TORRES MEMORIAL

WELCOME

MY NAME IS HECTOR MORA

I AM THE PASTOR AT VISION LONG BEACH, WHERE MY DEAR FRIENDS, THE TORRES FAMILY ATTENDS

I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE PRIVILEGE TO SHARE SOME WORDS FOR US TO CONSIDER TOGETHER

John 11:1–44 NKJV

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” 12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.” 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” 37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

LET’S PRAY

THIS STORY SPEAKS TO SO MANY SITUATIONS

We have a dear brother, father, grandpa, uncle, son who was sick

A man who had served his country

A man who had raised his boys and cared for his wife

A man who had his flaws, but who later in life had his flaws rectified by His Savior.

We, as his family, would have come to Jesus with the same petition:

“Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick”

To which Jesus would say

“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the son of God may be glorified through it”

THE REALITY OF THIS TEXT IS THIS:

THAT THOUGH JESUS HAS, IS, AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE GLORIFIED THROUGH MR. TORRES’ LEGACY. IT STILL HURTS.

FOR THE ONE WHO BELIEVES, THIS HURT, THIS PAIN, THIS SORROW, IS NOT LEFT UNDEALT WITH.

IT IS NOT AS IF THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE

WHO CREATED MR. TORRES

WHO DREW HIM UNTO HIMSELF

WHO CALLED HIM HOME

IS JUST GOING TO SIT THERE AND LEAVE US ORPHANS TO A PAIN THAT CAN BE OVERWHELMING

ITS NOT LIKE OUR GOD IS SILENT

ITS NOT LIKE OUR GOD HAS FLED THE SCENE

IN FACT, WE CAN TRUST ONE THING

FOR THE ONE WHOSE MIND IS SET ON HIM,

THAT THE GOD WHO CALLED MR. TORRES HOME

RECIPROCATED THAT ACTION WITH A COMFORT THAT ONLY HE CAN PROVIDE.

JESUS, AS HE PREACHED TO PEOPLE WHO DID NOT KNOW HIM YET

SAID THIS

Matthew 5:4 NKJV

4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

MATTHEW 5:

IT IS LIKE THIS:

AS MR. TORRES’ PRESENCE FLOODS HEAVEN

THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN ITSELF FLOODS OUR LIVES HERE ON EARTH

AS MR. TORRES ENTERS INTO GOD’S PRESENCE

GOD’S PRESENCE COMES INTO OUR LIVES

THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, IS THE ONLY GOD, WHO STEPS INTO THE HARDSHIPS OF LIFE

THOUGH WE MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THE “WHY”

THOUGH THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE LEAVES US HURTING

THOUGH SIN CAN EFFECT US SPIRITUALLY AND PHYSICALLY

IT DOESN’T CRIPPLE THE ABILITY OF THE LORD

IT ACTUALLY ACTIVATES HIS CHARACTERISTICS AND HIS IDENTITY

IT BRINGS TO LIFE ALL OF HIS PROMISES

IT BRINGS COMFORT TO THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING

IT ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE A SIDE OF GOD THAT ONLY THE HURTING CAN EXPERIENCE

AND THAT IS THE COMFORT OF HIS PRESENCE.

IN TALKING WITH RENE, HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF HIS FATHER

RENE HAS SAID THINGS LIKE THIS:

HOW YOU REACT TO IT CAN CHANGE YOU FOREVER

“HE HAS MOVED TO A NEW ADDRESS”

1 Corinthians 2:13–14 NKJV

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

“HE HAS MOVED INTO THE MANSION THAT THE LORD HAS PREPARED”

“I WONDER IF THERE IS A POST OFFICE IN HEAVEN” HIS DAD WORKED FAITHFULLY AT THE USPS

ISAAC, RENE’S SON SAID THIS:

“IT IS HARD LOSING A LOVED ONE, BUT KNOWING THEY’RE IN HEAVEN WHERE THERE IS NO PAIN AND SUFFERING, REALLY EASES THE PAIN”

I’M SURE THERE IS MORE THAT HAS BEEN SAID

I MENTION THESE, BECAUSE IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE CONFIDENCE THAT IS FOUND WHEN MEN TRUST THE LORD

OUR STATEMENTS REGARDING HEAVEN ARE UNSHAKEN WHEN WE BELIEVE IN FAITH

WE CAN REST ASSURED THAT OUR FAITH IS NOT IN VAIN

BUT IN HIM WHO STRENGTHENS THE FOUNDATION WHEN THE STORM COMES.

MOST OF US ARE LIKE MARTHA, COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DEATH OF LAZARUS

WE ASK “WHY SO SOON LORD?”

“WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH?’

“IF YOU HAD COME INTO HIS LIFE SOONER, MAYBE HE WOULD HAVE LIVED LONGER”

THIS COULD LEAVE US DEFEATED

THIS COULD SUCK EVERY OUNCE OF FAITH FROM OUR LIVES

IN THIS MOMENT, JESUS WOULD SAY TO US:

“YOUR BROTHER WILL RISE AGAIN”

WE, LIKE MARTHA, WOULD LEAN INTO OUR THEOLOGY AND RESPOND:

“I KNOW THAT HE WILL RISE AGAIN IN THE RESURRECTION AT THE LAST DAY”

JESUS STOPS HER IN HER TRACKS:

“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME, THOUGH HE MAY DIE, HE SHALL LIVE.

AND WHOEVER LIVES AND BELIEVES IN ME, SHALL NEVER DIE.

DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?

SEE FOR THOSE OF US WHO BELIEVE, DEATH ISN’T THE END BUT THE BEGINNING

MR. TORRES BELIEVED IN CHRIST, THOUGH HE HAS PASSED, HE IS ALIVE FOREVER MORE

BUT WHAT ABOUT US, WHO ARE ALIVE TODAY

DO WE BELIEVE?

CAN WE SAY YES AND AMEN TO WHAT PAUL MENTIONED IN

1 Corinthians 15:50–57 NKJV

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 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 shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.