Dale Evans Memorial Service

Thank you for coming your presence here means a great deal to all of us and especially to charlatan Adam and Adrian in the Evans family.

I've enjoyed meeting some of you that have come in today from various places couple of folks from there the Evans former church in West Hartford, Connecticut, Farmington Ave., Baptist Church and others who are here. We are so delighted that you been able to come. I hope all of you plan to stay for the visitation and fellowship time after the service will be going directly over to the fellowship hall and just providing an opportunity for you to talk to the family and to one another and there are finger foods provided at the time it would mean a great deal to the family for you to join them and us at that particular time all your here because you knew and loved our brother Dale Evans. He was certainly an unusual man.

In a lot of ways I didn't know him in his early days, but I enjoyed hearing his testimony of how God opened his heart to the truth of the gospel and brought him from darkness into light but all the years that I've known him which of been a good many years the grace of God and his life is been very very evident his love for the word of God is love for the gospel of grace is love for evangelism and missions very very committed to that and his love of good to beautiful music. All of these things shines so brightly in his life and I love talking to him from time to time.

He was a student of God's word.

He was a man of strong intelligence as you would know if you talk to them.

You, you would find that out. I think, in fact, he's one of those people. And when he told you what he did. She probably said, it's that he was an actuary and not everybody knows what that is but that is a man who figures out for insurance companies what to charge for their product. If they have to figure out how long they expect people to live on the average, and so forth.

If they're dealing with life insurance and and if they calculate incorrectly. Then there's going to be problems because of the estimate to low the insurance company loses money. If they estimate to hide and they get beat by their competitors. So it's really one of the most important jobs in an insurance company and they'll handle that beautifully. He understood math new numbers didn't but were glad to have assurance it is with the Lord service like this when someone does not know the Lord or its questionable about their relationship with the Lord can be a very difficult matter for someone who knew the Lord.

Though there is sorrow. We cannot help but miss them is also a great deal of joy and in Dale's cases he was feeling the effects of his Parkinson's and we all know that that disease can take people down very very low. God reached down and the most appropriate time and just took them quickly unto himself and Charlotte has told me what oh what a blessing that is God has has helped them has encouraged them by the timing of Dale's death in the quickness of his departure.

So at any rate were here today to worship the Lord but also to do so, and remembering the grace of God in the life of Dale Evans.

Let's look to the Lord in prayer father how we thank you for your grace shown to us in your son the Lord Jesus Christ.

The sacrifice that he made on the cross of Calvary that those who trust in him might have eternal life, and how we thank you for the evidence of that in the life of our brother Dale 11 to see his love for your word, his love for the gospel. He is love for the work of evangelism. His love for missionaries is love for God's work wherever it is being carried out in his is strong and eager supportive all of these things we see, that is evidence of your working within his life today. Lord, we pray that you will minister to his family and to his friends and father fill our hearts with faith in your word. Give all of us and expanded confidence in you, the God of heaven and father may every heartbeat turn to Jesus Christ this day as we ask it in his name.

Amen. Going to sing the songs of the family has selected today beginning with 137 your hymnal 137 Isaac Watts CM when I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride we stand with me as we sing is the ministry of family care, pastoral care at Deaconess my privilege to be in many of the homes and as I reflected over my interaction with Dale. The thought hit me. I just in the time and I fill this position. We had 21 saints I go on to glory so he is going acquire several of whom are made up from bacon folks and as Pastor said, we appreciate you being here today. Brother Dale made it clear to Charlotte that he did not want his memorial service to be about him.

He wanted to center around Christ. I think the hymns in Scripture chosen for the service by the family reflect that desire.

God is glorified in a tangible way to the lies of consecrated Christians who seek to demonstrate love for his word and all who knew Dale knew that he was one of those serious minded leaders. Those who knew Dale best shared that he loved his family, God's people as pastors missionary outreach in the pulpit ministry. One individual mentioned that Dale had a dry sense of humor and other sedatives all and always willing to give of himself and Dale would be thrilled to know that the majority of his numerous theology books are being given to a seminary in Johannesburg, South Africa, to help prepare men for ministry.

I always enjoyed visiting Dale and Charlotte and my own perception of Dale was one of the Christian man who was both brilliant and humble and talking with some of you it's quite heaven and I'm not alone in that assessment intelligence and humility were not the only things that stand out to me about Dale's own I saw him last. In spite of frustrations and limitations.

I also saw him cry in sympathy for others were in gratitude for biblical truth that was shared. Dale was a sensitive man without him ever saying it. He conveyed the belief that his Parkinson's disease was all part of God's sovereign script for him and I might add part of God's will for his family and his friends who signed the struggle and witness God's mercy and folks.

Indeed, it was the mercy of God that took Dale home. When he did.

As with the passing of all believers is the presence of joy enters the presence of sorrow.

Although witness Dale. We must rejoice at the slow invasion of his body by Parkinson's Parkinson's was halted by God while driving home from vacation I call Charlotte and I learned that Dale was admitted to hospice when I visited him. He smiled communicated briefly and then fell asleep had prayer was Charlotte and told her that I'd be back the next day to see him early that Saturday morning I arrived, only to see that Dale's room was empty. God had beckoned him to his presence.

That very night is I think the mind Dale and his family's journey over the past several months the lyrics to Fanny Crosby's wonderful him all the way my Savior leads me seem fitting conclusion to reflections about Dale all the way my Savior leads me. What if I attach beside can I doubt his tender mercy whose life is been my guide heavenly peace divine discomfort hereby faith in him to dwell for I know would every follow me Jesus to Othello, things well for I know what every follow me. Jesus do with all things well all the way my Savior leads me cheers each winding path I tread gives me grace for every trial, feeds me with the living bread though my weary steps may falter and my soul. Authors may be gushing from the right before me lowest spring of joy. I see gushing from the right before me lowest spring of joy. I see all the way my Savior leads me over the fullness of his love, perfect rest in me. As promised in my father's house about when my spirit, clothed in mortal wings. It's flight two rounds a day. This my song to endless ages. Jesus led me all the way this Dale song to endless ages.

Jesus led me go take your hymnal once again and turn to number 342 342 to him by Robert Murray McShane focuses our hearts upon the world to come.

Knowing that we will not live in this world forever. When this passing world is done. Shall we stand once again his recent it's my privilege this afternoon to read three short portions of Scripture that were favorites of Dale and although he's not here to speak about why there favorites.

I was say just a brief word of why I'm confident he would've selected these passages to be read. The first is from Romans chapter 4 where Paul is writing about the doctrine of justification that is was a man made right before God does God accept this based on our works and our performance or does God accept this on some other basis and I would be the reason why Dale love this passage of Scripture because a man is accepted before God based on faith in the person of Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 4 verses four and five now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace but as debt, but to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly's faith is accounted for righteousness.

The second passages in Titus chapter 3 on of Dale had a Kenai for those places where we saw a contrast between what a man is outside of Christ and what a man becomes the cause of God's intervention in his life and I want to just read verses three through seven. Listen for the contrast between what a man is outside of Christ and what God does for a man who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of his soul. Verse three for we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another, but but when the kindness and the love of God our Savior, your toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That having been justified by his grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life than one final passage to very appropriate passage.

It comes at the end of Paul's long section of teaching on theology and it is that 11 chapters of teaching ends with this glorious passage of doxology.

Listen as I read Romans 11 verses 30 through 33 through 30 6O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor or who is first given to him and it shall be repaid to him for him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Should mention that though your bulletin.

This melody lists Melanie Lowe was our pianist this afternoon. She's sick and join the tour has stepped in and we appreciate Jane doing that this afternoon. Talk to some of our big and folks who have come into our congregation after Dale became sick and was unable to attend the service and they said I wish I had known him, and I wish you had to would've been a blessing. Indeed, well the verses that were selected for the service tonight this afternoon that were just read I decided would become a good outline for my message to you tonight and I will look at the three of them in the order in which they listed in your bulletin considering first Romans for four and five and the principle of salvation.

Secondly, the one in Titus chapters 3, 437 which tell us of the person of salvation and finally the one in Romans chapter 11, which gives us the purpose of salvation.

So looking again at these texts chosen because they were led by Dale.

We read in Romans chapter 4 now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace but as debt, but to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly's faith is accounted for righteousness.

Those verses we have said before is two ways that human beings relate to God what is by works. One is by grace. They are contrasting ways completely different is different as they could possibly be. The truth is that everyone of us are born into this world in a condition in which we begin our lives relating to God by our works. That seems like the right way to relate to God. To most people.

They feel like God must be one who judges are good deeds and bad deeds and make some kind of evaluation regarding those in deciding on what he sees in our lives.

He then chooses whether to allow us into heaven or not. I saw not too long ago on a post of the death of a of a celebrity in our country that his son said he was such a good father.

I know he must be in heaven and that that represents this kind of thinking we relate to God by our works and we are brought into a right relationship with God by our works on the fact of the matter is we do relate to God by our works, but it that relationship saves no one and why is that because our works are insufficient. We cannot do the works that are necessary to save his careful study the Bible makes it very clear that the only life of works that would save a person is a perfect sinless life and nobody but Jesus Christ has achieved that a nobody will but him. In fact, that's a very important part of the gospel that Jesus Christ came and in his humanity lived a life of perfect obedience. He earned the righteousness which we forfeited by our failure to live according to God's requirements and so works will save no one what works do is make us accountable to God and will bring about our condemnation because as God evaluates our work. See realizes he knows he doesn't realize he will make plain to us and that they have accountability that our works have been sinful works and even the best of them are righteousnesses are in his side is filthy rags and so nobody should try to relate to God by their work, certainly not if they're interested in salvation, but thankfully by God's goodness there is another way to relate to him and that is the way of grace now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace but as debt, but to him who does not work but believes his faith is accounted for righteousness. God saves sinners by grace, not by works. God cannot be made debt or to any person is the text in Romans 11 shows and therefore man must, men and women must come to realize that our works will condemn us, and the only way of salvation is by recognizing that our works are insufficient, that God must save us by his grace that it is his mercy to extend to us. Pardon that we do not deserve which will bring us into heaven, and if we do not go that way, but go into eternity still related to God by our works then there's only one possible outcome depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. We must relate to God by grace and in grace. What we must come to realize is that God is the one who saves. We don't save ourselves by our works, we can't but God is able to save us.

He takes the initiative. He does what is necessary. He bestows grace to those who come to him.

God does the work God does work from beginning to end of salvation, including the part that were most familiar with and giving his son sending him into the world to clothe himself in human flashing to live that perfect life and then to die upon the cross, so he lived the life that we did not live and work was required of us and he died the death that we deserved and he did not deserve it because he had lived a perfect life but nevertheless he took upon himself the judgment for sin and rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven.

But then in grace upon those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. God imputes Christ's righteousness as if it were our own. And God accepts the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As if that were our own.

And so was all of grace. He did it. He doesn't we don't do it and if we are endeavoring to do it if we are endeavoring to to provide for God. That which will save us. In other words, we are working, then we are not going to be saved now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace but as a debt and are our sins are great debt which we can never pay but thank God, Jesus Christ, Canon did pay that debt and God the father, and mercy accepts that in the place of sinners who trust in him and this is the way that God saves sinners because in this God gets the glory.

We don't get it because we didn't do anything except just humbly accept what he revealed to us acknowledge our sinfulness, acknowledge our inability and come to him as a beggar with nothing to offer. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling and receive by faith. The pardon which she extends in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the principle of salvation. It is grace. What is a person of salvation left in the second text in Titus chapter 3 verses four through seven that were read. A moment ago.

Let me read it again. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

That having been justified by his grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life person of salvation. Now I could say you might expect me to say, the person of salvation is Jesus Christ. And of course that's true but in this passage we are reminded that the person of salvation is God, the triune God.

Father, son and Holy Spirit are all involved in this work of salvation. God is a person, God the father is a person, God the son is a person God the Holy Spirit is a person, three persons, one essence three persons one God ministry that will never penetrate.

Certainly not in this life and probably not in the life to come. But nevertheless, the triune God is the one who has worked salvation. He is the author that we are told of the motive in this text that I just read the motive for this is his kindness and his love God extended kindness of God extended mercy, God extended love to those who were totally undeserving of it. Have you ever thought about the reality that God did not limit himself and making rational beings to human beings upon the earth. But even before he created human beings he had also created a previously created spirit beings that we know as angels and innumerable number of angels we have no idea how many and 1/3 of those angels according to God's word rebelled against him with Satan as their leader and were thereby banished from God's presence and consigned to eternal judgment in the fires of hell and have you ever thought about the fact that God according to his wisdom made no provision for the salvation of those fallen sinners. Those fallen Angels.

Those spirit sinners who sins against him. And why is that important will just simply this, for our purposes afternoon to remind us that God is not obligated to save if he saves it entirely because of his mercy, something that he chooses to do a lot of love no obligation upon him to do that when we sinned against God, God could have left us in our sins, like he did the fallen angels and he would be perfectly just perfectly righteous, perfectly godly in doing that. Nothing ungodly about that at all.

But there is something so amazingly incredibly godlike in his mercy to extend a Savior and to extend salvation to those who rebelled against him, who have no claim upon mercy. No claim upon salvation. No right to heaven, and yet God in his mercy has provided salvation to fallen sinners. The person of salvation is therefore God, who in his mercy chose to say in the triune Godhead accomplishes this work in the passage before us in Titus we read about the father in verse four when the kindness and love of God. That's God the father toward man appeared. We read about the work of the Holy Spirit, verse five and six not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Father spirit son generally take them in a different order, but that's the order they're found in this text God the father who chose to say God the father who sent the Holy Spirit importing amount abundantly so that we might recognize our need of salvation. You might learn of Jesus Christ and my Dick drawn to him and saving faith, God the son, who did everything necessary to satisfy the righteousness of a holy God on our behalf and become the substitute for sinners and he did that work and therefore the triune God. God has worked to bring sinners to salvation. What is the result of all of this. It's verse seven that having been justified by his grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. That's it. My friends, that's if there's anyone here outside of Christ today.

That's it. Go to Christ. This is the way to become an air of salvation. This is the way to come into union with Jesus Christ and into eternal salvation. Finally, we have in that Romans text. The purpose of salvation. And here we are reminded of this is humbling to we proud sinners here.

We are reminded that salvation isn't preeminently about us at all. It's about God. I'm glad we got the benefit of it. But God didn't save us for us. God saved us first and foremost for him as it is a demonstration of his love. A demonstration of his grace demonstration of his wisdom and of his power that all points back to him doesn't know the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor who tells God what he ought to do, who, who tells God what is done the wrong thing.

A lot of people think they been appointed to that task and help foolish, sinful, they are our blessed privileges to bow before his throne acknowledged that he is righteous, he is wise he is infinite.

He is gracious. He is loving he never does the wrong thing. He never sins in any way. All of his ways are perfect.

If we don't understand them. It's not because there's something wrong with his ways, it's because there's something wrong with our darkened minds that need to come to a better understanding but nobody can become God's counselor or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him who couldn't who can make God's debtor who could do something in God's as well. I guess you got me there. You've obligated me in some way. No, no obligation is what I said earlier, God was not obligated to save anyone.

We have to acknowledge that four of him and threw him into him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. The purpose of salvation is to glorify God to display God's wisdom. It's amazing how God has designed a way of salvation that on the one hand, does not impinge upon his perfect righteousness and justice in any way.

And yet manifest his infinite love and mercy in a way that we could never have imagined how he can be both just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus but that's his wisdom, his sovereignty is displayed in salvation. He is the one who saves. And it will still not sure that glory with anyone else. He is in charge and he saves sinners. According to his plan, not ours. God's independence is seen in this passage. He's no man's debtor he's independent. He doesn't need counselors. He's independent, but most of all, it's God's glory. It's God's glory, to love unlovely centers. It's God's glory to save undeserving sinners. It's God's glory, to sacrifice so greatly to sacrifice his own son for the salvation of those who deserve it. Not at all, and yet to do so and to demonstrate the depth the infinite depth of his love and all the glory goes to God. And so the purpose of salvation is to glorify God and therefore what should our response be to that should be to bow before his throne humbly receive what he has offered acknowledging our need our sinfulness and receive the mercy that he extends father how we praise you for your great salvation how we praise you for the exaltation of you this glorious eternal being that we can only understand and very small part and look forward to understanding more of when we are in your presence. Someday how grateful we are that you save undeserving sinners. How grateful we are for the confidence that you saved Dale Evans by your grace and he's now rejoicing in your presence in the Lord God, we would pray that by your mercy, because of your mercy, and by your sovereign love and power. You will save everyone here today who is not yet in Christ as we ask it in Jesus name, amen. One final hymn 335 in your hymnal 335, a hymn of wonder in worship and cannot be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's love 300 Savior's blood rather 335 stand together as we sing this enclosed in an please join us in the fellowship hall and let's have a word of prayer father, thank you for this time to gather together around your word. Thank you for this time to minister to one another in the body of Christ. Thank you for the anticipated time of visitation and fellowship.

In a few moments. Thank you for the food that has been prepared and we ask you to bless it to our bodies and we receive it gratefully from your hand. Now the Lord, we acknowledge that four of him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever a man