INTRO.- ILL.- A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the load of an 8-point buck which he was carrying.
"Where’s Harry?" He was asked.
"Harry had a stroke of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail."
"You mean that you left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?"
"Well," said the hunter, "I FIGURED NO ONE WAS GOING TO STEAL HARRY."
The moral of the story is: the deer was more important than the man. A DEAD ANIMAL WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A LIVING HUMAN BEING. Here’s another.
ILL.- Surprised to see an empty seat at the Super Bowl stadium, a diehard fan remarked about it to a woman sittingnearby. She said, "It was my husband’s seat, but he died."
"I’m very sorry," said the man. "But I’m surprised that another relative or friend didn’t jump at the chance to take the seat reserved for him."
"Beats me," she said, "THEY ALL INSISTED ON GOING TO THE FUNERAL."
That’s bad. The man’s wife thought the Super Bowl was more important than attending her own husband’s funeral. However, I do think there are probably some men who might attend the Super Bowl versus attending their own wife’s funeral.
The point I want you to get is this: PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THINGS! We tend to value things and use people. But it should be the other way around. WE SHOULD VALUE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS.
ILL.- One time popular actress Sophia Loren sobbed to Italian movie director Vittorio De Sica over the theft of her jewelry, he said to her, "Listen to me, Sophia. I am much older than you and if there is one great truth I have learned about life, it is this: NEVER CRY OVER ANYTHING THAT CAN’T CRY OVER YOU!" Amen?!
In other words, people are more important than things! Why cry over material things that will some day cease to exist? People are eternal beings. We should value people more than material things!
The problem is: our values are all mixed up! Why? Perhaps we can think of it this way.
ILL.- I heard a story one time about a prankster who broke into a large expensive department store and switched all the price tags.
Cheap items were priced at thousands of dollars while expensive items were priced at only a $1 or $2.
This is exactly what the Devil has done to confuse people on planet earth and I might add, he has succeeded quite well! HE HAS SWITCHED THE PRICE TAGS ON US!
ILL.- One preacher suggested, "many people will spend thirty thousand dollars on a new car to help them get where they are going in style, but they won’t spend a $300 hundred dollars on a some Christian books to help them get to heaven! Or some might spend several thousand dollars to straighten out their child’s teeth but they won’t spend $100 dollars to send their child to Christian camp to help straigthen out their life. Or we may give our child $10 to go to the show and then we give them a $1 to go to Sunday School."
Brethren, the Devil has done a good job of fooling us into thinking that the things of this world are more important than our relationship to people and to God!
On this Memorial Day weekend I want to remind you that people are what really count in life! People are more important than material things. And they are more important than our own personal fun and pleasure.
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 many ways: He remembered him enough to pray for him. He remembered Timothy’s pain in life. And he remembered that he was a man of faith in the Lord.
PROP.- Memorial Day weekend should be about remembering people.
1- Look back and remember
2- Look out and love
3- Look up and honor
I. LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER
This Memorial Day weekend we need to look back and remember the deceased, i.e. our deceased veterans and our deceased loved ones.
Originally, Memorial Day was instituted to remember the Civil War dead but over the years it has become a time toremember all our deceased veterans and all our deceased loved ones.
That’s one reason many people still call it, "Decoration Day," because they go out 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 750 people will visit the USS Arizona in Hawaii and on Memorial Day weekend 4,645 people will visit that memorial. And on an average day 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!
ILL.- We had a man in our church in Anna, IL, Walter Menees, who lost a brother in WWII. His brother was only 23 years old. He was pilot in the Army Air Corps and was shot down over France. And I believe that he was buried in France. Ten years ago, in 1990, Walter took his son and his son-in-law and went to France to visit his brother’s grave which he had never seen. He said he always wanted to visit his brotherâs grave before he died. GOD BLESS HIM FOR REMEMBERING HIS BROTHER IN THAT SPECIAL WAY!
Many of you have already gone to visit the graves of your loved ones this weekend or you will do it before the weekend is over. GOD BLESS YOU FOR REMEMBERING YOUR DECEASED LOVED ONES!
People count. People are what life is all about. People have contributed to our lives and we need to remember them.
ILL.- For example, my mama’s mother, Alma Jones, was widow and would often have one of us grandkids over to her house to stay the night. But she seemd to show special interest in me, for some reason or another. Grandma Muddy (as we called her ) knew I liked boxing so there were a few times when she took me to see the boxing matches (smokers, they called them) at the Memorial Hall in Joplin, MO. And the Golden Gloves Championship in Joplin.
And one time she even took me to see a live wrestling match. I GOT TO SEE THE FAMOUS WRESTLER, GORGEOUS GEORGE! Wasn’t that gorgeous of her to do that?
And Grandma Muddy even let me drive her car when I became 16 years old. Not many people would do that. AND NOT MANY WOULD EVEN DO THAT NOW!
Brethren, how can I not remember my Grandma Jones and remember her fondly? And thank God for her?
All of us have deceased loved ones who have meant a lot to us: parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and some have even lost their mates and some their children. HOW CAN WE NOT REMEMBER THEM? It would be a terrible sin not to remember them.
ILL.- Someone once said, "Say goodby to me, but not to the thought of me." We may have said goodby to our loved ones in death, BUT WE CERTAINLY DON’T WANT TO SAY GOOD BY TO OUR THOUGHTS OF THEM!
ILL.- A man by the name of Milt Rood worked for many years as a car salesman in Spokane, WA. He was also very active with the Union Gospel Mission, working with juvenile delinquents. Week by week, he’d patiently teach them from the Word of God and pray with them.
One day Milt Rood went into the hospital for exploratory surgery. The doctors found he was full of cancer. They sewed him up and sent him home. HE DIED THE NEXT WEEK.
After the funeral, a friend said, "IT’S INTERESTING THAT AT THE FUNERAL NO ONE EVER ASKED HOW MANY CARS HE HAD SOLD."
"Say goodby to me, but not to the thought of me."
Brethren, this Memorial Day weekend let us remember our deceased veterans, loved ones and friends. Let’s remember the good things about their lives, the good faith they demonstrated and the good times we had with them, and thank God for them and for those good times.
1- Look back and remember the deceased
II. LOOK OUT AND LOVE
We must look out to those around us and love them. Look out and love the living! We need to love the people around us while we still can.
Col. 3:12-14 "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other (put up with one another) and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. AND OVER ALL THESE VIRTUES PUT ON LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Paul is saying that instead of fighting with one another, we must forgive one another. WE MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER. And we must demonstrate that love any way we can.
ILL.- I want to tell you about a sweet little old lady who lived in Iberia, MO. She went home to be with the Lord in 1985 at the age of 85. When Maggie Keeth came to First Christian Church of Iberia, Mo, she had just lost her husband of many years. Prior to that she had lost her only son in death due to cancer.
While I was there Maggie developed a cancer on her arm. They did surgery and removed a large portion of her upper right arm. Her arm looked like some large animal like a lion took a bite out of it. They did a skin graft but it still looked pretty bad.
I think Maggie knew that she was going to die in the next few years, so she started giving her money away and buying people gifts.
I heard about one elderly lady in our community whose refrigerator quit working. So what did Maggie do? She bought her a knew refrigerator. Maggie did all kinds of things for people, most of which, I know nothing about. But let me tell you about one I consider to be quite interesting.
Maggie had neighbors who were Mexicans or Hispanics. And she hired the little boy to pick up her mail for her every day. She paid him money at the end of every week for that little chore. One time while I was back visiting people in Iberia, I went by to see Maggie. She said, "Come here. I want to show you something."
It was the fall and Maggie had bought the best bicycle Sears had for that little Mexican boy. She said, "I’m going to give it to him for Christmas." Which she did.
The next year Maggie passed away and I was called back to preach her funeral and there was a Mexican family at that Memorial service. And after the graveside part of the service I noticed that everybody except a little boy had left Maggie’s grave.
That little boy just stood there and I walked over to him and asked him, "Are you the boy Maggie gave a bicycle?" He nodded "yes." I said nothing. What could I say?
Brethren, I would say there is now a young man somewhere who still remembers the kindly little old lady who bought him a bicycle for Christmas.
Maggie Keeth said to me one time, "I BELIEVE IN GIVING FLOWERS TO THE LIVING." And, of course, what she meant was this: She believed in loving people and demonstrating that love while they were still alive. She wanted to do things for people while they were living rather than send flowers to their funeral!
Brethren, there is nothing wrong with giving flowers when someone passes away. That, too, is an act of love. BUT IT IS TRUE THAT WE CAN LOVE PEOPLE BEST WHEN THEY ARE ALIVE!
We all have family members, friends, fellow workers, neighbors, etc. who need our love.
What loving things can you do for them? Small or large, our love needs to be demonstrated while they are living. GIVE SOMEBODY A REFRIGERATOR OR A BICYCLE. Send them some flowers, take them out to dinner, take out their garbage, wash their car, mow their grass..... Whatever. But do something to demonstrate your love for the living.
1- Look back and remember.
2- Look out and love.
III. LOOK UP AND HONOR
Look up to the Lord and Honor Him on this Memorial Day weekend and every weekend, for that matter! If anybody should be remembered at any time, IT SHOULD BE OUR GREAT GOD!
Matt. 22:36-37 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus replied, ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’" To love the Lord with our whole being is the greatest thing we can do in life! After all, the Lord gives us life and breath and everything else! Surely we should remember Him and show Him love!
ILL.- At a family reunion a man said that he and his wife overheard some young twin sisters talking about their newborn baby brother. One asked, "But how did God breathe life into our baby brother?" The other pointed at her belly button and said, "I THINK HE USES OUR BIBLICAL CORD."
Cute! Well, it is true that God has breathed the breathe of life into every of us and we should be thankful for that. And even more thankful for the good things He has given us.
ILL.- A lady said, "When my mom was on a health-kick, she decided to push the limits with our family of picky eaters. She fixed a soup-like mixture of lentils and barley that none of us was eager to try.
"We dreaded dipping into the grayish goop. We looked at each other, hoping someone would have the courage to ask Mom if we could skip the dinner.
"Fortunately, it was four-year-old Katrina’s turn to say the blessing, and she summed up our sentiments perfectly when she prayed, ’DEAR LORD, PLEASE TAKE US TO A RESTAURANT.’"
Brethren, it doesn’t make any difference whether it’s lentils or a restaurant, we need to be thankful to God for His blessings!
James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." God gives us all kinds of good things, whether it’s lentil soup, a lavish meal, or just a simple roof over our heads.
Here’s another way to look at God’s goodness to us.
ILL.- A preacher said, "At a prayer meeting one evening we were sharing matters for prayers and praise. One young man had recently been through some financial problems and had taken out a consolidation loan at his credit union. With great gratitude, he excitedly announced to the group, ’I WANT TO PRAISE THE LORD TONIGHT BECAUSE I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO BORROW ENOUGH MONEY TO GET OUT OF DEBT.’"
Well, he was thankful he could consolidate his debts. BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT TOO AND I WAS THANKFUL!
We need to be thankful to God for every blessing He gives us, both large and small. Significant and insignificant. And of course, our greatest blessing is probably our salvation in Christ. Without Christ there would be no salvation for any of us. None of us are good enough to get in the door.
Remember the little girl who said that God gives us life through our "biblical" cord? WELL, GOD DOES GIVE US "ETERNAL" LIFE THROUGH OUR BIBLICAL CORD!
I Peter 1:22-23 "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth..." And just where is that truth found? IN THE BIBLE, GOD’S WORD.
V. 23 "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, THROUGH THE LIVING AND ENDURING WORD OF GOD."
How thankful we need to be for the Word of God so that we can come to know Christ and be saved!
And I’m saying that on this Memorial Day weekend and every weekend and every day, for that matter, we should remember the Lord and give thanks for everything good He has given us and especially our salvation.
Someone said, "An ingrate is neither in nor great."
Don’t be an ingrate! Honor the Lord always! Give Him thanks always! Look up to Him always!
1- Look back and remember the deceased
2- Look out and love the living
3- Look up and honor the Lord
CONCLUSION---------------------------------------------------
ILL.- One time a man went to see a psychiatrist. He said, "Doctor, I can’t remember a thing from one minute to the next."
"Since when has this been going on?" asked the psychiatrist. "SINCE WHEN HAS WHAT BEEN GOING ON?"
Brethren, most of have memory lapses, but that guy was in bad shape. We’ve all been embarrassed by our own forgetfulness.
But the worst forgetfulness of all is to forget people and to forget the Lord!
People are precious. They count in life. Material things and pleasures donât count in the end. We start life with people and with God and we end life that way. LET’S NOT FORGET THEM IN BETWEEN.
