Memorial Service for Art Young

Q: What does the Bible say about how to behave in times of trouble?

The Bible teaches us to worship God and acknowledge His sovereignty during times of trouble. In Job 1, we see a profound example of how to behave in times of trouble. Job faced unimaginable loss, yet he arose, tore his clothes, and worshipped God. He recognized that everything he had was a gift from the Lord and that both blessings and trials come from Him. In all of this, Job did not charge God with foolishness, demonstrating profound faith and reverence for God's will. His response teaches us the importance of maintaining our worship and acknowledging God's sovereignty, even in the hardest moments of life.

Q: How do we know God's plan is good even in suffering?

God's plan is good because He works all things for the good of those who love Him. The Bible assures us that God is sovereign and is working all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Even amidst suffering, we can trust that God's plan is perfect and that He knows best. Throughout scripture, we see examples of God's providence and care, leading us to realize that even our trials have a purpose in His divine plan. The understanding of God’s grace and mercies helps us to find peace in suffering, knowing that we are ultimately under His loving authority.

Q: Why is acknowledging God's sovereignty important for Christians?

Acknowledging God's sovereignty strengthens our faith and provides peace in turmoil. Acknowledging God's sovereignty is essential for Christians because it affirms that God is in control of all circumstances, including both good and bad. When we recognize that every event in our lives, even suffering, is under His authority, we can find peace and rest in our faith. Job exemplified this belief when he declared, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' This teaches us to trust in God's goodness and wisdom, which helps us endure hardships with hope and confidence.

Q: How does God use suffering in the life of a believer?

God uses suffering to mature believers and draw them closer to Him. Suffering is utilized by God to refine and mature our faith. In James 1:2-4, we are encouraged to consider it pure joy when facing trials, as these experiences develop perseverance and completeness in our faith. God allows suffering not as a punishment but as a means to teach us dependence on Him, strengthen our character, and increase our trust in His sovereignty. As we experience hardships, we learn to rely on God's grace and draw nearer to Him, deepening our relationship and understanding of His purposes.

Q: What does the Bible say about the hope of eternal life?

The Bible promises eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture emphasizes the hope of eternal life as a central tenet of the Christian faith, rooted in God's grace. In John 3:16, we are reminded that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. This promise is not based on our merits but on the finished work of Christ. Believers can look forward to a future free from pain and sorrow, knowing that in Christ, we have the assurance of eternal fellowship with God. This hope brings comfort in times of grief and loss.

There are many, many blessings associated with posturing a church for a long
time. As I have been here now almost
40 years, there are innumerable blessings. I watch people grow in grace
and in the knowledge of Christ. I watch young men like Mike Bartram,
who just sang for us, grow up from a little toe-headed boy
in the service here to a mature, blessed servant of
the Lord. And that's a joy. our young people grow up and
marry and their children be born and watch them grow up and mature.
It's a blessing, it's a great joy to pastor somewhere a long,
long time. But then there are special burdens
and troubles and trials because the When you stay somewhere a
long time, the older men and women become like mothers and
fathers to you, you know. They're a whole lot more than
just church members. They're my mothers and my fathers.
And men like Art Young, they're closer than a blood brother. closer than a natural brother.
They're just part of you. And when God's pleased to take
one, I lose a brother every time. And I suppose I spent more time
with this man than any other individual man in this church.
He was my golf buddy. We were together for 26, 27 years. Hardly a week passed that I wasn't
with him in some way. And I've never known a finer
man. I've never been blessed with
the fellowship of a more positive, gracious, and kind man than this
man. He was a blessing to be around.
The younger people of the church become my children, my children. And this is a special joy for
me to share with the family this time. It's a special heartache for me. It's just an unusual time. I
prayed that God would give me something to say that was appropriate. something would be glorifying
to him and something would be a blessing and a comfort to the
family and a means of instruction. So I've chosen to read from the
book of Job, chapter 1. And my subject for this message
is how to behave in time of trouble. how to behave in time of trouble. It says in verse 13 of Job 1,
there was a day when Job's sons and daughters
were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,
and there came a messenger unto Job and said, The oxen were plowing,
and the ashes feeding beside them, and the Sabaeans fell upon
them and took them away. Yea, and they have slain the
servants with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped
alone to tell you.' While he was yet speaking, there came
also another and said, The fire of God, or a great fire, is fallen
from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed
them, and I only am escaped alone to tell you.' And while he was
yet speaking, They came also another, and said, The Chaldeans
made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried
them away. Yea, and slain the servants with
the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
And while he was yet speaking, there came also another, and
said, Your sons and daughters, and there were ten of them, seven
boys and three girls. were eating and drinking wine
in their eldest brother's house, and behold, there came a great
wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the
house, and it fell upon the young men and their dead. And I only
am escaped alone to tell thee." Then Job arose and rent his mantle
and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshipped
God. And he said, naked I came out
of my mother's womb, and naked shall I leave this earth. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
And in all of this, in all of this trouble, Job sinned not
with his mouth, nor charged God with foolishness. The Lord called
Job my servant. What an honorable title! That's
a title that every believer takes to himself, a servant. Like Paul
said, I'm a bond-slave of Jesus Christ, the servant of the Lord. The Lord also said that Job not
only was his servant, but he said Job was a mature man. That's
what the word perfect means in the first chapter of Job, means
a mature man, a mature believer, an upright man, a man who feared
God, a man who shunned evil. Here is a servant of the Lord,
a man who was mature in the faith, a man who was upright and honest,
a man who feared God, and a man who avoided evil, but yet a man
of great trouble. Servants of God, even men who
walk with God, even men who are upright in spirit, men who hate
and despise evil, are not without trouble. Man is born of woman,
Job wrote himself, and is a few days full of trouble. They that will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, and David In Psalm 73, he had
a lot to say about trouble. He said, God is good to Israel,
even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, he said,
my feet were almost gone, my steps had well now slipped. I
was envious at the foolish. When I saw the prosperity of
wicked men, no bands in their death, their strength is firm,
they are not in trouble. as believers. They're not plagued
like God's people. Pride compasseth them about as
a chain. Violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than hearts could
wish, and they set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues
walk through the earth. But God's people, waters of a
full cup are wrung out to them. And when I thought to know this,
it was too painful for me, it was distressing to me, until
I went to the house of God and I understood their end. Paul said, I'm troubled on every
side, yet I'm not distressed. I'm perplexed, but I'm not in
despair. I'm persecuted, but I'm not forsaken. I'm cast down, but I'm not destroyed. And the Lord God was pleased
to send Job great troubles, great troubles, indescribable troubles. He suffered the loss of all that
he had. And yet in all of these troubles,
in all of these trials, in all of these sufferings, he never
did charge God with foolishness. Never did. Never charged God
with injustice. He never said it's not fair.
He never said it's not right. He never said, I don't deserve
this. You going to still claim to know God? Why don't you curse
God and die? But he said to her, you speak
as a foolish woman. Shall we receive good at the
hand of God, and shall we not receive evil, trouble? And in all this, Job did not
sin with his lips. In fact, he said, though he slay
me, I'll trust him. Though he slay me, I'll trust
him. To whom shall I go? He has the
words of life. So Job teaches me, and he teaches
you. And God uses these men as an
example. These men are examples. And this
servant of God, this mature believer, this patient man, James talks
about his patience. This man who was upright, who
feared God, teaches us how to behave in our times of trouble. Oh, he sorrowed. His heart was
broken, no question about that. He wept, but he worshiped God. And that's the first thing, it
says here in verse 20. Then Job, after hearing of all
of these difficulties, he arose and he rent his mantle, he tore
his clothes. That was when these people rent
their clothes, it was a sign of great grief. They rent their
clothes and put ashes on their head and shaved their head. But
he fell down and worshiped God. My friends, to everything there's
a season. God said there's a time to every
purpose under heaven. There's a time to be born, and
there's a time to die. There's a time to plant, there's
a time to reap. There's a time to weep, and there's
a time to laugh. There's a time to mourn, there's
a time to dance. There's a time to get, and there's
a time to lose. But I'll tell you this, whatever
the time, at all times, in every time, it's time to worship. It's time to worship. David said,
I'll worship God, I'll bless the Lord at all times. And the
hymn writer said, I'll love him in life, I'll love him in death,
I'll praise him as long as he gives me breath. I worship God. I worship God. Well, that's the first lesson. When all of this news came, Job
didn't look down, he looked up. And he worshiped God. And then
he said something. In verse 21, he said, naked,
I came out of my mother's womb, and naked, I'll leave this world. When I was born, he said, from
my mother's womb, I had nothing. I had no land or houses or children. I had no sheep or cattle. I had
no oxen. I had nothing. When I was born
of my mother, I owned nothing. I brought nothing into this world
with me. When I was born from my mother's
womb, I had to be clothed by someone else. They had to provide
me with a garment. I had nothing. Paul said, we
brought nothing into this world. Someone had to feed me. And he
said, when I leave this world, when I leave this world, I may
have enjoyed children and wife and friends and my home and my
lot and my garden and my possessions, but when I leave this world,
I leave it the same way I came. somebody else will close me and put me in a box and put me
in the ground. That's the way I came and that's
the way I leave. We brought nothing into this
world, it's certain we can carry nothing out. Why doesn't that
humble us? How can any of us have one ounce
of pride when we come in here like we come in and leave like
we leave? The only thing original about
us is sin. What hast thou that thou didst
not receive? And if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou boast as if thou didst not receive it? There is
no difference. The Bible keeps telling us there
is no difference. There is no difference between
Jew and Gentile, old and young, male or female, rich or poor.
There is no difference. All of these things we put on
to distinguish us. places we live, to distinguish
us from others, degrees we earn, jobs we hold, are all just temporary
material sandcastles and soap bubbles. Because we came here
naked, and that's where we're going to leave. Somebody said, what did the man
leave? Everything. We brought nothing into this
world and we'll take nothing out. Nothing. That ought to humble us. That
ought to bring us down. That ought to destroy our pride.
No, the grave is not the leveler. The grace of God is the leveler.
That's the leveler. But men will go on. They'll go
on like they've gone on for 6,000 years. And they'll die like they
lived. The third thing Job said is this. In verse 21, he said, he acknowledged
the source of all things. When they brought all this news
to him, this trouble and sorrow, he just fell down and worshiped
God, praised God, blessed be the name of the Lord. And then
he said, well, I came here naked, and I'm going to leave here naked.
And he said, the Lord gave. The Lord gave. The Lord gave. He didn't sell, he gave. He gave. Everything I have is
the gift of God. A man can receive nothing except
to be given him from above. Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from God. What hast thou that thou didst
not receive? It is the gift of God. It is
the gift of God. It is the gift of God. Christ
my Redeemer is the gift of God. The unspeakable gift of God.
For God so loved that he gave. He gave. Eternal life is the
gift of God. The wages of sin is death. I
earned that. I earned sin's wages. Eternal
wrath and death. But the gift of God is eternal
life. This is the record. God has given
us eternal life. And this life is in his Son.
Even faith is the gift of God. For by grace are you saved through
faith and that not of yourself. It's the gift of God. Christ came into this world,
obeyed the law of God and gave us a perfect righteousness, went
to the cross and bore our shame and sin and guilt, made for us
a perfect atonement, was buried and rose again, and is at God's
right hand as our mediator. And all that's the gift of God.
I have a high priest. I have a hope. I have a mediator. But I didn't earn it. God gave
it to him. We were up at the hospital when
Art was there after his surgery when he was so, so very sick
and a nurse or someone came in and I believe said to Mike, would
you all like to see a priest? Catholic hospital. Mike said,
no thank you, we got a high priest. I don't need these fellas playing
games, do you mind? I got a high priest. I got a
high priest. But he's the gift of God. He's
the gift of God. The Lord gave! The Lord gave
Ethel a precious, wonderful husband for forty-some-odd years. God
gave us our... He gave you a faithful, caring,
loving daddy. That's the gift of God. When
I think where I could be and what I could be and what I would
be except for his grace, I say praise God from whom all blessings
flow. Praise him, all creatures here
below. Praise him above ye heavenly
hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Lord gave me
a faithful, dear brother and friend. God gave us many years together,
God gave us art, and I'm grateful for him. I'm grateful to God
for him. Every talent, every gift, every characteristic of this man was
not of the flesh, it was the gift of God. God made him what
he was. You say, how does a man Take what he took through life.
I know something about his sufferings. I know something about the trouble
that he endured through the years. I know something about the surgeries
and the hospitals and the things like that, and yet his attitude
was always positive. How did he live that way? The
gift of God. God made him what he was. I am
what I am, Paul said, by the grace of God. By the grace of
God. The Lord gave. Can we say that? worship him and face what we
are humbly and honestly before God. I'm nothing in the flesh.
I didn't bring anything here. I'm not going to take anything
away. The Lord gave it." And then he said this, and the Lord had taken away. I'm quite weary with preachers
attributing anything in the life of God's children to the devil.
I'm weary of that. The devil can't do one thing
except what God Almighty lets him do. Who took art away, not fate,
not chance, not even disease, not Satan, God took him. God took him. The Lord gave him,
the Lord took him. The Lord will pick the flowers
from his garden when he's ready. The Lord knows when the fruit
is ripe, and he'll pick it in his own time. A friend of mine
wrote a song one time. Years ago, I see God in everything. He's my prophet, priest, and
king, and all the universe is under his control. Life and death
are in his hands, and even angels move at his command. I see God
in everything my eyes behold." That's old Job. The Lord gave
him, and the Lord has taken him away. I tell you this, my dear
friends, it's time for us to get back to the Word of God.
Get away from emotionalism and entertainment and sentimentalism
and feelings and experiences and all these things. There is
no foundation there. Let's get back to what God said.
Man's days are determined. The number of his months are
with the Lord. God has appointed his bounds. He cannot pass. That's
what God said. I am the Lord. I kill and I make
alive. I wound and I heal. I make rich
and I make poor. I, the Lord, do all these things.
None can stay my hand or say unto me, what doest thou? the
Lord gave and the Lord had taken away. And I'll tell you this,
there's no peace. There is no peace. There may
be a veneer, there may be a game played, there may be a claim,
but there is no inner, solid, heart peace for any person until
that person can see Sincerely and genuinely, the hand of God
in everything. That's where you'll get peace. I mean everything. I mean everything
great and small, good and evil, life and death. The hand of God.
When you see the hand of God, that there's no chance, there's
no fate involved. It's the will of God. When you
see that, you'll find some peace. That's where Job found his peace.
When they came and told him ten children were dead, he said the
Lord gave and the Lord had taken away. Blessed be the name of
the Lord. There's no peace, there's no rest for any person. I'm telling
you, there's no peace, there's no rest. There's a phony peace,
peace when there is no peace. There's an external veneer of
religious shame. But there's no peace, inner peace
and rest for any person. who credits God with his gains
and the devil with his losses. There's no peace there. And I'll tell you this, when
a child of God, a believer, attributes anything in his life to anybody
but God, that's to discredit God. That's to discredit his
love, that's to discredit his grace, that's to discredit his
promise, that's to discredit his care as a father. Why? He said, if you being evil
know how to give good gifts to your children, you love your
children? You care for your children? Would
you let anybody hurt your children? How much more shall your father
give good things to his children? If your child asked bread, would
you give him a stone? Or would you let anybody give
him a stone? If he asked for meat, would you give him a serpent?
Or let anybody give him a serpent? No, sir. Then why do you want
to discredit my Lord? by saying anything happens in
the life of one of his children of which he's not aware or which
he cannot prevent or which Satan slips in when God's not noticing. That's folly. For all things work together
for good, the eternal good to them who love God, to them who
are called according to his purpose. Huh? That's what the Word of
God says. For whom He did foreknow, He
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. And
whom He predestinated, He called. Whom He called, He justified.
Whom He justified, He glorified. Now, what do you say to these
things? Well, I say, if God be for me, who can be against me?
He that spared not his own son, but raised him up for us, how
shall he not with him freely give us all things? Who can lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? If God would justify it,
who is he that condemns it? My Lord died, was buried and rose again, and
he ever lives to make intercession for me. And he gives his angels
charge over his children, lest they dash their foot against
a stone. Did you know God's loving care for his children is so exact
and precise, he knows every stone in their path, which may be an
obstacle. But you know for their good and
his glory, sometimes he puts them there, so they'll look to
him. That's right. That's right. The Lord took heart. The Lord
took heart. But he didn't just take him away,
he took him to glory. He took him to glory. Preacher,
can you tell me what I ought to see? Most I wish I could.
But I couldn't. I couldn't. Paul went up there,
the Apostle Paul went up there. He said, I don't know whether
I was in the body or out of the body. Now that's how mysterious
it was. He said, I don't know. But I do know this, I heard things
it's not possible for me to utter. You couldn't receive it. I know
this. I know Art right now has perfect
joy, perfect health, perfect peace, perfect youth. He told
me, he said, my name's Young. I'll always be Young. You're
right, brother. You're right. You always will
be Young. You always will be. Because the Lord will wipe away
every tear, God will be their God and dwell with them. There
will be no more pain, no more pain, Arthur. No more distress,
no more night, eternal day. I like to think about what he
might have experienced yesterday afternoon when suddenly he saw
his brother-in-law Bill Borders there. Can you think about that? Years ago, 1945, I don't know
whether you've heard this story or not, but Ethel will verify
this, this is a true story. 1945, 1945, this is before they
were married. Bill and Art were just friends. They grew up together around
Louisa, George's Creek, where some of you all are from. And
they knew each other, but they went away to the service in World
War II. They went away to the service,
and Art came back from Japan. 1945. And he came to the big city of
San Francisco under the Golden Gate Bridge and landed in San
Francisco after the war was over in 1945. And he walked down the
streets in San Francisco. And here came Bill Borders. And
they didn't recognize each other. At first they walked right by
each other, didn't they? Art and Bill walked right by
each other. And about the same time, Art turned around and Bill
turned around. Art said, Bill? Bill said, Art? Can you imagine in that celestial
city, and I'm dead serious, we'll know as we have been known. Yesterday,
when Art was walking down the street at 315, and he said, Bill, and Bill said,
Art, what a reunion. I wish they'd have turned and
said, Henry! Oh boy, wouldn't that be something? Charlie, Roger,
isn't that something? Eternally young. Blessed, oh
my, the Lord had taken away, but not away away, he had taken
away unto himself. There's no soul sleep. My, how
men have misled us in this day, given us so many troubles, we
got enough without bearing the folly and foolishness of preachers,
but to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.
I can't explain that, but that's what God said. Our Lord said
to the believing thief, today you'll be with me in paradise,
today. Paul said, to depart from this
life is to be with Christ, right now, right now. The body returns to the dust
from which it came, the soul to God who gave it. And if our
tabernacle of this flesh be destroyed, we have a building of God not
made with hands." Perfection. But what's this? Trouble came and Job worshiped
God. Trouble came and Job said, well,
what I have, God gave me. What I am, God made me. What
I know, God taught me. I didn't deserve any of it because
I came here naked and I left the same way. God gave and God's
taken away. And then he said, well, blessed
be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I try to be to this congregation
as honest and straightforward as I can, and they'll attest
to that fact. And I have to confess honestly, my heart is broken.
I didn't want this man to die. I'm being perfectly honest. I
did not want him to die. I did not want him to leave at
this time. I prayed that he would not die. I prayed that he would
get well. But my God willed otherwise.
And not reluctantly, but willingly, I bow to his will. And I say,
blessed be the name of the Lord. God knows best. See, I don't
know. I just don't know. God knows
best. And my heart is sad. I'm not
sad for Art. I'm sad for us. We'll miss him. He'll be sorely missed. He had
such a special place in so many lives. He touched so many lives.
But the Lord of Glory, the Lord of Glory told him to come home. You loved him, I loved him, you
loved him, God loved him. And God said, come on, blessed
be the name of the Lord. Now that's just the way it is.
I'm not going to murmur and find fault with my God's will, because
it's best. He's too wise to make a mistake, and he's too good
to do wrong. And I don't see it now, but I will see it. I'll
know why. And really, truly, besides being
broken, my heart broken and sad, but my heart's glad, and I can't
explain that. I just know I have the same feeling
of sadness and joy at the same time. Don't you? I can't explain
that. I'm sad, but I'm happy for him. I rejoice. Death is
not a penalty, it's a promotion. Death is not loss, it's gain.
This is carnation day. This man has reached the goal. And we sorrow not as those who
have no hope. For if we believe that our Lord
Jesus Christ died and rose again, even so those who rest in Christ,
believe his word, believe his gospel, rest in his Son, will
God bring with him. And I say this, we're going to
meet again. We'll meet again. As sure as
God reigns in covenant mercies, we'll meet again. I rejoice in
God's covenant of grace, don't you? We'll meet again. I don't say we'll meet on our
merit. I don't say we'll meet on our works. I don't say we'll
meet because we were Baptists. I don't say we'll meet because
we were Protestants. I don't say we'll meet because
we made a decision. We'll meet because God Almighty
in covenant mercies chose us and gave us to Christ. As sure as Jesus Christ became
incarnate, as sure as Christ Jesus made an atonement, as sure
as Christ Jesus arose from the grave, as sure as he reigns at
majesty's right hand, as our mediator, as sure as the word
of God stands, we'll meet again." There used to be a song when
I was growing up, we'll meet again, don't know where, don't
know when. I know where, and I know when, when he comes again. We'll meet again. And I wrote a farewell. This
is called to art. My brother, rest from sin and
sorrow. Death is over and life is won. And we'll meet again in God's
tomorrow when my earthly race is run. My brother, rest, for
he who loved you also died that we might live. And we'll meet
again in his presence, for Jesus Christ reigns, eternal life to
give. My brother, rest. The night is
over. Endless day is around you forward. And we'll meet again to part,
no never, in that glorious kingdom of our Lord. So go, my brother. Go to God's house above. And
when my day of life has fled, there by grace, with joy I'll
meet you, where no farewell tears are ever shed." We'll meet again. We'll meet again by his grace.
And I tell this whole world, it'll be by his grace. It's not
by works of righteousness which we've done, but by his grace,
by his mercy, we're redeemed. That's true. That's true. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. This is a sinner whom he came
to save. Here's another one. Any of them
out there? By his grace. And you know what
we're going to sing up there? We're going to sing unto Him
who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, who
made us kings and priests unto God. Unto Him be the glory and
the honor and the praise forevermore. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Memorial Service for Art Young

What does the Bible say about how to behave in times of trouble?

How do we know God's plan is good even in suffering?

Why is acknowledging God's sovereignty important for Christians?

How does God use suffering in the life of a believer?

What does the Bible say about the hope of eternal life?

Sermon Transcript

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Memorial Service for Art Young

What does the Bible say about how to behave in times of trouble?

How do we know God's plan is good even in suffering?

Why is acknowledging God's sovereignty important for Christians?

How does God use suffering in the life of a believer?

What does the Bible say about the hope of eternal life?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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