Funeral Acts 20:17-38
Notes
Transcript
Gracie,
Ms. Cora,
Francene
Rebecca
Gathered family
Friends
Congregation of South Knollwood
I welcome you here today as we remember the life of our dear Mother, daughter, sister and friend Tracie Watkins.
Opener: II Corinthians 5:1-10
I. Our Bodies are Temporary.
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Paul explains the body is simply a temporary dwelling place.
II. Our God is Good. (5-8)
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Paul tells of his eagerness to be with the Lord. God is Faithful to be there when we are absent from the body.
SONG:
I MUST TELL JESUS ALL OF MY TRIALS
I CANNOT BEAR MY BURDENS ALONE
IN MY DISTRESS HE KINDLY WILL HELP ME
HE EVER LOVES AND CARES FOR HIS OWN.
III. Our Lives can make a Difference.
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Though we may be eager to be with the Lord, we should live our lives to please God. Our lives have a purpose. These are not our purposes. They will be reflected upon by the one who trusted us with these lives.
Someone has well said,
In reality, no one can preach our funeral, we preach our own funerals while we live.
Text: Acts 20:17-38
Years ago I was preaching in a message and I pointed out that I love the practice that I have seen a few times where someone begins with God is Good, The response is All the time, then the responder comes back with all the time, and the initiator completes the saying with a repeated God is good.
Tracie was about to have a fit turns out she loved doing that and would often repeat all the time. So when we would see eachother we would share our verbal handshake over the goodness of God. As a matter of a fact many times as we left the hospital that was our shared sign off.
Intro: In the 20th chapter of the book of Acts, Paul is giving a farwell address to the congregation of Saints in the city of Ephesus.
His ministry speaks for itself and each Christian understand the depth of Pauls ministry to them. In Pauls goodbye charge he covers three topics. This address will be his last to the congregation for he is on a mission from God to the city of Jerusalem that will cost him his life.
1. Paul’s ministry with them (vs. 18-21)
Illustration: Streams in Glen Echo 90m. north of Denver. The streams come together and separate but the benefit is when they were together.
2. Paul’s character as a teacher (vs.25-27, 33-35)
3. The church without Paul (vs. 28-32)
While I do not hope to line myself up with Paul for the differences are innumerable, I do wish to point out a fourth aspect of his charge
4. The Good in Goodbye – the leading of God (vs. 23)
Transitions
A little more than a week ago we saw Ms Tracie off to glory from this side of heaven. Can I tell you this morning with gratitude in my heart that Tracie kept her faith to the very end. I have come over the years to appreciate and love the sight of God’s saints just loving Jesus till the day they die.
There were no second thoughts or longings for what might have been. A life that love Christ till the end of that life is a life without regret.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Many of us are familiar with the old addage that when God closes a door he opens another one. And there is certainly some truth to that saying. But we also from our side of the sky Experience here that many times one open door marks many doors that close.
So our hearts are heavy we understand that Tracie in heaven means we do not get her company here with us. Heaven enjoying the sound of her voice means we do not get it here.
Many of you know the experience of the last 17 months. We thought we had lost her in her stroke just a little over a year and a half ago.
But we watched a fighter start to push against the tides of a stroke and come back with her spirit, soul, heart and mind in tact. Paralyzed over the left side of her body did not stop Tracie from loving and being loved.
She loved, How much
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.
This was the song we would sing over and over again as she was starting to master her words again. And served to help as she trained her mind to stay on a conversation.
The word Goodbye two words pressed together to give us one word. A word of transition. But I get stuck with the question what is so good about goodbye.
Trans: Three truths that make bye Good.
I. God is
Exp: Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Argument: Because God is means that I will be reunited with him and that is a hope and a joy with me. Because God lives I know that I have a tie back to you.
You see I do not fear a separation from the saints. I do not have to fear the cut off that I am experiencing in this moment from any who have gone before. I don’t have to be overwhelmed in lost.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
You see I don’t have to know that tomorrow will work out well because I know that the same God that walked with me through this one is waiting for me in that one.
Because he lives I can face tomorrow.
What Times I look at myself I am at a loss.
What Times I look at those around me I am frustrated.
What Times I look at my circumstances I am overwhelmed.
What Times I look at my loss I am lost.
What Times I look to my God I have LIFE.
Illustration: I will tell you this morning one of the sweetest sounds was hearing Tracie mumble in the months of her fight back to training her thougths. She would mumble softly and make a sweet little high pitched sound. But if you listened she was mumbling the name of Jesus. Jesus Jesus Jesus… I would leave her room knowing that if she never came out of her hospital bed her heart was soaring far above it.
GOSPEL:
Tracie loved the name of Jesus
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
We are saved because the completed work of Calvary has satiated the wrath of God and all who come to God will come to him confessing no other name but Jesus.
They will not point to themselves to say look at how good I am.
They will not point to a family saying look how good my mom was.
They will not look to their church saying but I had the right dogma.
Any who trust in these things for salvation will be cast in a sinner’s hell.
But for the one who knows that they must cling to the name of Jesus will have joy in the presences of God.
App: I cannot look at the separation I must look at the God that is.
II. God is still working
Argument: I love that God moves in our life. My life would be so boring without him.
Exp: The Holy Ghost had been working with Paul. That alone gave him reason for peace.
Ill: God makes no mistakes.
My father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad I know,
He maketh no mistake.
My cherished plans may go awry,
My hopes may fade away.
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead
for He doth know the way.
Tho’ night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break;
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.
There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far to dim;
But come what may,
I’ll trust and leave it all to Him.
For by and by the mist will lift
and plain it all He’ll make,
through all the way tho’ dark to me,
He made not one mistake.
A.H. Overton
III. God lets us be apart
Exp: It is an amazing thing that each week he lets us be apart of something bigger than any of us. You teach you preach, knock doors, win souls, it is amazing to me that we are apart of eternity.
We just finished Vacation Bible School on more than one occasion our church would remind each other of how much Tracie loved and then would point out her favorite parts.
Tracie loved doing penny offering for the kids. She would count pennies through the evening her and Bro. Williams would make sure ever penny counted, because in her mind ever kid who gave those pennies counted.
Tracie loved watching our Skit team perform for the children and there may have been a time or two she laughed harder than any of the kids.
And Tracie served God right here at the wonderful church. And we are a wonderful church because of people as wonderful as Tracie.
She is going to missed in the life of our church body. Because she is a part of this body.
And I watched her over the last year face pain and despair and in the face of it all she found joy in the smallest things. I also learned that she doesn’t share gummy bears. Not even with her pastor and she loves her pastor.
One morning when she had first started to talk again. My wife and I would come into the room and talk with her and then we would sing for a little while before I left. I found out that she loved the song “I feel good” So I started in,
“well I feel good, good, good, well I feel good Oh bless my soul for the there’s something about the name of Jesus that makes me feel good good good good.”
She looked at me like I was half outside my mind. I got the biggest kick out her because she didn’t like that one she like the Sister Act one. I said well there are two problems. I don’t have a choir, and I’m no whoopi goldberg.
Closing: God is what makes good bye Good.
Literally, You see the first recorded use of the word good by was in 1573 by Gabriel Harvey.
The word bye was coined from a series of words bwy they were actually a contraction of “be with you”. After years of abbreviation and common use good replaced the word God. When we wish someone goodbye we are actually saying “God be with you”. God really does make goodbye Good.
