Jessica Corona Memorial

Remembering Jessica

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good afternoon!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Who is Jesus Christ?  At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD.  Those who worship here worship the one and ONLY true God.  Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 9 and 10 affirm it…

 

COLOSSIANS 2:9

For in Jesus…the Christ…all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form…

 

COLOSSIANS 2:10

…He is the head…over all rule…and over all authority…

 

He is the Lord…God the Son…100% Deity…so He’s fully God…and He is Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…100% true humanity…He is fully man…and the two separate natures…God and man…are combined in one Person.  Nothing in the universe happens without the Lord’s permission…including the death of the people we love.  

 

Why does Barah Ministries exist?  At Barah Ministries, we introduce people to the Lord.  We make a difference by teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse from the Lord’s perspective and not from man’s perspective.  We study the Word of God because it is our Lord’s exact thinking…Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21 say…

 

SECOND PETER 1:20

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own private interpretation…

 

SECOND PETER 1:21 

…and no (Biblical) prophecy was ever made by an act of human will…but men carried along by God the Holy Spirit spoke directly from the exact thinking of THE God (the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

The Bible is not just a bunch of stories made up by men.  It’s God sharing His thoughts with us in writing.

 

REMEMBERING JESSICA

April 30, 1988-May 6, 2021

 

We’re here today to remember Jessica Corona.  Jessica is someone you will never forget.  She was a woman…she was a granddaughter of Nancy and John Wayne and Amelia and Bernadino and to Daniel’s parents…she was a daughter to Brenda…she was a niece to Terrie…she was a mother to Tristen and Jenna and Joel…she was a sister to Melissa, Alicia and Andrea…she was a lover to Dan and Joel…and she was a friend to many…and it matters that she was on the earth.

 

She was described by one of her sisters as “beautiful…responsible… funny… smart…and bossy” … she sounds like my kind of person!

 

Because she was human, maybe when you think of her, you’ll remember times when your interactions with her weren’t so pleasant.  Maybe you’ll remember her for all the things she wasn’t…for the things you wish she was…maybe you’ll want to call to mind her mistakes.  Time has a way of melting resentments.

 

When time heals, the memory of hurts blurs…and all that’s left is the memory that none of your lives would be the same without Jessica as part of your story.  You won’t remember how she died.  You’ll always remember her because she lived.

 

We are here today to remember her life.

 

Jessica Corona matters to God.  He loves her unconditionally…First John, Chapter 4, Verse 8…

 

FIRST JOHN 4:8

The one who does not love unconditionally does not know God…because God is unconditional love (in His very Person!)

 

God forgave Jessica for all her sins by going to a Cross to die for her…He paid with His life and His blood for her sins.  He did the same for you.  He forgives you for all of your sins…past… present…and future.  God does not hold our mistakes against us.  Our human friends aren’t so generous with us, are they?  They’re not as generous as God is with us.  Matthew, Chapter 18, Verses 21 and 22, the apostle Peter asks about forgiveness…

 

MATTHEW 18:21

Then Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

 

MATTHEW 18:22 

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times…but up to seventy times seven (490 times).”

 

Jessica mattered so much to God that a billion years ago He chose the exact time He would bring her to earth.  Job, Chapter 14, Verse 5 says…

 

JOB 14:5

…our days are predetermined…the number of our months is predetermined by You Lord…

 

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, including Jessica, has always had Jessica in His mind…BY NAME.  Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 30…

 

MATTHEW 10:30

But the very hairs of our heads are all numbered.

 

There never was a time when the Lord didn’t have Jessica in His mind.  There never will be a time when the Lord doesn’t have Jessica in His mind.  To the Lord, and I’m sure to you, Jessica is unforgettable.

 

OPENING SONG

 

UNFORGETTABLE

Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole

 

JESSICA CORONA

Picture

Here’s what we’ll enjoy in today’s memorial…

 

JESSICA CORONA MEMORIAL

 

Be Grateful for Life…A Passage from Job

 

Jessica Memorial Video

 

Your Reflections on Jessica

 

The Gospel Message

 

…you’ll hear a passage from the Book of Job…then we’ll watch a memorial tribute to Jessica…after that, you’ll get a chance to reflect on your memories of Jessica….and we’ll close with a message to you from God…the good news concerning your opportunity to choose to live in heaven when you close your eyes in this life.

 

Your family has experienced at least three deaths in the last three years…there was Nancy…and then Brenda…and now Jessica.

 

Frankly, when death comes to a family as much as that, it can get you asking what the hell God is doing up there!  If you think you have it rough, let’s see what Job experienced in Job, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 22…

 

JOB 1:1

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job…and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God (a believer in Christ) and turning away from evil.

 

JOB 1:2 

Seven sons and three daughters were born to him.

 

Job had ten kids.

 

JOB 1:3 

His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and very many servants…and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

 

Job was rich.

JOB 1:4 

His sons used hold feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send word and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

 

JOB 1:5 

When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send word to them and consecrate them, getting up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all…for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.

 

Job prayed for his children.

 

JOB 1:6 

Now there was a day when the sons of God (the angels) came to present themselves before the Lord…and Satan (the enemy of God and the head of the angels) also came among them.

 

JOB 1:7 

The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

 

JOB 1:8 

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

 

JOB 1:9 

Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?

 

JOB 1:10 

Have You not made a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

 

JOB 1:11 

But reach out with Your hand now and touch all that he has…he will certainly curse You to Your face.”

 

JOB 1:12 

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power…only do not

reach out and put your hand on him (don’t take his life).” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

 

JOB 1:13 

Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house…

 

JOB 1:14 

…a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys were feeding beside them…”

 

JOB 1:15 

…and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

 

JOB 1:16 

While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

 

It was not God who did this…it was Satan…the enemy of God and the sponsor of evil…and God got blamed.

 

JOB 1:17 

While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three units and made a raid on the camels and took them, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

 

JOB 1:18 

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house…”

 

JOB 1:19 

“…and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

 

JOB 1:20 

Then Job got up, tore his robe, and shaved his head…then he fell to the ground and worshiped.

JOB 1:21 

Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb…and naked I shall return there.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

 

JOB 1:22 

Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God.

 

Job wasn't mad at God…Job didn't blame God…Job accepted that his children and his possessions and his life were a gift from God…a gift to be praised.  He enjoyed the time he had with them.  I encourage you to do the same thing.  Enjoy the time you had with Jessica…she was a gift from God…enjoy what she meant to you.  Enjoy the unforgettable memories.

 

Let’s reflect on her life as we watch this short video.

 

JESSICA CORONA MEMORIAL VIDEO

 

Now is the time for anyone who wants to come forward…to remember Jessica,

 

YOUR REFLECTIONS ON JESSICA

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

Jessica is not dead…she’s just no longer here on earth.  The soul once born never dies.  Each of us gets to choose where we spend eternity.  Jessica made that choice while she was here on earth.  We may not know her choice…but the Lord does.

A billion years ago the Lord chose the exact time He would return her to Himself.

 

In the closing moments of our memorial, this gospel message is dedicated to anyone who does not have a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

 

Where you spend eternity matters to God because YOU matter to God.  He wants you to be saved!  You have a choice in the matter of being saved, and the choice is your alone.  In John, Chapter 4, Verses 13 and 14, the Lord Jesus Christ is talking to a Samaritan woman at a well…she found it unusual because she recognized that He is a Jew…and the Jews typically wanted nothing to do with the Samaritans.  After a brief introduction, the Lord says to the woman…

 

 

JOHN 4:13

“Everyone who drinks of the water in this well will thirst again…”

 

JOHN 4:14 

“…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him (the water of the Word…the gospel message) shall never thirst…but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to the resurrection life.”

 

It is the Lord’s will for you to live with Him in heaven forever when you close your eyes in this life. First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4 say…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3

This is what is good and acceptable in the sight of the God who is our Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:4 

…who desires all men to be saved and who desires for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

But unbelievers have a problem…RELIGION…Satan's system is designed to share a false gospel and a false Jesus.  Is religion the way to be saved?  Is religion the truth?  Billions of people in this world are part of religions.  Many believe that religion and its rituals is the ticket to heaven. They embrace religious beliefs that tell them how to live a spiritual life. The religion claims either that there is a god…or there are many gods…but the religion does not discuss how to have a personal relationship with God.  

 

Religions propose that if you don’t do everything their god expects that he will be quite disappointed…and regardless of your best efforts to follow the religious rituals…which you CAN’T and DON’T do…even if you did all of them, the religion does not GUARANTEE that following the rituals will get you into heaven.

 

Christianity is NOT a religion…it is a relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ.  A relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ saves you.  The truth the Lord wants you to know is how to be saved…how to get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life, and HE sent me to tell you about it.

 

Getting to heaven when you close your eyes in this life is as simple as a nine-word conversation with God the Father…like the one in Luke, Chapter 23, Verses 42 and 43…

LUKE 23:42

And a thief being crucified next to Jesus was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

 

LUKE 23:43 

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you…today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

 

Just a nine-word conversation with God can get you to heaven… Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.  Or if you prefer…it’s a five-word conversation with God the Father … “Father…I believe in Christ.”  Simply believe… which means take God’s word for what it takes to be saved…and that is the moment of eternal life for you.  

 

Who is this God who saves you?  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4… 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God… that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

If you reject the relationship offer the Lord Jesus Christ makes to you, He will honor your rejection…Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 49 and 50…

 

MATTHEW 13:49

So it will be at the end of the age…the elect angels will come forth and take out the wicked (a description of unbelievers) from among the righteous (believers in Christ) ...

 

MATTHEW 13:50 

…and will throw the wicked into the furnace of fire…and in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

On the other hand, once the Lord saves you, no matter how hard you try, you cannot lose your salvation…John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…

 

JOHN 10:28

“…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ…and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

 

So, follow the advice of Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31 

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

It’s not religion that gets you to heaven…it’s relationship…relationship with the one and only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Have that conversation with Him right now and you will be saved!

 

CLOSING SONG

 

BORN AGAIN

June Murphy

 

CLOSING VERSES

 

         A Doxology of Praise to Our God

 

EPHESIANS 5:15-16

…be careful how you walk (the lifestyle you choose)…not as unwise people would choose...but as wise people would choose…making the most of your time… because the days are evil.

 

PROVERBS 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Jesus, and He will make your paths straight.

 

DEUTERONOMY 31:8

“For the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you…He will be with you…He will not fail you or forsake you…so do not fear or be dismayed.”

 

 

ISAIAH 30:18

The Lord longs to be gracious to you…He waits on high to have compassion

on you…for the Lord is a God of justice…blessed are those who wait for Him.

 

 

 

FIRST PETER 5:6-7

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may promote you at the proper time……slamming all your cares on His back, because He cares for you.

 

God considers your problems to be His responsibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 


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