Service for MJ

Outwardly Wasting, Inwardly Renewed

Welcome

Prayer

Song what a friend we have in Jesus

Obit

Psalm 23 LSB

A Psalm of David. Yahweh is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will pursue me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever.

Song make it well

Sermon Song

Title: Outwardly Wasting, Inwardly Renewed Main text: 2 Corinthians 4:16–5:1

Closing: 2 Timothy 4:7–8

Introduction

picture of her in her active years:

Marva Jean always loved her friends and family well.

You were constantly on her mind and she spoke fondly of you.

Nearly every visit she had more stories to tell

When my family first moved here, Marva Jean was a fixture at Craft Baptist Church. She was here every time the doors opened and had been for many years.

She played a vital role in the life of this church for many years.

AST ladies SS teacher

Part of a group who handled meal preparation with matching aprons

Sadly, in the last few years we have seen her slow down, and her health fail.

Though she could no longer attend, she remained active:

She still was a prayer warrior to the very end.

To her family, she prayed for you. She spoke fondly of you and shared concerns with me to join with her in prayer.

To her neighbors:

She prayed for you and thought about you often as well.

To Craft Baptist Church, she prayed for you to!

Not long ago, she told me she used pray for our “little church” but in recent months we had seen growth so she had dropped the word little from her prayers.

And when she was asked to pray, she followed up. She asked how things went the next time she saw you

This passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth comes to mind at times like this.

2 Corinthians 4:16–5:1 LSB

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

I. The outer self was wasting away (4:16a)

2 Corinthians 4:16 LSB

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

Paul doesn't deny decline.

Aging and illness are real, and grief is appropriate.

Paul reminds us that our flesh is failing.

Sadly, that is the state of life here under the sun.

We each have our share of illness and troubles.

MJ’s last season was not a failure of faith.

Some would teach it as such. The reasoning goes that we will be healthy, wealthy, and wise if we only have faith. Sadly, they add burdens and pressure to those who are ill.

This season is the common path of both saints and the unsaved in a fallen world.

Our flesh is weak

It is susceptible to illness and injury

It grows tired and starts to fail.

As the flesh weakens, it add more weight on family and caregivers.

You have experienced this with Marva Jean you have served her well by providing loving support

II. The inner self was being renewed day by day (4:16b)

2 Corinthians 4:16 LSB

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

However, Paul includes a wonderful promise here.

Her decline wasn't only loss.

God was still at work in her and is at work in us.

In fact, our “inward man”, our true selves are being renewed day by day.

These bodies are merely tents we inhabit on Earth.

Our true selves are spirit and outlive our flesh.

:

Though the flesh grew weak, Marva Jean’s spirit was being renewed.

Yes, she faced the decline and had the full range of emotions all humans do, but on the other side of all of that, was a faith that continued.

As the end neared, we prayed for peace. We prayed for God’s sustaining grace to carry through the final stage of her journey on Earth.

Her service didn't stop when her activity stopped. It changed form.

One of her last ministries for us was folding the bulletins. (And if something happened to keep the bulletins from coming to her for folding, she would joke with me about fearing she had been fired from her job!)

She set a great example of holding onto faith regardless of circumstances and doing what she could.

III. The affliction was light compared to the glory (4:17–18)

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 LSB

For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Paul reframes the wasting of the outward man:

"Light" and "momentary" are measured against eternity, not against our feelings.

Compared to eternity, our whole lifetimes are but a brief moment.

The portion of it at the end, even shorter.

The seen is temporary: the hospital bed, the frailty.

The unseen is eternal.

What we see today is not the final word about Marva Jean.

In fact, she isn’t here, she is more alive now that she has ever been.

IV. A tent folded, a house waiting (5:1).

2 Corinthians 5:1 LSB

For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Paul speaks of our forever home!

The body is a tent, a temporary dwelling.

Hers was taken down on Monday

When we go camping, we live in a tent for a few days, then we pack it up and go home.

Paul uses that same illustration here

We lay aside the flesh (which is torn down) and go home to be with the Lord

She has a building from God, eternal and not made with hands.

The gospel turn:

This hope rests on Christ's death and resurrection, not on her goodness.

One of my fondest memories of Marva Jean involves this very thing. She shared the gospel with her family and any who would enter her home.

She made sure you knew the simple truth:

Jesus, God in the flesh came to Earth and walked among us to reconcile us to God..

See, the reason our flesh fades away is because as a species, we are born sinners.

Death entered the world because Adam and Eve broke the one an only rule God gave them.

All of us, follow in their footsteps and do the same.

This made us out of step with God, condemned by our own rebellion.

BUT, God wants to be reconciled to us.

2 Corinthians 5:18–21 LSB

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. So then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Faith in the atoning work of Jesus is all that can secure a heavenly home for us.

Conclusion:

Marva Jean finished her course(2 Timothy 4:7–8)

2 Timothy 4:7–8 LSB

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

The crown is promised to all who love His appearing, not only to her.

Let us all follow her example and run our own race with the same faith.

Pray

goodness of God

Graveside

1 Corinthians 15:42–56 LSB

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a corruptible body, it is raised an incorruptible body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the corruptible inherit the incorruptible. Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible must put on the incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this corruptible puts on the incorruptible, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the word that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 LSB

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.