Michael Brown
On behalf of the entire Brown family, I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for being here this afternoon.
One week ago right now, none of us expected to be here today.
But people have rearranged schedules, taken off work, and traveled many miles to be here for this service where we have gathered to remember Michael Brown, a beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and friend.
In addition to being here to remember Michael, we’ve also come to comfort members of Michael’s family by our words and by our presence.
And finally, we are here to hear what God would say to us through His Word about the realities of life, death, and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.
This past week, the uncertainty of life has been confirmed again.
James, the Apostle, issued this warning:
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ 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.” - James 4:13-14 (NIV)
We don’t think as much about it when a person passes away at 70-80 years of age, but it gets our attention when life unexpectedly comes to an end for someone in their fifties.
So many people try to avoid thinking about death.
It is almost like they can think they can deny its existence if they don’t talk about it.
But unless the Lord returns first, all of us will pass the way of the grave.
“But the Bible tells us that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” - Hebrews 9:27 (NIV)
It is in moments like this that all of us are reminded that we still have time to examine the direction of our lives, and we can still make preparation for that day when we will stand before a holy God.
I am so glad that Nancy confirmed that Michael did not enter eternity unprepared.
When I met with the family the other day, she said, he was ready. He knew Jesus as his Savior.
I was s glad to hear that testimony.
There are all kinds of emotions at a time like this.
There’s obvious tears, sadness, and pain when death enters our world.
Someone we care about is no longer here.
But oddly enough, even with all the pain, as families and friends have gathered, there is the inevitable joy and laughter that comes from reminiscing about the funny things
Michael has said and done.
There’s gratitude for relationships that have been restored.
Sadly, there is often regret about the realization of things that should have been said, but now that opportunity has passed.
In times like these, we are reminded of the importance of relationships.
How it is wise to say what you need to say and keep short accounts relationally.
Michael was something of a nomad, traveling through life.
Always on the move.
But at age 56 he was ready to return to Indiana to live until he died.
Nobody could have predicted the shock and disappointment that would come at his passing just two short months after coming back to Indiana.
I had not seen Michael for a while, but I was glad to hear about the changes and growth that had taken place in his life.
I have seen the pictures and noticed how happy he was two see his grandkids.
The pictures, the stories, the memories, bring all kinds of emotions to the surface.
So, whatever you are feeling today I just want to encourage you to take it to God.
He understands what you are going through.
He feels your pain.
God is big enough to handle your pain, your anger, and your questions.
The only things that God can’t help us with are those things that we refuse to bring Him.
James 4:8 invites us to…“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” - James 4:8a (NIV)
I would like to invite you to join me as we go to Him in prayer right now.
PRAYER
SONG – AMAZING GRACE
MESSAGE
I want to tell you a story that might bring us some perspective on a day like this.
It is the story of five friends.
We don’t know how or why, but one of the friends had been paralyzed.
The four healthy friends wanted to find a way to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus.
They were convinced, that if they could get their friend to Jesus, Jesus would heal him.
Several things in this story remind me of Michael.
Like Michael, their hearts were in the right place.
They were the kind of friends we would all hope for.
I am sure they were persistent.
Nothing could stop them.
They were determined to get their friend to Jesus, and nothing could stand in their way.
These four carried their friend to the place where Jesus was teaching.
The crowd was so large, they could not get in.
They did something crazy.
They tore a hole in the roof of the home where Jesus was, so they could lower their friend, on a stretcher, into the room where Jesus was teaching
They certainly made an impression and they got Jesus’ attention.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
That statement was shocking.
It was shocking because this is not what anyone expected.
This is not why they brought their friend to Jesus.
They wanted their friend to be healed.
When they saw what was happening, the people in the room were surely hoping for a miracle too.
Jesus had the undivided attention of the entire crowd.
Everyone’s eyes were glued on Him.
But Jesus knew something that the people gathered there did not know.
And this has application for all of us today.
This is something I think Michael had come to understand.
This man’s most pressing need was not his primary need.
His felt need was not his deepest need.
What he wanted most was not what he needed most.
What seemed to be so urgent in the moment was not really most important in the big picture.
So, Jesus addressed this man’s primary need.
He dealt with the deepest and most urgent need first.
He forgave the man’s sins.
And nobody seemed to appreciate it.
They were missing a very important truth.
You see, we all have certain PRIORITIES that we focus on in life.
#1 Health.
We want to live for a long time and we want to be healthy.
#2 Prosperity.
We want a certain amount of money and stuff.
#3 Companionship
We long for connection with others.
#4 Power/Fame/or Influence
Priority #4 may look different from person to person, but there is usually some level of desire for power, fame or influence.
There may be a few other things on your list.
But somewhere, usually pretty far down on the list, is something that many people don’t think much about…
And that is Forgiveness.
• Some people don’t think about their need to forgive others.
• They forget about their need to be forgiven by others.
• And they fail to consider their need to be forgiven by God.
They don’t seem to realize that we are all sinners in need of a Savior.
FORGIVENESS is truly our greatest need as individuals.
Part of the problem with forgiveness is that IT IS NOT URGENT.
Forgiveness is not always a felt need.
And that is precisely the point.
Everyone thought they knew this guy’s most pressing need.
So, while Jesus had their attention, He pointed them to their greatest need.
He shows them, with crystal clear clarity, the primary need.
I doubt anybody there that day had even thought about forgiveness.
They wanted to see this guy get up off that stretcher and walk!
They wanted to see a miracle.
I understand that.
I imagine the people who gathered that day were probably disappointed when Jesus said, “your sins are forgiven.”
That is not really what they wanted to see.
If we are honest, forgiveness is typically not all that high on anybody’s list.
Forgiveness doesn’t make the list with most of us because forgiveness is not urgent.
And yet, forgiveness is our primary need.
Our most urgent need is forgiveness.
When I met with the family this week, we talked about relational tensions.
Every family has them.
We rejoice when those strained relationships have been repaired.
But it is sad whenever we see some that are left unrepaired.
I was glad to hear that Michael knew what it meant to forgive others.
He had been forgiven by others.
And most important, He had been forgiven by God, which is the most important gift of all, which is what makes it possible to reconnect with our Heavenly Father.
Ultimate Forgiveness is about everything that stands between you and God being removed.
Our sin is what separates us from God.
Forgiveness removes the barrier between us and God,
not only so you can connect with Him in this life,
but so that you can be with Him for all eternity.
That is why FORGIVENESS IS SO IMPORTANT.
I believe one of the key reasons Jesus healed people was to demonstrate His authority to forgive sin.
You can forgive a person, but forgiveness is not tangible.
How do you know someone has been forgiven?
You really don’t.
But healing is obvious.
He healed the lame.
He caused blinded eyes to see.
Jesus raised the dead!
He did it all to demonstrate His authority over the physical consequences of sin, which is death.
Jesus demonstrated that He can heal us not only physically, but He can heal us spiritually as well.
That is basically what He went on to say in Mark 2:10-12.
“’But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....’ He said to the paralytic, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’" - Mark 2:10-12 (NIV)
When sin entered the world, it brought with it things like sickness, disease, strained and estranged relationships, brokenness, shame, guilt, and death.
None of those issues will be fully resolved on this earth.
But Jesus healed people to demonstrate His authority over all this junk that crowds into our lives while we are still here on this earth.
To be honest - everyone Jesus healed still died.
That is because healing on this earth is temporary.
LIFE ITSELF IS TEMPORARY.
We live under the curse of sin while we are here on this earth.
What that means is none of us will live forever.
WALL WORDS at our house:
Life is a brief moment in time in which to prepare for eternity. If you succeed in every area and fail in this preparation, your life will have been wasted.
Jesus did not heal people just so they could be well.
They didn’t stay well for long.
As I said, everybody that He healed still died.
But in healing this man’s physical problem, Jesus proved that He had the authority to solve man’s ultimate problem and to meet His ultimate need (to have his sins forgiven).
When the man who was paralyzed got up, picked up his mat, and went home, everyone was amazed. They said we have never seen anything like this.
Jesus had just forgiven this man and impacted his eternal destiny, and nobody seemed to care.
Then He temporarily heals him of his inability to walk and everyone is shocked and amazed.
They celebrated the TEMPORARY while they overlooked the ETERNAL.
Forgiveness may not seem like your most pressing need, but on a day like this we are reminded that it is truly our most important need.
Because none of us know what tomorrow may hold.
There is no guarantee for tomorrow.
That is what I am thankful that Michael came face to face with his need for a Savior.
We all know Michael wasn’t perfect.
He knew it too.
We all know this about ourselves.
We are all sinners in need of a Savior.
That is what I am so thankful that the gift of eternal life is available to everyone,
regardless of who you are, what you have done, or what you have been.
God’s invitation is open to all of us.
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:13 (NIV)
When it comes to the gift of eternal life, I meet people all the time who believe in God, they believe in Jesus, but they have never received the gift of eternal life.
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)
To receive the gift of eternal life, you must admit that you have sinned, and you need to be forgiven.
1) You must own your sin.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
2) You must believe Jesus is the only One who can save you.
Jesus said it himself, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6 (NIV)
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” - John 1:12 (NIV)
3) You must confess Jesus is Lord of your life.
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” - Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
Eternal life is a FREE gift.
4) But like any gift, the gift of eternal life has to be received personally and individually.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in…” - Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Perhaps there are some here today who are ready to open the door of your heart to invite Jesus in.
If you would like to take your next step spiritually and receive God’s gift of eternal life, I would love to pray for you.
Would you bow with me?
The Sinner's Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner.
I believe that you died for my sins and rose from the grave.
I now turn from my sins and invite you to come into my heart and life.
I receive you as my personal Savior and I choose to follow you as my Lord. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer and meant it, I have some good news for you.
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
[13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” - 1 John 5:11 13
It’s a wonderful thing to know where you will spend eternity. When you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, you don’t have to die wondering.
SONG: Go Rest High – Vince Gill
PRAYER
John says that someday God will wipe away your tears. The same hands that stretched the heavens will touch your cheeks. The same hands that formed the mountains will caress your face. The same hands that curled in agony as the Roman spike cut through will someday cup your face and brush away your tears. Forever. Until then...
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” - Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)
