The Greatest Promise

Tina Poe

Born March 14, 1967 to Jerry and Donna (Henderson) Englehart. After her father Jerry passed away, Tina was raised in Kansas City, Kansas by her mother Donna and Step Father Sonny. Tina was one of 8 children, 6 sisters Teresa, Barbra, Debbie, Colean, Judy, and Paula and one brother her late brother Rick. Tina graduated from Wyandotte high school in 1985. She was married to Russel Poe the Love of her life. Feb. 14, 1998 and they had 4 children, two sons Mark Poe 39 and Dustin Englehart 29 who is joined by his wife Tiara and Tina's two daughters are Angie Rangel 42 joined by her husband Jason and Cassie Poe 31. Tina also has 9 grandchildren, Malina, Bill Bill, Dakota, Terry, Gracie, Elliot, Taybree who is on the way and her late grandsons Caleb and Zane. She was preceded in death by her father Jerry, mother Donna, Step Father Sonny, Her brother Rick, and her grandsons Caleb and Zane.

Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting Tina, but I have known her Daughter Angie and son in law Jason as well as her daughter Cassie for several years. When I was asked to prepare these notes, I asked, what is it that everyone should know about Tina?

The family told me, that there wasn’t a woman who loved her kids and grandkids more than she did, no matter if they were her blood or not. She was a family woman and a homebody. Tina had the same Job @ Russell Hampton Co. for 23 years until her health kept her from continuing. It was a job that she truly loved and enjoyed. Tina loved decorating and celebrating the holidays and giving gifts. Her favorite holiday being Christmas, she loved to spoil her kids and grandkids with Christmas gifts.

When I asked about a verse that encapsulated the life of Tina, I was given one of my favorite scriptures Its called the great promise!

John 14:1-4

The Greatest Promise

John 14:1–3 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

John 14:4 ESV

4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

1. This was the greatest promise ever made because …

I. Made by the Greatest Person Who Ever Lived

A. Jesus’ life determined the course of history

B. His life was totally unselfish—Phil. 2:5–8

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

C. His life Given as a ransom for the Sin of the world.

II. About the Greatest Place Ever Imagined

“In my Father’s house are many mansions”

A. Man’s greatest efforts are nothing in comparison

B. Description—Rev. 21:10–23

Revelation 21:9–23 ESV

9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

III. Its Purpose Is Our Eternal Comfort

A. Provides comfort now—“Let not your heart be troubled”

B. Provides comfort after death—“I go to prepare”

C. No more sorrow, pain, or death

IV. Rests on Greatest Proposition

“Believe in God … believe in me”

A. This proposition is called the “grace of God”

B. It is a promise to all who believe

V. Required Greatest of Preparation

Galatians 4:4: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son …”

A. “Fulness” refers to preparation on earth

B. Jesus had to live, die, rise from the dead, and ascend

VI. Holds Forth Greatest Prospect

“I will come again, and receive you”

A. Prospect for the living and the dead

B. Paul’s verification—1 Thess. 4:15–18

1 Thessalonians 4:15–18 ESV

15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

C. We have no reason to doubt—“If it were not so, I would have told you”

This Greatest of promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And when we read just a few more verses in John 14:5-7, Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus makes it clear that our only hope comes from making Jesus our Lord and savior. We all have sinned, we all fall short of the glory of God and we cannot save ourselves. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, it is only by the grace and mercy of the Lord. I know Tina would want you all to know, that Jesus is the only way. That if you are sitting here today and you haven’t made Jesus Lord and Savior, to turn to him and repent. Accept the promise of not only new life now but eternal life with him in the next.

Prayer

Call up family to speak!

Let us Pray!

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear sister here departed: we therefore commit her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.

Keiningham, C. W. (1981). Sermon Outlines for Funerals (p. 26). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.