Song – How Great Thou Art
“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 when 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. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. John 14.1-6
1. The Funeral is a universal custom. It is our attempt to:
a. Remember
b. Honor
c. Offer Comfort
d. Prepare
On his eightieth birthday, John Quincy Adams was walking slowly along a Boston street. A friend asked him "How is John Quincy Adams today?"
The former president replied graciously,
"Thank you, John Quincy Adams is well, sir, quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out, its walls are shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon; but he himself is quite well, sir, quite well."
That is the attitude we need to cultivate so that when the call home comes we may say with Paul:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4.7)
2. Funerals remind us of:
a. The Certainty of Death (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
b. The Shortness of life (James 4:14) – this was a shocking death – should not have happened
c. The Shortage of life (John 10:10)
1) How much do we waste on the trivial?
2) There is power in priority!
d. The sovereignty of God and Reality of Eternity.
The truth is, we preach our funerals by the way we live.
Dexter Webb was born March 31, 1937 in Okemah, OK to Hubert and Bessie (Groves) Webb. He passed away October 27, 2013 at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, OK after a long battle with leukemia.
Dexter worked for Mustang Fuel Corp./Enogex for 41 years and was a district superintendent for Edmond and Minco divisions. He retired in 2001. He lived in Yukon for the last 40 years.
Dexter is survived by his wife of 53 years, LaVerne; daughter, Renee Prentice and husband Merle and grandson Blake of Yukon; daughter, Regina Webb of Yukon; sisters, Charlotte Horton and husband Damon and family of Tulsa and Ramona Truskunas and husband Casey and family of The Colony, TX; sister-in-law, Bonnie J. McCoy of Yukon; brother-in-law, David Prickett and wife Hilda of Denver, CO; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Nigel Webb.
Dexter loved the Lord and became a Christian at an early age. He was a member of the Church of Christ - South Yukon.
The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Saadia Chohan and staff, Dr. Robert Lockwood and staff, and also the staff of Canadian Valley Regional Hospital for all their devoted care to Dexter.
Song – Amazing Grace
When I think of Dexter I have often thought of the biblical description of the disciple of Jesus named, Barnabas. The word means, “Son of Encouragement (or Consolation)”
He was that to his family and others throughout his life.
Charles Swindoll shares this story in an issue of Leadership magazine: “On May 24, 1965, a thirteen-and-a half-foot boat quietly slipped out of the marina at Falmouth, Massachusetts, for Falmouth, England. It would be the smallest craft ever to make the voyage. Its name? Tinkerbelle. It’s pilot? Robert Manry, a copy editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who felt ten years at the desk was enough boredom for a while, so he took a leave of absence to fulfill his secret dream.
“Manry was afraid, not of the ocean, but of all those people who would try to talk him out of the trip. So he didn’t share it with many, just some relatives and especially his wife, Virginia. She was his greatest source of support.
“The trip? Anything but pleasant. He spent sleepless nights trying to cross shipping lanes without getting run down and sunk. Weeks at sea caused his food to become tasteless. Loneliness, that age-old monster of the deep, led to terrifying hallucinations. His rudder broke three times. Storms swept him overboard, and had it not been for the rope he had knotted around his waist, he would never have been able to pull himself back on board. Finally, after seventy-eight days alone at sea, he sailed into Falmouth, England.
“During those nights at the tiller, he had fantasized about what he would do once he arrived. He expected simply to check into a hotel, eat dinner alone, then the next morning see if, perhaps, the Associated Press might be interested in his story. Was he in for a surprise!
“Word of his approach had spread far and wide. To his amazement, three hundred vessels, with horns blasting, escorted Tinkerbelle into port. Forty thousand people stood screaming and cheering him to shore. Robert Manry, copy editor turned dream, became an overnight hero.
“His story has been told around the world. But Robert couldn’t have done it alone. Standing on the dock was an even greater hero: Virginia. Refusing to be rigid when Robert’s dream was taking shape, she allowed him freedom to pursue his dream” [Charles R. Swindoll in Leadership, Vol. 8, no. 4.].
Our text today is about a man who had a great name His name was Joseph and you can find him in Acts 4:36-37 His name was Joseph which means “God shall add”
What a great name, God shall add. God can add a number of things to our lives – trials to grow; blessings to encourage; promises to believe. Consider how God has added to our lives.
John Wooden, the successful basketball coach at UCLA during its dynasty years, was asked his secret in producing excellent teams. His answer: "We master the basics. We drill over and over again on the fundamentals." When we master the fundamentals of trusting God, he adds to our lives.
Joseph shared his blessings with others and he was given a nickname. He was called Barnabas – Son of Encouragement. Note Acts 11.24-26.
He was an encourager; He was a speaker; he was a church planter with Paul; and he was one who offered consolation/encouragement. It started because He believed God would add to his life. As you read through the book of Acts [Dexter’s favorite book of the bible] you will find that God added to his life in a very profound way. Barnabas added to the church but God added to his influence, his insight, his understanding and his devotion.
It was Barnabas who brought the former persecutor, Saul, into the church and his influence caused his acceptance. Because of Barnabas, we have the apostle Paul. When he and Paul had a falling out over John Mark, it was Barnabas who took John Mark on a missionary journey. Later in his life, Paul would say that John Mark was a worthwhile individual.
William Barclay writes: "One of the highest of Christian duties is the duty of encouragement. It’s easy to pour cold water other’s enthusiasm; it’s easy to discourage people. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a Christian on his feet.
Dexter as an encourager:
We know that Dexter was a quiet man, reserved, a bit shy, and never one to impose on another.
• Yet, those that knew him best knew his encouragement and support.
• He supported this congregation; his Bible class; his Preacher; and those who had needs.
• He supported and encouraged his family on every level.
Dexter was a man of humility – one of the highest, if not THE highest attributes a person can achieve.
• Humility is not thinking little of your self – it is thinking less of self and more of others
• Dexter once rescued his employees from a fire that had engulfed the building they were in. After it was over, he never mentioned it to his family; the News; or anyone. Imagine the surprise his family had when they attended a company awards ceremony and saw him presented with a great honor for his heroism!
• Church gave him a prayer pager – he kept it for a little while and then passed it on to someone else who needed it
Dexter was a man of Humor – another great quality
• In Hawaii the family attended a luau and the hula dancers got him up on stage, dressed him in a grass skirt and had him dance with them to “Pearly Shells”
• He also ignored advice about the ocean and on the black sand beach intended to take a picture of his family [I understand he was quite the photographer] and turned his back on the waves – the result was his immersion by an unseen wave.
Dexter was a man of Toughness and Determination – “Stubborn” the family said
• During a tornado in Prague, the family wanted to leave the house and find shelter – he determined to stay and ride it out – they almost did not get away, but Dexter went to the bathtub while they went to the shelter. Sure enough, the tornado hit their house but, by the grace of God, he escaped unharmed and came to the shelter, pounding on the door after the tornado had passed.
• His tough determination helped him survive some falls – once coming down the stairs in a tornado shelter and once falling from the roof while putting up Christmas wreath and lights
• His tough determination was seen as he battled leukemia for the past 5 years or so
Dexter was an outdoorsman – loved to hunt and fish, especially with some of his workers
He was gifted with the ability to fix nearly anything – as good as new
Principle of Reciprocity
Dexter was a servant to others, especially his family.
When it was his turn to be served, they gladly stepped in and gave him the help he needed.
Galatians 6.7:
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
One of his favorite verses is Luke 16.10:
“He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
Dexter was trustworthy and capable.
Prayer
Song – When We All Get to Heaven
Song – Blessed Assurance
