Week 40 2013 Brian's Song

My friend and brother in the Lord, Brian E. Kessler, “graduated” from this life into his eternal reward last Saturday.  Brian lived the last twenty years of his short fifty-nine years of life with multiple sclerosis.  From the beginning of his end, Brian demonstrated how to die well.  His faith throughout this ordeal has left a lasting testament to God’s grace and love.  The profound affect he had on others could easily be seen in the many people who attended his memorial.  Una and I had a wonderful time sharing memories with many of them.  Phil Booe, a young man the Lord used me with his conversion about twenty-five years ago, shared that he would visit with Brian and read to him.  The last time he was there he told Brian that he had just went through a shift change at work, to which Brian responded in his wonderful wit, “Well, at least you’re not shiftless.”

Brian planned out his own memorial right up to the last detail, understanding that there would be a lunch following, he had ordered a “graduation cake” with the words: “ Welcome to my graduation. – Brian.”  I have asked his wife, Sheila, permission to share Brian’s words from that memorial.  So, I am letting Brian write this blog entry.

The gift that God gave is almost too good to be true. Knowing you and I and our sinfulness, God gave his son to pay for our sins. He took our sin and believers received Christ’s righteousness. What a trade. Glory to God.

Believers have been made perfect in God's sight. Believers have been made righteous. Believers have been justified. Believers have been forgiven. And believers have received every thing else that God has promised us. Like I was, in yourself you might be dirtier than a dog, but in Christ we believers are both made righteous and thus saved.

Certainly other folks can legitimately find fault, but in God 's sight we are perfect. Regardless of their stripe, we should strive to see those who declare belief in Christ as made right, as forgiven. We should try to see fellow believers as God says he sees them. We who are in Christ are all forgiven and thus are all saved. We have all been made perfect. In Christ we have been made sinless. We should strive to see others that way.

The study of the subject of "righteousness" was absolutely astounding to me. I was amazed. I found that Jesus Christ had left his dimension of being beyond time, and entered my dimension, our dimension of time. He lived for me. He died for me. He lived for you. He died for you. It amazed me when I found that the Bible told that I could be righteous. It taught that I, as sinful as I had been, could be righteous before God. This was a great relief to me. After all, I knew I could not be good enough. I had to have forgiveness for the sins that I had committed and was prone to commit. Thank God he provided that. Understand that you can be righteous too. Maybe you already are. Regardless, let us all rejoice in the promise of Christ. For he has lived and died for you and me.

We who have named Christ, we who are Christians gain life, both here and eternally. We gain hopefully better life here, and eternal life beyond time, where I am. Even if someone does not get a better life here, they can look forward to having eternal life, being with God, and being perfect in every way.

It amazed me when I found that the Bible told that I could be righteous. As sinful as I had been, I could be righteous before God. This was a great relief to me. It made me happy. It was good news. After all, I knew I could not be good enough. I had to have forgiveness for the sins I had committed. Not only that but I learned that forgiveness would continue throughout my life, and continual forgiveness would be desperately needed. Understand that you can be righteous too. Maybe you already are. Regardless, let all rejoice in the promise of Christ. For he has died for us. Unlike me, who owed payment, Christ could afford to pay the price for all believers freedom, and he did. Not only did he pay the price, he traded his perfection from my and our imperfection.’ "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is the good news in a nutshell.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith’." This Bible passage said that I could somehow be innocent before God. It was really good news for me. It is really good news for you.

The letter to the Roman believers by Paul, regarding the righteousness that comes by belief, was great news to me. It said "The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him (Abraham) alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness -for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:22-25).

Now suppose I am wrong? Then I’m gone and have not lost a thing. But if one who does not believe is wrong then they lose everything. I do not believe I am, but what if I’m wrong? What do I lose? Would doing more evil have provided more fun? No. For me and others it would have made life a miserable thing, or made life a failure. As it was, I have had a really good life. My children have all been true to Christ. My wife has been true to Christ. All of us have hope. I have had physical pleasures. Beyond that I have had absolute spiritual assurance. So in life I lost nothing. In Christ I have gained everything. Wonderfully I have gained Christ’s righteousness. In Christ I gained the promise of eternal life. I have lost nothing in life, and nothing beyond time. God has given me everything. We who have named Christ, we Christians gain life, both here and eternally. We gain hopefully better life here, and eternal life beyond time, where I am.

I will see you later.

When I (Brian) was in my late 20s, I had opportunity to sing to an old lady. She was 93. We sang regularly. The last time I sang with her she asked that I sing the song, "Till We Meet." She graduated from this life after we sang. She was holding my hand when she graduated. I believe I have met her again. After all, I doubt that time as we know it is relevant to those who are beyond time with God, which is where I am. What I ask of you, still in time, is that you sing this song with my family, and sing the last verse with me in mind. This is our closing song. From your time perspective, I hope to see you "soon." Maybe from my perspective we are together, since I am convinced that God's present includes all of history. But you are still in time. Tell others about his Good News. I love you Sheila. I love you Edwin I love you Matthew. I love you Nathan. I love all here. Thanks for coming. I look forward to seeing you. --Brian

Whether or not you have known Brian, it is my, and his, sincere desire that you would give heed to his wonderfully wise words, and that you would keep his family in your prayers as they learn to deal with the void.