Ron Barkowsky: Celebration of Life

Cornerstone Church

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November 12, 2023

CCLI #117088

00:00: God be the glory, to God be the glory, for the things
00:15: He has done. With His blood,
00:23: He has saved me. With His power,
00:31: He has raised me. To God be the glory, for the things
00:43: He has done. Oh, just let me live my life, and let it be pleasing,
00:59: Lord, to Thee. And should I gain any praise, let it go to Calvary.
01:19: Oh, with His blood, He has saved me.
01:28: With His power, He has raised me.
01:35: To God be the glory, for the things
01:44: He has done.
02:38: To God be the glory, for the things He has done.
03:02: Oh, just let me live my life, and let it be pleasing, Lord, to Thee.
03:09: And should I gain any praise, let it go to Calvary.
03:25: Oh, just let me live my life, and let it be pleasing,
03:33: Lord, to Thee. And should
03:47: I gain any praise, let it go to Calvary. Smile now, even as the tears fall down.
03:58: Is that the only scars in heaven, or on the hands that hold you now?
04:11: I know the road you walked was anything but easy. You picked up your share of scars along the way.
04:23: Oh, but now you're standing in the sun. You fought your fight, and your race is run.
04:30: The pain is all a million miles away. The only scars in heaven won't belong to me and you.
04:45: There'll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new.
04:55: And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down,
05:06: Is that the only scars in heaven, or on the hands that hold you now?
05:17: Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
05:29: Hallelujah. Hallelujah. For the hands that hold you now.
05:38: There's not a day goes by that I don't see you. You live on in all the better parts of me.
05:50: Until I'm standing with you in the sun. I'll fight this fight, and this race
05:56: I'll run. Until I finally see what you can see. Oh, the only scars in heaven, they won't belong to me and you.
06:15: There'll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new.
06:24: And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down,
06:37: Is that the only scars in heaven, or on the hands that hold you now?
07:02: I've been waiting for breakthrough.
07:09: I've been praying for change. I know you'll work it out for good, but how long will it take?
07:19: I've been asking for healing, and I'm not gonna lie. I'm ready for the miracle,
07:29: God, let it be this time. But if I never see the promise on this side of the grave,
07:38: My hope might be shaken, but my faith will never break.
07:44: Because I know the day is coming when you'll right all of the wrong.
07:51: So I'll praise you in the waiting, and my faith will stay strong.
08:03: God, you taught me to trust you. You showed me how to believe.
08:10: You're the author and the finisher of what you started me.
08:16: So I'm not gonna doubt it. I'm gonna hold on to peace.
08:22: Cause if I have you and nothing else, I still have everything.
08:29: Cause if I never see the promise on this side of the grave,
08:35: My hope might be shaken, but my faith will never break.
08:41: Because I know the day is coming when you'll right all of the wrong.
08:48: So I'll praise you in the waiting, and my faith will stay strong.
08:56: I'll count it joy when I am tested. Cause you bring beauty from my pain.
09:05: It's never wasted. But if I never see the promise on this side of the grave,
09:15: My hope might be shaken, but my faith will never break.
09:22: Because I know the day is coming when you'll right all of the wrong.
09:27: So I'll praise you in the waiting, and my faith will stay strong.
09:34: Because I know the day is coming when you'll right all of the wrong.
09:41: So I'll praise you in the waiting, and my faith will stay strong.
09:47: Will stay strong. The sky shall prepare him.
10:34: The stars shall applaud in his eyes.
11:02: We shall enhance those awaiting.
11:12: And we shall behold him, then face to face.
11:33: We shall behold him, then face to face.
12:06: His glory, oh we shall behold him.
12:24: Yes, we shall behold him.
12:34: Face to face.
12:44: Our Savior and Lord. And the angels shall sing.
13:02: The shout and the sleeping shall rise.
13:33: And those who remain shall be changed in awe.
13:53: And we shall behold him, then face to face.
14:14: We shall behold him.
14:23: Oh yes, we shall behold him.
14:34: Face to face. In awe, oh yes, we shall behold him.
15:10: Face to face. Behold him.
17:20: How can I say thanks for the things you've done for me?
17:34: Things so undeserved, yet you gave to prove your love to me.
17:48: The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.
18:00: All that I am and ever hope to be,
18:07: I owe to thee.
18:14: Glory to God be the glory.
18:31: To God be the glory for the things he has done.
18:45: With his blessing, with his power, he has raised me.
19:00: To God be the glory for the things he has done.
19:13: Oh, just let me live my life and let it be pleasing,
19:24: Lord, to thee. And should I gain any praise, let it go to Calvary.
19:42: Calvary. Oh, with his power, he has saved me.
19:53: With his power, he has raised me.
20:00: To God be the glory for the things he has done.
20:30: Oh, just let me live my life and let it be pleasing, Lord, to thee.
21:01: If I had only known the last time would be the last time,
21:07: I would have put off all the things I had to do. I would have stayed a little longer, held on a little tighter.
21:19: Now, what I'd give for one more day with you. Because there's a wound here in my heart where something's missing.
21:34: And they tell me that it's gonna heal with time. But I know you're in a place where all your wounds have been erased.
21:46: And knowing yours are healed is healing mine. The only scars in heaven, they won't belong to me and you.
22:02: There'll be no such thing as broken. And all the old will be made new.
22:11: And the thought that makes me smile now. Even as the tears fall down.
22:24: Is that the only scars in heaven are on the hands that hold you now.
22:35: I know the road you walked was anything but easy.
22:43: You picked up your share of scars along the way. But now you're standing in the sun.
22:52: You fought your fight and your race is run. The pain is all a million miles away.
23:00: The only scars in heaven, they won't belong to me and you.
23:11: There'll be no such thing as broken. And all the old will be made new.
23:21: And the thought that makes me smile now. Even as the tears fall down.
23:32: Is that the only scars in heaven. Are on the hands that hold you now.
23:43: Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
23:55: Hallelujah. For the hands that hold you now.
24:05: There's not a day goes by that I don't see you. You live on in all the better parts of me.
24:16: Until I'm standing with you in the sun. I'll fight this fight and this race
24:21: I'll run. Until I finally see what you can see. The only scars in heaven.
24:35: They won't belong to me and you. There'll be no such thing as broken.
24:47: And all the old will be made new. And the thought that makes me smile now.
24:56: Even as the tears fall down. Is that the only scars in heaven.
25:08: Are on the hands that hold you now. I've been waiting for breakthrough.
25:35: I've been praying for change. I know you'll work it out for good.
25:43: But how long will it take? I've been asking for healing. And I'm not gonna lie.
25:51: I'm ready for the miracle. God let it be this time.
25:58: But if I never see the promise. On this side of the grave.
26:04: My hope might be shaken. But my faith will never break.
26:10: Because I know the day is coming. When you'll right all of the wrong.
26:16: So I'll praise you in the waiting. And my faith will stay strong.
26:28: God you taught me to trust you. You showed me how to believe.
26:35: You're the author and the finisher. Of what you started me.
26:42: So I'm not gonna doubt it. I'm gonna hold on to peace.
26:48: Cause if I have you and nothing else. I still have everything.
26:55: Cause if I never see the promise. On this side of the grave.
27:01: My hope might be shaken. But my faith will never break.
27:07: Because I know the day is coming. When you'll right all of the wrong.
27:13: So I'll praise you in the waiting. And my faith will stay strong.
27:21: I'll count it joy when I am tested. Cause you bring beauty from my pain.
27:31: It's never wasted. But if I never see the promise.
27:38: On this side of the grave. My hope might be shaken.
27:45: But my faith will never break. Because I know the day is coming.
27:51: When you'll right all of the wrong. So I'll praise you in the waiting.
27:57: And my faith will stay strong. Because I know the day is coming.
28:03: When you'll right all of the wrong. So I'll praise you in the waiting.
28:09: And my faith will stay strong. Will stay strong. So I'll praise you in the waiting.
29:41: And we shall behold him.
29:53: Then face to face. Face to face.
30:02: Oh we shall behold him.
30:15: We shall behold him.
30:25: Face to face in all of his glory.
30:40: Oh we shall behold him.
30:50: Yes we shall behold him. We shall behold him.
31:01: Face to face.
31:10: Our savior and lord.
31:19: And the angels shall sound.
31:31: The shouting, the sleeping shall rise.
31:59: And those who remain.
32:05: Shall, we shall be changed in awe.
32:20: And we shall behold him.
32:30: Then face to face. We shall behold him.
32:48: Oh yes we shall behold him.
33:01: Face to face in all of his glory.
33:25: We shall behold him.
33:34: Face to face.
33:58: Behold him. I say thanks for the things you've done for me.
34:55: Things so undeserved. Yet you gave to prove your love to me.
35:08: The voices of a million angels.
35:15: Could not express my gratitude. I am to thee.
35:37: To God be the glory.
35:45: To God be the glory.
35:52: To God be the glory.
35:59: For the things he has done.
36:05: With his blood he has saved me.
36:13: With his power he has raised me.
36:20: To God be the glory.
36:27: For the things he has done.
36:33: Oh just let me live. My life.
36:42: And let it be pleasing. Lord to thee.
36:48: And should I gain any praise.
36:55: Let it go to Calvary.
37:02: To Calvary. With his blood he has saved me.
37:14: With his power he has raised me.
37:21: To God be the glory. For the things he has done.
38:21: If I had only known the last time would be the last time.
38:27: I would have put off all the things I had to do. I would have stayed a little longer.
38:37: Held on a little tighter. Not what I'd give for one more day with you.
38:48: Cause there's a wound here in my heart where something's missing. And they tell me that it's gonna heal with time.
39:00: But I know you're in a place where all your wounds have been erased.
39:07: And knowing yours are healed is healing mine. The only scars in heaven.
39:16: That won't belong to me and you. There'll be no such thing as broken.
39:28: And all the old will be made new. And the thought that makes me smile now.
39:37: Even as the tears fall down. Is that the only scars in heaven.
39:50: Are on the hands that hold you now. I know the road you walked was anything but easy.
40:03: You picked up your share of scars along the way. Oh but now you're standing in the sun.
40:12: You fought your fight and your race is run. The pain is all a million miles away.
40:20: The only scars in heaven. That won't belong to me and you.
40:31: There'll be no such thing as broken. And all the old will be made new.
40:40: And the thought that makes me smile now.
40:46: Even as the tears fall down.
40:53: Is that the only scars in heaven. Are on the hands that hold you now.
41:03: Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
41:15: Hallelujah. For the hands that hold you now.
41:25: There's not a day goes by that I don't see you. You live on in all the better parts of me.
41:36: Until I'm standing with you in the sun. I'll fight this fight and this race
41:42: I'll run. Until I finally see what you can see. Oh.
41:50: The only scars in heaven. That won't belong to me and you.
42:01: There'll be no such thing as broken. And all the old will be made new.
42:11: And the thought that makes me smile now. And even as the tears fall down.
42:23: Is that the only scars in heaven. Are on the hands that hold you now.
42:48: I've been waiting for breakthrough.
42:55: I've been praying for change. I know you'll work it out for good.
43:03: But how long will it take? I've been asking for healing. And I'm not gonna lie.
43:12: I'm ready for the miracle. God let it be this time.
43:17: But if I never see the promise. On this side of the grave.
43:24: My hope might be shaken. But my faith will never break.
43:30: Because I know the day is coming. When you'll right all of the wrong.
43:37: So I'll praise you in the waiting. And my faith will stay strong.
43:43: Yeah. God you taught me to trust you.
43:52: You showed me how to believe. You're the author and the finisher.
43:59: Of what you started me. So I'm not gonna doubt it. I'm gonna hold on to peace.
44:08: Cause if I have you and nothing else. I still have everything.
44:15: Cause if I never see the promise. On this side of the grave.
44:21: My hope might be shaken. But my faith will never break.
44:27: Because I know the day is coming. When you'll right all of the wrong.
44:34: So I'll praise you in the waiting. And my faith will stay strong.
44:42: I'll count it joy when I am tested. Cause you bring beauty from my pain.
44:51: It's never wasted. But if I never see the promise.
44:59: On this side of the grave. My hope might be shaken.
45:05: But my faith will never break. Because I know the day is coming.
45:11: When you'll right all of the wrong. So I'll praise you in the waiting.
45:18: And my faith will stay strong. Because I know the day is coming.
45:24: When you'll right all of the wrong. So I'll praise you in the waiting.
45:30: And my faith will stay strong. Will stay strong. Will stay strong.
46:00: The sky shall unprepared. The stars shall applaud.
46:40: The sweet light in his eyes.
46:46: The days shall enhance those awaiting.
47:01: And we shall behold him.
47:12: Then face to face.
47:24: Oh we shall behold him.
47:45: Face to face in all of his glory.
48:00: Oh we shall behold him.
48:10: Yes we shall behold him.
48:21: Face to face.
48:28: He is our savior and lord.
48:41: And the angels shall sound.
48:51: The shout and the sleeping shall rise.
49:14: And those who remain shall be changed in awe.
49:40: And we shall behold him.
50:11: We shall behold him.
50:23: Good morning and welcome.
51:27: My name is Ben Honeyford, the pastor of the Rock Church in South Jersey. In Mount Laurel and I'll be officiating the service this morning.
51:36: Today we celebrate the life of Ronald J. Barkowski.
51:41: Who was born on January 7th, 1954. And who passed away into glory on October 21st, 2023.
51:51: He was 69 years of age. And on behalf of Ron and Wendy's beloved children,
51:58: April, Katie, Bethany, as well as their grandchildren, Layla, Miley, Benjamin, Jackson, Caden, Mariah, Emmett, Emily, Nathan, Cassidy.
52:15: All ten of them. And Ron's sisters, Kim and Connie, and brothers
52:20: Wayne and Eddie, and Wendy's brothers Bruce, Dale, and Craig. And let me just express gratitude to you all for honoring
52:29: Ron's life by your presence here today. Even as we together seek the comfort of the
52:37: Holy Spirit and consolation of God's word. Let's renew our hope in the certainty of the resurrection of the dead through our
52:46: Lord Jesus Christ. Let's worship Almighty God by carefully attending to the inspired words of Psalm 121.
52:57: I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come from?
53:04: My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved.
53:11: He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
53:20: The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
53:27: The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil.
53:35: He will keep your life. The Lord will keep you. You're going out and you're coming in from this time forth and forever.
53:47: Let's pray together. We praise you
53:52: Almighty God. That you are the sovereign Lord. The maker of heaven and earth.
54:00: The governor and sustainer of all things. The God in whom we live and move and have our being.
54:08: You give to us life and breath and all things. You declared the end from the beginning.
54:16: You numbered our days when as yet there was not one. Against your will a sparrow may not fall from a tree.
54:25: For you work all things after the counsel of your will. Ordaining whatsoever comes to pass.
54:34: We come to you through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior of the world. The Lord of glory.
54:42: Who is the resurrection and the life. Who has gone to prepare a place for us.
54:49: We pray that all would find peace in the promise of the gospel.
54:55: We ask on this day that you would be a refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.
55:01: We plead for you to send your spirit to comfort and your word to console.
55:09: May the gospel be more glorious at this moment than in any other.
55:15: As it draws us close to Christ. In whose name we pray. Amen. So I'd like to invite
55:25: Wendy to come forward and to begin our time of sharing. That she's going to share and then we'll invite you to come one by one as you feel led to do so.
55:35: And you can come right to the front at the podium here and share your remembrances of Ron.
55:42: And we'll also play a video that Bethany put together as well.
55:47: So Wendy if you want to come on forward. I just wanted to thank you all for coming here.
56:04: Each and every person means so much to me and Ron. And my family. Through these last three years of all his health issues.
56:18: I had so much prayer support. Like. We really felt that prayer support.
56:26: It looked like it was crazy. You know how the it's like the word says there's a peace that passes all understanding.
56:34: And that's the key. It passes all understanding. Like why am I not more upset.
56:39: It's because of what Jesus is doing through these prayers. And all your support.
56:44: And all your love. And all your encouragement. And all your text messages. And. Just everything.
56:53: Everyone's done for us. And for Ron. I know. He would want me to thank you so much.
57:01: He was always such a. Thankful appreciative person. And he would be overwhelmed.
57:07: He would be overwhelmed. At the turnout for him. So thanks.
57:14: And. There's a verse that got me through these last three years that.
57:21: It meant a lot to me. Some 2713.
57:28: Says I would have fainted. Unless I believe to see. The goodness of the
57:35: Lord in the land of the living. And that got me through. Because like we can focus on the trial.
57:43: Or we can focus on the Lord. And through all the people. That's how
57:49: I saw his goodness. I saw it in. You being you.
57:55: You sharing. You encouraging. You praying. So thank you.
58:00: Thank you for that. Let me see. I wrote it down because I can't.
58:06: Remember everything. I kind of said that.
58:17: I give God all the glory for. He has done great things. The PC he gave us in the middle of the storm was like the scriptures say.
58:26: It's a piece that passes all understanding. As we celebrate Ron's life. I give Jesus to praise.
58:32: For Ron was truly an answer to prayer for me. He was a gift to everyone.
58:38: He met. I will treasure the memories of the love we had in the 45 years.
58:44: We shared together. Ron was my other half. My soulmate.
58:50: My very best friend. And he was the best listener. And he can always make me laugh.
59:02: Ron, I'll miss you so much. And you will always be the one. Other than Jesus that lights up my life.
59:17: Thanks Wendy so much. Shall we play the video Bethany? Let's do that. You want to play
59:22: Bethany's video there? Nate, thanks. Nothing compares to the love between a father and his daughter.
59:43: I always looked up to my dad. He was such a great role model. He was an amazing husband to my mother.
59:51: And of course, we can't forget the beloved pop -up. Dad had these big blue piercing eyes.
01:00:14: His eyes were so loving and kind. That at times, I thought I was looking at Jesus himself.
01:00:21: Dad loved his Philly teams. And for those of you who know him, you know he loved to joke.
01:00:37: Lips there. Nice. Nice hair. Your hair looks nice today.
01:00:48: You mean it looks a little ratty? Like a big mouse?
01:00:59: When I first found out about my dad's cancer diagnosis, my heart sank. And as the days went on, dad kept getting sicker.
01:01:07: But that didn't stop him. He continued to pray and sing praises to the Lord. Prior to my dad passing,
01:01:27: I had a vision of angels surrounding him of beautiful golden light. I could not see their faces, yet I could see right through into their soul.
01:01:36: It felt so comforting and safe. A few days later, I was with my dad when he passed.
01:01:44: Moments before, I felt the angels in the room with us. I felt so empowered, as if I was meant to be there in that very moment.
01:01:52: A peace then came over me that surpassed all understanding. I asked,
01:01:58: Can you see the angels now, dad? He then gave my hand a loving squeeze to reassure me they were there, before taking his final breath and going up to heaven.
01:02:10: My dad passed on my parents' 45th anniversary, a milestone they both wanted to reach before they said their goodbyes.
01:02:19: Losing someone you love to cancer is a different kind of pain. In his last days, my dad and I grew closer and we had some really great talks.
01:02:28: I'm thankful I got to share these special moments with him. He explained, Some things happen in life that we can't comprehend.
01:02:36: And although we can't control the things that happen, we can direct the way we respond to it. He wanted me to hold on to the good memories and not let this experience destroy my faith in the
01:02:46: Lord. And throughout this whole journey, the Lord has shown me signs to assure me dad's okay. So I will not weep in sorrow.
01:02:53: I will not let this tear me down. I will continue to praise God. And although at times it's painful,
01:02:59: I will forever hold on to the happy memories and smile. Because now he's looking down on me from heaven.
01:03:07: And one day, we'll meet again. Thank you,
01:03:33: Bethany, for putting that together. Beautiful. So anyone that would like to come forward, you want to start with Jim?
01:03:39: Do you want to start? Okay, Jim's going to come up. And then after each person, if you want to come forward and share your thoughts and remembrance of Ron.
01:03:53: Well, good morning, everybody. Thank you for all being here this morning. I didn't think I was going to be able to come through those front doors.
01:04:01: Unfortunately, I haven't been to church in a long time, and that's not right. I'm lucky to be here today in front of everybody and be honored.
01:04:07: So my name is Jim, and I'm lucky to be with Ron's dad's oldest daughter,
01:04:13: Bethany. Beautiful, amazing woman. That's part of my life. And as you meet somebody and you get to know them, all of a sudden you have to meet the parents, right?
01:04:23: So my thought was that maybe he'd be on the front porch, maybe with a shotgun, looking and saying, who's this guy?
01:04:31: And we met at the Morristown Mall, and mom and dad greeted me.
01:04:36: And the first thing that Ron gave me was a Bible and said, read this.
01:04:42: And I'll continue about that Bible later on. So as everything went on in these weeks, those last couple of days him being home,
01:04:53: I have to tell you this. He was big into Red October, right? Phillies. And I was so determined,
01:04:59: I got him a shrimp cocktail. He was off his diet. I wanted to get him whatever he wanted to eat. We were trying to get the
01:05:04: Phillies game on. We're trying every app. We're trying everything we can. And finally, I'm on the phone with Comcast trying to hook up cable from home up to here.
01:05:12: And finally, he was so frustrated, and he's like, Jim, you're driving me nuts. Stop, please, please. But finally, got that game on for him, and he watched that game.
01:05:20: Turning to when he went into the hospital. Tuesday, we went and visited him there at Virtua.
01:05:28: And he was great. You see him singing. His brother and sister were there. And he was great, laughing, joking.
01:05:36: And then things turned. And that Friday, I went to St.
01:05:42: Mary's. And at that night, Beth and you were there, and Ron was sitting there.
01:05:49: And I was just talking to him, telling him, hey, Jimmy, Jim, Jim's here, Dad. You know, I'm thinking about you.
01:05:54: I love you. Phillies are on. And he had his hand like upside down. I grabbed it, and there was nothing there.
01:06:02: I said my goodbyes. I walked down the hallway halfway, and I hear
01:06:09: Bethany and Mom yelling for me to come back in. And as I came back in,
01:06:17: Dad's hand was up. And he gave me a pound. Sorry, I usually don't get emotional.
01:06:23: And I put his hand down. I held it. I said, it's fine,
01:06:28: Dad. I'm here. We have such a loving family, big family. We're all here.
01:06:33: It's fine. I said, God's up there waiting with your gold scissors and clippers and comb.
01:06:40: You got a lot of haircuts up there to do. So from that blue, one blue eye, like a pirate, opened a little bit.
01:06:50: And he grabbed my hand. I said, I love you, and it was a pleasure for you in my life.
01:06:57: And you were my angel. I went home that night. Bethany stayed.
01:07:04: Came home and went through Facebook and saw all the loving messages and so many people that said that he was a man of God.
01:07:12: He was here on Earth to touch many people. That night hit midnight.
01:07:19: Mom was there next to Dad's side. We put the phone on speaker and played their wedding song.
01:07:26: And we were tearful. And I know he heard it and said our goodbyes.
01:07:35: Bethany got up that morning, Saturday, and was going to stop at Wawa, but just said, no,
01:07:40: I'm going to go straight there. Mom was there. She relieved her. So Bethany was there. I said,
01:07:46: I wish I could be there. I could come. And I get a text at 10, 12.
01:07:55: Dad's in heaven now. And I'm at work, upset. A couple minutes later, my best friend in here,
01:08:03: Moses, and we worked together. And I'm in the car business. He handed me a set of keys to go appraise the car, and that was my job.
01:08:14: And I get into this car. As I sat in this car, I turned to the right.
01:08:22: And what, on the passenger seat, is a Bible. People that know me,
01:08:27: I've had many ups and downs and struggles. And he passed away and went to heaven. He is my angel.
01:08:32: And since that day, up until now, I've never touched a drink of alcohol.
01:08:39: And he's my angel. And I know he's touched many of you. And I am so proud that I got to know him in these years and wish there was many more.
01:08:48: And he's up there looking down. And he saved me. I know that. And I hope he touched everyone he used.
01:08:53: I can see that by all of you being here today. So thank you very much. And if anybody else wants to stand up to tell some stories,
01:09:00: I would love to hear that. Thank yous very much. Surprised him.
01:09:15: Okay, I surprised him, Wendy. I couldn't be up here without him, me, and Ron.
01:09:21: But you can see he's going to interrupt already. I'll tell you,
01:09:27: Ron. You all know he has such a fantastic personality. You'd come in to the barbershop to get a haircut.
01:09:36: And there might have been some stuff happening in your life. And you're sitting down and you're waiting. And he's looking over there.
01:09:43: And I never made an appointment. I used to just call him on the phone and say, Yo, yo, yo, can you stick me in somewhere?
01:09:50: And he would say, Head on over. I'll sneak you in. And as I'm in the chair, he's talking.
01:09:57: What's going on? He's cutting my hair. We're praying. Turns on the music. We're worshiping.
01:10:03: Someone comes in, doesn't bother him. We're still worshiping. And the person's looking at us like we're crazy.
01:10:10: And Ron would say, Don't worry. The Lord's here. He's taking care of everything. And it was just, made me feel so much better.
01:10:20: I mean, he just had that. And he gave me a call. Had a problem with some plumbing at the house.
01:10:27: And I said, Ah, let me take a look at it, Ron. Ah, you gotta have the wood rolled off. We'll get it fixed. Boom, boom, boom.
01:10:33: And he's like, What do I, nothing. Just your presence in my life was enough.
01:10:39: And tell me your, so I talked to Wendy before I came in.
01:10:49: And some of the things, I looked at him. I haven't seen him in a while. I was actually going to the church. And that's how we met.
01:10:54: And we have these life groups who go to the homes. And Wendy and Ron were like family right from the get -go.
01:11:02: So, like he said, the same thing. Politics, radio, music.
01:11:08: I would get the same scenario. Ron would do the same thing. But it'd be a great night.
01:11:14: But the three of us, it was terrible. In a good way.
01:11:20: In a good way. But the one story I had, and I had shared with him. When I walked in and it came to me.
01:11:26: We would have a home meeting with Wendy's house. It'd be so great. Wonderful prayer. List of prayer.
01:11:33: The next morning, we'd be in the back pew. And the music would be starting. And we're laughing like kids.
01:11:39: We can't stop. We're laughing from the night before. I don't think I slept half the time.
01:11:45: So, they're the things that Ron really impressed on. I think a lot of it because of his humor.
01:11:51: Because we need humor in these days. Let's face it. So, there's some of the things. But with Ron and the three of us.
01:11:58: And with the body of Christ and the fellowship. That was our strength. Outside the church.
01:12:04: And we became the church outside the church. So, what I just wanted to. When you're talking about life groups.
01:12:11: We had a pastor. He had a pretty good sense of humor too. So, we're doing a life group.
01:12:17: And we decided to do. I put in. The Christian nudist life group.
01:12:25: I put that in. And to see if it would get approved. Of course.
01:12:31: It did not get approved. But what we did. The first night we met.
01:12:37: The guys had robes. So, we brought robes. We took off our shirts. Pulled off the pant legs.
01:12:43: And when our pastor came. We're all there with just a robes on. And we're like. You're overdressed pastor.
01:12:49: What's going on? That's Ron in there. So, he's enjoying himself up there in heaven.
01:12:56: And he's rejoicing right now. Yes. So, you're going to have some tears. Sorrow. But laugh.
01:13:03: Because that was his gift. Was making others laugh.
01:13:08: And would always have that look. Yes. You know, you walk up to him. And he's thinking and looking around.
01:13:15: What's he going to say next? Just don't know. Good morning.
01:13:47: My name's Dale. I'm Wendy's sister. We've known each other for 46 years.
01:13:55: We met at the Bible study booth we were attending. And this was the shyest man you'd ever want to meet.
01:14:04: He just sat there and didn't say a word. And Wendy's a little less shy than him.
01:14:13: And after the Bible study was done. She went over to talk to him. And he started talking to her.
01:14:21: And they really hit it off. And by their second date they knew they were supposed to be married.
01:14:28: So, of course, that unnerved my mother. But, you know, you've got to do what the Lord tells you to do. And, you know, what a gift he was.
01:14:38: And the gentleman that mentioned about his personality. You know, that was all hidden in him.
01:14:45: Until he really allowed it to blossom. One through Wendy. And through other people he met.
01:14:51: And that personality just took off. And I saw that for 46 years. I saw him that way.
01:14:58: He was a very caring man. And a very kind man. I remember when
01:15:04: I had my daughter. And I wasn't able to get to the barbershop.
01:15:10: And he would come on his day off and cut my hair. And I never forgot that.
01:15:17: And also when my husband, who passed away four years ago. It was very difficult to get him to the barbershop.
01:15:27: And he came up to me. He says, Dale, look. I'll come and do his hair. And I said, are you sure,
01:15:33: Ron? Because he was so busy. And he goes, no, no, no. Nothing was too much for Ron. And he didn't only do that for me.
01:15:41: But I know what he did for other people that were ill. He went to cut their hair. He had such a heart for people.
01:15:49: And that personality came out because he stood on the rock. He trusted the
01:15:57: Lord. And the Lord, I think, has blessed him in many ways.
01:16:04: You know, he married the love of his life. He has three beautiful daughters. Many grandchildren.
01:16:11: And he was such a blessing to me in my life. And I feel that it was a privilege to know him.
01:16:21: So, you know, he's up there with the Lord. Probably having a great time. Probably messing around with my husband.
01:16:27: Because they always did that. You know, my husband would call him Ronaldo. And he would call him
01:16:33: Kimisabi. That's the way they greeted each other. And, you know, but they had a good time together.
01:16:40: And I know Ron was, you know, he was really grieving when my husband Kim passed away.
01:16:47: He always would talk, we'd talk about him when he cut my hair. So, you know, a lot of times when people leave, you know, they go away and say, oh, goodbye.
01:16:57: But we don't say goodbye to Ron. We say, we'll see you later. Thank you.
01:17:21: So, back in 1985, I moved to Oakland. And I needed a haircut.
01:17:28: I had more hair then. And so I went from barber to barber to barber all over the area looking for the right barber.
01:17:39: And there was this little place right around the corner called Cuts for the King. And I said, oh, that sounds interesting.
01:17:48: I didn't know what to expect. I go there and I get a very good haircut from an excellent barber who had a sense of humor like none other.
01:18:03: So, in those days, I had a comb over. It was terrible. But Ron would give a great haircut.
01:18:10: I haven't been much of a challenge for him lately. But I would still go.
01:18:16: You know, it's been, what, 40 years. And the one thing that I see in Ron, you would walk into the barbershop and he was like a luminous cloud of peace.
01:18:31: He was always a wonderful presence. And he came to my house during COVID, cut my hair on the patio.
01:18:43: My friend Dave, Teresa, my wife was there. She wants to give her condolences to you,
01:18:52: Wendy. And, but he was always there for everyone.
01:18:57: Great person. Thank you, Ron. I only knew
01:19:35: Ron for a short period of time. I was privileged to work on his house and meet him and talk to him.
01:19:46: I had many long talks with Ron while I was working on his house. And he made an impact.
01:19:54: He was a kind, gentle spirit. And my only thoughts that I kept thinking of all this time sitting here was how many lives, maybe as a barber, that he maybe sowed a little seed in each one of those lives.
01:20:12: And who knows the impact he might have had on this area and the people that he served.
01:20:19: We'll never know until we get to heaven. But I have to say that his legacy will live long.
01:20:27: So God bless him. Hi, my name's
01:20:51: Anthony. And I've known Ron for over 30 years. My story is similar to the gentleman.
01:20:56: I was living in Fairview at the time, looking for a barber. I found this little shop called Cuts for the
01:21:02: King. Well, that piqued my curiosity. So I was thinking king, head of household.
01:21:08: That's a first. But when I got to see and meet Ron, I knew differently.
01:21:15: My visit with Ron has extended over these years. And a haircut with Ron wasn't just a haircut.
01:21:25: It was a time to fellowship. And I would go in there, Ron. I'd have a bad day, but by the time
01:21:30: I left, I was feeling a little bit better about the day and about myself. And Ron and I used to say, we get together for a reason, not just for your hair, but iron sharpens iron.
01:21:43: And that was the thing that always stuck with me with Ron. He had a very, he impacted my life more than I can even start to share with you.
01:22:04: Ron fought the good fight. Never complained. He was always positive, upbeat.
01:22:12: He didn't discriminate. You know, everyone's equal. He wasn't a man to look down on anybody or even talk about negativity.
01:22:23: He had his points of view, which we both did, because my cut became more of a visit than a cut with Ron.
01:22:38: You know, he'll be greatly missed, like we're all going to miss him. There was a mantra that became part of our visit with Ron.
01:22:49: And being my name was Anthony, he started calling me Tony. And when I would come into the shop, he'd say, oh,
01:22:56: Tony. So when
01:23:01: I was going to Ron's house for a haircut, Wendy jumped on a board and when
01:23:08: I walked into the house, I'd hear, oh, Tony, in unison from Ron and Wendy.
01:23:15: And I got to speak with Ron the Saturday before he passed. I called him on the phone and the first thing he said was, oh,
01:23:24: Tony. So needless to say, that'll always be in my memory and my thoughts at Ron. So I just want to wish you,
01:23:32: I'm sorry, my condolences for my family for Ron, your loss. But he'll be greatly missed and he was a great friend.
01:23:42: And thank you. Hi, my name is
01:24:08: Paul. And back in, I guess, the early 90s,
01:24:13: I was dissatisfied with getting my hair cut and we had a copy of the Christian directory, business directory, and I looked in there and I saw
01:24:22: Cuts for the King and I said, let me give that a try. And that's when I first met
01:24:28: Ron. And the one thing I learned about Ron is while cutting hair was maybe his profession, it was also his calling.
01:24:38: He was every bit as minister as much as Pastor Ben here. And he ministered to everybody who came in to get their hair cut.
01:24:48: And the one thing I liked about Ron, he did much of the cutting with scissors instead of using clippers like the last one
01:24:56: I just got. And, you know, in talking to Ron, I found out that early in life, he had worked for Langston Industries in Camden, a company that made corrugated cardboard machinery.
01:25:11: And he was a machinist. And I realized that when he cut hair, he was still applying that exact precision that he learned as a machinist to his hair cutting.
01:25:23: And so you did not leave his shop unless every hair measured the exact same length.
01:25:29: I mean, he'd be there and he'd be snipping the slightest little bit of overreach. And he was just an amazing barber.
01:25:36: But more than that, he was an amazing man who brought joy to my life. And I introduced my mom to him and he cut my mom's hair, he cut my hair.
01:25:46: And then we started going out to eat together. And certainly since my mom passed, we've been out many times at the diner with Wendy and Ron.
01:25:54: And always a good time, always a laugh from the beginning to the end. You could not be around Ron without a big smile on your face.
01:26:02: He was just infectious. And I will miss Ron terribly.
01:26:09: I used to just call him up sometimes and talk to him and I'm gonna miss that. But I know he's rejoicing around the throne of God and I will see him again for sure.
01:26:20: Thank you. Hello, everybody.
01:26:33: My name is Rose, but Ronnie knew me as Rowie. He was my cousin.
01:26:39: We were very close. If anybody's seen the pictures out there of Ron with us when we were kids,
01:26:48: I just want him to go to heaven knowing that he lived with me for a while when he was eight, nine, 10, 11, and 12.
01:27:01: He was very close. He lived with my grandmother.
01:27:08: And he has to be praised. He took care of her. She was in a car accident.
01:27:15: She was in a body cast. He cleaned her. He fed her.
01:27:22: He did everything for her. She loved him so much that when she was dying in the hospital on Summer's Point, I was there and she looked at me and she says,
01:27:39: Ronnie, give me my waist. She thought
01:27:44: Ronnie was beside her and she called her vest, that she was called her waist.
01:27:52: He took very good care of her. She loved him. He cooked for her.
01:27:57: He did everything he could. Then he met Ronnie at Wendy. But Ronnie knows, and if anybody knows, that there's a place in heaven, it's sure for Ronnie.
01:28:13: He was the best cousin anybody could ever hope to have. Rest in peace,
01:28:20: Ronnie. We all love you from the bottom of our hearts and you'll always be in our hearts.
01:28:27: God bless all of you. Hi, my name's
01:29:02: Jerry. I did not know Ron for as long as most of you did. I met him at the
01:29:09: Rock Church one morning when he and Wendy walked in to worship with us. But he touched my life and the things
01:29:18: I will remember most about him is the twinkle in his eye, his wry little smile, his jokes that were so corny you couldn't help but laugh at them.
01:29:39: He had a gentle strength about him and I hung on every word that he said when he was in our
01:29:49: Bible study group. For you could tell that he loved the Lord more than anything else and that he had spent time with him and that he had let
01:29:59: God shape his heart and his life. And I really aspire to be more like him for I feel that he was quite a mentor and a guide for me in the short time that I knew him.
01:30:20: And I know that we will all see him again and we will be rejoicing.
01:30:27: He's saving his seat for us. He's saving his seat for us. Thank you. Anyone else want to share?
01:31:44: Certainly there's opportunity now if you'd like to come forward. Give you just a moment. Might be a straggler out there.
01:31:54: Gentleman from the back. Good sir. Come on up. My name's
01:32:13: Ed Weavel. I walked into a church in about 1980 and Ron was one of the ones that was outgoing and came up and introduced himself and we became friends.
01:32:30: Went to his Bible study with Wendy and Oakland back in those days.
01:32:36: Ron was older in the Lord than I was and he helped me get through some pretty sticky patches.
01:32:43: Somebody had asked us to go to the hospital and pray for somebody and they warned us that this person had a hole in their face.
01:32:51: And I thought, okay, I can handle that. And we walked in there and I was like horrified.
01:32:57: It looked just like the devil. Had a tail. And Ron was just so together.
01:33:06: He handled it real well. And I thank God he was there because I probably would have ran out the door if I didn't have him to hold on to.
01:33:16: So I know Ron for over 40 years. He cut my hair and helped me on different things when
01:33:25: I needed help. And we talk about the Lord, what he was going through and what
01:33:32: I was going through. But if I didn't see him for a month at a time, I mean,
01:33:38: I always knew if I ever needed Ron, he was just a phone call away. He was a faithful brother.
01:33:46: And maybe he lost the battle, but he won the war. You know what I mean?
01:33:53: He's graduated now. I don't know. Maybe he's working on my house or your house.
01:33:59: I don't know what he's doing up there. But he was a good brother. I loved him dearly. I look forward to seeing him again.
01:34:18: Hi, I'm Layla. I'm the first grandchild. This is Miley, the second.
01:34:27: My pop -up was the funniest man I know. And I really want to walk in his footsteps one day and cut someone's hair like he did.
01:34:36: And he always put himself first. I mean, he always put other people first before himself.
01:34:42: He was really selfless. And he always prayed for other people.
01:34:48: And he always shared the gospel with everyone he knew. And he loved everyone. And it didn't even matter who they were.
01:34:56: He always loved everyone. My pop -up was my best friend.
01:35:03: He was my best friend ever since we, ever since he first saw me when
01:35:14: I was born. We instantly clicked. And my entire childhood, we would share jokes and memories.
01:35:27: And he would always put a smile on my face. And we went on so many trips.
01:35:36: And constantly, no matter what the situation, no matter how sad it was, he would always find a way to tie in a joke about tuna fish.
01:35:56: We all loved him so much and all of his stupid tuna fish jokes.
01:36:02: Okay. All right.
01:37:01: I want to read to you, this seems to be Ron's favorite verse here, John 3, 16.
01:37:08: So, I added on 17. Hope you don't mind. I thought, let's get the full point.
01:37:14: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
01:37:23: And verse 17 says, for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
01:37:36: It's a powerful scripture. This one, you know, the Lord's Prayer. And if you want to recite it with me, you're welcome to do so.
01:37:44: You might have a different version. That's okay. But the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6, 9 to 13.
01:37:51: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.
01:37:59: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
01:38:06: Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
01:38:21: Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for the lives that were impacted by the ministry of Ron.
01:38:39: You have touched so many through this man, and it surely was his passion, your gospel, that the world might know there's a
01:38:53: Savior. There's hope. There's forgiveness. Even in the midst of brokenness and pain and sorrow, and suffering, there's a
01:39:05: God who loves you. So as we come to you now, we pray for your blessing.
01:39:13: Over this short message, pray your gospel would go forward, and this morning, any lost souls would come to the saving knowledge of Christ.
01:39:26: Lord, your gospel is power. It's the power of God unto salvation. And that's our prayer, because that's what
01:39:35: Ron would want this morning, that the glory would go to the King. Yes, cuts for the
01:39:41: King, but glory to the King. Glory, hallelujah to the King. With this we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.
01:39:53: So I had the distinct privilege of being Ron's pastor for the last few years, and it was clear that this is a special man of God, committed to his faith in the
01:40:06: Lord Jesus, and he had an amazing personality. I don't need to remind you of that, but he always was able to make you laugh no matter what.
01:40:16: He was welcoming new people that came to our little new church plant, and impacted so many lives.
01:40:23: Probably some of the Rock Church people that are here today were impacted by him just welcoming them into the church.
01:40:31: He was a man of prayer, and he counted it as a joy. It wasn't anything about Ron's faith that was obligation.
01:40:41: Ron was a man that cared for others, and that is the theme that you've heard this morning.
01:40:48: That was his life story, his heart of compassion toward people, all people, no matter what they're going through, no matter what they faced.
01:41:01: Ron was a man of integrity. He loved his customers.
01:41:07: He was always flexible to meet their needs. Wendy told me, he would often tell them, Ron, it's not about the haircut.
01:41:16: They knew they had a friend that would listen. Pretty amazing to hear
01:41:23: Wendy say how Ron used to be a very shy person, but even so, he knew from a very young age his calling was to serve
01:41:37: God, to follow Jesus. As a teenager, he used to watch
01:41:42: Harry Bristow. You guys know that name? I don't, I'm sorry. He was a televangelist, and Ron watched him and would respond to the gospel many times over.
01:41:56: It was at the age of 19 that Ron made the declaration, Jesus is my
01:42:03: Lord and Savior. And God was working in him, bringing him out of that shell.
01:42:12: Ron had been a machinist, as Paul shared, but was laid off, and he wondered, what was he to do next?
01:42:20: So he decided to become a barber. He also had, Wendy was telling me, quite a ministry to the sick and led many people to the
01:42:30: Lord in hospitals and nursing homes. He even cut hair for children with autism.
01:42:36: They called him Mr. Ron. He was pop -up to all 10 of his grandkids.
01:42:43: He loved them so much, hugging and wrestling with them as much as he could. As a faithful and loyal husband to Wendy for 45 years, he will be missed.
01:42:56: But if I could just leave you with one thing, if you leave this place and forget everything else, one thing, that the
01:43:06: Bible has something to say to you today. God has something to say to you today through his word.
01:43:12: Why do I say that? Some of you might immediately brush me off and say, sure, pastor, whatever,
01:43:19: I didn't come here to hear a sermon. And believe me, I understand. But the
01:43:25: Bible has something to say to you today. It's because God cares about you.
01:43:30: Yeah, the God who created everything, the stars, the sky, the earth, and you and me.
01:43:39: Yes, that God is interested in your life. In fact, he knows you better than you even know yourself.
01:43:47: Okay, pastor, so what? Tell me, what does he have to say to me right now as I'm sitting here grieving the loss of Ron, of pop -up or Ronnie, whatever you would call him?
01:44:00: Well, what better way to hear what God has to say than to open the word of God, the
01:44:06: Bible. And let's be assured of one thing. There is hope beyond this life.
01:44:13: Isaiah 40, 31 says, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
01:44:18: They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.
01:44:27: Hebrews 6, 19 says, we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
01:44:39: Romans 5, 5 says, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the
01:44:49: Holy Spirit who's been given to us. There's a lot more scriptures that speak to this.
01:44:56: This idea of hope. The point is this. The hope that the Bible speaks about is not some hope that we think about.
01:45:06: No, it's a hope that has a sure foundation. It's a hope that strengthens us.
01:45:13: It's a hope that does not put us to shame. The reality is that we have hope for things in this life only to be let down.
01:45:24: We've hoped that we would get a better job, and we didn't. We hoped we would have the perfect spouse, and we didn't.
01:45:34: We hoped that life would get easier, and it hasn't. And of course, some of us look to God and say, why?
01:45:43: Why, God? Do you allow this to happen? Why are things so difficult?
01:45:49: Why is there so much suffering in the world? I can't answer all those questions for you, but I can offer to you a hope that only
01:45:59: God can give you. It's a hope beyond this life.
01:46:07: It's a hope that's realized by Ron right now. It's the confidence that you can know that you know that you know you're going to heaven.
01:46:17: Not some idea that says, well, I hope my good works outweigh my bad works. Not that I think
01:46:24: I'm a good person and God will just overlook my sin. Not any of that. The hope that is a sure foundation, immovable, certain, is in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
01:46:38: Simply put, Jesus came to live a perfect life, to obey the law in every way, to suffer a perfect death, to rise again, to defeat death, and one day to return in glory.
01:47:02: So again, what does this have to do with me? Well, it has everything to do with you.
01:47:09: Here's what I mean. I mentioned good works don't save you. I mentioned being a good person doesn't save you.
01:47:16: So what saves you? It's one thing, faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
01:47:23: Faith? That's it? Yeah, that's it. But is it that easy?
01:47:30: Well, yes and no. Let me break it down for you in the short time we have. Faith is a gift of God. It means that you didn't produce it and you don't reach down into your soul to find it.
01:47:42: God gives it to you and you express it when you hear the gospel. The gospel?
01:47:49: What's that? You know, it's the good news of Jesus Christ. But the sad thing about American Christianity is that we've all heard of this good news but we don't really understand why it's so good.
01:48:04: It's only when we realize the impact of our personal sin before a holy
01:48:11: God. Everybody is quick to admit they aren't perfect. That's obvious.
01:48:17: But admitting that you're a sinner, going to hell, that's a little bit more difficult.
01:48:25: Why? Because we think we're good people and surely our goodness is enough to get us to heaven.
01:48:34: And there it is. Making a God in our own liking, using a standard of our own creating.
01:48:42: I would encourage you this morning to simply ask God to show you how you've sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
01:48:53: I would encourage you to ask God for His mercy over your life.
01:49:00: And you'll be blown away by this reality that God does not reject anyone that comes to Him by no means.
01:49:10: And as the Lord draws you to Him, as His kindness leads you to repentance, you will taste and see that the
01:49:19: Lord is good and you will find satisfaction for your soul that this world simply cannot give.
01:49:29: The Bible says in Ephesians 2 in verse 8 that sinners are saved by grace through faith.
01:49:38: It's got nothing to do with your works. Nothing. But everything to do with God's gift to you.
01:49:48: And that's the second part of the question as we consider what are you saved from? And that's an important one because the
01:49:54: Bible says that the wrath of God rests upon the sons of disobedience. In other words, every day that you do not know this gift, do not know this salvation, the wrath of God rests upon you.
01:50:08: But not only that is building upon you. I know it's offensive. I know that's hard to hear.
01:50:16: But it's true. And if there's anything that's more important to this life it's this.
01:50:23: Understanding the truth about your sin that we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
01:50:32: We've been separated from a God who didn't design it to be this way.
01:50:38: And God is gracious enough to us, merciful enough to send His Son into the world to save sinners.
01:50:47: That's the good news. Yes, God is holy and hates sin. But there's an escape from it.
01:50:54: And that escape has nothing to do with your good works. So pray.
01:51:02: Just simple prayer. God give me faith to trust you. God give me faith to trust in the person and work of Christ.
01:51:10: May that faith you give me God lead me to repentance. Repentance?
01:51:15: What is that? You've heard that term. Yeah, you've all come to this place going one direction and you're all going to leave this place going a different direction.
01:51:26: And repentance is sort of like that in a sense that your life changes directions. And let me be clear,
01:51:31: I'm not saying it's time to get all religious and now I'm going to pass out a list of rules and regulations as you leave this place in order to go to heaven.
01:51:40: What I am saying is that the Holy Spirit of God must bring awareness to your heart that sin is a problem.
01:51:49: All of it. Yeah, I know there's some sins that are worse than others but when we repent we don't say
01:51:58: I don't want we say I don't want to sin the way I used to.
01:52:04: So how does that happen? Great question. When God comes into your life He gives you new desires.
01:52:11: New desires? That sounds a little weird. Yeah, He changes you from the inside out.
01:52:18: He gives you a new heart. I'll give you an example. I grew up in the church and I just looked at Christianity as every other religion of the do's and the don'ts.
01:52:28: Check the boxes. Get your fire insurance. Then at the end of age 21 I found myself changing directions.
01:52:36: I was partying. I was enjoying. I was living my life for myself.
01:52:42: I heard this message about Jesus Christ who came to save sinners and I trusted.
01:52:51: I trusted in Him. So I repented. I changed my mind about how
01:52:56: I viewed sin. And that change was the fruit of faith and outworking of what
01:53:01: God had done in my heart. I changed the way that I viewed my life. This was not my doing.
01:53:07: I didn't wake up one day and say this. I simply had this new desire to want to honor God not out of obligation or duty.
01:53:16: No, it's a new desire to serve God. And I didn't know what that would look like.
01:53:25: But I know that God is and was and will continue to work in my life to change me.
01:53:33: So I repented but that doesn't mean I stopped sinning. You want to ask my wife she'll tell you.
01:53:40: It continues. But what it also means is that I trusted
01:53:45: Jesus. But to trust and to put my faith in Jesus I'm not just saying a prayer and then someone gave me to recite repeat after me follow these words.
01:53:56: It's an actual trusting of Jesus with all of my life. Faith like Ron understood it was something that's not so simple.
01:54:07: Not something that you can measure hold or touch. Faith is according to Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1 of the
01:54:15: New Testament it is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen.
01:54:23: Another word for that assurance is confidence guarantee. Another word for conviction is a deeply held personal belief that you don't let go of easily.
01:54:35: Like the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl again. Or next year the Phillies will win the World Series.
01:54:42: It's a deeply held belief. So as I I threw that in that was a last minute one.
01:54:50: So as I wrap up this message today God has something to say to you and that is this there is hope beyond this life.
01:55:05: I can't I mean Ron is the living testament looking at Wendy and how she's endured and the peace that is amidst the family and knowing and having this full confidence.
01:55:18: We're not going oh let's pray I hope he's in heaven. No. It's a full assurance. It's a full confidence that's available to all of us to not worry about it.
01:55:29: Lord am I good enough? Have I done enough to please you? Just trusting trusting in Jesus acknowledging your sin and saying
01:55:42: God come to me and help me in my brokenness. I need a
01:55:47: God who understands me that doesn't want to condemn me but loves me in spite of my sin.
01:55:56: That's a hope that doesn't disappoint. That's a hope that's an anchor for the soul.
01:56:01: That's a hope that will renew your strength like nothing else this life could possibly offer.
01:56:09: So as you leave here today you're going to drive in your cars you're going to change directions from which you came consider this reality whoever you came with.
01:56:19: Hey did God speak to you? Did God speak to you? Who is this God? Maybe you have a
01:56:27: Bible at your house maybe you don't if you don't grab one on the way out. You haven't read it in a while that's okay.
01:56:33: Maybe you can open up and realize God has something to say. Try going to the Gospel of John chapter 1.
01:56:41: Start there and say God I want to know you. The God who called
01:56:48: Ron home the God who is with Ron right now that Ron is enjoying right now.
01:56:59: God wants to fill you with all hope as you believe upon the
01:57:05: Lord Jesus Christ and experience what the Bible calls being born again.
01:57:11: It's the work of God. You can ask Him to save you. You can come to Him as a child and say
01:57:18: Lord save me Lord have mercy on me I need you. I understand my sin and my brokenness and my separation from you.
01:57:30: And I want to read to you from Psalm 23 most of you have heard it for good reason because it brings great comfort to the heart in time of tragedy in time of loss.
01:57:44: This is the consolation that comes by the Spirit and in His word. The Lord is my shepherd
01:57:52: I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures He leads me beside still waters
01:57:59: He restores my soul He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.
01:58:09: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.
01:58:15: Why? Because you are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me.
01:58:24: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil my cup overflows.
01:58:37: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the
01:58:48: Lord forever. We're going to try to turn the lights down and have a candle lighting.
01:58:58: And as the men come forward who are called upon the candle lighters if they could come up you should have all received a candle if you didn't just lift your hand and we will bring one to you.
01:59:11: Could you guys all have a candle? And we're going to play a special song called
01:59:19: I Speak Jesus by Charity Gale. Take this moment of quiet now as we acknowledge
01:59:32: Ron's life his cancer that he fought and in remembrance of him we light these candles.
01:59:41: And for all that have suffered and died with cancer we remember them now.
01:59:50: Go ahead and play that song. To every darkness power your name is healing your name is life be strong hold shine through the shadows burn alive
02:02:26: Jesus in the streets Jesus in the darkness over every enemy
02:02:36: Jesus for my family I speak the holy name
02:02:42: Jesus I wanna speak the name of Jesus every heart cause
02:04:20: I know there is peace within your presence I speak
02:04:27: Jesus Beautiful sight there.
02:04:42: Just lift your candle up and give glory to God in the personal work of Christ and in remembrance of Ron.
02:04:51: And now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant equip you with everything good to do his will working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever
02:05:14: Amen God bless you guys. You can blow out your candle. Don't spill any wax on your neighbor.
02:05:23: Make sure you preserve them. And we're gonna have some food for you all. What we're gonna do is transform this room and we're gonna need some help.
02:05:32: I believe we have some help but we're gonna put some tables in here and I'm looking for Lindsay she'll give me the cue but the food is gonna be all the way in the back and if you wanna come say hi to do you want folks to come up?
02:05:43: Okay. Yeah. You can come forward if you want to say hi to Wendy and the family or just hang out and help.
02:05:51: So God bless you guys. Thank you for coming. For the things you've done for me things so undeserved yet you gave to prove your love to me
02:06:34: The voices of a miller could not express my gratitude all that I ever and ever hoped to be to thee
02:07:16: He through the things he has done made me
02:07:37: With his power he has raised me to glory
02:07:52: For the things he has done
02:07:59: Oh just let me live my life and let it be pleasing
02:08:10: Lord to thee And should I gain any praise let it go to Calvary Calvary Oh with his power he has saved me
02:08:39: With his power he has raised me to glory