8/31/24 - James "Ricky" Harrelson

Prelude

SONG - You Raise Me Up

PROCESSIONAL

WELCOME AND PRAYER - Art Sauer

Eulogy - Julia Harrelson

SONG - Amazing Grace

SHARING MEMORIES AND STORIES

MESSAGE

To be honest, I didn’t have very many conversations with Mr. Ricky

I would see him at the church

and he came in with his entourage of family

usually directing him where to sit

he was a unique man that would like to talk through my sermons

which was really ok

God made me a youth minister for 25 years so I heard a voice

but it never threw me off while I was preaching

I had one conversation with him in the hallway before I went in to preach

I remember the Sunday evening

He was walking in one direction and I was walking in another

I stopped to make a comment about his new haircut

Shannon had told me she commented on his new haircut

and he wasn’t altogether thrilled about how short it was

So me being me decided to poke the bear a little bit

and I said his new haircut looked great

He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me like I had a third eye

he never said anything, and I smiled back at him

as if to say, I already knew you didn’t like it

He said to me in that moment

You keep doing the good work you are doing

you’re doing a great job

It was really the only conversation I’d ever had with him

except when he was talking during the sermons

but it encouraged me so much

and it was a t a much needed time that I needed to hear that

Can I tell you one thing that He would say to us right now?

If Mr. Ricky could come back, and I don’t believe the Bible allows for that

but there is one thing for sure he would want us all to know

There’s a story he might tell from the Bible

Luke 16:19–31 (ESV)

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,

23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—

28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

This is a story that Jesus told from the Bible

It is the story of life and death and more importantly eternity following this life

It's important to note some things about this story from the Bible

Jesus, whenever He told a story, usually spoke in parables

a parable is a fictional story that had a greater purpose,

but didn't have specific people's names

This story that Jesus told has specific names, so we know that it's not fictional

These are real people that actually existed

Another thing to note

Jesus shares that in this story both the rich man and Lazarus have died

this is an inevitability

It's a proven fact that everyone will die

But according to this story, there are two choices to spend eternity

In the case of Lazarus, he would spend eternity at Abraham's side

and the rich man would spend eternity in a place called Hades

So the question in my mind is how do we choose where we will spend eternity?

Maybe Mr. Ricky would help us with this

I’m sure he could tell us all about his life

and how he wasn’t the perfect man

but that only tells how the story

and before we pass judgment on him

the truth of the matter is none of us are perfect

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

The Greek word for all, means, all, everyone

There isn’t a human in existence that could make it to God on their own

The story of Adam and Eve tell of the first humans in existence

they were in the perfect place and given everything they needed

with only one rule, don’t eat from the tree

of the knowledge of good and evil

I believe they only knew good

they were created in God’s image

and given everything they needed to live for eternity, the tree of life

they didn’t know evil

Evil, however, came to them

and it came in the form of a serpent that tempted them to make a choice

a choice that would make them like God

So many preachers want to say that the serpent lied and coerced them

in reality, the serpent told the truth

but enticed them to be something greater

when in fact God was just protecting them for their own good

That choice still exists today

That’s something all to real in moments like this

When we face the death of a loved one

we face our own mortality and have to make a decision

are we sure where we are going to spend eternity?

God knew that all this was going to happen

similar to the fact that God knew that Mr Ricky would take his last breath on August 27.

Similar to the fact that He knows when each of us will do the same

and the all knowing God wanted a relationship back with mankind

so He created a way to get it back

there had to be a payment for the sin

and it couldn’t be a payment that a sinful person could do

So God decided that He would send His Son Jesus

He would send Him in the form of a human being so that we could understand

and that Jesus could be an example for all of us

He had to be human to make the payment

but He was also fully God because he was without sin

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus lives His life to show us how to live

and Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin

so that we could return to a relationship with God

but He didn’t force us to have that relationship

God still gives choices

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If there’s something that Mr. Ricky would want us to know is that we have the same choice the rich man and Lazarus did

We could choose to pay for our sins on our own

and the wages, the payment, is death

and that’s not just a physical death

but a death that requires more than we can give with just our physical life

We are unable to make that payment

and so the death we get when we pay for sin on our own is actually a second death

That is eternal separation from God in a place not created for us

but created for those beings that refuse to accept that Jesus is Lord

we call it hell, but it’s much more than just a place

The other choice is to accept the free gift of God in the person of Jesus

how do we do that?

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV)

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

So we accept Jesus, receive Jesus by doing two things

We believe that He paid the penalty of our sin

by dying on the cross and raising from the dead

and we place Him in charge of our lives

and make Him the Master of who we are

we submit to His rules, His authority, and His game plan

It sounds harsh because nobody wants to be a slave to anyone

You especially don’t want to call anyone Master

but I can tell you based on the authority of the Bible, God’s Word

and my own experience

I wouldn’t trade it for anything

Imagine having the Creator of everything being on your side

and helping you through life

If you’ve never accepted Jesus as Your Lord and Savior

let me encourage you in this

this is the gospel and this is what Mr. Ricky would want you to know

The best way to honor Mr. Ricky would be to accept and believe what Jesus did for you

and to place Him as Lord of your life

If that’s something you would like to do,

I would be happy to talk to you following the service today

CLOSING PRAYER - Art Sauer

POSTLUDE - Adagio in G Minor

GRAVESIDE SERVICE

Psalm 23 (ESV)

A Psalm of David.

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.

This is a Psalm of hope

a psalm of comfort that regardless what you are going through

God will always be with you

whether you are lying down in green pastures and enjoying life by the still waters

or walking in times like today through the valley of the shadow of death

He is with us, protecting us with His rod

and guiding us with his staff

Even when we sit in the presence of our enemies

God will heal us with His anointing oil and give us more than we can dream of

Mr Ricky is not here

although his body and casket are lowered into the ground

He is not in this body anymore

He would encourage you like he did me

make a decision for Jesus

Let me tell you what happens to the follower of Jesus when they die

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (ESV)

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

This is what takes place for the follower of Jesus

This is what Mr. Ricky would want you to know

and for those that are believers

this is what Mr Ricky would want us to tell everyone