What I Learned From Dennis Luker

Well, last Sabbath, I was actually scheduled to be up here last Sabbath, and David Holliday was scheduled to give the sermon down in Bellevue, and he contacted me Thursday night, a week ago, Thursday night, and said, you know, he didn't feel like it was really appropriate for him to try to give a sermon. Of course, Denny Luecker died that Thursday morning at 4 a.m., and a week ago, Thursday morning. And so he said he thought it would be better if I gave the sermon, and I agreed that that was probably more appropriate under the circumstances.

So I scrapped that and changed, and I put the sermon together then last Friday. But I wanted to do one, especially in honor of Denny Luecker, and along the lines of the type of sermons he gave.

Of course, he was up here for about two years, so a lot of you have heard a number of his sermons, and they usually had seven points. So I'm going to give a seven-point sermon today, kind of following his footsteps in that way, in regard to the way he gave sermons. And I want to talk about some things I learned from him, because, you know, a week ago, Thursday, I feel personally, because I knew Denny Luecker very personally. Evelyn and I both did for many, many years. When we came back up here, we came back up here in the 1970s, but in the 1980s, Denny Luecker came in 1980.

We knew him very personally. But I felt that it was just a shock to everyone when what happened, and we found out he had that terminal cancer was spread through his body, and he just, in two weeks, he was gone. But I felt we lost probably one of the finest and not the finest servant leaders God's Church has ever had when we lost Denny Luecker. And again, Evelyn and I first became personally acquainted with him back in 1982, actually. He actually came up here from Garden Grove, California, in 1980.

At that time, however, Evelyn and I were living in Bellevue. We were attending the Ever congregation, because Harry Slutter had asked us to come up there and attend an Evert. So we were attending up in Evert during the early 1980s. But then, so Denny came here in 1980. We didn't really get to know him until 1982. At that time, 1982, not early 80s, I was a branch manager for Quasar Electronics, and I had an office down in South Center Parkway area of Tukwila.

And it was on one Friday morning. I think it was very late in July of 1982. I was at work, and Evelyn followed me. And said that Glenn White had just been transferred. He was assisting Denny Luecker at the time in the Seattle congregation, which was a very large congregation. I think it was close to 600 people at that time before splitting into Bellevue and Seattle congregations.

And so, and Glenn White had been transferred to California to pass her down there, so Denny needed an assistant. And so he called Evelyn and asked Evelyn if I would consider going to work for the church to be his assistant. So I asked Evelyn if we could have a weekend. It was Friday morning, and I asked Evelyn if we could have a weekend to think it over. This is a major decision. I had been laid off in 1970, and now I had a 12-year career with Quasar.

I was a branch manager, and I loved the career. And I needed to think this was a big decision. But Ms. Luecker told her, when she called back, I'm not sure how it worked out, but exactly Evelyn would remember more than I do. But anyway, he said that he didn't have an answer by that afternoon. He needed to know. So I said, well, I had Evelyn. She came down to South Center to have lunch with me.

I think she was doing daycare at the time. She had to bring a couple of daycare kids, and I think Dan was a baby. So she had her hands full, but she came down there, and we had lunch and talked about it. And again, I loved my career with Quasar. I really did not want to go back to work for the church. That was not what I really thought would be the best thing to do. I didn't really want to give up the career I had. But as I mentioned here last week, Evelyn said something over having lunch that was very profound.

She said, if this is a door that God is opening, then maybe we should walk through it. Because we don't want to run away and be swallowed by a whale like Jonah was.

That's what she said. I never forget that. I thought, wow, I guess I don't want to do that. I don't want to be swallowed by a whale. I really didn't want to heed Evelyn's advice, so I really did not want to give up my career at Quasar. I loved the job I had there. I loved my career. I didn't want to give that up to go back to work for the church. But I knew after she talked to me, I knew she was right. So I told her to tell Mr. Luka that we would accept the offer.

And as I mentioned last week, looking back now, I would say it was the best decision I ever made. Not because of the church, but because it gave Evelyn and I the opportunity to get to personally know Denny Luka, which probably has been more of a positive influence on my life than anybody else that I know, including my own father. So that lifelong friendship we have with Denny Luka and the only experience I gained from Denny Luka made it all worthwhile. Today, in honor of his friendship and in honor of his example, in honor of his life and his dedication to God and to God's people around the world, I want to dedicate this sermon to the memory of my very, very dear friend, Denny Luka.

I didn't have anybody in the ministry I was closer to than Denny. So today I want to give you seven very valuable lessons that I learned from Denny Luka. Far as the title, the title is very simply this, What I Learned from Denny Luka. What I Learned from Denny Luka. Now, the very first lesson that I learned is something that he emphasized over and over again throughout his entire 50 years of ministry in God's Church. A lesson that he would not want any one of us to ever forget.

And that first lesson is very simple. Simply this. Jesus Christ is the head of God's Church. Christ is the head of the Church. Denny knew way back when that Mr. Herbert W Armstrong was not the real head of the Church. Then later he knew that Mr. Koch was not the head of the Church. He knew really the real head of God's Church is Jesus Christ. He knew that from Scripture. That's what Scripture tells us very clearly. So he always kept that at the forefront of his mind and his thinking. He never looked to any man who had the Church.

He always looked only to Jesus Christ as being the head of God's Church. Because he knew that from Scripture. In Matthew 21, for example, Christ gave the parable of a landowner who planted a vineyard and then went to a far country and left that to other servants. And when he leased it to others, who then beat and killed the landowner's servants after he left to go to a far country, as it says there in that parable.

And then it says, when he found that, he sent his son. And then they said this in Matthew 21, verses 38 and 39, they said to his son, this is the heir.

Come, let us kill him and cease his inheritance. So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Let's turn there. Turn to Matthew 21, and let's pick up the story in verse 40, where Christ then asked this question in this parable.

Matthew 21, verse 40, Christ says, therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he tell them, the pair of Pharisees and scribes and so on, he says, what will they do to these vine dressers? What are they going to do to them? He asked them that question. And they said in verse 41, well, he will destroy those wicked men miserably, and they will lease his vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons. So then Jesus said to them, verse 42, have you never read in the Scripture the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone? This was the Lord's doing, and it was marvelous in our eyes. In other words, Christ was saying, you see, you've rejoined from this parable, why and what was going to happen to him? He is the Son.

This parable refers to Christ who would be seized and killed, but who would then become the chief cornerstone of God's New Testament or New Covenant Church. See, Christ, as it says here, prophecy, He is the chief cornerstone. Christ himself is saying that and explaining this parable. Christ is the chief cornerstone on whom the true Church of God is built. So Christ, then, is the foundation of God's Church.

The true Church of God is not built on any man or any human leader. It is built on and by Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone. Now, as we all know, the Apostle Paul is one of God's greatest servants. He wrote about half the New Testament. But Paul, like Denny Luca, I would say, knew that Christ had been given the responsibility to be head over all things to the Church.

In reference to Christ, Paul wrote this in Ephesians 1. Turn to Ephesians 1, and we'll read the last two verses of Ephesians 1, verses 22 and 23. Here's what Paul says in reference to Jesus Christ in Ephesians 1 and 22. He says, And he put all things under his feet, and gave to him, gave to Christ, to be head over all things to the Church. And the Church is his body. It's the spiritual body of Jesus Christ, which is his body and the fullness of him who fills all in all.

So Christ is, I mean, the Church is the spiritual body of Christ, and it is his body, his spiritual body, and Christ fills his Church by living in all of its members through God's Holy Spirit.

So the Church belongs to Jesus Christ, and Christ, therefore, has been given the responsibility as a cesare to be head over all things to the Church. Christ is the head.

So Paul, like Denny Luecker, knew that Christ was the head of the Church. In Christ, excuse me, in Paul Plundly, he states that in several places, but he states that very Plundly right here in Ephesians, chapter 5. He turned over to Ephesians 5, again, verses 22 and 23, but this time in Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5, 22, he says, Christ is the head of the Church, very Plundly. Christ is the head of the Church, no human being. Only Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. And he is the Savior of the body. He is the Savior of the Church, and the Savior of the members of the Church, which is his spiritual body. So the Church is Christ's responsibility, not the responsibility of any man.

We are all servants of Jesus Christ, who alone is the head of his Church. And since we are all members of the spiritual body of Christ, and since Christ is the head of his spiritual body, what then is Christ's relationship to each and every member of his Church? Well, Paul also answers that for us. Let's go to 1 Corinthians, chapter 11.

1 Corinthians, chapter 11, beginning and beginning of verse 1. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1, where Paul writes, He says, Imitate me as I also imitate Christ. Follow me as I follow Christ. And then, verse 2, he says, Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the tradition just as I deliver them to you. But then he says in verse 3, But I want you to know this. I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ.

Since the Church is the spiritual body of Christ, and we are all members of that spiritual body, and because Christ is the head of his spiritual body, then it says, The head of every man, every one of us, our head, is Jesus Christ. And the head of a woman is man, and the head of Christ is God, God the Father. But since you're the head of every man is Christ, so Christ is my head, he's your head.

We're all accountable to Christ. We're not accountable to any man, necessarily. We are accountable to Christ, first and foremost. And we're all going to have to someday stand before whom? We're going to have to stand before Christ and before the judgment seat of Christ, to give an account of our life. We're not going to stand before any man. We'll all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, as Paul tells us in Romans 14, verse 10, which I'll just quote.

Romans 14, 10, Paul says, but why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. He's the one we're going to have to stand before and give an account to, to Christ, because he is our head. We're going to have to give an account to what we've done in God's Church, whether good or bad, as it tells us very plainly, and I won't go there.

But 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10, we're going to have to give an account of what we do in God's Church, whether it's good or bad. So, Denny Luecker knew and always emphasized that Christ is the head of the Church. That was the first lesson that I clearly remember, that I learned from Denny Luecker. So, never looked to any man. Instead, always looked to Christ as the head of God's Church.

And that means what? It means that Christ knows all the problems that we have in the Church. There's always been problems in the Church. We're all human. There's always going to be human problems, human shortcomings and faults and weaknesses. Misunderstandings. Things we don't understand perfectly. Christ is the head of the Church. He knows that.

He knows all about that. And he knows how he can work those things out in his way and his time. He can solve those problems. His responsibility is to solve those things in his own way and his own time. Because Christ is the head of the Church. Now, here, then, is the second lesson that I learned from Denny Luecker.

And I learned this from getting together with him personally many, many times during the five years that Evelyn and I served Denny and Lian Luecker. And then they were here pastoring the Seattle congregation in the 1980s, from 1982 to 1987, the Seattle and Bellevue congregation. He said this. He said, He said, Why? Because the truth is never going to change. But people can change. And the truth will never let you down.

But people can let you down. And the truth is always going to be there. It's always there. But people and human leaders will come and go. Now, from 1982, as I said, from 1982 to 1987, I worked under Denny Luecker. And once every week during that entire five-year period of time, Denny and Lian would get together with Evelyn and I for either for breakfast or lunch once a week. Every week when he was there, we could do it.

We would get together either for breakfast or lunch. And he told me that when I come past her someday, to always remember to separate the truth from human problems and human leaders. Always keep those things separate. Don't ever confuse them. Mix them together.

Because he said, if you ever confuse those two things, it can take you out of the church. And, you know, I, looking back now in our history, I dare say it's taken a lot of people out of the church because they confuse those things. They confuse people problems with the truth. And it led them out of the church. It's led many ministers out of the church.

So, never confuse the truth with people problems or with problems in the ministry. Always keep the truth in a separate category by itself. Third lesson I learned is this. And we know, you know, just in the two years, Mr. and Ms. Luca were coming up here as he was passing through the siege of Wole. And he always very frequently emphasized relationships. So I say a third lesson is, make relationships your number one priority. Make relationships your number one priority. Of course, first with God and then with others. Turn to, because the key scripture on that is Matthew 22.

Let's go to Matthew 22 and begin in verse 35. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Christ a question. And they were testing him and saying, Teacher or Master, which is the great commandment in the law? And Jesus said to them, verse 37, without hesitation, He said, Actually quoting from Deuteronomy 6.5. Quoting scripture. This is the first and great commandments, your relationship with God. That should come first and foremost. Number two, the second is like unto it. He says, When these two commandments hang all the law in the prophets, everything hinges on your relationship with God and your relationship with others.

That's what it's all about. It's all about relationships. So make relationships your number one priority. And our number one priority must always be, first, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind. And I'd have to say that Denny Lucre did that for over 50 years in the ministry. He always loved God first and foremost. But he now loved God. He also looked to God for the solution to all spiritual problems. He always looked to God. He loved God by looking to God, as being able to take care of any problem that came up.

Now we know that, for example, and how much did he look to God and depend on God and sought God's direction? We know there was a time, in fact, it actually happened twice, when Moses had to go up to Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments, he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. And then he came down and saw all the people committing adultery. He broke the tablets. He had to go back again. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights again. Now how he did that, I don't know. Also, Christ would know in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 when he was going to be tempted by Satan.

Prior to that temptation, Christ fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Even as the Son of God, he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Now, I'm just thinking to myself, how many of us, I don't know how long we've been in the church, but 30, 40 years? Not counting the day of atonement. How many of us have fasted 40 days? Not counting the day of atonement. Well, probably a lot of you have.

I thought probably not too many have. But if you fast once a year, other than the day of atonement, you've been in the church for 40 years, well, then you fast it for 40 days. I don't know how many days. In the 50 years that Dennis Luca was in the ministry, how many days he fasted outside the day of atonement? Probably more than all of us. Because I know he fasted often. And I know when he became president, of course, he became president at a critical time. He knew, being in the ministry as he'd been for so many years, he knew all the ministers personally, or a great deal than most of them.

And I know back in the end of 2010, the first part of 2011, when the split happened, it was extremely difficult for him. Because I know as a president he wanted as much as he possibly could to keep the church from splitting. And I know he was fasting at least a couple days a week during that time, because he knew that nothing he could do, it had to be Christ that would do it. And he wanted to look to God and love God and depend on God to solve that problem any way he could.

And so I know he fasted at least a couple times a week, all for probably a couple of months. Because he knew the solution was only in God's hands. But I know that Denny Luka loved God so much, and he looked to God so much, that he would fast often. I'm sure he fasted at least once or twice a month throughout his entire ministry. That's how much he loved God and how much he looked to God to solve spiritual problems. He knew he could not solve them by himself.

Not very many of us, including myself, fasted to that degree that Denny Luka did to look to God and to love God to that particular degree, to where we would fast that often. But he loved God and loved God's people, and he knew that Christ alone could resolve some of the spiritual problems in God's church. That's why he fasted often.

So our number one priority must always be our relationship with God. And that was Mr. Luka's number one priority throughout his entire ministry. And then it says in verse 39, And the second is, Like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. So next, the first, in your relationship with others, the number one person for you to love is your spouse, your husband or wife. And never take him or her for granted.

Denny loved Leanne. In fact, at the private memorial, Leanne Luka gave a tremendous tribute to Denny. It was very moving. But he loved her very much, and he showed his love by always respecting her advice. He always respected her advice, and he always honored her as his spiritual equal. Equal spiritually, that is.

And also, number, right after your spouse, is love your children. Have a close relationship, but it doesn't matter whether they're in God's Church or not. That should not be your priority. Love one because it's in the Church, the other because they're not. You should love your children regardless of whether they're in the Church, regardless of whether they are in their life, regardless of what's happening, good or bad, regardless of what problems they may or may not have. You love your children unconditionally. Always love your children and try to build a strong positive relationship with your children regardless of what their situation might be. Also, then, next, love the brethren as yourself, as yourself would like to be loved, regardless of who they are, regardless of what their status is, regardless of what their situation is, regardless of what problems they may or may not have. We all need to love the brethren as Christ loves the brethren.

And Christ loves every one of us, and He loves us so much that He voluntarily suffered and died for us, regardless of who we are or what our situation was or is. So love all the brethren, even as Christ does. And finally, the fourth category I should say is, love the people of the world. They all need God as much as we do, maybe more right now, but they've been deceived. So don't judge them. Love the people of the world. Christ loves them, and He died for them. He suffered and died for the people of the world.

Someday they can be a part of His family. He wants them to be in His family. He wants all men and women to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, as Paul tells us in Timothy. So Christ loves them, and He also died for them, so they can someday be in His family. So love the people of the world as Christ did, and make relationships your number one priority. And never take your loved ones for granted. That's the third lesson I learned from Denny Luecker.

Now, fourth lesson I learned from Denny Luecker was to never give up and never get discouraged. We all have an enemy who wants to do anything he can to get us to give up or get discouraged or to quit. Don't ever give up and never get discouraged. There's always going to be problems. There's always going to be challenges we're going to have to face. And we're all human, and all humans have problems and weaknesses. Here's the amazing thing, as I think back on my life, I think about even back when God called me in my early twenties, and I think of where I was at that point in my life.

I have to say, I'm glad God called me when He did, because if it had gone on very much longer, I would have gotten worse and worse, and I'd been in a real mess. But the thing that's amazing is God knew our every fault, our every weakness, our every sin, even things that we only knew that nobody else made or known about, He knew all that before He called us, and He called us anyway. Amazing. Think about it. You think, well, don't want to call that guy.

Look at his problems or her problems. No, God called us in spite of our problems. He didn't know everything about us more than we know about ourselves, and yet He called us anyway. See, God knew our every fault and weakness long before He called us, but that did not discourage Christ from working with us.

And Christ will never give up on us as long as we never give up on Him. He never will give up on us. We have to give up on Him. So don't ever get discouraged. Notice what's written in Hebrews 4. Turn to Hebrews 4, verse 13. He was 4, verse 13.

There is no creature or no one in God's creation. There is no one in God's creation that is hidden from His sight. Implying this to all of us. There's nothing about us that's hidden from God. God knows everything about us. He says all things are naked and open, the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.

I mean, there are things that we know about ourselves we wouldn't want everybody to know about. But God knows it. They're all wrong. Everything is naked and open to God. And to whom we must give account. So God knows every sin and fault we had long before He called us. He says here all things were naked and open to His eyes. So I have to conclude this, then.

When God called us, when He called you, when He called me, He wasn't looking at all of our faults and shortcomings. If He had of been, He wouldn't have called us. I say, if He was looking at me and all my faults and shortcomings, He said, no, I can't work with that guy. I want to call Him.

So He wasn't looking at our faults and shortcomings. He had to be looking at our heart, and He had to be looking at our potential. He knew if we could have a heart and a mind to yield to Him and to trust Him, He could then see there's a potential there for every one of us that God could work with to be a part of His family and part of His leadership team for the world tomorrow.

And here's the amazing thing, and I'm looking at the lesson from Denny Luecker. That is the way Denny Luecker looked at God's people. He didn't look at their faults and shortcomings. He looked at their hearts and He looked at their potential with all the people that He worked with that were under His care. I want to pause here for a moment to tell you a personal story. As a lot of you know, back in the worldwide days, we used to have rank in the ministry.

They had different ranks. The highest rank was evangelist. Then they had a pastor rank, then a preaching elder rank, and then the lowest rank was local elder rank. Of course, Denny was an evangelist. He had the highest rank. He was an evangelist-rank minister when we went that way. Of course, now we realize those are not ranks, those different things. They're simply roles and responsibilities. They're not ranks. But that's the way we used to look at it many years ago before we knew better.

When I first began assisting Mr. Luecker back in 1982, he was an evangelist, and I was a local elder, barely. I had confidence with Quasar, the job I was doing there. I had done it for 12 years. I knew how to fix TVs. I was a branch manager for the service division of Quasar Electronics, Motorola, Quasar. I used to have to repair TVs and solve problems with TVs and customer problems when they had a problem with a TV or microwave oven or audio equipment.

I had to see that those things got repaired or repaired them at our facility for people. And you know, you can do that. TV fails. You get out some electronic equipment, use some testing, and you find out, well, this sent transistors bad. You put in a new transistor. This capacitor is bad. The picture tube is gone out. You place the picture tube. You can fix a TV and get it to working. And you know you've got it fixed. I thought, wow, wouldn't that be great if you could do that with people? If people could do that with me, say, oh, they're a shaper.

No, you just have to place this part here and he'll be fine. It doesn't work that way, does it? It's not quite that simple. And when I was calling into the ministry of Assistant E. Luca, I had absolutely very, I wouldn't say no, but very little confidence.

Very, very little. I felt totally as a duck out of water in that realm. I could fix TVs, but when it come to people, I didn't have any confidence at all. And I remember back in 1982, 83, before the Beverly Church started, we would, there was about 600 in the church, and they had a Bible study. I don't know if it was every week or every other week. We had a Bible study weekly during the week at the Scottish Rite Temple, where we used to meet there in Seattle.

And, of course, I would share, Denny would have me share the Bible study with him. And I would think, what am I doing? I'd be sharing a Bible study with Denny Luca. I mean, he's been in the ministry for years. He's an evangelist. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know why I'm here. And I had little or no confidence in myself. Now, here's the thing, I'm less than I want to bring out about Denny.

He was a wonderful person he was to work with. I don't know if I ever could have come into the ministry under anybody else, either than Denny Luca. Because I knew Denny realized that I had all kinds of faults and shortcomings. And I didn't have any confidence. But he never once let on. He was always 100% positive and encouraging. Even when I made some major mistakes and judgments, he would be positive and encouraging.

And he would come away trying to help me. And if you come away encouraged, I was amazing. And you could actually feel good even if he was had to correct you for some mistake you made. He made you feel good about the way he gave you some positive reinforcement. I think that Denny knew, anybody he was working with, that Christ could make up the difference from my weaknesses and shortcomings.

And he had faith in Jesus Christ that he could make up for those weaknesses. And that's true for each and every one of you as well. Whatever weaknesses you have, Christ can make up the difference. So, no reason to ever get discouraged. Hebrews 4, 13 again, There is no one, or no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him, to whom we must give an account.

So, seeing then, verse 14, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast to our confession, or as it could be translated, let us hold fast to our profession as being Christians, as being followers of Jesus Christ. Hold fast to it. Don't ever get discouraged or get let down. Verse 15 says, the reason why? Because we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with all of our weaknesses.

He knows our weaknesses. He knows the things we struggle with. Because he was tempted in all points just like we are. He became flesh into all the mongers. He had to deal with the things we had to deal with. But he never gave in. He was without sin, as it says. So we can have confidence, not in ourselves, but in Christ. As the next verse indicates, verse 16, Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace or favor to help us in our time of need.

And when it comes to find grace and favor and mercy, always remember God's mercy never fails. God wants to extend mercy to us, regardless of what kind of a fault or how we stumble or fall. He always wants to extend mercy. If our heart is right and our attitude is right, say, God, you know, I did it again. I tripped. Please hold me up. His mercy will never fail. If you don't think that's the case, read Psalm 136. Psalm 136 has 26 verses. And in every single verse, for 26 times, it says, His mercy endures forever. So to get discouraged, read Psalm 136, and get that into your mind. God's mercy endures forever. It never fails. It's always going to be there for you, if you need it, if your heart is right and you ask for it. And that being the case, then, never give up and never get discouraged. And that is also very much a part of the legacy that Denny Luker left for all of us to follow. He never gave up. He never got discouraged. He was always positive, because he knows that he could always go to God, and God's mercy would never fail. So if you want to honor the life and example of Denny Luker, never give up and never get discouraged. Now, a fifth lesson I learned from Denny Luker ties in with that and kind of parallels that to a degree. And that's this. Always remain positive and give thanks always for all things. Always remain positive and give thanks always for all things. As I think I've said, Denny Luker is one of the most positive persons I've ever known. I don't ever remember him ever being negative, ever. He was always positive.

No matter how bad of a situation he had to face, or he was in, or somebody else was trying to help somebody else with, he always remained positive, knowing that God would work things out according to his plan and purpose in his life and in some other person's life. So we always try to focus on the positive, as the Apostle Paul admonishes all of us to do in Philippians 4. Let's turn to Philippians 4. Again, this has always been one of my favorite Scriptures. Philippians 4, verse 8, where Paul writes, Finally, brethren, this is what you sing, you set your mind on.

And he's saying, no matter what your situation is, no matter what you face, always try to find something to be positive about. Whatever things are true, you know what, things that are true, don't try to think that maybe this happened to some gossip or something. Dismiss that. Just focus on things you know are true and that are accurate, not on gossip or hearsay.

Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, not all kinds of garbage filtered in there, but whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of a good report, forget bad reports, hear a bad report? Dismiss it. I don't want to hear that. Whatever things are of a good report is anything praiseworthy. Fix your minds on those things, meditate on those things. And then he says in verse 9, the things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me. And just think about that in context of what we just read.

What kind of things did the Apostle Paul face? You know about all the trials he had and shipwrecked and abandoned and so on and all these things? He had trial after trial after trial, and yet he always remained positive throughout his ministry. The Apostle Paul did. That's why he was so effective. So think what you learned and received and heard and saw in me. These do, and the God of peace will be with you. You can have peace of mind if you put all the negative things, set those aside as a concert on what you know is true and was noble and right and just, lovely and praiseworthy.

He meditated on those things. That can give you peace of mind. And anything that's negative that you're not sure about, put that into God's hands. Christ is the head of the church. Put it in his hands. Let him take care of it. Just concentrate on what is positive. And I could say the same of Denny Luker. I say the things which you learned and received and heard and saw in Denny Luker. These do, and the God of peace will be with you, as he was with Denny up to the very end. Then he died very peacefully. And along with that, as I've mentioned here, as a part of this point, give thanks always for all things.

Let's go back to Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5, and look at this time, verses 19 and 20. Ephesians 5, verse 19, this is another being positive. It says, when you want to speak to one another, speak to one another in psalms, in hymns, and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Be positive with one another and towards one another, and in relationship with one another. And then verse 20, he says, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, wait a minute, give thanks for all things? Even for my trials and difficulties and uncertainties?

Why should we give thanks always for all things? Is there a reason we should do that? Why should we give thanks always for all things? Well, there are probably a number of reasons you'd come up with. The two came to my mind immediately. I want to pass on to you. One reason is, it will guard our heart from the evil one. It will guard our heart from Satan. Think about it. Satan cannot get to a mind. It's going to be giving thanks always for all things.

Satan can slap you down. He can take this away from you, take that away from you, strike somebody down. But if you're always going to put it in God's hands and be thankful for all things that come your way, no matter what you have to face, and there's something positive that God wants us to learn from whatever it is we go through, how can Satan get to you if you're going to be positive no matter what happens?

And if you're going to trust God and look to God, no matter what happens. That actually puts a block to Satan. He can't get to you. He can only get to a mind that's negative, to a mind that lacks faith, that has lots of doubts and fears. That's the kind of a mind Satan can get to. If you're going to be positive and thankful always for all things, Satan can never get to you. You're basically rejecting Satan, and he will not have an opportunity to get to you, which he wants to do to take you out of God's church.

Now, the second reason why he should be thankful always for all things is that all things are good or bad, regardless of what it is. They can all work together for the good to those who love God. They can all work to the good. Even those things that are bad can work to the good. So when we're going through a severe trial, you know, sometimes I... and you have a really... I think all of us have been in the church for 30, 40 years, or even 20 years.

You've had some severe trials you had to struggle with. There are some things that you really have to struggle with. Sometimes you get in one where you just don't know what in the world, why did God allow this? What's He doing? Why didn't He take care of this? And you're in agony. Sometimes the trial's so bad you can't sleep. Your mind's awake at night thinking about it, and you can't sleep. You're just wrestling with it all night. There are... sometimes we have trials like that, and you don't know how to pray to God. I remember trials we've had sometimes where I get up in the middle of the night, and I'm praying to God...

I have to get up in the middle of the night and just pray to God. I don't know what in the world, what is this happening? And we struggle even with how to express ourselves to God. Now, the Apostle Paul experienced that as he confessed to the church in Rome. Let's go back to the book of Romans. I quoted from there earlier, but let's go there, turn there. This time to Romans 8, and let's begin in Romans 8, verse 26. Where Paul, likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.

Sometimes we've got this trial, and we're weak, and we're struggling with it. We can't sleep, and God's Spirit can help us. It says, for we do not know sometimes what we should pray for. We don't even know how to express these things to God. We're going through such a severe trial and difficulty. We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And through our trial, whatever that trial might be, God is searching for our heart. He's looking for our heart, as it indicates in verse 27. He who searches the heart, He's searching our heart as we're going through these struggles.

See how we're going to handle this and look to Him. He searches our heart, and He knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Then Paul adds this assurance, which is why we can give thanks always for all things. In Matthew 28, because we know that all things, good or bad, can all work together for good to those who love God and to those who are the called, as we all of us are, according to His purpose.

So God has a purpose for all things, and all things can work together for good in fulfilling that purpose.

The very last time, at Sunday morning before we moved to Bainbridge, I think it was about two weeks ago, after they got the truck loaded, Evelyn and I went in there to just... Me and I had... We could only stay awake for just a few minutes during a day in the morning, and maybe a couple of times we could be awake for 10 or 15 minutes, and she had them propped up in bed, and we were able to go in and talk to them just for a few minutes, and the last time I had an opportunity to speak to him, just before moving to Bainbridge, there he was. He was so weak, he could barely talk. But he spent all the energy he had when I was there, expressing thanks to me and Evelyn for our service to God and God's people, and he stroked every little ounce of energy he had to give us encouragement, even though he was weak unto death. What an amazing man! You know, when I think of Denny, the words of a song came to my mind.

It's been quite a long time ago. The song is called The Impossible Dream, also called The Quest.

Lyrics by Joe Darien, music by Mitch Ley. It was written for the musical play The Man of La Mancha.

But I think of the words of that song when I think of Denny, to at least to a degree. I just want to quote some of the lyrics. To dream the impossible dream. Denny always kept the dream alive, of God's future, God's kingdom. He always kept that dream alive, no matter how difficult, no matter how impossible the situation seemed to be. Even as his life was ending, he still looked at that impossible dream. To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe, to bear with unbearable sorrow, to right the unmitable wrong, to love, pure and chaste from afar, to try when your arms are too weary. But you keep trying anyway, as Denny did to the very end.

To run with a brave dare and I go, to reach for that unreachable star.

And then it says, this is my quest to follow that star, no matter how hopeless it may seem, and no matter how far away it may seem, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far. That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest. And Denny Lucre's heart did lie peaceful and calm when he was laid to his rest, and he's laid to rest in a very calm and peaceful, beautiful setting.

Then the lyrics conclude, And the world will be better for this, That one man, scorned and covered with scars, still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars. So always remain positive and get thanks always for all things. Now, a sixth lesson I learned from Denny Lucre is, a very important lesson. It's a very difficult lesson to learn. Well, one that each and every one of us has to learn, and we're going to be tested on.

And Denny was. And he passed the test with flying colors. The sixth lesson I learned is be willing to suffer wrongfully. Be willing to suffer wrongfully. Let's go to 1 Peter, chapter 2. 1 Peter, chapter 2, and I'll begin in verse 17. It says, Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King. Regardless who he is, if you don't agree with him. But honor that position. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, but not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

When you've got a master that's harsh and doesn't feast you wrongfully, still be submissive to that. That's what God would want us to do. For this is commendable because of conscience toward God. One endures grief and suffers wrongfully. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently, but when you do good and you suffer for it, suffer wrongfully, and you take it patiently and put the matter into God's hands, this is extremely commendable to God. Why? Because to this you were called. This is a test that everyone has to go through.

We're all called to go through this test, to see if we can suffer wrongfully as Christ did and put matters into God's hands as Christ did. That's part of the example we've been called to follow. For to this you were called because Christ also suffered wrongfully for us, leaving us an example that you should then follow in His steps and pass that same test. And Christ committed no sin, no as the seed found in His mouth, but when He was reviled, He didn't try to get back.

He didn't try to get even. He didn't try to even the score, so to speak. Instead, He did not revile in return, and when He suffered, He didn't threaten back, but He just committed it all to God the Father. And Denny did that as well.

He was willing to suffer wrongfully for the sake of serving God's people. I remember in a particular incident, it still was very vivid in my mind, during the first two years when I was serving under Denny back in the early 80s, 1882, probably 1983. It was just before the Beverly Church was formed, and the Beverly Church, I think, was formed in 1984. It was one Friday morning, Denny got a call from headquarters. It was a Friday morning, Denny was scheduled to give the sermon. I think he spoke three times.

He had me speak once after there was only just one church there, just Seattle Church. So he was scheduled to give the sermon that I said, but he phoned me and told me that I was going to have to give the sermon, because Mr. Armstrong wanted him to come to Pasadena that very day. He had to get a flight to Pasadena that very day. He had to get there without delay. He was being called on the carpet over a greatly exaggerated and false accusation. It was actually a false accusation, if not a greatly exaggerated one. It was made against him by another high-ranking minister.

And he went to Mr. Armstrong's office, knowing the verdict against him had already been made. He knew that. And then anything that he would say would be of no consequence. If he tried to say anything, depending on himself, he knew he would only get fired immediately. Because that's what this other minister wanted. He wanted to get Denny Luca fired. And Denny was the only thing he could do, was just remain quiet, take whatever they wanted to give him, and put it in God's hands.

So that's what he did. Because all the cards had been wrongfully stacked against him. He was told then that he would be fired if he didn't come back to Seattle and openly apologize to the entire Seattle congregation. Were you there, Ben, when he did that? You and Steve? Do you remember that? I asked the people in Seattle how many of you remember that? A lot of them remember that. They were there. But he humbled himself and openly suffered wrongfully for the sake of God's people. He didn't want to be fired because he wanted to stay there to be able to serve God's people.

He put the thing in God's hands and he made his apology. He didn't need to make an apology. It was nothing for him to apologize for, but he did. Now, in case you're wondering what this horrible offense was, it had to do with the issue of makeup. It was Mr. Armstrong that changed his mind on several times. But what it was really about was really about one minister who wanted to advance his position with Mr. Armstrong at the expense of Denny Lucre. That's what it was really all about. And Denny chose to suffer wrongfully and commit himself to him who judges right just like to Jesus Christ.

And, of course, we know how it all came out. Another minister's long gone. Denny Lucre, he stayed with the truth. And he eventually became the President of the United Church of God. So there's your verdict as far as God's concerned. And I'd say that Denny is probably, at least from my perspective, probably the best President we've ever had. Now, Roy Holiday was a great President, too. I don't want to leave him out, but Denny was a wonderful President. So be willing to suffer wrongfully for the sake of God's people and put it in God's hands. God's going to work it out. He will. He knows when we suffer wrongfully.

And he's able to take care of it, one way or another, in his own way, in his own time. Now, the one final lesson, lesson number seven, is, I guess, still being written. Because I really don't know what lesson number seven is. But it will be the answer to this question that we've all asked ourselves since this happened, and that is this.

Why did God allow this to happen? Why would God take Denny Luke to allow this to happen? I don't know. I don't know the answer, any more than any of you do. But I do know this, as I've already covered, all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. And we also know that I'll just turn there. This is what Job learned in his trial, written. This is a lesson from Job, the very end of the book of Job.

And that's, if I can find it here. Job 42, the first two verses, is the very end of Job's trial. And when he finally learned the lesson that God wanted him to learn, he says this. And Job answered the Lord and said, in chapter 42, verse 2, he said, I know now that you, God, can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. And finally, as far as Denny is concerned, I know this, as if possible, also knew, just before he died. And for the final scripture, then let's turn to 2 Timothy 4.

2 Timothy 4, verses 6 through 8, where Paul wrote, 2 Timothy 4-6, For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. He knew that time would come after serving God for many, many, many years. And he says, verse 7, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

And Denny did. He did that. Also, just like the Apostle Paul, he fought the good fight for 50 years in the ministry, God's Church, more. And he finished the race, and he kept the faith. So then, it says in verse 8, as Paul says of himself, and what could say of Denny and anyone who fits his description here, Finally, then there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who loved his appearing, and who, like Paul and like Denny, who continue to fight the good fight, and who finish the race and keep the faith.

So the crown of righteousness is now laid up for Denny Luker, as he did fight the good fight, and he kept the faith, and he finished the race. And I guess you might say, maybe we know we've come full circle. The final lesson goes back to the first lesson.

Let's never look to any man, not even to the very best of man. But we must always look to Christ, because Christ will always be the head of the church. So those then are seven very valuable lessons that I learned from my dear friend Denny Luker, and I know you could add others to that. I've thought of several others since I gave this last week, but those are all lessons that are very valuable. Denny did leave a wonderful legacy for all of us to follow, so apply those lessons, and they'll also be then laid up for you, as it says here, the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Church, will give you on that day. So keep Denny's legacy alive. Apply what I learned from Denny Luker.