Funeral Message - Ms. Evelyn Parker

Obituary

Evelyn G. Parker, age 88, of Mobile, Alabama passed away on Monday April 13, 2020. Evelyn was born October 13, 1931 in Evergreen, Alabama.

She is survived by two daughters Donna Knapp (Mike Knapp) and Ellen Faulk (Jerry Faulk). A sister Nell Slauson, and a brother Ralph Gaddy (Wanda Gaddy). Three grandchildren Jason Knapp (Jenny Knapp), Stacie Salvo (Armando Salvo) and Robert Faulk (Bethany Faulk). She is also survived by two great grandchildren Jacob Knapp and Kayden Knapp.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:8 ESV

8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Prayer

Father, only You can provide us courage in the face of death. Only You have given Your Son to taste death on our behalf, to defeat death on the cross, and to rise from the dead so that through faith in Him, we need no longer fear death. We need no longer fear it for ourselves or for our loved ones, one like Ms. Evelyn, who has fallen asleep in the Lord. Your Word tells us, Father, that though she is not with us, she is with You, and that is where she prefers to be. It is where, if we understood the glory, beauty, and love that Ms. Evelyn now understands, we all would prefer to be. As it is… we are here… at this graveside… mourning… grieving… hurting… but You will see us through, Father, until one day we too are absent from the body and at home with the Lord.

Now, Father, as we think upon Your Word and think upon the life our sister, Evelyn, let us be comforted by truth.

It’s in the Name of Jesus that we pray—Amen.

Sermon

After I received the news that Ms. Evelyn had passed, I began to make sure the members of our church knew. Everyone I informed all said that same thing, “Oh, she was such a nice lady; just so sweet.”

One particular person said, “Well, I know where she is. There’s no doubt that she’s in Heaven. She was such a good person.”

Ms. Evelyn was a good person. Everyone of you in her family can testify to that. Many more friends, neighbors, and fellow church members could testify to that.

Donna was telling me how she was very active in church in her younger years, teaching Sunday School, helping to lead the Women’s Missionary Union, serving on various committees, and all of that before she started working at a hospital—a job all about helping people.

Ellen was telling me how even near the end, she was still smiling and playful. She never had a frown on when I saw her. And even in the nursing home, she would sneak up on the office staff to startle them and then laugh about it.

She was happy.

She was a good person.

But there was something that bothered me about what that one particular person said, “Well, I know where she is. There’s no doubt that she’s in Heaven. She was such a good person.”

As I’ve said, Ms. Evelyn was a good person, but being a good person is not what secured Ms. Evelyn’s place in Heaven.

It was the goodness of Jesus that did that.

In Mark 10 a rich young ruler comes up to Jesus and says, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 17)

It’s a good question. It’s a question about how to get to Heaven. What must I do to go to Heaven?

But Jesus doesn’t immediately focus on the question. He focuses on the fact that the rich young ruler has called Him good. Jesus responds, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone,” (v. 18).

Jesus is not denying that He is good.

He is actually claiming that He is God.

In effect, He says to the rich young ruler, “If you call Me good, you ought to call Me God.”

Then Jesus’ focuses on the question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus responds in Mark 10:19...

Mark 10:19 NASB95

19 “You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ”

There are two parts to the Law—the relationship with God part and the relationship with man part. Jesus pointed the rich young ruler to the relationship with man part, and with amazing pride the young man says, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up,” (v. 20).

In another place Jesus said that if we have anger in our hearts, we are guilty of murder; if we have lust in our hearts, we are guilty of adultery, but passing over the fact that there is no way that this rich young ruler had really “kept all these things from (his) youth”, Jesus then pointed him to the relationship with God part of the Law, and He did it by pointing to Himself.

Jesus said, “One thing you lack; go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me,” (v. 21).

Mark 10:22 records the young ruler’s response...

Mark 10:22 ESV

22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

He was unwilling to give up his property, his possessions, his wealth, his riches in order to follow Jesus. Why?

Note that it wasn’t because he was a bad man. No, he said, and Jesus didn’t disagree, that he had kept the relationship with man commandments. He didn’t keep them all from his youth, but he would have considered himself a good man, and it seems that most in the community would’ve said the same.

No, he didn’t give up his wealth and follow Jesus because He didn’t believe that Jesus was worth following! He didn’t believe that Jesus was good enough to give it all up for! He didn’t believe that Jesus was God!

The rich young ruler may have been a good man, but only the divine goodness of Jesus saves.

It’s easy to call Him good.

It’s another thing to prove it with the way we live our lives.

The ones that do that believe that Jesus is good.

They believe that He is God.

And they will give up anything that stands in the way of following Him.

I do believe that was Ms. Evelyn.

At funerals you sometimes hear preachers like me say, “If so-and-so were hear, they would say to you...”

That always reminds me of the story about another rich man and a beggar named, Lazarus.

The poor beggar, Lazarus, died and went to Abraham’s bosom, a place of peace and rest before Jesus opened the way to Heaven.

The rich man, however, died and went to Hades, a place of torment.

At one point, the rich man cried out to Abraham, “…I beg you, father, that you send (Lazarus) to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment,” (Lk. 16:27-28).

But Abraham responds, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.”

In other words, they didn’t need to hear from Lazarus in Heaven when they had already heard the Word of God in the Law and the Prophets.

In the same way, we don’t need to hear from Ms. Evelyn in Heaven when we’ve already heard from the Word of God.

Jesus is God.

He is good.

We ought to give up anything that stands in the way of following Him.

When Jesus’ own disciples ask Him about His conversation with the rich young ruler, Jesus said...

Mark 10:29–30 NASB95

29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

Trusting and following Jesus is not an easy way, but it is blessed. It is the way of sacrifice, but it is also the way of gain.

We sacrifice anything that stands in the way of following Jesus, but we gain the family of God.

We sacrifice self, but we gain eternal life.

The days of sacrifice are over for Ms. Evelyn now.

She who gained the family of God long ago, has now gained eternal life.

All because Jesus is God.

And He is good.

Don’t let anything stand in the way of following Him.

Benediction

Ephesians 3:20–21 NASB95

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Jesus who is very God of very God; who is good; who saves us from Your wrath on account of our sins, and who welcomes us into Your family as your children and He our older Brother. We know that the testimony of Heaven—even the testimony of Ms. Evelyn—would be that Jesus is worth the sacrifice; that He is worth following, but Father in Your grace You have given us that testimony in Your Word. We have heard that testimony, and I pray You give us eyes to see and hears to hear.

Bring comfort to this family, Father. Bring sweet peace and deep joy in the days ahead. May they smile when they think of Ms. Evelyn and praise You when they think of all Your goodness toward her in Christ Jesus.

We pray in His Name, Father—Amen.