Manny Vargas | Wednesday Night

WELCOME

Thank you for coming tonight.

As many of you may have already heard, tragedy has struck our church.

Emmanuel Vargas passed away in his bedroom and Bro. Juan found him this morning. He ended his own life, and its devastating

For those that may be visiting or unfamiliar, the Vargas family are long time members, involved in everything, and they have many dear friends in this room tonight.

Manny was 15 years old. Grew up here. Many friends and family here. And it appears as if he made a decision in a moment of impulse, like many teenagers have. Emotions were high due to a normal life circumstance. That’s all it was.

But haven’t we all been impulsive and made decisions that we shouldn’t have?

As you can imagine, the Vargases are broken and in shock. (Bro. Juan here?, completely understandable that Olga and Carlos and Angie are not)

One of the gifts God gives us to help us when our spirit is troubled is music. Truth set to song. So I’m going to pray, and then we will enjoy singing some hymns together as a church family.

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING

In talking with the family today, I found out one of his favorite songs was a song called “Sufficient” from Heartland Baptist Bible College. He would play it on repeat.

The point of that song is that God’s Word is sufficient for every situation. It says,

“For every question, every trial. Every mountain, every mile. For correction, for reproof. For instruction, and for truth. It will never pass away, and it’s relevant today. It’s God’s Word, and His Word is sufficient.”

If we believe, then His Word is sufficient for this situation as well.

So I’d like to read some verses from the Bible and then sing some songs together, and then have a time of prayer tonight.

Psalm 23

I use this text quite a bit during times of grief, but it’s so helpful. It doesn’t say God makes life easy, but even when it’s not easy, He’s with us.

Psalm 91

Think about it, God doesn’t send someone else to cover us in our grief. He does it himself. The Creator of this whole universe covers us with His grace in a personal way. Even when it feels like we can’t survive, God personally covers us.

Isaiah 41:10-13

There are times that we are afraid. That we are dismayed. That our world is shattered. But one truth is certain, we are never alone.

One author said, “We cannot go where God is not. Look over your shoulder; that’s God following you. Look into the storm. That’s Christ coming towards you.”

Isaiah 40:11

If you’ve spent any time around sheep, then you know that Lambs, by nature, don’t handle stress very well. They panic. Much like us. When faced with difficulty, our first thought is to be dismayed. But what calms a lamb down? The presence of the Shepherd.

The verse says, “He shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

He brings us close to His heart. That’s the kind of shepherd we have.

So those truths are sufficient for the Vargases and for us. But let’s not forget that the presence of God is often most clearly seen through the people that love.

God’s presence is real. His Word is sufficient. Christ is sufficient. But often, His sufficiency is most clearly seen in the love of the people around us.

God wants to reveal His love to the Vargases, and He can do that through His Word, but He can also do that through us.

Words of encouragement. Just being there. Some small gesture of love.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

God is a God of mercy and comfort. He wants to comfort us. But He also wants us to take the comfort we’ve experienced in our trials and comfort others with them.

How could God use you to comfort the Vargases?

Maybe you’re not sure how to do it personally, but the primary way God intends for us to do it is through prayer.

Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

It is our responsibility to help each other carry our burdens. How much more members of your family? Well, the Vargases are members of your family. Your church family. So let’s bear their burden through prayer tonight.

PRAYER TIME

James 5:14–15 “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up”

I know this isn’t a physical sickness, but I don’t believe the context of James 5 is just about illness. I believe the primary context is spiritual. So the same principle applies.

I’d like to have everyone gather here toward the altar and pray around and over Bro. Juan. We’ll have three of the deacons pray out loud while the rest of us are praying to ourselves. (Roger, Chad, Ken)

Pray for God’s grace

Ask the Lord for His comfort

Pray for Juan, Olga, Carlos, Angie, Noah and the extended family (grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins)

Pray for their finances, which is a practical yet important part of this process

Pray for Manny’s friends from school and boxing and the gym

Pray that God receives the glory through this. We don’t know what He might do through this situation. So let’s pray that He receives the glory.

And pray that someone would be saved because of this.

When these men have finished praying out loud, I’ll close.

CLOSING

Parents, talk to your children about this. Help them to understand what’s happening, but also to know that there is hope in any situation. We don’t want this to become a pattern in young lives. There is hope in Christ. There is help in a church family. There is no situation so permanent that it requires this course of action.

Let’s use this to help the next generation understand some of these things. So go home and have those conversations.

Then come on Saturday at 10 for visitation and 11 for the service ready to grieve and mourn, but also to be a blessing to a family in need.

If any ladies would like to help with the meal on Saturday, you can see Alison Floth about that. I know we’ll need desserts (sign up sheet for that) and some kitchen help as well. So let’s rally so the Lord can be honored and Manny can be celebrated.

DISMISSAL