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| Sanford brought his last message March 8. (photo by Duane Nisly) |
At 89, Sanford is almost blind and uses a walker, but felt compelled to share some heartfelt words of testimony and final blessings with his congregation.
After going through a time of rebellion as a teenager, Sanford became a dramatically transformed person, one I always looked up to and admired, along with my next older brother Eli and my six older sisters. And together we warmly welcomed and loved our younger adopted sister Mary Beth.
My devout parents saw each of their sons ordained to the ministry, and were supportive of Sanford and his family's move to Costa Rica in 1968 as self-supported missionaries, where they have lived and served ever since. (Fannie Mae, the only unmarried one in the family, also served abroad as a nurse-midwife in Belize and in Paraguay, another great blessing to my life.)
When I recently spoke by phone with Sanford, retired with his faithful wife Martha, he told me about his offer to preach a last sermon at one of the Costa Rican churches he had helped establish. I immediately asked if I could have a translated transcript of his message when he gave it--delivered without benefit of any notes or his being able to even read from his well worn Spanish Bible.
Yesterday I got a copy of his message, translated by his son-in-law Duane Nisly, one I found very moving.
Here are some excerpts:
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I expect this to be my last message to God’s people. I hope you will not be disappointed in what you hear... The truth is that I have a great love for the church and for the future of the church.
One of the greatest blessings we have in the Bible, or promises that we have from our Lord, is found in Matthew 28 in the last part of verse 20, where Jesus said, “Lo. I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”. What more could we want, that He be with us till the end of the world!
But did you notice that there are certain requirements that He gives before He gives these promises? For example, He says, “Go,” well actually he first says, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” And then He says "Go ye therefore, [and make disciples of all nations], baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Here we have the requirements to be able to receive the promise of being with us till the end of the world...
Sanford concluded his message with the following:
May God bless you richly. I wanted this to be a message of encouragement and not of discouragement.
I had to think of the words of John, the elder who wrote the epistles of John. This elder of 70 years or so, when he wrote the first letter, and then came to the end of that letter, in the last chapter, said, “We know that we are of God in that all the world lieth in wickedness.”
All the world lieth in wickedness. The enemy tries to deceive and make people feel comfortable in their wickedness. Mark, could you find the verses in 1 John 5:19-21 and read them so everyone can hear? [Mark, one of his sons, reads the Scripture]
This is what I was interested in, that John, in his old age, in closing his letter, says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” And that is what I want to leave with all of you. Keep yourselves from idols. Because they will disappoint, and put us in danger of losing eternal life...
Pardon me, I know this has not been done well, and should have had better preparation, but may God be glorified. I would like to encourage you.
May God bless you. I told the Lord that I would only say tonight what he would bring my to my mind. I really love a verse of song, “The dearest idol I have known, whate'er that idol be, Help me that idol to dethrone, and worship only thee.”
May God bless you. ¡Dios te bendiga!
That is all I have.
And may God bless you, my dear brother, for all the ways you have blessed and enriched the lives of everyone around you. You and Martha are deeply loved.
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