Eugene Ressegiue Funeral

Good afternoon. On behalf of the family, I would like to express our gratitude for your presence today as we commemorate the life of Mr. Eugene Resseigue.

Each person here today has been touched in some way by Gene’s life. On behalf of the family, thank you for being here to support them.  Your love, prayers, and presence are greatly appreciated.

My name is Cameron Wagner, and I am one of the pastors at Richland Creek Community Church, where Brian, Nani, and Jessie are members.

On behalf of the pastors and staff of Richland Creek, we are deeply sorry for your loss. We have been praying for you all and will continue to do so.

I had the joy of meeting with some of the family this past week as we discussed memories of Gene. I visited with Gene briefly months ago in the Emergency Room at WakeMed. I prayed with him, reminding him that God loved him and was with him in the midst of his health struggles.

There isn’t much more I can add to what has already been shared today about Gene, but the family provided me with a few special statements that I would like to share.

Ms. Bobbie said what she loved about Gene was how important his children were to him. He was a hard worker who sought to do whatever was needed to care for his family.

Gene was a benevolent, selfless person who sought ways to care for people in tangible ways. I heard he was also quite the cut-up, the jokester, and had many hilarious “Geneisms.”

The best compliment I heard about Gene was that his faith in God was a faith displayed through his daily actions before family and friends.

Today, as we reflect on Gene’s life, we can find hope and encouragement in God’s Word.

As we gather here today, we are reminded of how temporary life is. We gather knowing that death is an inescapable reality for all of us. We see that life is precious and that we are not promised tomorrow.

In moments like these, when tragedy strikes, and we lose someone we deeply love, someone who meant so much to each of us, there are often questions of why this happened and even possibly regret.

Maybe you're here today, struggling to figure out how to make sense of all of this. Perhaps you're angry, hurt, discouraged, numb, hopeless, and wishing you had more time with Gene.

It is healthy for you to mourn Gene’s death and normal for you to feel a flurry of emotions. The Bible shows us that God created every human being with feelings and that loss is a normative part of life.

In time, the pain of grief will indeed pass, but the joy of each memory with Gene will remain and take root deep within our hearts, minds, and souls.

I know that if Gene were here with us today, he would want us to look to the Lord Jesus for the hope he held onto, even in his final days.

Last week, I met with the family and heard an amazing story of how Gene spent his final day with loved ones, focusing on the God who saved him and whom he would soon meet face-to-face.

Bobbie shared the details with me of how he came home from the hospital, and on Easter Sunday, he was surrounded by his family, who loved him deeply and who Gene cared for so much.

During their time together, they read the Scriptures, prayed, and worshipped the Lord. Gene had the opportunity to spend time expressing his love for his bride, children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren. I also learned that Gene's final meal was when the family took communion together.

I can’t think of a better way to spend my final hours on this earth than with family, worshiping the Lord together and celebrating the Resurrection.

Reflecting on why we celebrate Easter, we must consider what makes Easter Sunday good by looking to the Old Rugged Cross mentioned earlier.

The accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry are documented in the four gospels of the New Testament. They convey his teachings, miracles, and his selfless sacrifice on the cross for us.

This past Easter weekend, we reflected on Jesus’ life, culminating in his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The passage follows Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and trial, during which he was mocked and brutally beaten. Under crowd pressure, Pilate delivered Jesus to be put to death, despite finding no fault in Him.

We pick up this story as Jesus is being led to the place of His crucifixion...a place called Calvary.  There Jesus would die a brutal and agonizing death.  The Romans were masters at delivering death and the cross was their instrument of choice.

Read Luke 23:32-46

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.”

As we reflect on this historical account of Jesus’ final moments, it is right for us to ask: Why? Why did Jesus die?

I believe the answer can be found by examining Jesus' interaction with the two criminals who were being crucified with him.

One of these men mocked Jesus with, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.” This criminal did not recognize Jesus' true nature or mission. He overlooked that Christ was innocent, having faced temptation yet remaining sinless, pure, spotless, and perfect.

Jesus is the Son of God, the Incarnation – God with us.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Jesus is the God-man, the image of the invisible God.

The irony is that Jesus, being God, could have called upon a legion of angels to take out the soldiers and the mocking crowd. But instead, He willingly laid down His life. It was not taken from Him. Jesus, as a demonstration of God’s love, purposely went to the cross as the perfect spotless sacrifice.

This criminal failed to recognize Jesus and his dire circumstances. He couldn't see the eternal judgment approaching as he was about to meet his Maker and account for his life.

Hebrews 9:27 tells us that, “It is appointed for man to die once and then face judgement.”

This means that each of us here today have an appointed date on the calendar of life that we cannot change. It has been preordained by God. When we breath our last on this earth, we will have to stand before our Creator.

This matters because Romans 3:23 points out that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Sin is failing to live up to God’s standard, missing the mark. In my life, I’ve messed up many times, broken God’s law, and disobeyed His Word, leaving me guilty according to His standard.

All of us stand guilty before God because of our sin, and the Bible says that what we rightly deserve because of our sin is separation from God.

We deserve His wrath and His punishment. Romans 6:23 tells us we deserve death. We deserve not just physical death but also eternal separation from God because of our sinful choices.

The first criminal failed to see that he stood not just under a guilty verdict by the Romans.  He was guilty of sin against a holy God.  He would die in his sin and know for eternity the wrath of God.

But not the second criminal. He knew he was on the cross as a guilty man and acknowledged his sin. He understood what he deserved and feared God.

He recognized Christ for who He was and noted that Jesus had done nothing wrong—Jesus was blameless, unlike these criminals… unlike us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus came with a purpose. That purpose answers the question, “Why did he have to die?”

Hebrews 9:15 tells us, “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

His sacrificial death on the cross in our place was the payment for our sins – past, present, and future. Jesus in his death makes atonement for our sin, thus satisfying the wrath of God for us.

This second criminal acknowledges that Jesus is Lord and that Jesus’ sacrifice was exactly what he needed...“Lord remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus is the God-man – He is our Lord. 

While others mocked Christ, telling Him to save himself, this criminal recognized His power and His rightful place.

Grace came through Jesus’ sacrifice– the Perfect paid for the imperfect’s sin.

This is also true for us today.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says that, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works so that no one can boast.”

The only means of our salvation is by grace through faith in Christ.  It is not gained by our good works.

John 3:16 highlights this further – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.”

Whoever believes in Christ has everlasting life...

This criminal would see paradise that day with His Lord. 

2 Cor. 5:8 reminds us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

The story doesn’t end with Jesus’s death on a cross. He died for our sins and was buried – this is a fact. But Easter Sunday is a celebration because Jesus rose from the grave in a glorious resurrection.

The tomb is still empty today...Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father. While Christ’s death makes payment for our sin, Christ’s resurrection ushers in victory over death, sin, hell, and the grave.

Speaking of the resurrection…

1 Corinthians 15:54b-58 “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting?  O grave, where is your victory?”  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

For those who are in Christ, the sting, the pain, the grief of death is swallowed up and overshadowed by the victory we have through the power and promise of Christ’s resurrection.

We comfort each other today – even in the midst of such loss – with the hope we have in Christ...2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation that way be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

If Gene could have a final word with us today, he would share these truths about Jesus.  He would want you to know God’s grace and mercy found in Jesus Christ. This is a message of hope for each of us.

I want to challenge you today to see yourself in this story from Luke’s gospel.

You are the one who Jesus died for. Yet you are also the criminal who stands guilty under God’s righteous judgement.

May we not be like the criminal who mocked Jesus, and rejected Him. Instead, may we be like the criminal who acknowledges he stands guilty and is in need of the salvation that Jesus alone can give.

Will you by faith today acknowledge and believe upon Christ?  Imagine these words being said to you by the living God – Today you will be with me in paradise. Jesus offers the same promise to you today.

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is nothing you or I could do to earn salvation; it’s a free gift. But we must confess, repent, and believe upon the Lord Jesus to receive it.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "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. For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

Today, I can promise that if you have not placed your faith in Christ, you can trust Romans 10:13: "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, will be saved."

Perhaps you’re seeking comfort in your grief and sorrow; allow me to encourage you to look no further than the Lord Jesus Christ.

The World, your own flesh, and the Devil want you to look everywhere else but Jesus to fill the void you have right now. I can promise you, from personal experience and from walking this road with other people over the last 13 years, that none of those things will ever satisfy you.

Jesus invites you to come to him today and let him be the much-needed balm for your aching soul.

Hear His invitation in Matthew 11:28-30.

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Would you come to the Lord Jesus today? Would you come in total surrender, understanding that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior?

Jesus waits for you today with open arms. You don't have to clean yourself up to come to him. He is ready and willing to comfort you in your time of sorrow.

For those who place their faith in the finished work of Christ, death is merely an event. The best is yet to come. A day will arrive when all the effects of sin will be no more, and God will restore all that sin has tarnished. Those who have trusted Christ will dwell with God forever.

Revelation 21:3-4 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

I am so grateful to be able to stand here today and tell you that Gene embraced the Lord Jesus.

Gene accepted the free gift of salvation offered by the man on the middle cross, the God-man Jesus Christ.

His family shared with me just the other day that there is no doubt that Gene is now with his Creator. Gene’s faith was in Jesus alone and not himself; his faith is now sight.

He would want you to know that Jesus loves you, he stands ready to receive you and to cleanse you of any and all unrighteousness.

Family and Friends, in Jesus alone is where we find real lasting comfort- a comfort that is a true balm to the aching soul.

If you are here today and have not yet put your faith in Jesus, I can think of no greater way to honor Gene’s legacy than to come to the Lord Jesus and surrender your life to Him, allowing Him to cleanse you and forgive you of all your sins. Happy to talk with you more after the service, or I know that Brian, Nani and Jessie would be happy to speak more with you about trusting Jesus.

Transition to I Can Only Imagine