Michael Armstrong Memorial

I’m going to sing in the middle of the storm

Up from the ashes hope will arise death is defeated the king is alive,

Paul writes these words to the believers in Thessalonica who were wrestling with their own questions about death.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

When read, what we might hear is “do not grieve” “have hope.” Which seems to say that believers in Christ, “should not grieve” but that is not what Paul is saying here at all. He is not saying that we shouldn’t have grief but that our grief as believers is different. It is a grief that, unlike the rest of mankind who do not know Jesus, is accompanied by hope-and Paul makes clear that we have this hope because Jesus died and rose again- and because He died and rose again we know that we will be resurrected with him when he returns.

So let yourselves experience all the parts of grief-

the numbness/denial that many of us are feeling in this moment

the anger

the rationalizing and trying to understand- wrestling with the if onlys

the depression and sadness

the development of normal will look like

This is a day that 4 months ago no one imagined would be here now. Even as I write this I can’t believe this is real and that is where I think a lot of us are. But let your grief be accompanied by the hope that comes from the resurrected Jesus.

In these moments we find ourselves looking for answers to the why questions. We want someone to make sense of this for us. We try to put words to a moment where all words fall short of offering any help in both answering our questions and in easing our pain. But there is a powerful ministry that happens in the presence of others. That is why we gather here today. To remember together the life of Michael Armstrong. To care for each other through the sharing of stories and the ministry of presence.

The Christian life is a life of transformation. In some the transformation is more radical, more observable but regardless to follow Christ is to be transformed by him. And that transformation involves death- death of the old self- we are called to put off a lot of things- there is giving up and laying down that is done. These are all words that describe what happens to us as we follow Christ. Out of death comes new life- and that new life is the life of Christ in us. I think Michael’s life gave testimony to the transformative work of Christ in the life of the believer.

One of the things I have found myself doing since Sunday is going back through the AMC video archives and watching the messages that Michael had brought over the last 6 years or so. There were two that I specifically remembered and I was able to go back and find them and they happen to be the two most recent messages that Michael brought.

The most recent message Michael brought at AMC was on February 23, 2025. It was titled After or After? And it was a look at David- a man who was described as being “after” God’s own heart. And in the message Michael looked at the two ways we use this word. In one way we say- “you take after”- like you take after your mother or father etc. In the same way do we take after God’s heart- do we emulate him? In another sense we use after as something we are seeking- something that we are chasing- we chase after. Are you after- seeking the heart of God. And there was a point in the message at the beginning that Michael made the comment- I’d love to be considered like David- a man after God’s heart. And I would have to say here today- I think he was.

But Michael also brought a message on October 31, 2021 titled “Breaking Walls, Killing Spiders, Building Identity.” An intriguing title. It was a message born out of what Michael himself called the lowest, most painful, most consequences time of his life. It involved honest introspection about who He was but it points more powerfully to the work of Jesus, his savior in his life. And as I have listened to this message again several times this week I felt that it might be most appropriate to allow Michael to preach his own message for us here this afternoon. Isn’t that really what we all hope for anyway. That when our life on this earth ends the life we have lived would preach its own message at the celebration of life service. What a message of transformation it was. So let me use mostly Michael’s own words here this afternoon to preach to you about the transformative power of Jesus.

The christian life is a life of transformation and it comes from relationship not just intellectual knowledge. Michael would say “knowledge was me relying on my own strength and cleaning cobwebs.” The spiders and the cobwebs become for us a visual representation of sin and effects on our lives. The spiders are the sins. The root problem. But too often we spend our time and live cleaning up cobwebs. We work hard to keep ourselves looking clean all the while the spider is still there, the root problem, the sin is still there, it hasn’t been dealt with. And what do spiders do when you take down their web? They build a new one. And so we are constantly cleaning cobwebs without ever killing the spider.

And so the transformation began at his lowest moment. A moment where Michael realized he couldn’t change himself- that he couldn’t kill the spiders on his own- in that moment God showed up. Not that he hadn’t always been there, not that God hadn’t tried to get his attention before but in that moment God moved from someone Michael knew intellectually in his head to someone he began to have a relationship with at a heart level.

This is the moment the words of God to Joshua and the Israelites became real to him. Deuteronomy 31:6–8 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.””

So much of the transformative work that God did in Michael’s life had to do with who he thought he was. His identity. The transformative work of Christ in Michael began to move him from an identity based on what he did- to who he was in Christ. That change in identity moved Michael away from using his talents, abilities and gifts for his own name to recognizing his talents, abilities and gifts as coming from God and using them for the glory of HIS name. It was no longer about making a name for himself but making a name for HIM.

Let me interject my own comment here- this is not to put accolades and praise on Michael Armstrong- he wouldn’t want that- but this is to put praise on God because of his transformative work in Michael’s life.

Michael says in that message- I came to the realization that “I am never going to be good enough” “I am always going to need HIM.” To which he responded “we have the most amazing Father.” We have the most amazing Father, that father comes in and does what we are incapable of doing for ourselves- he starts tearing down walls, he starts killing spiders and he starts building a new identity in him.

And then he asks these 4 questions- that I pose to us here this afternoon:

What walls have you placed in your life that you haven’t allowed the Father to destroy?

And I would go as far as to challenge you- I know this is painful- but don’t let this lead you to building walls

Are you cleaning cobwebs or have you allowed the Father to kill spiders?

Who is your identity?

Who saves you from you?

Michael knew he could never do enough, be enough- to save himself- and that where he found the Savior. Fortunately there is a Savior.

Which brings me to the close. I would like to close with the words and images of Revelation 5 “Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Paul says- do not grieve like the rest of mankind- instead grieve with the hope that comes from the resurrected Jesus- the lamb that was slain- the only one worthy to open the scroll- the only one able to save you and save me. Michael knew his Savior personally- he recieved the new life that Christ gave him and now he is experiencing fully what we only imagine. He is there around the throne- and we join with him here on earth declaring - “worthy is the lamb...to him be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever. And everyone said Amen!

CLOSING:

Psalm 73:23–28 “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

OR

Psalm 16:5–11 “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”