Conrad Murrell's Funeral: Forever With the Lord

We welcome you to this special occasion,

this special moment,

as we come to give thanks to God

for the life of Herbert Conrad Murrell

of Bentley, Louisiana.

He was born December 15th, 1928 in Bentley

and went to be with his Lord

February 23rd, 2018

at the age of 89 years,
2 months, and 8 days.

He's survived by his children

Timothy Murrell and his wife Shirley,

James Murrell and Cherry,

Kenneth Murrell and Sylvia,

William Murrell and Brenda,

and Pamela Johnson and Dale.

Step-children, Gary Gatch and Lynn,

David Gatch and Melissa,

Julia Cogan and Christopher,

and Stephanie Holliday;

17 grandchildren,

17 great-grandchildren,

a sister Glenda Landry

and a host of other family
members and friends.

He was preceded in death
by his first wife Eunice,

his second wife,
Grace Owens Gatch Murrell,

his daughter-in-law,
Kay Malone Murrell;

his parents Alvin and
Era Thompson Murrell,

brothers Kerwin, Fred,
and Waynon Murrell,

and a sister, Lila Gayle Willingham.

"Forever with the Lord."

Those were Conrad's words
about his father Alvin

when he passed in 1971.

I heard him say it in a sermon

joyfully, powerfully -

"forever with the Lord."

And now it applies to him.

To his father and his mother

and his first wife Eunice

and his second wife Grace,

and now Conrad himself,

forever with the Lord.

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying,

'write this: Blessed are the dead

who die in the Lord.

From now on, blessed
indeed, says the Lord,

that they may rest from their labors

and their works do follow them.'"

"A good name is to be chosen

as better than precious ointment."

So how can one describe Conrad Murrell?

How would you describe what he was to you?

Perhaps a beloved father or grandfather?

A father in the faith?

The greatest influence in your life?

The deepest thinker and
preacher you ever heard?

A faithful brother and a true friend?

Or, just a godly, humble man?

He was one who carried the mark

and fragrance of Christlikeness

for over 65 years as a Christian.

Mark LaCour, on his first trip to Bentley

to meet his preacher he had heard of,

said this, "I drove to nowhere

to meet a man no one knew,

who would become my father in the faith.

That day changed everything.

Who I would marry,

what work I would do,

the brethren I would come to love,

how I would minister,

and who this great God is

that I would come to know more fully

because of Conrad Murrell."

(Incomplete thought)

We could stay here till the end of March

sharing memories.

What single greatest memory do you have

of Conrad's life or ministry?

Well, the first time I heard him preach

was 1977 on a cassette tape.

A friend gave me a cassette series

called "Faith Cometh."

I was forever changed.

First time I heard him in person

was in Weatherford, Texas, in 1980.

And then the last time I heard him preach

was in St. Louis at his beloved friend

Holmes Morris' conference in April 2013.

I, like many of you, remember

many particular sermons
that were life-changing.

The Ruth series;

the Sin of Jeroboam;

the Passover series on
redemption from Exodus;

"Paul, a Pattern of Conversion," Acts 26;

the Mysteries of the
Kingdom on the parables.

Don Johnson said God gave His church

a great gift when He
gave us Conrad Murrell,

with his unique ability to show us

the difference between
truth and popular error.

I remember personal times in our home

and his kindness and
prayers for our children.

And I remember him distinctly saying

how children grow up too quickly

and are soon gone.

I remember a two-mile walk with him

one morning when he was 84

over here at his house.

He was walking so briskly,

I could hardly keep up with him.

I remember conversations on theology

and sharing some of my views,

hoping he would be impressed,

or at least that he might agree.

He wasn't impressed.

But he would begin graciously sharing

the truth with me more,

and insight and wisdom would flow,

and I realized I had not seen as much

as I had thought I'd seen.

I remember his love for all his churches.

Your churches.

And many others he loved over the years.

He always had his churches on his heart,

and in his mind, and in his prayers.

We all remember how wonderfully

he led the Bentley camps,

and those afternoon Q&A's.

He would try to get you to ask questions

and very few would ask questions,

because they knew he was going to sum up

at the end the things that we had said

that were incorrect.

In two sentences, he could just distill

the gold from the moment.

I, like so many many,

greatly benefitted from his great wisdom

and discernment,

and his ability in giving out counsel.

I once sought his counsel on
a major decision in 2017.

Several people affirmed

my considering this choice.

He alone said to me,

'Don't do it. I don't think God's in it.'

And he was right.

I was spared a great mistake.

I remember his humility.

His simplicity of life. His honesty.

His no sense of self-importance.

His godliness, his sense of humor,

his love for his wife,

his children, his grandchildren.

And, of course, I remember

the power and the authority

of his preaching.

Gary Gatch said this:

"I remember vividly how his messages

fed my soul.

I had never experienced that before,

but I had longed for it.

I remember thinking

that is what preaching should be -

the heavenly power,

the solid doctrinal content,

the experiential reality,

the accurate, deep
theological understanding,

coming under the anointing
of the Holy Spirit

like an irresistible force
of awesome truth.

When you heard Conrad preach regularly,

it would hit you, it would slap you,

it would startle you, surprise you,

rattle you,

even confuse you for awhile.

You'd go away saying

now wait a minute.

I thought I knew.

I thought that...

I've always believed...

I've never heard such things before.

That's what his ministry would do to you.

But in the coming days,

a metamorphosis happened
supernaturally in your life.

You start being changed by the truth.

You're freed. You're transformed.

You begin to love the Bible more.

You begin to have clarity on doctrines

that you never were clear on before.

You begin to love God's people more.

You begin to see salvation in a way

never seen before.

You begin to see this is a much bigger

and bigger God and more glorious Christ

than you've ever realized.

And you even joyfully begin to realize

the Holy Spirit is real and wonderful.

Conrad's ministry did that

to hundreds, perhaps thousands.

The force of truths by the Spirit

through a man from Bentley.

Unknown and yet well known.

Conrad and his friend Leonard Ravenhill

stood alone in power in preaching

above all others, in my opinion.

And time fails us to share

all that we remember and treasure,

but an old Christian said
of a godly friend of his

who passed away, whose example and life

was powerful. He said this.

And I thought this
applies to Conrad Murrell.

"In a day of hustle and bustle

and busy activity,

it would do us well to study the life

of one who stood in
the midst of this world,

but was not of this world,

was never drawn into it

and spent his life
drawing others out of it

into the joy which
he himself so fully knew.

In an age of false ideas

and shallow hero worship,

it is good to have seen one

who took at his model the Son of God,

and he knew above most

what intimacy with God means

in producing a true and fragrant life."

His dear friend Holmes Morris

said of Brother Murrell,

"Conrad saw and felt deeply

that which was wrong with modern churches,

and was not afraid to
take a stand against error."

Well, that's kind of an understatement.

He writes a tract:
"Mourn. God may hate you."

Or I could mention others.

"He was not afraid to
take a stand against error.

A man has to have the
power of the Spirit of God

upon him to have such
a ministry for years."

Holmes Morris says,

"I believe he had special
gifts and anointing

which became the key
to his entire ministry.

It has been said when
a giant tree finally falls,

it leaves an empty space in the sky.

When God finally takes Conrad Murrell

home to glory, it will certainly leave

a huge empty space in our sky."

In the early years of his ministry,

Conrad wrote a weekly column

in the Colfax Chronicle

called "Bread from the Book."

It was just devotional commentary

on Psalms.

And on Psalm 42, Conrad said this:

"It is a terrifying experience
to look around you

and find yourself alone

without anyone on earth

to rescue you from peril,

but it is a most wonderful

and blessed reality when
you lift your eyes

above the land of the living,

all of whom shall very soon die.

It's a blessed thing to lift your eyes

to the eternal God who ever lives

and to find Him to be

your everlasting refuge."

Praise God for our dear brother.

To the children:

Herbert Conrad Murrell.

Do you know him?

Tell me.

His name they did mention.

Among the saints he did labor.

With boisterous voice, he spoke His favor.

I am crucified with Christ,

nevertheless I live.

He stood firm.

His life the Lord did sieve.

You've heard the power
in which he did speak.

Christ in His glory,
and yet this man weak.

No great man in his own stature.

His Lord, his only pasture.

Tell me you've heard.

He didn't speak his own name.

The faith of the Son of God his only fame.

A man remembered for his God.

A testimony of where our Savior trod.

Tell me they've told you
about his great King.

Tell me they've told
you His praise to sing.

Tell me they've told you

about the kingdom he'll inherit.

Tell me they've told you,

it's not by his merit.

Tell me they've told you,
it should be yours.

Tell me they've told you,

Christ would open the doors.

Tell me they've told you
why he did preach.

He could not contain the
love he had for each.

Tell me you've heard

of the great God he should soon behold.

Tell me you've heard
of the riches he's told.

For his telling is past,

but yours is not.

Abound in what you've heard.

Let it not rot.

Children, speak.

Love others to the end.

For our great God a Savior did send.

Tell me they've told you

the power of obedience and humility.

Tell me they've told you

his peace and victory.

I am the youngest of five children.

I was the baby.

I was kind of apart

from my brothers and sisters growing up.

And I just wanted to share

some of the things that I observed

of my dad.

You may not know.

These are little things; small things.

My dad had a little room.

It was no larger than a small closet.

He could barely fit the little desk in it.

He had some homemade bookshelves.

His library was in that bookshelf.

Spurgeon.

Wesley.

Brainard.

Josephus.

See, those of are some of the books

I remember reading.

Some of the scholarly,

some of the sermons - Spurgeon's sermons,

he studied those very, very deeply.

He was a big fan of the Reformation.

That was the strongest part of his drive;

formed in what occurred

during the Reformation.

A lot of the truths that he discovered,

that God showed him,

came from the teachings

of these great preachers

that taught during these times.

But he would get up in the morning,

and you wouldn't see him.

He would go to that room.

He would not come out.

You could hear him pray.

You could hear him talk to God.

That's how he started his day

every single day.

On Monday's, he didn't eat.

Monday was his fast day.

For most ministers that I've seen,

their focus is on Sunday
and Wednesday night,

and maybe some business
meetings in the church,

but dad's - what I saw was daily.

I never saw him get mad at something

that he shouldn't have gotten mad at.

He's gotten mad at me.

He got mad at a lot of things.

But I never saw him get mad

at a lot of things that we
would have gotten mad at.

Case in point:

We lived on Hanley Loop.

He stuck his hand
underneath the lawn mower.

And it split his fingers.

And his vernacular was not extreme.

What he said was not extreme.

He very calmly called me over.

I was seven years old.

Called me over and said,

"Billy, go get your mama."

That was it. Go get your mama.

He knew he needed help.

There was no point in
saying anything else.

His humor - he was a pragmatist.

He was a sneaky, sneaky pragmatist

when it came to work.

Now, as a young man, I didn't
like to work too much.

I worked very hard because
my dad made me work,

and I learned to work.
He taught me to work.

I remember this one particular time

that I had discovered
a few games at school,

and one of them was pick-up-sticks.

You remember pick-up-sticks?

He said, "you want
to play pick-up-sticks?"

Yeah!

We all know what happened next.

I'm in the backyard or in the pasture

picking up sticks.

So, his humor was amazing.

He made up words.

He made up words.

But the one word that sticks with me

is "stickability."

Stickability is your ability

to finish whatever you start.

That's meant a lot to me in my life.

I'd like to close with this one thing

that I remember from one of his sermons.

He said as an analogy

to make people realize how small

and insignificant we are in this world;

he said the next time you start thinking

yourself high and mighty;

next time you start thinking
well about yourself,

go get a bucket. Fill it with water.

Stick your arm in the bucket.

Slosh that water around
as much as you want to

for as long as you want to.

And when you pull your
arm out of that bucket,

the hole that you leave in that bucket

is the impact that you left on this world

when you leave.

That's the truth.

My dad's impact was not of his own doing.

It was because he made himself

an instrument.

That's all.

Thank you.

(Incomplete thought)

I haven't had the honor of sitting under

as many of my papa's sermons

as many of you have.

I've sat through some.

But, that is an honor.

Because of papa,

my dad was always a pastor.

I do remember when I was young

going to some of his revivals

and camp meetings from time to time.

Dad would bring us.

When I was four years old,

the very first song I ever sang in church

was "He's Still Working On Me."

And I know that I never went

to any of my Papa's camp meetings

or revivals that he didn't request

that I sing that song.

And at the time, it was
just a childhood song.

I'm not going to say it didn't
mean anything to me. It did.

But, you know, you
think of it kind of like,

"This Little Light of Mine,"

or just a childhood song.

But through the years, it has grown

to mean more and more to me.

And I find that the lyrics are applicable

to any age no matter how young or old.

Because we are a work in progress always.

There's always more growing

that we can do in the Lord.

And I know that that was
part of my Papa's message

to all that he shared Jesus with.

And there was never a time - not one -

even as recent as Christmas day

when we sat at the dinner table

and Papa sat to my left

at the head of the table.

He would always say,

"He's still working on me,

is He still working on you?"

Always. Always.

And that was the last
time that he said it to me.

And today, the song,

though it began as just a childhood song

means more to me than it ever has before,

and I know that it always will.

I'm not sure of the date,

but it was the day after Christmas

when he was put into the hospital.

In the weeks following,

we went to visit him in the hospital,

and he slept the whole time.

He didn't wake up to visit.

And we were getting ready to go.

Pam was there. My dad was there.

My husband, Kevin, and myself were there.

And we stayed and
visited for a little while,

and before we left,

I just felt led to lean over

and to sing it into his ear.

And I asked which was his good ear

and I leaned over
and I sang it in his ear.

And he started kind of
moving around in the bed.

And he opened his eyes

and they filled up with tears.

Because I think we were questioning

if he was responsive or hearing us.

But he definitely heard it

and he opened his eyes

and they welled up with tears.

And he started moaning as if to say it.

He couldn't get the words out,

but I know that they were there.

So, Kaylee and I are
going to sing it today.

If you know it, sing along with us.

I wanted to read a Scripture.

Philippians 1:6

"Being confident of this very thing,

that He which hath
begun a good work in you

will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ."

Praise the Lord.

On February 23rd,
Papa drew his last breath.

And he was complete.

But up until that moment,

he chose to allow Jesus to continue

to work on him throughout his whole life.

And so I challenge all of us,

I know if he was here

and could say one more thing to me,

he would say,

"He's finished with me,

but is He still working on you?"

Let's join our hearts in prayer.

Our gracious God and Father in heaven,

we praise Thy holy name.

And we are very thankful today

for the grace of God

that came to Conrad Murrell

in saving him as a young adult,

so suddenly, so powerfully;

and for calling him into the ministry

of the gospel of the grace of God.

Lord, thank You for the grace that's come

to him and through him,

to his family and to so many.

We're grateful for the life and ministry

of your servant.

Lord, many of us could say

in our own lives,

there's not arisen in all our lives

a prophet like this Moses,

whom the Lord knew so closely.

Or like Elisha,

a holy man who passed
by our lives continually.

Like a David who served his own generation

in the will of God.

And now has died in a good old age,

full of days, riches, and honor.

Full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

And like Simeon has now departed

in peace.

Father, Your Word says the day of death

is better than the day of one's birth.

Better to go to the house of mourning

than the house of feasting.

And the living take it to heart.

Far better, said Paul,

to depart and be with Christ,

because that is gain.

So, Lord, today comfort every heart here.

We feel like there will be a deep hole

in our water bucket for a long time.

It's there. A big space in our sky.

This one who's now with You.

Thank You for the fruit that abides.

Thank You for the
legacy, for the memories.

Lord, Your Word says

the name of the wicked will rot,

but the memory of
the righteous is blessed.

So comfort every heart.

Strengthen every soul.

Touch every tear.

Make us all more faithful Christians,

not only because we had Conrad

touch us in our journey.

Make us more faithful now in his death,

more like him,

and ultimately, Lord,

more like our Savior.

We thank You, Lord,

for that pure river of the water of life,

clear as crystal, proceeding out of

the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Lord, in the midst of the street

on either side of the tree of life.

And Lord, we thank You there,

there will be no more curse,

but the throne of God and the Lamb

shall be in it,

and Your servants will serve You.

And they shall see Your face.

And Your name will be on their foreheads.

And there's no night there.

No need for candle or light of the sun,

for the Lord God giveth them light,

and they shall reign forever and ever.

And He said these sayings

are faithful and true.

Behold, I come quickly.

Blessed is he who keeps the sayings

of the prophecy of this book.

Lord, we bless Your name this day.

We worship You in this hour.

And we're very, very grateful

from our hearts for all Your mercies

that You've shed abroad

through such a life.

In the sure and mighty name

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we pray. Amen.

There's an old saying

that God buries His workers,

but doesn't bury His work.

But a work that is never buried

works off of the memory

of the workers that are.

And one of those such workers

is H. Conrad Murrell.

In Ecclesiastes 7,

we've referred to it a few times already,

it says in v. 1, "A good name is better

than a good ointment,

and the day of one's death is better

than the day of one's birth.

It is better to go to a house of mourning,

(here)

than to go to a house of feasting

because that is the end of every man

and the living takes it to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

for when a face is sad,

a heart may be happy.

The mind of the wise is in
the house of mourning,

while the mind of fools

is in the house of pleasure."

Verse 1 of Ecclesiastes 7

talks about a good name,

and how a good name is better

than a precious ointment.

And of course, you kind of wonder why

there's a comparison between an ointment

and a good name.

And of course, back in the day,

when a baby was born,

depending on the wealth of the family,

they would anoint the baby with ointment.

And so, as he's making this comparison -

Solomon here writing Ecclesiastes -

he's drawing these contrasts

when it comes to wisdom

it isn't always found in the
conventional kind of way.

Many times, it's found in contrasts

where you have a good name -

a good name -

not just a name you're given at birth,

but a good name.

And it's better than that ointment

that you were given at birth.

And that's why he says a
little bit later on in v. 1

that a good name translates also

into pleasant expiration dates.

They go together.

So December 15th, 1928

was the day Conrad was born.

According to Ecclesiastes 7,

February 23rd, 2018 is a better day.

In fact, he celebrated
that birthday 89 times

and that one day in February

is worth all the more than that
one day in December combined.

Because that's what the text says.

They don't compare in value.

So what makes the day of one's death

a better day?

You've got to be asking the question

to yourself as you sit here

in the classroom, God says,

in Ecclesiastes 7,

which is the house of mourning.

Will my day of death be
better than my birthday?

Really, the only way you
can answer that question

is the first part of the verse:

Do I have a good name?

We don't really care about the ointment

you might be having in
your storage pantry.

It's the good name.

So what makes February 23rd, 2018

a better day than December 15th, 1928?

Well, there's a few things

according to the text.

For starters, not everybody has

a better day on the day of their death.

I think you know that.

On that day in December,

when Conrad was given his name

by his mom and dad,

Adolf Hitler was given a name

on the day of his birth.

Everything being equal,

on the day of their deaths,

something has taken a shift, hasn't it?

Because your name identifies you

with your character

and what you have done

or what you haven't done.

A good name isn't a catchy name.

You've got people today

that try to name their
kids in such a way

that they stand out.

Like Mr. and Mrs. Aire who
named their son "Billion."

We want our son to stand out.

We're going to name him Billion.

Oh, he'll stand out all right.

So it's not just a catchy name.

But it's not even a great name.

He doesn't say "a great name."

He says, "a good name."

You've got a lot of great names out there

that won't be found in
the Lamb's Book of Life.

Thomas Edison had a great name.

In fact, he was called
"America's inventor."

The greatest inventor America had.

But he was a naturalist.

Einstein. Everybody knows who Einstein is.

And he worshiped the god
of Spinosa the philosopher.

He doesn't have a good name.

A great one among men.

Among scientists.

Among philosophers.

But the day of his death is not better

than the day of his birth.

Because it's not a good name.

Proverbs 10:7 says,

"The memory of the
righteous is a blessing."

It's a blessing to us.

Knowing who Conrad was,

reading his books,

listening to his sermons,

seeing pictures, telling stories -

they're meant to encourage us.

And they do.

As they all focus toward that
name above every name,

Jesus Christ.

See, if your name doesn't dovetail

into that direction,

you don't have a good name.

And it's not going to be a good day

when the expiration date comes for you.

Now, this is just what the text says.

Do you ever wonder why you're even

given a name in the first place?

A name identifies you.

It makes you part of a society.

It tells the community around you

that you exist and you're an individual.

You give babies names.

They don't want you naming fetuses,

because that would make them valuable.

That would make them a person.

That would give them rights.

That would somehow elevate them

into the community.

But we're all given names.

We're given names for a reason.

And God calls us by name.

The very essence of what
it means to be human

means that we have this naming function

that we see in Adam in
the garden, for example.

He names the animals.

He names them because that's what they are

and God says, "name the animals."

Because God's given him a name.

That's how he can name Eve

and say who she is.

Not just a proper name, "Eve,"

but her function and her identity.

We do that.

It's called dominion.

And you have a name.

But the question this morning

is will it be a good name?

We celebrate Conrad's life

because he had a good name.

His name's found in the
Lamb's Book of Life.

There are many names,

names that you know,

that will not be found in
the Lamb's Book of Life.

Well, if you need an example,

Caitlin Jenner will not be found
in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Bruce Jenner might be.

That's just an example.
It's not a good name.

You can change it.

You can nickname it.

You can make it catchy.

You can do something among men

and be great, but if it isn't good,

and the righteous are blessed by it,

and Christ is glorified in it,

it's not a good name.

And the day of one's death is not

going to be better than
the day of one's birth.

So how is this day, February 23rd,

a better day than the
day of Conrad's birth

celebrated 89 times?

Well, the most obvious way it's better -

it's better for Conrad.

Think about what that day meant for him.

It wasn't like a birthday party

and celebrating and blowing out candles

and opening up a few presents.

Think about how Conrad entered the world

on the day of his birth.

Let's compare the two days.

On December 15th, he entered the world

under the wrath of God

according to Ephesians 2.

He entered heaven under the grace of God

in nothing but praise
and worship to the Lamb.

I think that's a better day.

He comes in crying. He goes out praising.

Surrounded by sinners

and a world of demons and depravity,

and according to Romans 8, futility.

And he enters a world of completion,

inheritance.

That work, we heard sung,
in Philippians 1:6 is done.

It's completed.

He's complete.

He's entered into his inheritance.

That's a good day.

The book he writes, "Faith Cometh,"

it's sight cometh.

There's no more salvation when,

it's salvation now.

These are realities that our brother

not just has experienced on that day,

but that's for all of us

who have a good name.

His fight ended.

His race concluded.

His cross exchanged.

A name that was written

on the Savior's hand -

Isaiah 49:16.

Inscribed in the palm of His hand it says.

Inscribed in the Lamb's Book of Life.

He's now one with the
name above all names.

He's one with his Savior.

So it's not only better for Conrad,

it's also better for us.

Better for us.

Wait a minute. That doesn't
make a lot of sense.

I mean, I thought we were
praying that he would live on.

You pray for your loved ones.
You don't want to see them die

and leave and depart
from you, but it's better.

Even for us left behind.

How is it better for us?

Being sad isn't the same
thing as being worse off.

The heart can be sad, it says,

and there can be laughter in the heart.

We don't mourn like the world

who has no hope.

It's better for us because,

as it says in Hebrews 13,

we can follow his conduct,

imitate his faith - leaders among us,

the writer tells us.

Observe their conduct.

Imitate their faith.

Well, his conduct all the way

till the day he died was faithfulness.

You need to imitate that kind of faith.

That's better for us.

He didn't back out at the last

hundred yards of the marathon.

That's a testimony for us.

It's a testimony knowing that God

can take a man made out of clay like us,

same frailties and weakness,

and bring him across Jordan.

That's a good thing.

He can turn around and
say I'm about to die.

You watch me die

and you follow my example.

You need me to die,

so you can follow my example.

Now that's a leader.

Reminds me of Bob Jennings

making his own coffin.

Constructing it. Who does that?

Leaders saying I'm ready to go.

You watch me make this.

You learn from me.

Like Paul would say, "follow my example."

We need leaders like that

who can face death;

that have no fear of death, as it says.

We're not enslaved as it says in Romans 8.

You cry, "Abba, Father;"

you can't cry "scary, scary"
when it comes to death.

No. That's the testimony.

So it's better for us

that Conrad leaves us richer

because of these things.

Remember his legacy of how he freely gave.

How he judiciously spoke.

Sometimes you couldn't
pry a word out of him.

Sometimes.

But that's a testimony
that he leaves behind.

He passionately preached,

and he unconditionally loved.

But lastly, it's not only a
better day for Conrad,

and a better day for us,

ironically, it's a better day for God.

Wait, how can it be a better day for God?

There's no better and worse for God.

He's perfect, right?

Exactly. We know that.

But God says in Psalm 116:15,

"Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His godly ones."

God says last Friday,

He had a precious moment.

Friday.

That was God's precious moment.

He says that.

Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His godly ones.

Something changed on the
part of God and Conrad

last Friday,

that will change with you
on the day of your death.

The intercession of Christ is complete

for our brother in the earthly body.

He enters into the joy of his Master.

Our sympathetic High Priest -

there's no sympathy anymore
with Conrad there.

He's perfect and complete.

He's not entering into that type

of necessity from the High Priest

in the earthly body.

It was the testimony

of what Christ did on the cross

with Conrad's sins in taking them away

and taking away in propitiation

the wrath of God,

and God making those promises

to be faithful to the end,

God was vindicated on that day.

I was faithful to the end with My own.

I kept My own to the end,

as Christ prays in John 17.

I kept this one till the end.

And I am testifying to all the world

that I kept him till the end.

That was a better day for God.

He certifies He's faithful

to His own people for His own purposes

and for His own cause.

Better for Conrad, better for us,

better for God.

If you don't have a good name,

I guess you better hope
you had a good ointment.

Which isn't going to prove effectual

on that day.

Jesus had a name at birth.

"You shall call His name Jesus

for He will save His
people from their sins."

The baby in the manger
didn't save anybody.

Not yet.

You know how many Jesus's there were

running around in Israel in those days?

It was a common name.

It's a derivative of Joshua.

Hundreds of Jewish children named Jesus.

But at the end of His life,

He had a name no one else had:

Jesus Christ.

The Messiah.

He had to learn to become

that faithful High Priest.

You don't become that in the manger.

You do earn those stripes when you say,

"It is finished," at the cross.

That's a good name.

The name above all names.

At the name of Jesus
Christ, men are saved.

They call upon the name
of the Lord and are saved.

What kind of power does
a name like that have?

The name of Jesus Christ.

That's a good name.

A name that demons fear.

A name above every name.

So, I close with this.

Do you have a good name?

Good names also have

good reservations in heaven already made.

Made in the Lamb's Book of Life.

If the only place your name is recorded

is on your birth certificate,

your name will not be found on that day.

Because on that day as it says

in Revelation 20, "And they looked,

and his name was not recorded

in the Lamb's Book of Life."

Or, his name was recorded

in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Your name. It identifies who you are.

It doesn't have to be catchy,

and it doesn't have to be great.

But it has to be tied and surrounded

and dovetailed into the
name above all names -

Jesus Christ -

for it to be a good name.

And you know when it's a good name,

it says in Revelation 2,

He'll give you a new name.

Imagine that.

A new name.

And it won't have a last name

that identifies me with
the tribe of LaCour,

and identifies me specifically
out of the tribe of LeCour - Mark.

And I've got a middle
name to make sure

in case there's two Mark's,

I'm Mark Keith LaCour.

No, it won't be like that.

It will be a new name.

A new name that He gives to His own.

His own children.

A name that incorporates His name with it.

Abram wasn't always going
to stay Abram, right?

He was going to be called "Abraham."

And the "-ham" part is part of Yahweh

when you pronounce it in the Hebrew.

And God says you're going
to take in part of My name.

And you're going to walk
the rest of your life -

this is what you're going to be called.

No, you're not going to be called Saul.
You're going to be called Paul.

No, Cephas, you're going
to be called Peter.

What are they going to call you?

What is that new name going to be?

Do you have one?

You can't get a new one,

unless you have a good one.

And good ones are found recorded

in the Lamb's Book of Life by the Lamb.

Conrad Murrell had a good name.

He wore many hats, but it's that name.

Will that name be remembered?

Of course. Will yours be remembered?

Let's ask the Lord and pray.

Father, we ask, help us in this, Lord,

in Your Word.

We seek to lift up Jesus Christ.

We ask Father, that You would

bring Your Word to bear.

Cause us, Father, to have a good name.

Not just simply the names

our parents gave us,

but the name You give us.

One of Your own.

One of the Lamb's elect.

He died on the cross for our sins.

We love You and we thank You.

In Christ's great name we pray, Amen.

I want to read a passage

out of 2 Timothy.

We want to listen close to the words.

And as we read this,

it is Paul.

But I think it's worthy
that Conrad Murrell

can say these words.

At that time while he was still waiting

his time.

He says here:

"For I am now ready..."

I am ready.

And he'd want to know, are we ready?

Now remember, one time he said,

pulled between two -
whether to stay or not stay,

it'd be better to be there than here,

but he stayed because
God still wanted him here.

We should be content with the will of God

to be here as long as God wants us.

And Brother Conrad was
still blessing my heart

even when he could hardly
get out of the house.

Why? God didn't leave him here

just for a trophy.

He left him here still a treasure

that is rich if you could sit at his feet

and just begin to listen to his few words.

He would embrace you

with the love and grace of God.

Alright, now.

"I'm now ready to be offered."

Now this is a continuing thing here.

(unintelligible)

Many times rejected by some.

But loved by the many that are here

on this day now.

He says, "the time is at hand,

I have fought a good fight.

I have finished my course."

Not somebody else's.

He didn't come off an assembly line.

But from the throne and the heart of God,

to minister to you and I.

"I have kept the faith.

Henceforth, there is laid up for me

a crown of righteousness."

One thing we see that is missing

in the language - it's not really missing,

but it's not there.

He's ready to be offered.

He didn't say or use the word "death."

Do we get it?

That's right. It's not in that passage.

Though it was in knowing it would be so,

and I wasn't there at the death

with the rest of the family,

but I don't think he had a fear of death.

(unintelligible)

It's been conquered in Christ.

And his life was to the
end, the Apostle Paul,

was to be offered.

He was still going on.

(unintelligible)

He said have those bring my cloak.

He didn't know when, but
he knew it was at hand.

And our brother knew his was at hand,

and he was ready to be offered.

And I would say you never heard him

in fear of death, did you?

No.

We misunderstand sometimes

like the disciples.

Lord, if Lazarus is just asleep...

He said I'm going to have to speak

on your level, your terms - he's dead.

But here the Apostle Paul

and our brother Conrad,

he didn't talk about these things.

Men, for each of us,

the greatest fear on
the face of this earth

is death.

Just rest in the Lord.

Just trust Him.

Nothing to fear.

Before my wife sings this song

that Conrad always loved

and wanted to hear her sing,

I've been thinking about some words

that Conrad penned -

first preached and then penned
in his book "Faith Cometh."

He said, "Faith is not a state of mind.

Faith is not conviction.

It is not assurance.

Faith is something you do

in light of who God is

and what God has said."

And I saw that in our dear brother,

an abiding faith

and just a rest in Christ.

And this song, I think, captured

that restfulness of his
spirit in the Lord.

No matter what the Lord gave,

it was alright with our brother

and should be alright with us.

Our God is good.

He would really shout loud too.

Consider the lilies,

they don't toil, nor spin.

And there's not a king

with more splendor than them.