Frank Maher Celebration of Life

Introduction

About Frank

Love for Family

He and Marilyn told each other “Happy Anniversary” every day.

Love for Friends

Love for Neighbors

Love for Jesus (Most Important)

What difference does Jesus make in a person’s life?

We may think of things like religious, moral, gives guidance, etc. These things can mean different things to different people, but the difference that Jesus makes in someone’s life is much deeper and much greater than these things. What difference does Jesus make in Frank’s life?

Marilyn a few days ago shared with me one of Frank’s most favorite passages and also some verses that Frank had written down and kept close. I believe these passages are revealing about Frank and the difference that Jesus was making in His life. I want to share these verses with you.

1) Jesus Changes our Eternal Destination!

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible for a reason. It speaks to the one of the greatest changes Jesus brings to our lives…from temporal to eternal!

John 3:16–18 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The very real danger every person with a conscience faces is that we choose to reject God’s perfect standard for our lives and live our own way.

When this happens, we fall short of God’s glory and we place ourselves in defiance and opposition to God’s perfection.

As a result, we are all guilty and doomed to eternally perish if there is no intervention for us.

By God’s own mercy and grace, Jesus is that intervention!

Out of God’s own love for us, He sent His only begotten…His only coequal, coeternal, expression of Himself into this world for our sakes.

Jesus lived a perfect life and died for our sin and defiance so that the debt we owed was settled through Him.

Is it any wonder, why this would be Frank’s favorite verse?

The richness of the meaning and hope creates such an awe upon a person’s life that changes not only our eternal destination but it changes us a person altogether.

2) Jesus Gives Us an Eternal Disposition!

1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

He has written “HE IS RISEN!”

Before Jesus, eternal things seem like foolishness.

Our focus is all on the temporal. It’s the things in this world that matter the most to us and that we will devote our lives to.

The things in this world can be nice, but they are temporary and often fleeting.

The things of this world satisfy for a moment, but ultimately leave us discontent in the long run.

When we come to know Jesus, it’s not just a religious or moral preference.

In Jesus we find the truth and life.

In Jesus we find what our hearts have ultimately desired but this world could never give.

In Jesus we find the power of God upon our lives, freeing us from sin and selfishness to truly live!

In Jesus and His work on the cross we find our purpose and our passion.

When I think about Frank these last several years, being the pastor at Pawhuska First, I think of man who had his heart and his mind set on eternal things.

It was evident in Frank’s life by how he loved Jesus through how he loved people, how he loved to serve others, how he loved to serve his church.

Because Frank knew Jesus, he didn’t just have his eternal destination changed, he also had his mindset and perspective changed by having an eternal disposition.

3) Jesus Gives Us an Eternal Directive!

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Without Jesus this life has little to no eternal significance, but with Jesus, everything is different.

All of life has meaning and purpose.

Without Jesus, our lives are aimless, but with Jesus we have an eternal purpose and an eternal mission.

This passage that God led Frank to write down and look at regularly gives us some profound and life-changing truths!

In Jesus, we are God’s “beloved children”.

Through Jesus, God becomes our heavenly father and we want to be like Him!

In Christ, we walk in our Heavenly Father’s shoes and walk in love, just like Jesus loved us: sacrificially.

The difference Jesus makes in our lives is that He changes everything for our good and for His pleasure and purpose.

Colossians 3:23–24 ESV

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

When I think about Frank Maher, he loved, worked, and served in a way that displayed the kindness and love of Christ.

CLOSING

Frank was more than just a genuinely nice guy…He was a righteous man that glorified God through how he lived this life.

We know that because Jesus Changes our Eternal Destination, that we haven’t lost Frank…We know right where he is…He is present with the Lord, glorifying God through Jesus who is our righteousness.

I began this message, asking “What difference does Jesus make a person’s life?” I want to now ask, “What difference does Jesus make in your life?”

Has Jesus changed your eternal destination? Has He given you an eternal disposition? Have you received from Him your eternal directive?

If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, what’s keeping you from trusting Him with your life and placing your faith in Him today?

At the close of the service, myself and Bro. Mark will be available. If you need to place your faith in Jesus and trust Him with your life, please let us know. We would love to help you making that commitment to Jesus today!