October 22, 2016 - Church at Worship

Sermon: "If Your Story Should End . . ." (All-Sufficient Savior Part 5 of 7) by Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Doug Mace

Baptism: Matthew Hanna

Child Dedication: Blake Matthew Miller

Children’s Feature: Shawna Campbell

Scripture Reading: John 11:17-27, TNIV read by Bassam and Germeen Fargo

Sermon Notes: Throughout my years of ministry, I have had the sacred honor of participating in many funerals and memorial services. This has included services for the young and the old, for people who died suddenly and those who perished from a long-term illnesses, and for those that I knew well and those I had never met. The services themselves have ranged from fairly brief and informal to well-planned and lengthy. And different services have had different tones to them—from surprisingly humorous moments to deeply painful ones. So, in short, I’ve learned to never know for certain what to expect from a funeral service. Having said that, however, I can counter with this: there is one thing that is certain at a funeral or memorial service, no matter how long or short, formal or informal it is, and that is this: those who attend are going to be brought face-to-face with the destiny of every man, woman and child. What was it that the old wise man said? “For the living know that they will die…” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, TNIV). So, while we don’t like to think about it, we are certain to one day face the grim reaper. How, then, do we relate to this? What difference does it make to know Jesus? How does a relationship with Him change what happens in the hour of death? Well, there was a man named Lazarus… Randy Roberts, senior pastor