “Amazing Grace” (V1 & 4/ INSTRUMENTAL)

[Verse 1 ]

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.

[Last verse]

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.

7. Benediction:

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

7 Now may…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

as we go our separate ways.

Amen.

Related Media

Related Sermons