Precious Servant

Psalm 116: 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.

16 O LORD, truly I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your maidservant [c] ;

you have freed me from my chains

What does it mean to be a true servant of God?

We can learn from Larry’s Example

The scripture references for the main point of this message come from highlighted sections in Larry’s Bible.

1. Larry was truly concerned about others

a. James 1:27- Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress

b. His work with the Youth

c. His Deacon Ministry of Visitation

d. He was a trusted Counselor

e. Generous

2. Larry was faithful in love

a. Ephesians 5: 25- Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

b. He love his wife, daughters and grandkids

3. Larry was humble in his Spirit

a. Acts 20:24 - 24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

4. Larry was Patient in Suffering

a. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7- Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

b. In his year of sickness he was patient

5. Larry sought to live in the example of Christ

a. James 4:14-17 - Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

6. Larry knew the love of Christ

a. Romans 8:35-39- Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[a] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

7. Larry desired to be a faithful witness

a. Matthew 28:19-20

b. He was a bold witness

c. Share the Message of Christ

Larry wanted you to know Christ.

How will you respond?