I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. John 11:25
1. Funerals are customs where we attempt to:
a. Remember and Honor a loved one
b. Comfort and Console a family
c. Exalt God even in times of Sorrow (Deuterono9my 6.4-9)
2. Funerals Remind us of:
a. The Certainty of Death (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
b. The Shortness of life (James 4:14)
c. The Shortage of life (John 10:10)
* How much do we waste on the trivial?
* There is power in priority!
d. The sovereignty of God and Reality of Eternity.
3. Don K. was family; friend; brother in Christ; business man; servant of God
4. He is described as: "Complex"; as well as "Well-rounded" in his interests -- academics; athletics; spirituality; he surprised me with his interest in stock car racing (also liked football and tennis)
5. Don also had a tough spirit and strong will which came through in the midst of his physical trials.
a. 1988 he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and battled ever since
b. He had numerous medical procedures, any of which could have ended his life
c. Tests are part of life -- some are easier than others
Mrs. Baker, a fifth grade teacher, observed a student in her class flipping a coin as he answered each true/false question on a test. This answer selection method continued all the way through the exam. Mrs. Baker then watched as he went through each question again, pausing to flip the coin each time. She finally got up out of her chair, went over to his desk, and asked, "Norman, what are you doing now?" To which Norman replied, "I'm doing what you always tell us to do! I'm checking my answers!"
6. A Biblical Character that I thought of with Don is King Hezekiah -- 2 Kings; 2 Chronicles; Isaiah
a. [Kind of funny that Don would joke about quoting from the book of Hezekiah as it sounds like a book in the bible and he could speak with authority, so people believed him; He had framed quotations from Hezekiah around the house -- "Better you than me." Hezekiah 3.13
You CAN have your cake and eat it too. Hezekiah 9.9
b. Hezekiah was told he would die but after his appeal to God, he received 15 additional years to his life -- Don could have passed away several times through his medical procedures but each time, he received an extension to his life as a gift from God
c. "Hezekiah" means God is strength -- Note some qualities of Don as seen in Hezekiah
I. Hezekiah was Faithful to God ("Emunah")
A. Tests of Faithfulness come regularly and Hezekiah passed most of them
2 Kings 18.3 -- 3 He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.
1. David
2. Not Ahaz -- 2 Chronicles 28 -- did not do as David
3. Influence of his mother and Isaiah?
B. Hezekiah:
* Cleansed the Temple -- 29.10
* Restored Temple worship -- 29.28
* Engaged in the Great Passover -- 30.1ff (especially verse 26)
C. Don's Heart for God
1. Teaching Notes from a Bible Class He taught on August 4, 2013 at Exodus 20-22 in his Bible
* [Expressed his desire to influence people for God; a question he asked the class: "I am in a unique situation; I have between 700 and 900 come to my office each year. What can I do to teach them about Jesus, God, and get them to read the Bible?"
* [He always tried to work something spiritual into conversations
* [He used his Accounting practice as a means to serve and influence people for God
2. Patriotic -- As Hezekiah -- Don believed America was a gift of Liberty from God
[Envelope to "Patriotic Voices PAC" in his bible
[Attended Reclaiming America for Christ Conferences
[Had a son's appreciation for his father's military service
a. Hezekiah knew the heavy responsibility of his nation to be the people of God
b. Hezekiah rallied the people to withstand Sennacherib's invasion (32.15) and ultimately appealed to God after consulting Isaiah -- Isaiah 37
c. Result -- GOD (real character of the story) defeats the Assyrians with 185,00 dying in one night by the hand of an angel
II. Hezekiah was Humble before God
A. A KEY quality to have before God, maybe THE Key quality
B. In His Illness, Hezekiah humbled himself before God
1. Pride caused it (2 Chronicles 32.24-26)
2. Humility ended it and his life was extended
C. Don marked Psalm 109.21-25 in his bible -- a great emphasis on humility:
21 But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake;
Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For I am afflicted and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like the locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a reproach to them;
When they see me, they wag their head.
D. Don had slips of paper with 1 John 1.9 prepared for use in a class:
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It takes humility to confess and to trust God
III. Hezekiah was Blessed by the Hand of God -- 2 Chronicles 32.27ff
A. He had IMMENSE wealth and Abundant Achievements -- became a prideful Flaw for Him
B. Don was a successful Accountant
* Don knew the biblical principles of prosperity -- one paper in his bible had some quotes regarding economics and the national debt: "You can't borrow your way out of debt."
* Yet, He knew that there were things of far more importance than wealth and that blessings are from God-- He marked with sticky notes from Proverbs 10
1A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.
1. The word "Testimony" begins with the word for "Test." I don't believe that's accidental. Our testimonies are often the result of our having gone thru difficult times that have "tested" our faith and our trust in God. What makes testimonies so powerful is that they often reflect -- not only that we passed the test -- but that God showed His love and His mercy in the midst of the storm.
As Joyce C. Lock once said: "Today's Difficulties are Tomorrow's Testimonies."
2. Don was not a perfect man, but he was faithful to God and leaves a testimony to us of that faithfulness in the midst of difficulties that most of us cannot begin to understand.
