INTRO.- ILL.- Thomas Monaghan is the founder, president, and chief executive officer of Domino’s Pizza. From 1970 to 1985, Domino’s grew from a small debt-ridden chain to the second largest pizza company in America.
When asked to account for the phenomenal growth of the company, Monaghan explained, “I programmed everything for growth.” And how did he plan for growth? “Every day we develop people—the key to growth is developing people.”
Not special cheese, not a tasty crust, not fast delivery schedules, but people!
Just as Thomas Monaghan emphasized the importance of people, so must we. Where did Monaghan get the idea that people were so important? I don’t know where he got his idea but I know where the importance of people first started. IT STARTED WITH OUR CREATOR!
Gen. 1:26-27 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
There it is! God said, “Let us make man in our image.” God didn’t say, “Let us make the dog in our image,“ or “Let us make trees in our image.” God made man or mankind the most important thing in all of His creation!
And God’s emphasis in scripture has always been on people! God is interested in people because people are His highest creation! God wants all people to be saved eternally! God loves people!
If He didn’t love people then why did Christ die on the cross for the sins of people?
ILL.- Rick Warren writes in The Purpose Driven Life, “I have been at the bedside of many people in their final moments, when they stand on the edge of eternity, and I have never heard anyone say, ‘Bring me my diplomas! I want to look at them one more time. Show me my awards, my medals, that gold watch I was given.’ When life on earth is ending, people don’t surround themselves with objects. What we want around us is people – people we love and have relationships with. In our final moments we all realize that relationships are what life is all about.”
What does Memorial Day weekend mean to you? Extra time off from work? A three-day weekend? Eating? Grilling out? Fun time? The Indy 500? Or perhaps remembering others?
ILL.- At a commuter train station a policeman noticed a woman driver with her head bowed over the steering wheel in obvious discomfort. The police officer asked her, "Is there anything wrong?"
Half crying and half laughing, she said, "For ten years I have been driving my husband to this station every morning to catch this train. THIS MORNING I FORGOT HIM!"
Brothers and sisters, the worst forgetfulness of all is to forget people! One of the biggest lessons that we need to learn is that God didn’t put us here for us! God put us here for others!
This Memorial Day weekend we need to be concerned about others for their good! IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO THINK OF OTHERS, TO LOVE OTHERS, AND TO REMEMBER OTHERS!
In II Timothy 1:3-5 we see that Paul remembered his friend Timothy.
V. 3 - “I constantly remember you...in my prayers.”
V. 4 - “Recalling your tears....”
V. 5 - “I have been reminded of your sincere faith...”
Paul remembered Timothy in several ways. He remembered him enough to pray for him. He remembered Timothy’s pain in life. He recalled his tears. And remembered that he was a man of faith in the Lord. Timothy was important to Paul.
PROP.- On this Memorial Day weekend we need to think about people. God put us here to remember people!
1- remember the deceased
2- remember the living
I. REMEMBER THE DECEASED
Rom. 1:8-9 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you.”
ILL.- Someone has well said, “Say goodbye to me, but not to the thought of me.” We need to remember the deceased.
This Memorial Day weekend we should look back and remember people. We should remember the deceased: deceased veterans, deceased family members and friends.
Originally, Memorial Day was instituted to remember the Civil War dead, but over the years it has become a time to remember all deceased veterans and all our deceased loved ones.
This is one reason why it has long been called “Decoration Day.” Many people still go to the graves of their loved ones and decorate them as a sign they haven’t forgotten them. HOW COMMENDABLE THAT IS!
ILL.- I have read that on an average day about 750 people will visit the USS Arizona in Hawaii and on Memorial Day weekend about 4,600 people will visit that memorial. And on an average day some 3,000 people will visit the Vietnam War Memorial and on Memorial Day weekend 7,600 people will visit it.
God bless those who remember our deceased veterans. God bless those who remember any of their deceased loved ones! People count.
We need to remember our deceased loved ones. When we leave this world would we want our children and perhaps our grandchildren to forget us? I don’t think so.
Please allow me the privilege of remembering my family.
I can only remember one great-grandmother and my memory of her is rather poor. She passed away while I was quite small. Her name was Mimie (Rebecca J. Jones). My sister Sharon remembers her better than I do. She said, “She fell down the stairs when she was 75 and broke her hip. She never recovered from the fall and was in the hospital when she died. I remember going to the funeral and seeing her in the casket wearing a nightgown. She went to the Nazarene Church.”
Others on mom’s side of the family are few:
- Papa George McAda, born April 13, 1893 - died June 1969 – 75 years
- Muddy, Alma Jones, born April 7, 1900 – died Jan. 1986 – 85 years
Dad’s side of the family:
- James Alvin Shepherd, born May 23, 1882 – died Jan. 15, 1940 (Married Nov. 23, 1903 Sadie) – 57 years
- Uncle Charles Raymond Shepherd, Oct. 8, 1904 – died Sept. 15, 1940 – 35 years
- Grandma Sadie Gertrude (Smith) Shepherd, born Oct. 26, 1884 – died Mar. 27, 1970 – 85 years
- Uncle John (Lloyd Edwin) Shepherd, born July 16, 1914 – died Feb. 19, 1975 – 60 years
- Mayme Shepherd, born April 4, 1921 – died April 24, 1994 – 73 years
- Pelmer Burlison, born Feb. 5, 1912 – died June 1, 2001 – 89 years
- Now Aunt (Anna) Marzell Shepherd Burlison, born Oct. 12, 1919 – died May 3, 2004 (married June 30, 1980 – 84 years
- Dad, Georgia Leo Shepherd, born July 13, 1910 – died Dec. 11, 1982 – 72 years
- Mom, Juanita Evelyn McAda Shepherd, born Nov. 28, 1919 – died June 30, 2002 – 82 years
Job 14:14 “If a man dies, will he live again?” There are several answers to that question.
- Science says, “He may live again.”
- Philosophy says, “He hopes to live again.”
- Ethics says, “He ought to live again.”
- Atheism says, “He will never live again.”
- Jesus Christ says, “He shall live again.” (John 11:25)
Rev. 14:13 “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
Brothers and sisters, take heart! Remember and rejoice! In Christ, we will live forever! Or as someone else put it, “Death is not a period but a comma in the story of the Christian’s life.”
II. REMEMBER THE LIVING
ILL.- Ron was a fifteen-year-old teenager, a tenth-grade student at Granger High School. It was game day, and he was the only sophomore suiting up with the varsity team. Excitedly, he invited his mother to attend. It was her very first football game, and she promised to be there with several of her friends. The game finally ended, and she was waiting outside the locker room to drive Ron home.
"What did you think of the game, Mom? Did you see the three touchdown passes our team made and our tough defense, and the fumble on the kickoff return that we recovered?" he asked.
His mother replied, "Ron, you were magnificent. You have such presence, and I was proud of the pride you took in the way you looked. You pulled up your knee socks eleven times during the game, and I could tell you were perspiring in all those bulky pads because you got eight drinks and splashed water on your face twice. I really like how you went out of you way to pat number nineteen, number five and number ninety on the back every time they came off the field."
"Mom, how do you know all that? And how can you say I was magnificent? I didn’t even play in the game."
His mother smiled and hugged him. "Ron, I don’t know anything about football. I didn’t come here to watch the game. I came here to watch you!"
Brethren, the moral of this story is: PEOPLE COUNT MOST OF ALL! Football is fine. Football is fantastic for some people. But people are supreme! People are more important than football.
Phil. 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."
Phil. 2:4 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
ILL.- I knew a lady in MO who passed away in 1985. She was a widow and had only one son, who was also deceased. She was a member of our church and was always thinking of others. She said one time, “I believe in giving flowers to the living.”
By that, she meant that she believed in remembering people while they were still living. She loved doing things for the living. She didn’t wait to send flowers in honor of the deceased. She did that, but she preferred to give flowers in various forms to the living. But those flowers were in the form of bicycles, refrigerators, cars and no telling what else.
People need to know that we care about them and love them while they are still living.
ILL.- John Wesley said:
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
ILL.- Is anybody happier
Because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember
That you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over,
And its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now
A friendly word for you?
Can you say tonight in passing
With the days that slipped so fast,
That you helped a single person,
Of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing
Over what you did or said?
Does one whose hopes were fading
Now with courage look ahead?
Did you waste the day, or lose it?
Was it well or poorly spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness
Or a scar of discontent?
Gal. 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Remember the living.
CONCLUSION------------------------------
ILL.- Preceding Memorial Day one year, the following item appeared on page one of the Tulsa Tribune: “The Tribune requests that persons who intend to mix liquor with gasoline in Memorial Day celebrations kindly leave typed obituaries and photographs or one-column cuts with the city editor before beginning the day’s observance. This courtesy will be greatly appreciated.”
Memorial Day is not about drinking and partying. It is rightly about people. Please remember your deceased loved ones and your living loved ones.
