The Deliverance of the Lord - Florence Reuhmling
Notes
Transcript
Order of Service
Order of Service
Welcome and Prayer
Song – In the Garden (635 - 1,2)
Song – Old Rugged Cross (327 - 1,2,3)
Sharing by Family and Guests
Read Obituary
Share my own thoughts, Maybe Jeff’s.
Deb
Stefan
Christine
Sharon?
Open to Guests
Song – How Great Thou Art (147 – 1,3,4)
Song – Great is Thy Faithfulness (139 - 1,3)
Sermon – Pastor Mike – The Deliverance of the Lord
Video – Unnamed Hymn
Obituary
Obituary
Florence Christine (Thompson) Ruehmling, 95, of Coatesville, PA, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, October 11, 2024 at the Heatherwood Retirement Community of Honey Brook, PA. She was the widow of Warren Arthur Ruehmling who died in 1995. They shared 42 years of marriage together. Born in Akron, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Percy Wallace Thompson and Edith Beullah Zoeller Thompson.
Florence was a 1948 graduate of the Germantown High School in Philadelphia. She was employed by Bell Telephone and also Acrodyne Associates, but most of her life was dedicated to raising her family. While raising her family, she sold Avon and Tupperware, served on the PTA and was an assistant Girl Scout leader. At another time, she worked for a caterer serving at weddings, including for her daughter, Sharon's wedding.
Flo was very creative and artistic. She loved making greeting cards with rubber stamping and paper crafting, diamond art painting, knitting, crocheting, sewing and baking. She also painted ceramics, created stained glass sun catchers, and even learned scherenschnitte (The art of using scissors to cut paper into designs).
She will be remembered for her sense of humor.
Most recently, she was a member of the Hephzibah Baptist Church. Formerly, she was a member of Great Hope Baptist Church, and also, a former member of Valley Forge Baptist.
She is survived by three daughters; Christine Anne Ruehmling Miller Ames and husband Donald of Cocoa, Florida, Sharon Lee Ruehmling of Tampa, Florida and Deborah Lynn Ruehmling Fialkowski of Coatesville, PA, seven grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren, one nephew Robert Drew Young and wife Beth of North Wales, PA and one niece Barbara Thompson of Tucson, AZ. She was preceded in death by two siblings; Andrew Wallace Thompson and Edith Margaret Thompson Young, one nephew Andrew Thompson and one niece Cynthia Young Cahill.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 10:30 AM at the Hephzibah Baptist Church, 2237 Strasburg Road, Coatesville, PA 19320 with visitation starting at 9:30 AM. Interment will be private at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville, PA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Florence's memory to the Hephzibah Baptist Church, 2237 Strasburg Road, Coatesville, PA 19320.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Wilde Funeral Home of Parkesburg, PA. Online condolences can be posted at www.wildefuneralhome.com.
Eulogy
Eulogy
It’s hard for me to think that I have known Florence for nearly ten years. If memory serves me correctly, Florence, Deb and family came to Hephzibah about the same time my family and I did.
What a joy it has been to know her…this sweet, loving, and gracious sister in the Lord.
You never had to force or coerce conversation. She loved people, loved to talk, loved to tell stories.
Her love for God, for our family and even for Hephzibah were obvious.
Her heart to serve and give was obvious.
Though in her final years, she was limited, you could see that desire never changed.
Though in her final years, she battled with discouragement, her faith in God never wavered.
She was ready to go home…and God was pleased to welcome her.
Introduction
Introduction
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them that night. The chief replied with a question in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.
We are gathered here today, in a time of death and loss.
And yet, we are gathered with hearts full of joy and worship because of the delivering power of our God.
Our loved one is gone.
Your loved one is gone.
Death has claimed yet another from us.
AND YET, like the missionaries who were saved, delivered by the mighty hand of God, SO TO, death does not have the last word today, for Florence has been delivered by the mighty hand of God.
We are reminded by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54-56 that death does not have victory over us as followers of Christ. Death’s sting has been removed.
For we serve a God who delivers!
Our hope and joy in today, Florence’s hope was in that very God who delivers.
Psalm 34 is a beautiful passage that so poignantly describes a God of hope, who even through death delivers and instills confidence.
Psalm 34.
Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Big Idea: The deliverance of the Lord makes Him worthy of all praise and honor!
Body
Body
The Lord delivers from all fears - Ps 34:4
The Lord delivers from all fears - Ps 34:4
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Who among us has fears today?
If I asked you to raise your hand, and you were honest, ALL hands in the room would go up. We all have things we fear. We all have things that keep us from knowing perfect peace.
And yet, who is the Lord of fear?
Yahweh!
Death terrifies so many people in our world today. So many work SO hard to avoid it, to prolong life. Some, to the point of lengthening their agony to avoid it.
Florence did not fear death. And we do not have to either.
Because Jesus conquered death when he rose from that tomb where they buried Him, only three days after being laid there.
Despite the huge rock they put there to seal the tomb.
Despite the guards they posted.
Death could not hold Him, would not hold him.
Therefore, death, the chief of fears holds no power over us…at least those of us who know Christ.
Like our fear of death, God has the power to deliver us from our fear. HE HIMSELF is the cure for all fears. In the end, all that we fear will find it’s resolution in Him and we have no need to fear anything with God on our side.
The Lord delivers from all fear.
The Lord delivers from all shame - Ps 34:5
The Lord delivers from all shame - Ps 34:5
5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
You can never go wrong putting your hope and confidence in God.
He does not disappoint.
He does not fail.
That does not mean we do not endure hard things.
Those missionaries endured a long hard night of terror.
Joseph endured a long hard life before God gave him a happy ending.
Sharach, Mesach, and Abendago had to go INTO the furnace before they were delivered.
Daniel had to be tossed into the lions den, spending the night with them before he was delivered.
And on and on the stories could go.
We will endure hard things in this life, but we will NEVER be shamed by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
We will never be proven WRONG for doing so.
He will deliver us from ever having to face shame by choosing to look to Him.
Shame only comes when we choose ourselves over Him. There never is, nor ever shall be shame at choosing Christ.
The Lord delivers from all fears.
He delivers from shame.
The Lord delivers from all troubles - Ps 34:6, 17, 19,
The Lord delivers from all troubles - Ps 34:6, 17, 19,
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
In the end, we will be saved from ALL our troubles.
MANY are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of…how many?
ALL of them.
I am sure if Florence were here, and you asked, she could tell you story after story of afflictions she suffered throughout her 90+ years of life.
But where is she now?
She is HOME in HEAVEN with her Savior.
She has been delivered.
And I can tell you, she is better off then we are.
The deliverance we seek from all our troubles WILL COME. But it may not come in this life.
But you can rest assured, it will come in the next, if not now.
The message of the cross…
The forgiveness offered through Jesus blood…
The redemption and reconciliation granted when we humble ourselves and repent of our sins, asking Him grace to forgive and cleanse us….ASSURES us that deliverance will come.
In fact, it is the only hope we have of finding such deliverance…because those who do not turn and repent, they will NOT be delivered from their troubles…their troubles only increase when death comes for them.
BUT GOD is faithful and good and true…those who repent and believe, who turn from their sin and trust Jesus, like Florence did, will find deliverance from all their troubles…nevermore to be bothered by them again.
The Lord delivers from all fears.
He delivers from shame.
He delivers from all our troubles.
The Lord delivers from all enemies - Ps 34:7
The Lord delivers from all enemies - Ps 34:7
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Our greatest, and only real, enemy is the devil and the death he brings with Him.
I absolutely love what Colossians says…
Colossians 2:13-15.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Not only did Jesus defeat Him, he publicly and openly humiliated him in doing so.
If he is our greatest and only true enemy….who else do we really have to fear?
The Lord delivers from all fears.
He delivers from shame.
He delivers from all our troubles.
He delivers from our enemy.
The Lord delivers from all lack - Ps 34:9-10
The Lord delivers from all lack - Ps 34:9-10
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Now, this might need to come with a reevaluation of what a good thing is….
But God never means ANYTHING for our harm.
Not even physical death and loss.
As His children, His followers, even death is a good thing.
Psalm 116:15.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Because the deliverance that Jesus provides from our sin, we LACK NO GOOD THING.
Even when we must go through pain, suffering, sorrow, loss, death…we are no worse for the wear than when we began.
He delivers us from all lack.
He provides all we need.
He secures us in Him and that is enough.
The Lord delivers from all fears.
He delivers from shame.
He delivers from all our troubles.
He delivers from our enemy.
He delivers from all lack
The Lord delivers from loneliness and isolation - Ps 34:18
The Lord delivers from loneliness and isolation - Ps 34:18
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
The brokenhearted one…the one crushed in spirit
This is not referring to someone broken and devastated by life’s terrible loses.
This is referring to the humble, the meek, the lowly…One who has humbled themselves before God, who had recognized their sin before our Creator God, and who has been led to godly sorrow before Him and has repented, turned away from their sin.
This one…He saves…He delivers…from sin, yes…
He has promised in 1 John 1:9 to not only forgive, but to cleanse.
Phil 1:6 promises that He who began a good work in us, WILL complete it.
For the follower of Jesus, death is that final deliverance.
Death is the completion and fulfillment of this promise.
Florence has been delivered, once and for all.
But it is NOT JUST sin that he saves us from…
He saves us from walking and living ALONE.
What is so incredible in this is this…HE COMES NEAR.
He delivers us BY COMING NEAR
The Lord draws NEAR to those who are humble in spirit, broken over their sin, repentant.
And he saves/delivers….
In this life, little by little…and in the next life, completely!
The Lord delivers from all fears.
He delivers from shame.
He delivers from all our troubles.
He delivers from our enemy.
He delivers from all lack
He delivers from all loneliness and isolation
The Lord delivers from all condemnation - Ps 34:22
The Lord delivers from all condemnation - Ps 34:22
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Romans 8:1.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
He delivers from condemnation.
We will never face judgment for our sin, for it has been paid for, in full, by Jesus.
The Lord delivers from all fears.
He delivers from shame.
He delivers from all our troubles.
He delivers from our enemy.
He delivers from all lack
He delivers from all loneliness and isolation
He delivers from all condemnation
THUS,
He is worthy of all praise! Ps 34:1-3, 8
He is worthy of all praise! Ps 34:1-3, 8
And this Psalm is flooded with it!
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Every declaration of deliverance is an expression of praise.
Therefore, every LINE of this Psalm is a declaration of praise and worship!
There is no despair here…
There is only life, hope, joy, and peace!
The Lord delivers from all fears.
He delivers from shame.
He delivers from all our troubles.
He delivers from our enemy.
He delivers from all lack
He delivers from all loneliness and isolation
He delivers from all condemnation
He is worthy of all praise!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Do you see why today is a celebration?
Do you see why in our mourning and sorrow, we are ever yet joyful?
Because of Florence’s hope in Jesus,
Because of her repentance and faith
She is finally at home with our Lord and Savior, Her Creator and God, Her King and Abba, Father…at peace.
She has been delivered.
So to, will all of us be who have placed our hope in Him, who have repented and believed.
Today, if Florence could be here, she would plead with you who know Christ to live a life worthy of Him.
If you are here today and you have never confessed your sin, repenting of it, and trusted Christ to save you, making Him lord of your life, she would plead with you to make that decision now.
Literally, your eternity will be determined by whether you do or not.
Florence loved the Lord.
Her faith was in Him.
Because of this, she has been delivered.
And for this, HE receives all the glory and praise…right where she would want it to be.
Pray
