Memorial Service: Sunny Stauter
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Introduction
Introduction
Sonja “Sunny” Stauter—born January 17, 1946—dead August 14, 2024.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
[PRAYER]
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
Mrs. Sunny loved babies.
Mrs. Sunny was in the fellowship hall when we brought one of our little ones to church for the first time.
She held out her hands to take the child, and I remember thinking, “This baby is going to start crying,” but that didn’t happen.
Our little one was at peace with Mrs. Sunny, and all the other ladies were jealous until they got their turn.
Mrs. Sunny loved music.
We once had the Voices of Mobile from the University of Mobile join us for our morning worship service.
It was a great service but a different kind of service because it was mostly music with only a very short Gospel presentation rather than a full sermon.
As she left the building, Mrs. Sunny kept saying, “That was good! That was so good! You should just get them to do that every Sunday!”
I think she was telling me that I shouldn’t preach every Sunday.
Our little one was at peace with Sunny.
Now she is at peace with Jesus.
Sunny loved the music.
Now she is hearing the best music she has ever heard.
Are you at peace with Jesus?
Will you hear the music of heaven?
Sunny Stauter—born January 17, 1946.
But the most important thing is not when one is born but that one has been born again.
Our Lord Jesus once told Nicodemus...
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Today, Mrs. Sunny sees the Kingdom of God better than any of us because she was born again.
Sunny Stauter—dead August 14, 2024.
But the most important thing is not when one dies but that one has died to sin and been made alive to God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans…
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
I stand before you today rejoicing that Mrs. Sunny professed her faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior.
I stand before you rejoicing that Mrs. Sunny was born again and made dead to sin by trusting in Jesus Christ—the One who was born to die as the perfect sacrifice for her sins.
[THE GOSPEL]
Mrs. Sunny believed the Gospel—the good news about the gracious salvation that God offers only in Jesus Christ. Let explain that good news to you so you might believe it for yourself, be born again and be made dead to sin.
But before the good news, I have to give you a bit of bad news.
Romans 3:23 says…
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
God exists. He is holy. And we are all accountable to Him.
This is bad news only because we have all sinned against Him.
When Romans 3:23 says we have fallen short of the glory of God, it means that we have failed to measure up to God’s perfect character.
God is sinless; He is morally perfect, but we have all been ruined by sinning against Him.
When He said, “Do this,” we did not.
When He said, “Don’t do that,” we did.
And by disobeying God’s commands we earned for ourselves a steep penalty.
Romans 6:23a says…
Romans 6:23 (NASB95)
23 For the wages of sin is death…
The price for sin is death, but this death isn’t limited to the physical death of one’s body, but the eternal death of being separated from God’s loving presence.
This is the eternal death of eternal torment under the wrath of God.
But now comes the good news. The whole of Romans 6:23 says…
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And Romans 5:8 says…
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
What great news this is! Although we chose death by rebelling against God and disobeying His commands, God graciously offers to us salvation rather than damnation in His Son, Jesus Christ!
God graciously offers us eternal life rather than eternal death!
But how do we receive the gift God offers to us in Jesus Christ? How is that we sinners can be saved?
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Do you believe that you are sinner? Do you believe that you are a rebel against God who deserves the wrath of God?
Do you believe that God graciously sent His Son, Jesus, to take your sins upon Himself?
Do you believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, to take yours sins to the cross and suffer the wrath of God in your place?
Do you believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die so you would be made dead to sin?
Do you believe that God raised His Son, Jesus, so that you could be born again by believing on Him?
It is by believing that we take hold of the gift that God offers us in Jesus Christ.
Do you believe?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Mrs. Sunny believed. She publically professed her faith in Jesus in this baptismal right behind me. (She, like most people, thought the water was too cold. She may have even murmured a threat in my direction when she felt how cold it was.)
But through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, she was made dead to sin and born again, and now she lives forevermore.
[PRAYER & CHERYL COMES TO SING]
We are going to move to the fellowship hall now to break bread together as we comfort Renee’, Amberlin, and Aricin.
As we head that way and spend that time together, if you need someone to talk with about trusting in Jesus as Mrs. Sunny did, then please come pull me aside.
Mrs. Sunny didn’t have a perfect faith, but she had faith in Jesus, the One who is, was, and always will be perfect.
She would want you to know Him.
I want you to know Him.
He wants you to know Him.
[ASK CARL TO BLESS THE FOOD & PRAY FOR US AS WE HEAD TO THE FELLOWSHIP HALL]