I Can't Come Down

Funeral Sermon for Brother Jimmy L. M

Scripture Text: Nehemiah 6:3

“I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down.”

Church, if you don’t mind, I want to talk to you today from the subject: “He Stayed on the Wall.”

Yes, he did.

Brother Jimmy M was a man who did not come down. He didn’t come down when it got hard. He didn’t come down when life pressed in. He didn’t come down when he was tired. He kept building. He kept serving. He kept loving. He kept showing up.

And now… he has entered into his rest. But oh, before he sat down at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob… he worked. Lord knows, he worked.

So we came here today not just to mourn—though our tears are real, and our sorrow deep—we also came here to give thanks. To lift up a life well-lived. To honor a man who walked with dignity, served with integrity, and loved with a strength that only comes from above.

1. He Was a Man of Conviction: Like Nehemiah, He Had a Burden

You see, in the first chapter of Nehemiah, we find a man who is serving as cupbearer to the king. He’s got access. He’s got position. He’s got comfort. But when he hears that the walls of Jerusalem are broken down and the gates are burned with fire, the Bible says he sat down and wept.

Some things will touch your soul so deeply that you just have to stop and cry.

Nehemiah cried, but he didn’t stop there. He fasted. He prayed. And then—he got up.

And y’all, that sounds like Jimmy M to me.

See, Jimmy didn’t just shake his head at the brokenness around him. He didn’t just scroll past it. He didn’t just say, “That’s a shame,” and go on about his business. No, Jimmy saw injustice, and he got involved.

When they tried to marginalize the poor—Jimmy said, “I can’t come down.”

When the city was too slow to act—Jimmy said, “I’m doing a great work, and I cannot come down.”

He joined with CLOUT—not just as a member, but as a servant leader—a man who knew that justice wasn’t a theory, it was a calling. He sat at tables where others were silent, and he asked the hard questions.

He carried a burden. But listen now—he didn’t carry it with bitterness. He carried it with hope. He believed, like Nehemiah believed, that the walls could be rebuilt. That justice could rise from the ashes. That God could do something new right here in the city of Louisville.

And that’s the kind of faith that changes things.

2. He Was a Man of the Word: A Student of Scripture

Now let me tell you something about Brother Jimmy and the Word of God.

This wasn’t a man who came to Bible study just to pass the time. No, sir. This man came ready. He came with his Bible in hand, his mind alert, and his heart open.

And oh, the questions he would ask.

I remember being in study with him, and you'd think, "Well, we’re just going to go through the passage and call it a night.” Not with Jimmy there. He would lean forward, furrow that brow, and ask a question that would stop you in your tracks. Something like:

“Pastor, what does that word really mean in the Greek?”

“Now, I hear what you’re saying, but how do we live that out in this world?”

Whew! You had to bring your A-game with Brother Mills in the room!

But it wasn’t for show. No, he didn’t ask to impress. He asked because he was hungry. Hungry for righteousness. Hungry for truth. Hungry for a deeper walk with the Lord.

And church, let me say this plainly: you don’t get that kind of hunger from just reading the Book. You get that from walking with the Author.

Jimmy walked with God.

And when you walk with God, you start to carry yourself different. You speak with wisdom. You treat people with kindness. You hold your tongue when the moment calls for grace. And every now and then, you even crack a joke, because you know laughter is holy, too.

Yes—Jimmy could tease you with love. He had that kind of wit that could make you laugh and make you think all in the same breath. It was never cruel. Always kind. And always filled with affection.

That’s a fruit of the Spirit, beloved. Joy. Gentle joy.

3. He Was a Builder: Of Family, Friendship, and Faith

Let me slow down here and talk to the heart of this man—because behind the meetings and the movements and the mission was a man of family.

Jimmy M was a faithful father. A loving grandfather. A loyal friend.