God’s Grace Is Sufficient for Us
Funeral Service for Mrs. Elinor Gibson
Devoted 85-year-old Christian
2 Corinthians 12:8-9a
August 1, 2011
WELCOME & OBITUARY
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 23:1-6; John 14:1-6
PRAYER
SONG
INTRODUCTION:
*We are here today to honor one of the sweetest Christian ladies I have ever known. Speaking of a Godly woman, Pro 31:28 says, “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” -- And that’s what these children did the other day.
-They said: “She was the best mom and the best friend.”
-They said: “She loved her family, her friends, and McClendon Baptist Church.”
*One of Mrs. Gibson’s greatest joys in life was spending time with her family.
-She loved her family.
*They had many other things to say about how good Mrs. Elinor has been.
-She would give her last dime to anyone who needed it.
*And she didn’t like to gossip. She just wouldn’t gossip. They said that when they tried to share some gossip with Mrs. Elinor, she would give you “that look”.
-That’s all it took to put the brakes on the gossip.
*And Mrs. Gibson wasn’t big as a minute, but they remember the time she rose up like a mama bear, when a neighbor was mean to one of Mrs. Elinor’s kids.
*Elinor and Sherman were married on Jan. 21, 1948.
-They had been married over 50 years when he passed away 11 years ago.
-She was a faithful, faithful wife.
-And though they went through some hard times, Mrs. Elinor never complained.
*She was a hard, hard worker. Years ago, she would take old dresses apart to make new ones for Sharon and Evelyn.
*Mrs. Gibson always had a servant heart. Even lying in her sick bed she would ask “what can I do for you?” She would say “I hate that you all have to wait on me”.
*She loved her family.
-She loved her church.
-She loved her Bible.
-And most of all, she loved Jesus.
*It is always hard to lose someone we love, especially a mother and grandmother as good as Elinor Gibson. What should we do? -- Mrs. Elinor pointed us in the right direction 11 years ago when your daddy died. She said, “My stand-by is that verse of Scripture that says His grace is sufficient for us.”
*We find this truth in Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians. Paul had been talking about a persistent problem he had. Most people think it was a serious health problem that probably affected his eyes.
*Paul called it a thorn in the flesh, and he said,
8. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. . ." (2 Cor 12:8-9a)
*Now grace is God’s goodness to us. It comes from His love that we could never deserve. The best definition I ever heard for grace is the acronym G R A C E: God’s Riches at Christ’s expense. Jesus paid it all when He died on the cross for us.
*Paul found out that the grace of Jesus Christ was more than enough to meet all of our needs. God’s grace is sufficient for us.
1. First, God’s grace will carry us when we are helpless.
*You know if Paul could have done anything to take care of that thorn in the flesh, he would have done it. He was a hard worker and so was Mrs. Elinor.
*She did everything she could for you.
-And when it came to her health, she did everything she could for herself.
-When she was diagnosed as a diabetic 15 years ago, she fought that disease with great discipline. Mrs. Elinor made sure she ate right all the time.
*Kevin said there could be a 10 course meal and Mrs. Gibson would say “I can’t eat that”. Sharon said her plate always looked like a picture of what should be eaten.
*She took good care of herself.
-And when the time came, YOU took good care of her.
-You did everything you possibly could do.
-And the people at St. Joseph Hospice were a great help.
*But there comes a time when all we can do is not enough, and we are helpless.
-In those times, we need to just lean on Jesus, and we will find that His grace is sufficient.
-His grace will carry us when we are helpless.
2. And it will carry us when we hurt.
*Paul had a thorn in the flesh, and thorns hurt.
-But this hurts a whole lot more.
*And it helps to know that Mrs. Gibson is in heaven with Sherman and Davie and Jesus.
-It helps to have each other.
-And it helps to have friends like these here today.
-But it still hurts, because we have lost someone we love.
*In the hurting times, if we will keep leaning on Jesus, we will find that his grace is sufficient.
*When I was thinking about the service today, it dawned on me that my own mother passed away 17 years ago today.
-And losing mom is a special hurt.
-But I can tell you that by the grace of God, it does get better.
*In the first chapter of this same letter to the Corinthian Christians, Paul said:
3. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
4. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Cor 1:3-4 NLT)
*God is the God of all real comfort, and He wants to comfort you.
-He will walk with you through this time of pain.
-His grace will carry us when we hurt.
3. And His grace will carry us to Heaven.
*Mrs. Gibson is in Heaven right now. And what a wonderful place!
-No more sickness, no more pain, breathing easy, the best she has ever been.
*You mom is in Heaven right now. But we have to understand that she is not there for being a good wife, mother, grandmother and friend.
*The other day, I think it was Sharon who remembered telling Mrs. Gibson:
-“Mama, you never did anything wrong”. -- And Elinor replied, “Yes, I have”.
*She was right about that. All of us have sinned. None of us deserve to go to Heaven. All of us deserve to go to hell.
-But God loved us so much that He was willing to send His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.
-Jesus rose again from the dead & went back to Heaven to prepare a place for everyone who trusts in Him.
*And Mrs. Gibson is in Heaven today, because she had done that.
-One day long ago, she received Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior.
*And all of us can go to Heaven to live forever with her, but Jesus is the only way
-When we trust in Him, we will find that His grace is sufficient, even to take us to Heaven.
*Kenneth said that one of Mrs. Elinor’s favorite sayings was this: “When one door closes, another one opens.” -- And that’s what happened here.
*The door had closed for your mother to be able to do the things she loved in this world.
-The door had closed for her to make those beautiful quilts like the one we see here today.
-The door had closed for her to be able to do for you. Even in that sick bed she wanted to do for you, but she couldn’t.
-The door had closed for her to be able to go to the church she loved so much.
-The door had closed for her to be able to breathe freely or even enjoy her coffee that she loved for so long.
*The door had closed on all of these things, but God opened another door for Mrs. Elinor, a much better door!
-And Friday afternoon, His angels came to take her home to Heaven.
*The best thing we can do from here on out is to be like her, loving and living for the Lord...
-Trusting in the Lord.
-Leaning on Jesus Christ even in the worst of times.
*We will surely find that His grace is sufficient for us too.
-God’s grace will carry us when we are helpless.
-It will carry us when we hurt.
-And if we trust in Him, we will find that His grace is sufficient, even to take us to Heaven.
*Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.
