Memorial Service for Ada Juanita Best

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE, we also believe, therefore also we speak; knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (II Cor. 4:5-5:1 NASB).

There is a big difference in this assembly meeting today and the meeting that we ordinarily have. My wife passed away yesterday. Tomorrow we will bury her body. This meeting today is for the purpose of manifesting our love and appreciation for what God did in and through the life of Ada Juanita Best. She was born February 4, 1919, and stepped out of time into eternity December 14, 2002, to meet her new Bridegroom—Jesus Christ. She is survived by her husband, W. E. Best; her son, Richard Best and his wife, Becky; her brother, Marcus House and his wife, Jerry; her sister, Adena Carson; her grandson, Jason Best and his wife, Lee Ann; and two great grandchildren.

Ministers of Christ are expected to eulogize the deceased, but I must remind you that each person gives his or her message by the life that he or she lives according to God’s truth. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to say that Juanita, who was my wife for 64 years and 20 days, left a testimony that honored God’s Word. No man has ever had a better wife. Scripture says it better than I could ever express it. Solomon, who was the wisest man who ever lived during the Old Testament times, made this statement: “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life” (Prov. 31:10-12 NASB).

Juanita’s testimony was written about a year ago. I had nothing to do with it. Notice the doctrinal stance that she took in this testimony. Observe not only the Word of God, but how she could divide the truth correctly. The bracketed portions are my comments. The following is Juanita’s “living” testimony—not “dying or dead” testimony:

“All that I am, had, and did, is and was of the Lord. Therefore, eulogy of me is impossible. All the praise, honor, and glory being to Him Who alone is worthy.”

1. “Lord, thank You for choosing me. He chose us in Him [in Christ] before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).” [She began where we are supposed to begin—with God.]

2. “Thank You for redeeming me (I Pet. 1:18).” [Note the order—election, then redemption.]

3. “Thank You for regenerating me (Titus 3:5).”

4. “Thank You for converting me by the Holy Spirit using Philippians 2:6-11.” [How well I remember her telling me about this passage and her experience when we had been married less than a year. This is a great Christological passage of Holy Scripture.]

5. “Thank You for progressively sanctifying me (John 17:17).”

6. “Thank You for glorifying me (Rom. 8:30).” [Notice the tense of the verb.]

7. “Lord, thank You for my husband, although that relationship has ceased. I am grateful for the many years that You gave us to be together and the oneness that we shared as husband and wife to portray Christ and His assembly (Eph. 5:23-33).” [She used the past tense—has ceased. That relationship ceased yesterday morning at 10:45. The first statement she made to me after the doctor told us that nothing more could be done for her cancer was that she wanted to die at home and not the hospital. She told me that she could almost feel eternity and was going to see her new Bridegroom. I told her that I too would make up part of that bride. She went home from the hospital on August 23, 2002, and lived until December 14, 2002.]

8. “Most of all, I thank You that You used my husband to teach me Your Word and lead me in it.”

9. “Lord, thank You for the assembly with whom we had the privilege of worshipping You in spirit and in truth, who continually devoted themselves to the teaching of the word and continued in fellowship and prayer; and they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Our mutual faith was comforting to me.”

10. “Lord, thank You for the son You gave me. Through adversity and prosperity, he was a blessing to me [notice the past tense]. In Your providence, You taught me many lessons through him. My heart’s desire and prayer to You was that he might enjoy the same spiritual blessings with me.”

11. “To my husband and assembly members, I have said farewell until we meet again in the presence of Him with Whom we have to do. Instead of grieving at my departure, rejoice with me that I am in the presence of my Savior. Now that I am in my perfected state, I am praising and worshipping Him perfectly and will continue to do so throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.” [The “perfected state” to which she refers is not tomorrow—that was Saturday morning at 10:45.]

Several weeks ago, I brought a message to this assembly on the subject of death—“How Should A Christian Consider Death?” There were seven points at the close of that message that Juanita felt added something to what she had written. Solomon said: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—A time to give birth, and a time to die” (Eccl. 3:1, 2 NASB). “A good name is better than good ointment, And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth” (Eccl. 7:1 NASB). We know that there must be a “birth” day in order for there to be a “death” day. The following is the Christian view of death:

1. Death is the final deliverance of salvation. A completed salvation is not experienced all at once. The chosen of God are justified immediately, sanctified progressively, and glorified ultimately.

2. Death is not cessation but separation of existence. The deceased Christian does not become less of a person when he dies. While our outward man is decaying, the inner man is being renewed day by day.

3. Death is the perfect treatment for all spiritual and physical diseases. Death came in by sin—Adam’s sin, and sin goes out by death.

4. Death should be viewed as resting from sin, sorrow, afflictions, temptations, desertions, vexations, oppositions, and persecutions (Rev. 14:13; Rom. 5:3-5; II Cor. 4:7-12).

5. Death is gaining full freedom from all enemies within and without. Christians will be free from indwelling sin (Rom. 7:14-25). They will also be free from all the world forces of darkness and the schemes of the Devil (Eph. 6:10-17).

6. Death should be viewed with the assurance of having an honorable convoy of angels to escort the Christian (Luke 16:22) following his walk through the valley of the SHADOW of death. David said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4). It is called a shadow for a Christian because according to I Corinthians 15, Jesus Christ has taken away its sting with His death. Therefore, death, as horrible as it is, and suffering, as severe as it is at times, does not compare with what God does for us. The sting of death is removed for the Christian. He only walks through the shadow of it, and shadows won’t hurt you.

7. The Christian looks at death as a departure from imperfection to perfection (II Tim. 4:6). Paul lived a progressively spiritual life. It was not without its hardships, persecutions, and sufferings. However, it was in preparation for dying because he looked forward to the experience with joyful confidence and hopeful expectation. The hope that God gives the child of God is compared to an anchor of a ship in Hebrews 6. It is a hope that will not make us ashamed, according to Romans 5:5. We will never be ashamed if we have that hope. Scripture teaches that God-given hope results in hope of the glory of God, and this hope will never disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into the hearts of His people (Rom. 5:2, 5).

The body of Juanita has been put off and another body has been put on. She is clothed in a body prepared by God in heaven. The Lord Jesus said that He is going to come someday and receive us unto Himself, that where He is, there we may be also (John 14:2, 3). There is a mansion prepared for each child of God.