Cherokee Theology

The Last Words of Dewey Sanders

Dewey Sanders was a full-blood Cherokee Indian from eastern Oklahoma, and at the time of his death the longest standing member of our church. His funeral was 6 years ago this week, in early December, 2018. This is a written version of the short message I shared on that day.

“Well, well, well...”

That was one of Dewey Sander's favorite stories to us kids; “the story of the three whales". Not much of a story, to be honest, but we cracked up every time, practically rolling out of our sleeping bags. Speaking of rolling, that reminds me of another one of Dewey's campfire favorites: "Fatty and skinny were lying in bed, fatty rolled over and skinny was DEAD!"

Dewey was a hoot. But he had a serious side. He had a very thoughtful side. And it turns out, even a pastoral and theological side to him. I really wish I would have gotten to know more of this side of Dewey. I think we had a lot more in common than I realized. For example, as I went through some of his books that were destined to be given away, I discovered a couple of treasures (at least to me):

- This old worn-out book without a cover, missing its first 34 pages, would be unidentifiable to most people. But when I flipped it open I knew immediately what it was. Hundreds of John Wesley sermons in one volume. I read many of these myself as a new Christian over 20 years ago. Dewey and I shared a love of old, Gospel-rich books.

- Another example is this other book, "The Best of Dwight L. Moody". A famous evangelist of the 1800's, this was one of the very first Christian books I bought for myself as a young Christian. Different cover, same content.

- And finally, this little French dictionary, one of many language-learning books found in Dewey's apartment, reminds us that he never stopped learning. He loved to read and he loved to study languages. A love of language-learning was just one more thing Dewey and I had in common.

(On a side note, one thing we did not share was a love for "arithmetic", as Dewey would have said it. I ran into him years ago at the Bethany Public Library. He was sitting at a table practicing algebra...just for 'fun'… in his 70’s!)

Dewey's Last Words?

So what were Dewey's actual last words? We have no idea. But I did come across a quote this week in one of his notebooks that he had written with his own hand. It was the last words of the famous Scottish preacher, John Knox:

John Knox said, “Live in Christ, live in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death. Now it is come.”

I don't think it is a stretch to say that Dewey aspired for those to be his last words. But what I want to do in the next couple of minutes, is share with you a few insights, a few exhortations, from Dewey himself. Think of it as his last words to us corporately.

To be honest, I don't think many (or any?!) of us thought of Dewey as a Bible teacher or theologian, partly because it was so hard to communicate with him due to his hardness of hearing. However, it turns out he had quite a lot to share. Much more than we realized, I am afraid.

I've spent quite a bit of time this last week reading through Dewey's handwritten notes and commentary on the book of Revelation, which he seems to have written in 1998. Dewey was an educated man (with multiple degrees in theology, religion, and history) and it shows in his writing. He doesn't make many mistakes, and often returned later with a red pen to correct those few that he did make. His thoughts are God-centered, yet filled with personal insights. His writing is "homey" at times, but also often very articulate.

What I'm going to do now is share with you a few of the best insights and quotes from Dewey's commentary on the Book of Revelation, divided up by topic. Please hear these words as if they were part of a sermon or message being given by Dewey himself. Because that is what it really is. As I was reading his words, it was obvious he wrote as if sharing with an audience. Dewey didn't know it when he wrote it, but today we are his audience and these are his "last words" to us...

Dewey on the Mission of the Church:

"The mission of the Church of Christ in this world is to obtain victory over sin in Christ, maintain it through prayer and faith, defend the faith and evangelize the world."

Dewey on Jesus and Salvation:

"All that God has done for mankind's salvation...is because of His Son Jesus Christ, and what He accomplished through Him at Calvary."

"Faith in Christ enlightens one to the nakedness of his soul, and that only Christ can cover this nakedness. The righteousness of God in Christ is the only covering for spiritual nakedness. And this covering comes through faith in Christ."

"Christ was the first and only one who could die for the sins of the world and satisfy perfectly the justine of God, and He was also the last, because no one else in heaven or earth could do this and satisfy perfectly the justice of God the Father."

Dewey on the Resurrection:

“Christ was resurrected with a glorified body, and they who are counted worthy of the same, will also rise, like Christ, with a glorified body.”

Dewey on the Return of Christ (a glimpse at his unique thoughts and writing style):

"In verse seven John wrote, 'Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him...' I wonder about the clouds mentioned by John, upon which Christ will (come), the moment He returns. The point is probably of no consequence, still I wonder if these clouds will be the ordinary ones with which we are so familiar. Ordinary or not, they won't attract as much attention as Christ will...

How long will it take for everyone to see Christ when He returns? Probably not more than a thousandth of a second, because God is, and has always had complete control of all things, therefore, in one electrifying moment, [He] could cause every eye to see Christ."

Dewey on the Duty of Prayer:

"The worst sin of the church is prayerlessness. Prayerlessness leads to what Jesus said concerning the church at Ephesus, that is leaving one's first love. Prayerlessness is an old habit, and most people never break it. It breaks them."

"It is the duty of each member of a congregation to seek the Lord in much prayer, and put his full trust in Christ for his full and complete salvation. One must seek the Lord in much prayer, seven days a week, until one dies and goes home to be with God."

Dewey on Materialism:

"[Laodicea] was satisfied with having earthly possessions, but not realizing that these things only satisfy the appetites of the body. Earthly possessions can be deceptive in that they can lull one into a feeling of security and into misplaced trust. They can also lead one into other hurtful lusts until one can no longer find satisfaction in anything. And, if on top of everything else, one does not have Christ to turn to, one could lose his mind and his soul, too."

"True wealth is of God, who made man in His own image, and for Himself. Only a good piece of God in one's heart can satisfy one, who is made in the image of God. God in Christ made man, and knows what makes him tick; and only God in Christ can satisfy man...the satisfaction that Christ gives is eternal; it's not like the stock market that is up one day, and down the next. The love of God is strong and dependable."

Dewey on the Need for Revival:

"These churches needed revival in order to be perfect again in Christ. And since Christ did not return in their day, God was getting them ready to serve Him, and getting them ready to die in perfection in Christ."

"The Word of Christ, like a sharp, two-edged sword, can cut away whatever ails the church, and make it holy, fit for service, and fit for heaven."

Dewey on Persecution:

"It is necessary that God's people be tried so they can come forth as gold, tried in the fires of tribulation. And sometimes this might mean being martyred for the Gospel of Christ."

"[The church at Smyrna] was stepping on the devil's toes, because he would put some of them in prison and murder them for their faith in Christ. And the glorified Christ tells them to be faithful unto death, and He would give them a crown of life."

Dewey on the Martyred Saints of Revelation 7:

"...they have what they truly hungered for, that is, the righteousness of God in Christ, and to be with Christ forever. As Christ satisfied them perfectly in the world, so now He satisfies them perfectly before God in heaven. The living fountains of waters, which Christ made for them, will satisfy them forever. The former things of the world, and of flesh and blood, have passed away forever."

"Christ...will satisfy them forever in heaven. There will be no more tears to shed, for God will have long since removed sin and sorrow, the source of all tears. Christ will feed them and lead them unto living fountains of waters forever."

And finally, in closing, see how Dewey was impacted by John's words in Revelation Chapter 1 (the first part of verse 9), which says:

"I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."

In reference to this verse, Dewey wrote:

"John, even after 1,900 years, makes us feel that we are together in the kingdom, patience and tribulation that is in Christ. This is a great fellowship, and it will never pass away. It is in Christ, and, like Him, is eternal."

I think this is very much how we also ought to feel about Dewey after his passing. Hearing Dewey's words of encouragement as we have in these past few minutes, we are reminded that we are indeed eternally connected to one another (and to Dewey) as brothers and sisters in Christ.

As Dewey himself wrote and then later underlined with a red pen:

"This is a great fellowship, and it will never pass away."