John Davies Memorial Service

On behalf of Ingrid Ann and the
entire Davies family, we welcome you and thank you for joining
us this evening. Tonight, we want to glorify John’s
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, by acknowledging God’s work for
him, in him, and through him. Would you join me in an opening
word of prayer? Our gracious God, we acknowledge
you as the creator and sustainer of all things. And we thank you
for the blessings that you pour out upon us. Lord, we thank you that even
more than our physical lives and this earth and life that
we know, we thank you that you have provided your greatest gift
in your son, the Lord Jesus. Lord, we know that he completed
your plan of redemption by dying on the cross for sinners, and
so we thank you and praise you. Lord, we thank you that you are
the living God who brings the wayward to repentance. We thank
you for your mercy and your forgiveness, so undeserved and yet so complete. What a loving and comforting
Savior is our Savior, Jesus. And Father, we thank you for
your guidance and instruction through your Holy Spirit and
through your word, changing our stubborn hearts little by little
by your grace. Lord, this is the work that you
did in your servant, John Davies. We thank you for the blessing
that you provide us in this life, that of living and walking with
loved ones and friends, such as John was to us. And we thank
you that John now enjoys your work in him as being completed,
and that he is in your presence now worshiping his Savior. Lord,
we desire to honor his Savior this evening by remembering and
acknowledging your work of grace in him. We pray that God himself
would be glorified in this. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen. We read in John 11 25 that Jesus
says, I’m the resurrection and the life. He who believes in
me will live even if he dies. And everyone who lives and believes
in me will never die. Do you believe this? And the
faith that we exercise as we sing this, that very faith for
John has turned to sight. Let’s sing Christ our hope in
life and death. What is our role in life and
death? Christ alone, Christ alone What is our role in life and
death? But God took heart on this command,
and what a believer! God’s good, God’s good, where
is he? Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s
early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last
gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright
stars through the perilous fight Hallelujah, now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death Come to the grave, what will
you say? Christ He lives, Christ He lives You may be seated. We’re going to change the order
up just a little bit. John’s three sons are going to
come and share thoughts and memories of their dad and some special
music woven into that. So men, in whatever order you’re
going to come, now’s the time. Hi, my name is Dave. I had a whole something I started
right up today and that just didn’t work out, so I’m winging
it a little bit here. I feel like my relationship with
my father had three primary stages. First was fear. I don’t think many of you knew
that he had a temper, but when we were quite young, he quite
certainly did. And as the eldest son, I was
the one privileged to hold the flashlight, the car underneath the sink,
wherever. My father had a work ethic that
bordered on obsessive, in my opinion. as a young person that
really just wanted to play. And he held us all to a high
level of quality that, again, as a young person, we just didn’t
appreciate. He was very serious. He took
his job very seriously. He worked very hard. He worked
long hours. He worked on weekends. And some of that was hard to
understand. But in that time, there was joy in the house. It was mostly focused around
family. Family events were held in high
regard in the house. Holidays and birthdays were joyous
events. In this period, we met our sister,
Kathy, and my father was very happy to bring that into our
lives, and we’ve all been better for that. The next stage, I think,
in my relationship with my father was respect. I think once I moved
out of the house, once I graduated college, I started to understand
some of the pressure that there is with being a provider and
taking that being a provider very seriously. Looking back, we moved around
quite a bit. And I don’t think that was all
from choice, and yet, It was never, there was no fear
shown by him. It was not taken out on us. What must have been great concern
for him, he held from the family. But it was also family, though.
Family was still part of this. Throughout all these times, even
when things were difficult, I could still hear the laughter when
we would get together with his sisters and with his parents.
And with my mother’s parents. There was just great joy with
family. And the final stage that I’ve
experienced with my father is love. We’ve been very fortunate
that he moved out here in 2016. It was very special watching
him with his grandkids, the tenderness that he showed them. And the thread was still there,
his family. My father was a family man. It was important to him. And
I hope someday that the same is said of me. Unlike Dave, I’m not going to
go off script. Tonight, we are here to honor
the remarkable life of a loving husband and father, grandfather,
and great-grandfather. He’s a model of strength and
resolve in the lives who were blessed to have known him. While my words may not fully
express everyone’s feelings, memories, or experiences, they
reflect what that meant to me and are my tribute to the exceptional
father that he was, and a man who left a profound mark on me. Much like his father, but not
to the degree of Pop Pop, Dad was a quiet and reserved man,
and I do not dispute anything that Dave said about Dad in his
early years, even though I did hold the flashlight every now
and then. As an engineer, Dad approached
life with an incredibly meticulous mindset. His analytical nature
not only served him well in his career, but also in the way he
handled the intricacies, if that’s what we want to call them, of
our day-to-day family life. Dad taught me the value of patience
and perseverance and the importance of never settling for just good
enough. Dad was an incredible life coach
to me. And while he never sought the
spotlight and preferred to be seen rather than be heard, he
was a dynamic force in our family and led us all by his example. That example of being constant,
and being a positive presence in our lives. My memories of
dad can best be summarized by him always showing up. Showing
up for the frequent bike rides to Beebe Elementary School to
play tennis after work, have a catch in the backyard or rising
early to go fishing on Crystal Lake. He also showed up to my
baseball games knowing that I would likely be sitting on the bench
And dad demonstrated his patience, his tolerance, and maybe pity
by constantly showing up much more often than I preferred at
times, night after night, to help me pass basic math, and
then algebra one, which I eventually did. And it says, insert applause
here, so. Above all, Dad always showed
up when I needed him the most. His silent but unwavering support
provided me with a sense of security and stability and reminded me
over and over again that I was never alone. I was unconditionally
loved and I always had a home Should I and my son ever need
it? For me, dad was my role model
for stability when my life became chaotic, and determination when
I faced challenges that I felt I could never overcome. He showed
me that consistency, love, and simply showing up were the true
cornerstones of fatherhood. Those who have been blessed to
have lived with dad over the years know that something in him changed. And I think Dave referenced that.
Because over time, dad really mellowed out. I credit this change
to two things. First, I moved out of the house.
Finally. And for all. And secondly, Dad either became
saved or he became resolved to follow the Lord’s calling for
him and to live his life differently. I had the privilege and joy of
watching my father’s faith in Jesus Christ grow and grow. And with that growth, I was reassured
because Dad approached his faith in much the same way he approached
life as an engineer, meticulously, analytically, and consistently. He brought his notecard pocket
protector style to his life as a Christian. He understood the
good news not because of a sermon he heard or even because of mom. He understood the truth because
he studied God’s word. He relentlessly cross-referenced
it as dad would do. He prayed about it and he saw
the fruit of God’s blessing in his life. What I also know is that the
born-again, mellowed-out dad was actually him once again,
silently modeling, rather than preaching, what it means to be
born again, a child of God. Dad’s unwavering faith not only
guided his own life, but also served as a model of inspiration
to those around him. He taught me the importance of
living a life of integrity, compassion, and kindness. And he demonstrated
these virtues through his actions every single day. As we say our
goodbyes to dad this evening, let’s remember the legacy dad
leaves behind. Let’s cherish the memories we
shared, the lessons he taught us, and the unconditional love
he could not help but give. Dad’s impact on my life has been
immeasurable, and he will be deeply missed. In closing, I want to express
my deep gratitude to all of you for coming out today to show
your respects to Dad, to celebrate the life of a truly remarkable
man. I have great comfort knowing
that we will be together again in glory. Until that time, Dad,
your memory will live on in my heart and you will continue to
provide me with comfort and wisdom through the challenges that lie
ahead. Thank you. I always knew this day would
come, but I hoped it never would arrive. I would be special, you
see, but here it is. I don’t recall who said, quote,
when one dies, a universe collapses. When a unique perspective on
reality is lost forever. On June 19th, a guiding star
in my personal universe was no more. Nothing left but the void,
leaving me to search for some remnant, some sign of him. My
dad was a private man, a man of his generation. He didn’t
speak or talk much about the past, more like the kind of the
time before dad. He was just my dad, always and
eternal. I did know some things. I knew
he was in the Air Force as a captain, and he did ROTC at the University
of Florida, just like me. I know he played football in
high school, and his teammates called him Bluebird. I asked
him why, and he says, I don’t know. I knew he was a child model,
and he graced the covers of magazines. and that he had two sisters that
had gone before. Growing up with Dad was a routine
and blessed experience, but one that firmly anchored my life.
We ate together every night, went to church every Sunday,
we watched 60 Minutes, and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Dad
worked a lot, sometimes Saturdays. Quote-unquote, weekend projects
were not my favorite memories. But I do know that the flashlight
needs to point at the work and not at his hands. He taught me the value of work
and that anything worth doing is worth doing right and doing
well. Arguably my best memories I have
of dad were our annual pilgrimages to Crystal Springs in Gilmanton,
New Hampshire. Dad would take two weeks off
and we packed the station wagon to the gills and with sailboat
in tow we made the journey whether from Pennsylvania or Wisconsin
all the way to New Hampshire. At Crystal Springs we rented
the same cabin and we had dad to ourselves. Work was not a
factor, especially in a time before the internet or cell phones
and all those other distractions that we’ve come so used to. We
would fish in the early mornings, probably earlier than we liked,
set traps for crayfish, go sailing in the lake, and usually just
lounged on the dock wondering how we had it so good. There
was also tennis, trips to Gunstock Mountain, and the Kellerhaus
for ice cream, plus a bonus trip to see Bette and Pete in Kate
Elizabeth, Maine. Finally, to round it all out,
we would have a fish fry on one or both Fridays, depending on
how successful we were at angling. Crystal Springs are my most cherished
memories of dad. So much so, I moved my family
there to Gilmanton, and we stayed for nearly 13 years. Mostly because
mom and dad were living in nearby Wolfboro, and Annette and I wanted
to have Kyle, my son, to have the New Hampshire experience
as I knew it, complete with grandparents and all. We also moved there
partly because I wanted it to be steeped in the echoes of those
childhood times. A dirt road, a whiff of old wood,
picking blueberries, well, maybe not, brought out blessed memories
again and again. Dad was a loving, caring, and
faithful man to his God and to his family, and truly lived his
best life. So I stare into the void. What
I notice is not the emptiness, not the blackness, but all the
other stars. Stars who would not be here if
not for him. Picking up the task at hand where
he has left off. A lot of stars are with us here
today. And when I see you in the audience,
I see my father and it brings me peace and comfort that he
lives on and that I will see him again one day. The following
hymn was a favorite of his and mine, and I hope it brings you
comfort that he is in the arms of our Lord. is thy faithfulness, O God my
Father. There is no shadow of turning
away. Thou changest not, thy compassions
they fail not. As thou’d hast been, thou forever
wilt be. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies
I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath
provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Summer and winter and springtime
in harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, join
with all nature in manifold witness. To his great faithfulness, mercy,
and love. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies
I see. All I have needed thy hand hath
provided. Great is thy gratefulness, Lord,
unto thee. Pardon for sin and appeal. to cheer and to guide, strength
for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings all mine
and ten thousand beside. Great is thy faithfulness, great
is thy faithfulness, morning by ♪ In morning new mercies I
see ♪ ♪ All I have needed thy hand hath provided ♪ ♪ Great
is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto thee ♪ Thank you, men. John loved Ingrid
Ann, his wife of 60 years. He loved his four kids, his five
grandchildren, his three great-grandchildren, and he spoke of them often and
proudly. Mark, he had great joy in hearing
you sing that song before. Kathy, he was, where’s Kathy? Sorry. He was so blessed in your
acceptance of Christ and your growth in the Lord. Todd, your
love of the Lord and your faithfulness and your calling. And David,
he was so thankful and so blessed. that you took him to the Shepherds
Conference and literally squired him around for four days. John
and I were talking one day out at the shed and we discovered
that we were fraternity brothers. But I would describe our common
sentiment about that period of our lives as grateful shame. On another occasion when asked
John didn’t think that he was worthy to serve as a deacon.
But John not only became a deacon at my urging, he was terrifically
faithful overseeing our church grounds and ultimately the prayer
list. And he attacked that just like
an engineer. As for the grounds, we had just
bought a new riding mower. Everyone was hoping to have a
turn, but that summer John got on and he never got off. He was
a mowing machine and it gave him great joy to see the grounds
looking so nice on the Lord’s day. John was aging and achy
and halting in his step even when they arrived seven years
ago. So inexplicably one day I arrived
at church and there was John on his hands and knees next to
Ingrid Ann picking weeds. The prayer meeting and the prayer
list became his special area of oversight. John also loved
to do the readings during our church service and he wanted
to continue to read scripture as long as he could stand while
doing so. John was always upbeat. I didn’t
know that he had a temper. The closest I ever saw him to
being angry was one morning we met for coffee and I tried to
pay. John came to know the Lord Jesus
as his Savior in the context of 9-11. That day, as he used
to speak of it, he knew his life was heading in a bad direction.
He was hurting his family and hurting himself. And on the morning
of 9-11, he was praying to God about some work-related issue
when he learned of the events in New York and Washington. Like
many people, he was rattled and concerned, but John would eventually
give credit. It was Ingrid Ann who pointed
him to the Lord. They began attending a Bible
church, reading the Daily Bread, and great opportunities for growth
as a Christian lay before him. In the waning weeks of his life,
I drew John’s focus to 1 Corinthians 15, Paul’s epic chapter on the
resurrection. Sometimes either Ingrid Anne
or I would read the entire chapter to him. Other times we would
read shorter portions. We read that the resurrection
of the body is a truth that is intertwined with the gospel.
that since by a man, that is Adam, came death, by a man, Jesus
Christ, also came the resurrection of the dead. But just a few weeks
ago, the very last time I was with John, just before we left
for California, I read to him from the closing portion of that
great chapter, Verses 51 and 52. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we
will all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and
the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. John’s own eyes twinkled at with
excitement at that promise. John loved the Lord and he loved
the Bible. John greeted me every Sunday
after church service the same way. He would approach me and
graciously and very sincerely say to me, thank you for feeding
me with God’s word. So I’d like to talk to you this
evening, not about preaching God’s Word, but about listening
to it, about hearing it, the right hearing of the Word of
God. During Paul’s second missionary journey, he was traveling down
through Macedonia, our modern day Greece. During this tour,
Paul made many stops, one that by all accounts shouldn’t have
borne fruit at all. The city was Thessalonica. His
visit there lasted only three weeks. He was forced to leave
in haste because of the hatred and hostility of some of the
people. But the gospel not only took root in Thessalonica, it
flourished. Sometime later, Paul wrote several
letters back to that fledgling little church plant. And I want
you to think of one little verse this evening. If you want to
find a Bible at the end of the pews, that’s fine. If you want
to pull it up on your phone, that’s fine. It’s one verse,
and you’ll probably have it memorized by the end of the evening. It’s
1 Thessalonians 2.13. And Paul just said this, for
this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you receive
the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not
as the Word of men, but for what it really is. the Word of God,
which performs its work in you who believe. I see three things primarily
in that passage. The first thing that I see in
the glories of God’s eternal Word is that it is a welcomed
Word. It’s a welcomed Word. Paul and
his missionary companions were very thankful for the success
that they had enjoyed in Thessalonica, the very thing for which they
had prayed and preached and labored. In chapter two of that letter,
Paul was recounting how God had answered his prayer for this
people to be converted to Christ. And so here in verse 13, he alludes
to the reason for his gratitude Paul had, rather God had saved
the Thessalonians and a church was established and Paul finds
now new reasons for praising God. Here he goes back to the
very beginning of their relationship with Christ, how they received
and accepted the gospel. For this reason, we also constantly
thank God that when you receive the word of God, which you heard
from us, you accepted it. It’s a welcomed word. Paul and his ministry companions
were so thankful for what God had done in Thessalonica. The message of the gospel that
Paul and his friends had brought to these people was a welcomed
word. Paul and his preaching companions
had enjoyed a favorable season of ministry. among the Thessalonians. They enjoyed a warm welcome,
but it wasn’t just a warm social visit. It wasn’t only the evangelists
that were embraced, it was their message. The Thessalonians welcomed
the good message that they were proclaiming. It was a particularly
spoken word, a verbal message that they welcomed. It was the
preached word. It was the gospel, the good news
of the Savior, Jesus. When Paul uses this phrase, you
receive the word of God, he captures the element of the act of hearing.
Paul basically says that these people responded to what they
heard. They reacted favorably to what
was preached. In other words, it was the preaching
of the word that ultimately led to the dramatic change that these
people experienced. Paul looks back and captures
the very moment that they were transformed. As one put it, it
was the moment when the message of the gospel hit their ears. Paul knew well that The message
he preached was ultimately traceable back to God. It was a word from
God that they preached, and it was a word from God to which
the Thessalonians responded. Listen to the verse again. For
this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you receive
the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it. Paul
uses two words that communicate very similar thought. Received, and accepted. But there’s a beautiful difference
between these two words. The first word, as I said, received,
speaks of the act of receiving, a basic reception of information,
the content of what was said. And here Paul acknowledges that
first, at least, the Thessalonians didn’t at least close their hearts
to the message preached. They did receive it, They heard
him out, outwardly at least. They listened. They received
his preaching, but it’s the second word used in this sentence that
really pops off the page. It’s the word translated accepted.
This word accepted refers not to an audible reception of a
message, but to the reception of it into the mind and the heart.
a deep inner acceptance of the message, an embracing of the
truth for what it is. You accepted our message. It’s
the acceptance of faith that Paul is speaking of here. Paul
uses this word frequently in his letters. Luke uses it in
Acts 17 11 of what transpired in Berea. They received the Word
of God with great eagerness. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, a
natural man doesn’t receive the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 6, 1 says, we urge
you not to receive the Word of God in vain. It was not just
an auditory hearing of the Word, the message preached, it wasn’t
just an intellectual exercise. Rather, it was literally the
moment of regeneration, change, when the Holy Spirit illuminates
the message so that a sinner sees it for what it is. It’s
the very word of God. It’s the gospel. I want you to
notice something that will perhaps change your perspective about
this passage that we’re memorizing. Change your perspective of it
forever. We tend to think of this as the human response, the
response of believing that receives and accepts God’s Word. And that’s
true in measure. Paul, however, thanks God for
it. If this whole equation is completely
an act of the human will, Paul should be thanking the Thessalonian
believers for this. Instead, he thanks God. He thanks
God because what is in view here in this passage is effectively
the stupendous work of God. Regeneration is the enlivening
by God of dead sinners, bringing them to faith. God breathes spiritual
life into these and grants them faith. These Thessalonian believers
responded to the gospel of salvation. They received the word of God
and they accepted it. Paul gives the reason for this.
It’s not only a welcomed word, it’s a divine word. For this
reason, we constantly thank God that when you receive the word
of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the
word of men, or for what it really is, the Word of God. Paul gives
thanks for this gracious reception, but he immediately explains why
this is no ordinary message. It was no man-made oratory, no
human wisdom. You see, the world in Paul’s
day, as in our own, was glutted with so many speakers, orators,
so-called teachers, charlatans, each one declaring more fantastic
claims than the previous. Such was the spirit of the day.
Everyone, it seemed, had something to proclaim. And so when the
Thessalonians heard and so immediately accepted Paul’s message of the
gospel, he now insists on looking back and explaining to them why. His was no human message. It
was divine. It was of God. His message was
not a matter of the latest, greatest philosophy. It wasn’t his slick
ability to convince others by persuasive speaking. It wasn’t
a matter of excellent oratorical skills. The hearers in Thessalonica
knew that this was no ordinary message. They knew that while
Paul and his friends were the ones proclaiming it, it was God
that was the ultimate source. Paul says it this way earlier
in that chapter, when I came to you, brethren, I did not come
with superiority of speech or of wisdom proclaiming to you
the testimony of God. My message, my preaching, were
not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom
of men, but on the power of God. Paul knew that his message was
not his own. It was God’s message. It came
from his lips on some occasions, from his pen, but it was God’s
word. It was God’s message. Because of that, Paul didn’t
need to cultivate any creative approach or worry about rejection. He didn’t concern himself with
staying up to date on the latest human wisdom. He wouldn’t have
even considered bending or warping his message to fit the particular
culture of the day. It wasn’t a matter of human wisdom,
and its success didn’t depend on his artful delivery. Paul
knew that commensurate with his own calling, he would preach
God’s message, not his own. Paul knew it. And it was ultimately
those who received it, to those who received it, they came to
understand it as orienting from God. There’s a third observation
of this passage. It’s a welcomed word. It’s a
divine word. And thirdly, it’s an effectual
word. Listen to the passage once again.
For this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you receive
the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not
as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God,
which performs its work in you who believe. That’s an amazing
thing. The third truth declared about
God’s Word here in this profound passage is that not only is God’s
Word welcome and divine, but it’s effective. It does something. It performs. As our translation
has it, the Greek word is energeis, where we get our words energy,
energetic. Although Paul didn’t invent this
word, it quickly became a favorite tool in his arsenal for describing
the amazing work of God. Of the 20 or so times that this
word is used in the New Testament, Paul uses fully 18 of them. He
used it to speak of the spiritual change, the effect brought about
in the lives of the believers to whom he ministered. God’s
Word, whether spoken or written, was the great means of triggering
the power of Almighty God. Men came preaching, and they
used human language, and real words fell on real human ears. But the message, having a divine
orientation and nature, as God’s Spirit united it to the hearts
of the hearers through faith, It became a powerfully effective
tool in producing change. It was both living and active.
And as such, it resulted in real change in the lives of those
to whom it came. It brought about repentance and
righteousness and restoration. As Paul would eventually tell
young Timothy, The word received in faith availed itself to the
Holy Spirit as God’s instrument of teaching, reproof, correction,
training, and righteousness. As Paul has maintained throughout
this epistle, when he came preaching God’s word, it was not in vain.
When God’s message is delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit,
welcomed by faith, It becomes the very power of God for salvation. It moves them to yield to the
Lord. It makes them to hate their sin. It leads them to desire righteousness,
and it gives them godly wisdom and direction. The point that
Paul makes here is that God’s Word is operative in the life
of a believer. It works effectually. It is functional. It does what God designed it
to do. It accomplishes what God wants
it to accomplish. It bears fruit to the glory of
God. It is always and ever the true
test of its reception. What does it do to the hearer? What effect does it have on the
lives of those who hear it? Isaiah said it this way, so will
my word be which goes forth from my mouth. It will not return
to me empty without accomplishing what I desire, without succeeding
in the matter for which I sent it. In other words, it performs. God’s word is effective, it’s
productive. Paul had observed this powerful
phenomena at work in his ministry. Luke records in Acts 19.20 that
the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. Paul
took no credit, even for his own successes. To the Colossians,
he confessed that he was striving according to God’s power, which
mightily worked within him. Paul was always quick to give
God the credit, all the glory, To the Christians in Rome, he
declared that the gospel was the power of God for salvation. For the believer, life changes. Everything changes. The word
active in his or her life begins to bear fruit and increase. Peter
echoed and affirmed this same truth that The new birth effected
through faith in the Word of God, Peter told the scattered
believers to whom he wrote, you have been born again, not of
a seed which is perishable, but imperishable through the living
and enduring Word of God. But a consideration of this wonderful
verse would not be complete. If we didn’t acknowledge that
as powerful and as effective as God’s Word is, It’s so in the lives of those
who believe. Faith is the trigger. Faith is
the operating principle that makes God’s Word effective. It’s
only when God’s Word is received and welcomed by faith that it
becomes effectual. The writer of the book of Hebrews
explains how the Word is so effective. Listen to this. Hebrews 4.12,
the Word of God is living and active. sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing as far as the division of the soul and spirit
of both the joints and marrow, able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart.” So here Paul nestles in to this
thoroughly biblical idea that God himself is at work in the
lives of believers, working and changing. As Paul says in this
verse, performing Ministry was and remains a supernatural activity. God’s word is never a matter
of human influence. And as the very word of God,
it unleashes the almighty power of God in the lives to those
it comes. The gospel is a welcomed word. The gospel is a divine word. And it is an effectual word. It will bear fruit. Would you humble yourselves before
God? Almighty God, we bow before you
in humble gratitude for your work so wonderfully displayed
in the life of this servant, John Davies. We thank you for
the blessing of knowing and walking with him in this life. We thank
you for mercifully drawing John to yourself, for bringing him
to repentance and faith, for working humility and gifts into
him. Lord, as we rejoice with John
that he is at peace with his Savior, we are left to ponder
your great plan of redemption, your provision of a Savior in
the Lord Jesus Christ. that just as you showed mercy
to John, granting him the forgiveness of sins because of Christ’s sacrifice,
Lord, we know that you hold forth that same offer of forgiveness,
salvation, and eternal life for us this evening. Lord God, we
humble ourselves before you, and we thank you for the privilege
to have walked with John as he reflected the grace of God in
his life. Lord, grant us the grace to consider
the gospel call in our own lives. Father, we pray all of these
things in Jesus’ name. Amen. If you would please stand as
we sing, yet not I, but through Christ the Lord. The gift of grace is
Jesus thy Redeemer. I My hope, my hope is only Jesus
Oh, my life is only found in Him How strange and divine I
can see All is mine and I come to Christ in Thee The night is dark, but I am not
forsaken, For by my side the Saviour He will stay. And they were all in weakness
and rejoicing, For in my name For Jesus left and suffered for
my heart And He was raised me to overcome the grave To this
I go, my sin has been redeemed In Jesus’ name In every breath, I long to follow
Jesus For He has said that He will bring me home And in my
day, I know He will renew Yes, I hope, I hope there’s only
Jesus for the glory evermore to bring. When the rain seems
to be still, my head shining clean at the house of Jesus. me We want to welcome you and encourage
you all to join the family. I think the kids are going to
narrate the tables, right, and explain what all is there. What
a thrill that will be. There’s plenty of food and beverage
in there. We urge you to stay. And all
I would ask is that we let the family exit first. You are dismissed.