Listen to the Word
of grace:
"Jesus said,
'I am the resurrection and I am life. Those who believe in me,
even though they die, yet they shall live, and whoever lives and
believes in me shall never die. I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end the first and the last. I died and
behold I am alive for evermore, and I hold the keys of hell and
death because I live, you shall live also.' "
Scripture
Verses
The Word of God tells us that:
- Dying, Christ destroyed our death.
- Rising, Christ restored our life.
- This is our Christian hope.
I want to offer our most heart felt
condolences to Ann, Lula, Debbie and all of the family for their
loss and heaven's gain.
I would like to share one short
scripture verse from I Samuel 20:18 "and thou shalt be missed,
because thy seat will be empty".
These flowers, the cards, and your
presence are a testimony that Brother Mike will be missed.
When we lose a loved one, it leaves
an emptiness that's hard and often impossible to fill. Brother Mike
occupied a number of seats in his life, seats that will be difficult
and impossible to fill. Brother Mike is receiving the welcome of
eternity. Did you know that there are folks on the other side who
have been waiting for this moment and their happiness now is as
great as our sorrow.
He has a new seat, "And hath raised
us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:6 KJV)
In this life Brother Mike occupied
the seat of a Christian. His testimony was great. He was
loving, faithful, considerate, understanding, caring, attentive, and
compassionate. Brother Mike was greatly loved and respected
and his church family will miss him. We weep because of the
fond memories and our love but Mike loved Jesus with all his heart.
He wasn't afraid to speak about his Savior. Because he knew the Lord
as his Savior, it gave him purpose for life. He enjoyed life.
Jesus does give meaning to life and the Christian life is a happy,
enjoyable life. It wasn't always easy, but knowing Jesus gives
purpose and meaning.
Brother Mike also occupied the seat
of a faithful husband. A wife that Brother Mike honored and
respected. His seat is empty; Sister Ann will need her children more
than ever Mike kept the faith with his wife. When two people
enter the marriage bond, they do so in faith. Neither one
knows whether the other will always be true. But they accept each
other on faith, taking their vows, for better, for worse, for
richer, for poorer. Faith is a lovely thing at the marriage
altar, but it is far more lovely after many, many wedding
anniversaries have been celebrated at which one can say "Now abideth
faith, hope, love, these three for the greatest of these is love".
Brother Mike occupied the seat of a
faithful father and grandfather. Proverbs 31:10-31. This seat is now
empty. You have the memories, they are wonderful memories of a
father that loved you and cared about you. There will a great
void in you life that only God can fill. He kept the faith
with his children. His children enjoyed the privilege of a
Christian father and his faith will remain a part of both of you.
This love will remain with you for the rest of your lives. No one
can take the memories, they are precious to you.
Brother Mike occupied the seat of a faithful friend. He kept
the faith with his friends. All the cards, flowers, and people
speak to that fact. Never did I hear him say a bad word about
anyone. Always happy and glad to see you. Never
complaining, what a great character he set as an example for us all.
I would like to think for a few minutes that if Mike were able to
come back for a few moments and was filling his seat in this church.
I would like to ask him a few questions. Here are some answers I
think he would give:
Q1. Tell me of Heaven?
A. Cannot, it is not possible as it is too wonderful.
Q2. Tell me what was the greatest site you saw?
A. It was seeing Jesus!
Q3. What words would you tell your
wife, children and grandchildren?
A. Serve Jesus!
Q4. What would tell your friends,
enemies if you had them and strangers?
A.. Jesus.
Q5. What would tell the ministers to do?
A. Evangelize and teach their people to evangelize.
Q6. I am your friend, I am preaching your funeral, what do you want
me to do at your funeral? We have been together in Europe,
Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico and America Argentina, Central
Africa and Southern Africa. We have worked with me helping to
plant hundreds of churches in the former USSR. What one thing would
you like me to do?
A. Invite people to receive Christ!
Mike you were always looking for the second coming of Jesus, do you
feel you missed out on that?
No! This will be better for when Jesus returns to the earth He will
be bringing His saints with Him, I will be returning with Him for
the Church. Look for me, I will try to get as close as I can to
Jesus.
Q7. Would there be one more message
from you if you were here?
A. Yes, do not miss heaven; I will be waiting for you. Tell them
Tony what they need to do to be saved.
The most important thing that you and I can do is to make sure that
we are prepared to go when death calls us. The question is not
"When will death come to me?" for none of us knows that, yet we know
it will come.
So the question must be, Am I ready
to meet Jesus when death does come? And the question we must ask is,
do you have that eternal life?
HOW CAN I BE SAVED?
I. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR LOST CONDITION
- Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God.
- Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all.
II. BELIEVE THE GOSPEL
- Acts 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to
be saved?
- Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
- John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him.
III. REPENT OF YOUR SINS
- Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish.
- Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
IV. RECEIVE CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOUR
- John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
- Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear
my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
with him, and he with me.
- 1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life.
- 1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on
the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
V. CONFESS HIM AS YOUR LORD
- Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
- Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
- Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul?
- Mark 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Words spoken at
the gravesite...
We have gathered here in God's
presence as family and friends to remember the life of Brother Mike
Brandebura and to commend his soul into the gracious care of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We come together in grief,
acknowledging our human loss.
May God grant us grace, that in pain
we may find comfort, in sorrow hope, in death resurrection. We
dare to celebrate the home going of our brother, friend and loved
one because Jesus has promised and we believe his word to be true,
"Because I live ye shall live also". In this wonderful passage of
scripture we find these words of assurance and hope.
Consider death just for a moment. For
it is death, that has caused us this loss and grief. But death is an
over rated event for the Christian. It is not an enemy but a
friend. You see, death delivers the key that lets the
Christian out of the sufferings of this life into the presence of
the living Savior and into a land where there is no sorrow, no more
separation, no sighing. To that place not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens where eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God had
prepared for those that love Him?
- John 11:25 KJV Jesus said unto her,
I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live:
- John 11:26 KJV And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die. Believest thou this.
If friends so desire, memorial
donations may be made to the Western Slavic Conference (Missions),
#17, 9420-172 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5T 6K1. Condolences:
www.serenity.ca Serenity Funeral Service, Edmonton.
