Several people affirmed the message I gave at Ron's memorial service. I was honored to share it. Walking with a person into the valley of death is never easy. It's often a sad and scary trip but when the light of Christ shines in the darkness travelers can find courage and hope. Ron had that light. I'm glad I had the privilege to go with him to the end and then tell his story. Ron had God given revelations in his last days and I've tried to share them in this message... to God be the glory...
Here's the link to the service if you want to see the whole service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnKX3rfS5gQ
or you can read the message below....
I’ve known Ron for 16 years. We would chat at church or when
I visited with his mom. Most of the time our talk involved, trucks, cars, salt,
snow, Coccia house pizza or the Green Leaf restaurant. I always hoped and
really assumed he had a faith in Jesus but it rarely came up. That is, till
this last chapter of his life, and truly the last few pages of His life.
Three statements he
made over the last few months have made all the difference in my view of Ron,
and the life he lived and the faith he possessed-I hope it will make a
difference for you too-not just how you see Ron and his life-but your own as
well.
Ron’s health had been in decline for awhile but it really
took went down in these last months as he was in hospitals and then nursing
facilities. While he was at Westview at the end of September, I went to see him
and he was extremely sad. The doctors had said things were not looking good.
He was in pain and was physically ill much of the time. He
wouldn’t be ashamed, for me to let you know, he shed a lot of tears that
afternoon.
But it was after the tears he looked at me and said this “I’ve
been praying for Bradies-how is he doing?” Bradie is a young man our church
has been praying for who was in a tragic motorcycle accident. And Ron was
praying for him?
This was a bit of a
shock b/c I couldn’t recall Ron ever saying that he’d been praying for someone.
But what made it even more so, was he himself was in bad shape-yet he was able
to lift up someone else who was also in a hard spot. Ron went on to say, how
sorry he felt for Bradie-he said “He’s just a 20 yr.old kid-so much of life
ahead of him… “ then tears…
He was focused on others more than himself-it wasn’t just
about him. He felt someone else’s pain and prayed for them. In this way I saw
him living out the call of Jesus to love our neighbors as our selves. Can I
just ask you today-is there anyone you are praying for? Is there anyone that
has stirred the compassion of Christ in your heart? I believe if you are
following Jesus there will be…
Philipians 2:3-4 says: Do nothing out of selfish ambition
or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.
4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the
interests of others.
Love your neighbor as your self is the call of Jesus-who are
you loving more than yourself-who has God laid on your heart to pray for-will
you do it?
The next surprising statement of faith I heard from Ron was over
the phone when he was taken to Columbus last month. We had been talking about
his situation, at that point he was no longer eating anything and getting only
limited fluids. He was feeling bad as his body was shutting down.
But then, as only Ron could, he shifts the subject, he said
a nurse came in last night and after she did her thing she said Mr. Hartman is
there anything else I can get for you? And Ron said Yes. Can you get me a new
body? The nurse chuckled and said no I’m sorry I can’t.
Ok-that was regular Ron-he could crack a joke-but then he
said-“well that’s alright, I know Jesus will get me a new body soon-he can
get you one too if you know him.” that’s not regular Ron.
That is resurrection Ron. I asked what she said to that-he
said, she said I like that. I asked him if he thought she was saved and he said
“well Todd you just never know but I felt I needed to say something” -he
was prompted to share Jesus with her-and he did!
Who is this guy? The Spirit was giving Ron, not just concern
for people’s life, like Bradie, but also, this nurse’s AFTER life too! 1 Peter 3;15 says this: Always be prepared
to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have.
Ron wasn’t afraid to
speak of his faith and even salvation to a stranger as the Spirit led him-can I
just ask you friend-when is the last time you testified to your faith? Or heaven
as your hope and the new life and body Jesus will give you?
I’ve heard it said-if
you never share your faith you probably don’t have any. Who do you need to
share your faith with-when will you do it?
The day before he died I went to see Ron. He was very quiet
but a bit restless. We talked about how he felt and it led to a very raw
conversation. He pleaded with me to get him a Bible. He said he had almost no
Bible verses in his head. He confessed he hadn’t taken the time to learn and
read much of the scriptures. He felt empty and alone. He wept that he didn’t
know more of it.
He asked me if I could get him a copy of the verses Ginny O.
had given his mom when she was nearing death as they gave her great comfort-and
he needed that comfort. I was able to pull them up on my blog off our church
website and I read him those verses.
He had peace after I read them but then he lamented that he
had done so little with his life, for Christ. He had wasted so much time on
other things and never really pursued his relationship with Jesus. I had to ask
him if he knew and trusted Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life and he said
he did-we prayed about it just to be sure.
Friend are you sure? I know it’s easy to imagine we are far
from where Ron is-that you have a lot of living left to do-but do you? What
will you hold on to then? The time will come-what do you have inside you that
when all else is stripped away-what do you have to face death with and then take
into eternity?
Ron’s words echo in my ears “I need a Bible.” Ron realized
he was not prepared to face death without the Word of God. Are you? Will you go home today-take out a piece of
paper and write down all the bible verses you know-do they give you any hope or
peace? If you don’t have the word of God planted in your heart you are missing
a great protector of your heart and mind when death comes and it will.
But knowing the book is nothing to knowing the author. Do
you have a relationship with Jesus? You might say well I don’t know-let me take
a quick survey-how many in here are married-how many are not-how many don’t
know?
This isn’t rocket
science-it’s relationship. Either you are talking to him and he’s talking to
you on a daily basis or he’s not. Either you are following him and he is
guiding you or he’s not. Get honest on that today, with yourself-and Jesus if
you need to.
If you think you have a relationship with Jesus but no one
around you knows it, you probably don’t or your wasting your witness by not sharing
him. Am I saying you need to start every conversation with a bible quote and
end it with a prayer-of course not-but when the conversation lends itself would
you, could you? Ron let the Spirit lead him in that conversation with the
nurse-it wasn’t forced it was faithfulness-will you be faithful?
Who are you praying for? Can you see beyond yourself?
Has the Spirit filled your heart with compassion for someone
else and you pray for them regularly as you are prompted? I hope today God
breaks your heart for someone and you begin to lift them up in prayer. Perhaps
you will find your self lifted as well. These revelations from Ron’s life, made
me evaluate mine, I hope it does for you too-but before you go-do you need a
new body?
Ron knew where to get his-do you? listen to this…2
Corinthians 5:1-10
5 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is
taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a
house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human
hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our
heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we
will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we
groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies
that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying
bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this,
and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as
long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live
by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would
rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the
Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is
to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will
each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this
earthly body.
Friends, are you in a relationship with Jesus-if you are you
can rejoice for, and eventually with Ron in heaven forever-but if you don’t
have a relationship with Jesus I wish you would talk to him today, even now as
we pray… Admit, Believe and Commit…
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