Untitled Sermon (16)

A Home not built with human hands, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

INTRODUCTION:

AS I LOOK BACK SOME FIFTY YEARS -I REMEMBER THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD SHOWING UP IN ROBIN MARCELLA THOMPSON GRIFFIN’S LIFE.

SOME EVENTS WHERE THE AUNTS AND COUSINS ---REMEMBER TINY AS A CHILD A TEENAGER AND A YOUNG WOMAN.

JERRY AND JUNE’S PRECIOUS TINY,

TINY.... A TERM THAT I DIDN’T REMEMBER UNTIL I READ THE OBITUARY TERRI COMPOSED...OF HER BEING BORN PREMATURE.

TINY WAS A FAITHFUL DAUGHTER- TO HER PARENTS

TINY WAS A FAITHFUL SISTER TO HER BIG BROTHER LAMONT

ANY YES ROBIN WAS A FAITHFUL AND DEVOTED WIFE TO KEITH.

A LOVING MOTHER TO HER CHILDREN

AND THE NEPHEWS SHE FOSTERED.

WE HAVE SO MANY DEEP AND LASTING MEMORIES.

AS I LOOK BACK AT THE TIME WE PLANNED SHE AND KEITH’S WEDDING, KEITH CALLED ME...SERGEANT AUNT JUDY—I GUESS I EARNED IT…BECAUSE I WAS A MESS DEMANDING THAT THEY WERE PUNCTUAL AND ON TIME…

AND IF ANY OF THEM WERE LATE…ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE FAMILY COULD FILL IN…KEITH SAID, SERGEANT AUNT JUDY DOES THAT INCLUDE ME AND ROBIN?

I REMEMBER SCOLDING JUNE…JUNE IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE, YOU KNOW VONNE OR JOYCE WILL STAND IN FOR YOU…YOU KNOW JUNE WAS ON TIME.

ONE THING THAT WE ALL KNOW TO BE TRUE…IS THAT TINY LOVED TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN. I REMEMBER HOW SHE POURED SO MUCH LOVE OUT TO HER NIECES…SHE LOVED TAMARA, ASHLEY AND DEANNA.

TINY WOULD DRESS THE THREE OF YOU IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OUTFITS…HER LOVE WAS INFECTIOUS.

I COULD SEE THE HAND OF GOD MOVING IN HER LIFE AS SHE SO UNSELFISHLY CARED FOR THE THREE OF YOU.

LITTLE DID WE SEE THE HAND OF GOD AS IT MOVED TO BLESS HER WITH NOT JUST ONE CHILD BUT THREE…AND THEN THE MIRACLE OF LIFE…HAPPENED.

FAMILY...SO MANY TIMES WE FAIL TO SEE THE MYSTERY THAT UNFOLDS RIGHT BEFORE OUR VERY EYES…WE WANT TO THROW IN THE TOWEL AND GIVE IN…WE WANT TO BLAME GOD FOR SOME BAD DECISIONS AND WORST...

YET TINY…WAS PATIENT.

AND IN HER WAITING…JOY...

IN HER WAITING…HER PAIN TURNED INTO JOY.

IT WAS THAT BOOMER-RANG EFFECT…OT THAT GOLDEN RULE PROMISE…WHAT YOU GIVE…HOW YOU LIVE...

COMES BACK TO YOU…BE IT GOOD OR BAD.

ROBIN SPREAD HER LOVE AROUND…AND GOD ---WHO SEES ALL, KNOWS ALL AND REWARDS OR PUNISHES ALL...

STEPPED IN…

GOD STEPPED IN AND GAVE HER WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS, PRESSED DOWN AND MULTIPLIED…NOT ONE CHILD, NOT TWO CHILDREN…BUT FOUR…AND THAT LAST ONE-THE FULLNESS OF HER OWN WOMB...

OH PHYLLIS KNOWS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT…GOD WILL HEAR YOUR PRAYERS…GOD WILL SET EVERYTHING STRAIGHT…JUST HOLD ON.

THIS IS THE PROPHET SAMUEL’S MOTHER’S STORY....SHE FELT INCOMPLETE…OH HER HUSBAND LOVED HER, YES SHE WAS TOLD HOW MUCH SHE MEANT TO HIM…BUT SOMETHING JUST WASN’T CLICKING...

GOD SAW HANNAH’S MISERY AND FEAR AS HE SAW ROBIN’S…

AND JUST AS HE KEPT HIS WORD TO HANNAH HE KEPT HIS WORD…TO ROBIN.

FIRST HE HAD TO HEAL THE FEAR. SHOWING HER HIS LOVE THROUGH THE FIRST THREE CHILDREN....THESE THREE CHILDREN WERE PROOF POSITIVE THAT GOD LOVED HER…THAT WAS IT…I BELIEVED WE ALL NEED TO LET GO AND LET GOD…WHEN WE DO…ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD. AND GOD PROVED HIMSELF FAITHFUL...

ROBIN LET GOD IN.

AND THE BLESSINGS THEN ABOUNDED.

AS SHE HEARD…I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. AND IT WAS THEN THAT HE OPENED HER WOUND AND GAVE HER THE DESIRES OF HER HEART......A BLESSED LITTLE ANGEL CALLED PEACHES!

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IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER —THAN THAT...DOES IT PHYLLIS???????.

THE CIRCLE WAS COMPLETE…SHE HAD THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, KEITH, AND A HOME FULL OF CHILDREN WHO THEY COULD PARENT AND FOSTER FOR OVER 16 YEARS.

GOD DOES MOVE IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS…HIS WONDERS TO PERFORM.

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU’VE SEEN IT ALL-JUST WHEN YOU’RE READY TO THROW IN THE TOWEL…OPPS----GOD,

OOPS GOD.....

OH FAMILY -GOD HAS PROVEN HIMSELF OVER AND OVER…TO DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL.

TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY IS TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD.

PAUL SAYS I AM CONFIDENT OF THIS ONE THING…THIS DEEP FAITH…HIS ASSURANCE OF ETERNAL LIFE IS MY MESSAGE TO YOU THIS MORNING.

THIS ABSENCE FROM THE BODY REFERS TO PHYSICAL DEATH, IT SIGNIFIES THE SEPARATION OF THE SOUL FROM THE PHYSICAL BODY…THIS SEPARATION MEANS BEING IMMEDIATELY USHERED IN TO THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD…NO DELAY..NO LONG DEATHLY SLEEP…NO ONCE YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES ON THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER JORDAN…YOU WAKE UP IN GLORY.

IN OTHER WORDS COUNTER TO A DEEP SLEEP…PAUL IS SAYING DEATH IS NOT AN END. BUT A TRANSITION TO A MORE GLORIOUS EXISTENCE.

FREE FROM THE SUFFERING AND LIMITATIONS OF EARTHLY LIFE.

THIS PROSPECTIVE REMINDS US THAT WHEN OUR BODY===THIS OLD TENT==

IS NO MORE…WHEN OUR BODY IS WEAK

AND FRAGILE…WE NEED NOT DESPAIR…FOR THE EXTERNAL GLORY THAT AWAITS

FAR OUTWEIGHS ANY SUFFERING AND ALL PAIN…THIS JOY THAT AWAITS US—HELPS US TO HOLD ON…TO HOLD ON TO TAKE COURAGE....TO BELIEVE.

FOR WEEPING THE PSALMIST SAYS

MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT…BUT JOY

JOY…MY FRIENDS COMES IN THE MORNING.

FAMILY ITS MORNING…ROBIN WOKE UP IN GLORY…HALLELUJAH…ROBIN IS NOW FURNISHING HER HOME NOT BUILT WITH HUMAN HANDS…CAN’T YOU JUST SEE IT.

THE WHITE CARPET…THE CRYSTAL CHANDELIER…THE MARBLE AND THE STONE TILE ALL OVER THAT KITCHEN AND BATHROOM..I KNOW SHE’S PROUD OF US TODAY AS WE CELEBRATE WITH OUR WHITE, WE COULDN’T LET HER DOWN, COULD WE?

FAMILY GOD HAS SHOWN HIS AMAZING GRACE. AT ONE POINT ROBIN MAY HAVE FELT GOD MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN ME…AND THEN THE GLORY…I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW I’M FOUND…WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE....

SO HOLD ON…HOLD ON EVEN A THE TEARS FILL YOUR EYES..HOLD ON FOR HE WHO DWELLS IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH…I WILL SAY OF THE LORD, HE IS M REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS, MY GOD IN WHOM I TRUST...

HOLD ON FAMILY......KEEP THE FAITH…

FOR ROBIN NO LONGER HAS TO DEAL WITH THE SHATTERED TENT OF WHERE BROKENNESS AND PAIN HELD HER DOWN…TINY IS REJOICING.

REJOICE WITH HER…FOR SHE’S HAPPY…I KNOW SHE RAN TO JUNE AND JERRY.

I KNOW SHE FOUND KEITH AND MIMMI AND MOTHER DEAR....BUT WHAT MAY EVEN BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT...

TINY FOUND JESUS. JESUS WHO CAME AND RESCUED HER..LIFTED HER FRAIL AND WEAK BODY....AND TOOK HER TO HER NEW GLORIOUS HOME…IN HEAVEN.

ONE GLAD MORNING, WHEN THIS LIFE IS OVER…I WILL FLY AWAY..TO A HOME BEYOND THIS DISTANT SHORE I WILL FLY AWAY.

1 COR. 15; 55-57

O DEATH WHERE IS THOU STING…OH GRAVE WHERE IS THY VICTORY…THE STING OF DEATH IS SIN; AN THE STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW, BUT THANKS BE TO GOD WHICH GIVETH US THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AMEN

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