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Thank you, Jeff, and to Pastor Phelps and Linda, to Caleb for his extraordinary words this evening, to all the members of this precious family. To Dr. Russell Gaddy, Courtney's family, we are deeply humbled to be with you tonight, but we would be nowhere else. I am privileged to serve as governor of the greatest state in the Union, but I am especially privileged to serve as governor men and women like you. I am here tonight to discharge a duty. It is a duty of honor, a duty to encourage, and a duty to commend. I am here tonight less as a governor than as a brother in Christ and as a neighbor and a friend. And we're here as a family. The Bible tells us to mourn with those who mourn and to grieve with those who grieve. And so we come tonight alongside this community and these precious families to do just that, to join with you in a chorus of prayer being raised by countless people across the state and across this nation that I can assure you are remembering this church, these families in this hour, and on this day, the eve of three most difficult days. We pause to remember Pastor Chad, Courtney, and their unborn baby. We pause to remember Tanya, Her husband, Chuck, grateful that little Conrad is home. The Bible says, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Precious. It tells us that no greater love has a man than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends. And Shirley, as an eloquent member of this community, has stated, Shirley did these, lay down their lives for their friends. They fought the good fight. They finished their race. They kept the faith. And so we first begin today to pause to honor those who are being remembered and honored around the world, and to pledge on this day our humble efforts to fan the flame of their lives and their work. Secondly, we pause to offer a comfort to these precious families. whose courage in this difficult hour is astounding. To be here tonight and to witness a family beaten but unbowed, willing to stand and speak of their faith in Christ in this hour is truly humbling. and profoundly inspiring. But we pause to assure these families that when these next three days pass and when the months go forward, we will continue to pray for them. One of my favorite verses is, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. And that will be our prayer. That as we stand on truth, we can still have broken hearts. I have, in my family, experienced an unexpected tragedy. And I reflected in those times. that we are not told not to grieve, but we are commanded that we might not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. I borrowed Jeff Lefue's Bible. And so I will read the rest of that thought. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again in the same way, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord that we who are still alive at the Lord's coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the archangel's voice, the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord always. And we're admonished to encourage one another with these words. And so we do. I say this to Caleb because I was about his age when I met a day like today. My father went home to be with the Lord suddenly and abruptly. It was an unimaginable grief. My greatest fear then was that he would fade in my life. That he would come to mind less often. that the memory of his voice and his smile would become more distant as time went on. Let me assure you that all that has faded has been the pain. My dad gone 25 years this spring. This is much part of my life today. It's the day he left. And I will pray specifically for the young members of the Phelps family, that they would be assured through these difficult days that your brother and your sister-in-law will be ever a part of your life, ever inspire, and that only the pain will fade. Lastly, I rise today to really pay a debt of honor to this church family, beginning with your pastor and his family and all of those who have stood with such an extraordinary testimony for the people of this city and this state. We are the parents of three children. We packed them off to Christian camp every year. When we heard of what had happened Saturday, informed as we were by state police officials, I wasn't thinking like a governor. I was thinking like a dad. I don't think there'd been a person in the world who would have begrudged any member of this community, those that experienced loss, those that had children injured, a harsh response. But that is not what we have seen. What we have seen is a testimony. of what faith in Jesus Christ is all about. Let me just say, at a time of discouragement for too many in our land, the courage of this community, the testimony of all these families, of your faith in our Lord has lifted the hearts of people all over our state and all over our nation. And so we're in your debt. I'm really come tonight to pay a debt of honor to Pastor Chad and Courtney and their families. and to Tanya and her precious family. And it's a debt of honor that will be discharged in the hours that lie ahead in what remains of this week. It'll be a debt that we continue to repay as the people of this church and this community do fan the flame. But I'm also here to pay a debt of gratitude to all of you. On behalf of the people of Indiana, let me just say this momentary affliction has produced a weight of glory. We mourn with you. We are praying for all of you. And we are deeply humbled and grateful that men and women of such faith and resilience and courage and love call Indiana home. Thank you. Thank you for the privilege of being with you tonight. May God bless and comfort you all.
The Lord is Close to the Brokenhearted
Sermon ID | 8613152102 |
Duration | 12:58 |
Date | |
Category | Sunday Service |
Bible Text | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Psalm 34:18 |
Language | English |
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