A Worthy House

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Jesus Christ has died so we need never die; He has returned to life so we might live forever. This day, the risen Christ comes to you and your house and extends His forgiveness, peace, and salvation. God grant He comes to us all. Amen.

It’s Father’s Day, and we’re going to talk about something very personal. No, we’re not speaking about male pattern baldness, or how to develop abs of steel. Today we’re talking about the most personal of issues: death, and whether you are prepared for it. Some aren’t, you know. Carl wasn’t. Carl and his wife were spending their Saturday going to the funeral of his second cousin, Gerald. There were a number of reasons they weren’t happy about going to cousin Gerald’s funeral – two hours there, two hours back, a long sermon, the gravesite rite, a luncheon served by the congregation’s Ladies Aid. Their Saturday was totally shot. No, Carl and his wife weren’t very happy.

Things got worse. To solemn, almost depressing music, the somber funeral director ushered the family to their seats. As second cousins, Carl and his wife were relegated to fourth pew status. They had almost decided to make the best of a bad situation when the preacher started his sermon. He said, “It’s too late for Gerald. There’s nothing we can do for him now. Maybe he wanted to believe, but he didn’t. Maybe he wanted to be brought to the Lord, but he wasn’t. Maybe he wanted to be in heaven, but he’s not.” That last line, about his cousin not being in heaven, really made Carl feel uncomfortable. He leaned over to his wife and whispered, “And this is supposed to be comforting? This preacher can’t comfort anybody.” The pastor continued: “It’s too late for Carl, but since you’re sitting here, it’s not too late for you. God wants you to be saved, and He sent His Son to save you. Jesus lived, died, and rose to give you salvation and today is the day to stop saying, ‘No!’ to God.”

For Carl, the sermon was a downer. He complained about it all the way to the cemetery; he complained all the way back to church. He didn’t complain during the luncheon because he thought doing so would be inappropriate, but on the way home he picked up his tirade: “That was the poorest excuse for a funeral sermon I ever heard. It was mean; it was nasty; it was heartless, inappropriate, and cruel. Why did they have this guy preach my cousin’s funeral? He shouldn’t do anybody’s funeral.” Finally, with nothing more to say, Carl asked his wife, “Well, what do you think? Was that preacher – was that sermon – as bad as I think they were?” Slowly, carefully, Carl’s wife selected her words, “No question, the sermon certainly wasn’t the most comforting message I’ve ever heard. It was most of the things you said it was, and it was one thing more. The sermon was also true.” It’s too late for your cousin Gerald but it’s not too late for us. I don’t ever want to be a widow in the front row listening to some person say about you, “It’s too late for Carl.”

Now let me interrupt and say: if the tone and tenor of what might be said at her husband’s funeral was the only thing Carl’s wife was worried about, she can relax. For example, she doesn’t have to worry about what “some” pastors might say, because “some” ministers don’t “do” funerals of people who aren’t members of their church. Their thinking is simple: if a fellow hasn’t bothered to walk into church when he’s alive, why carry him in when he’s dead? If the deceased didn’t want to hear of Christ when he was breathing, what can be said when he’s stopped breathing? She doesn’t have to worry about those preachers who decline to do the funeral of an unbeliever because, well, they can’t. These preachers have a conscience which asks: If the newly departed didn’t have faith in Jesus as his Savior, what can I possibly say; what comforting words can I speak to his family? I don’t know how to comfort them. I can’t lie and tell these poor, pain-filled people that everything is all right. It’s not all right. And I really don’t want to be the guy who makes them feel worse than they already do.

No, Carl’s wife doesn’t have to worry too much about the words which will be said at her husband’s funeral. When the day comes, she, like others before her, will probably be able to find a pastor who most sincerely believes that while he can do nothing to help the departed; he can and must minister to those who are still alive. Such a minister will confine his remarks and references to the Redeemer – about how Jesus lived a perfect life and fulfilled the laws which we have broken; about how Jesus resisted the enticements of the devil and the flesh; of how Jesus, having allowed Himself to be saddled with humankind’s sins, was willingly brought to a cross where He was crucified, where He gave up His life so all who believe on Him might be forgiven of their sins and receive salvation.

That’s one way a pastor might do the funeral of an unbeliever. Of course, there are those preachers who set aside everything taught in the Bible and give in to the horribly heretical point of view which says: Today we mourn a fellow who was a pretty good guy and since God is also a pretty good guy and would never do anything as mean as sending a fellow good guy to hell, we can be pretty sure we can be comforted. Even though Carl’s future widow doesn’t have to worry about what a pastor might say when her husband dies, she is right to be concerned about what God will say.

Today is Father’s Day, and guys, we’re talking about death. Fathers, you are going to die. There, I’ve said it. You are going to die. Law of averages say your children are going to survive you and statistics say your wife will outlive you. I hope that last line didn’t bring a smug snicker from her or put a broad smile on her face. I don’t care how healthy you are, how successful you are, the day is going to come when you are going to die.

It was on a Sunday, the 18th of February of 2001, that a car on the last lap of the Daytona 500 was hit from behind and was sent careening into the wall at 180 miles an hour. Dale Earnhardt, Sr., one of NASCAR’s legends – Dale Earnhardt, “the Intimidator” – was dead. Wealthy, respected, healthy-as-a-horse Dale Earnhardt had died at the top of his career. Even as fans mourned his passing, some experts suggested he might have survived that day’s crash if he had only been wearing a HANS, a head-and-neck safety device.
The question is: Fathers, will you survive your death? You should know, death doesn’t have to be final – death is survivable. You can survive your death unscratched, unscathed, unharmed, and uninjured if – and only if – Jesus is your Divine, heaven-sent protector, if He is your Savior and Lord. Now I tell you this not only to make your funeral sermon smoother, and to help your family feel better; I’m telling you this because you are going to die. And when you do, you will go up or down – to heaven or hell. I tell you this because Jesus Christ came into this world to make it possible for you to go up, for you to get to heaven.

Now, don’t get all macho manly on me and say: Jesus is only for women and children. That kind of stuff may play when you’re talking tough with the guys, but it doesn’t work right now, not when it’s just the two of us. Pal, you are going to die. If death can bring down Dale Earnhardt, Sr.; if it can drop a great Olympic athlete; if it can stop the rich, the famous, the powerful, and most popular among us; it has the ability to drop you in your tracks. Forget that old expression about how God made all men, but Samuel Colt’s pistol made all men equal. Our humanity makes us equal. Sin and death make us equal, lost, and damned. And only Jesus can make our stand before the judgment seat of God a survivable experience; only the Christ can make us saved. And if you, up until this moment, have thought of Jesus as being a weak, wimpy, weakling who got pushed around and who has nothing to say to a real man, then you’d better look again.

Look to the Scriptures and hear as Christ was challenged by the bright and pompous minds of the Pharisees. Repeatedly they tried to embarrass Him before the people and tried to make Him look like the fool. Weak and wimpy? His brilliant God-given responses left the overconfident geniuses stumbling in embarrassment and God’s people amazed at the authority with which He spoke (see Matthew 21:23-27). Jesus was challenged by the religious authorities, but He was not bested. Paid perjurers lied about Him, but their accusations could not stick to Him. He stood on trial before Pontius Pilate, representative of the greatest empire the world had seen and He did not cringe.

Weak and wimpy? As God’s Son He had limitless power. When everything you have ever done wrong, when the sins of all humankind were placed upon Him, He was driven to the dirt; but He did not stay down. He rose and stood and went forward to suffer, die, and rise. When He was on trial, He was beaten, but He refused to strike back; He was spit upon, but He did not use His Divine power to turn that man into a pile of dust; He had a crown of thorns driven into His head, but He did not wither the hand that put those thorns there; His back was ripped to ribbons by a heavy whip, but He did not flay the hand of the individual who wielded that whip. Do you understand? He could have done those things. With a thought, with a word, with a wave of His hand, those who had tormented Him would have suffered the tortures of the damned for eternity, but Jesus did not think the thought, or say the word, or gesture the hand. That is power, this is commitment: the Savior gave Himself to save us from our sins, from Satan, from ourselves.

Weak and wimpy? Jesus was nailed to a cross. As He hung in death, from all around Him challenges were called out. “Jesus save Yourself. Jesus, come down from the cross. Jesus, You saved others, but it appears You can’t save Yourself.” He could have accepted those challenges; it would have been fair if He had, but He did not. Do you understand? Jesus chose not to do those things. Power, commitment, and sacrifice kept Him on that cross so you might be saved. Jesus died so you might live. He died so you men, you women, you children might live. Then, three days after His lifeless body had been laid in the grave, Christ conquered death. He said He would. From the mouth of any other individual those words would be outlandish, outrageous, and absurd. But Jesus did what He said, and all who believe on Him as their Savior are forgiven of the past and free to move confidently into their future. Do you think of the Christ as a weak, wimpy, weakling? Then know this: There is no sin you have ever committed, no crime you have ever done which was too great for Him to carry, too large for Him to forgive.

Today the Savior calls you, tomorrow may be too late. You know, most people love to think Jesus will always be welcoming, beckoning, calling people to repentance and faith. They love to think of Jesus as continuously searching for the lost sheep. It is true that the Savior does welcome, beckon, call, and search. But it is equally true He will not do so forever. Read through the New Testament and you will see people were not given limitless opportunities to be brought to the Savior and the salvation His suffering, death, and resurrection offered. King Herod could have joined the Wise Men and gone to worship the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, but He chose not to do so; and the mad monarch’s temporal torment is now surpassed by his everlasting suffering. Jesus tried to save friends from His hometown in Nazareth, but many would not listen and they drove Him away. He never came back. He fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes, but when He refused to be crowned their King, the great crowds left Him (John 6). The rich, young ruler who couldn’t give away his wealth to follow Jesus went away without any commitment to the Christ. Jesus did not chase him down and call him back (Luke 18:18-24). Judas, one of Jesus’ closest disciples ignored Jesus’ warnings and died trying to atone for his sins. One of the thieves who hung on a cross next to Jesus refused to believe and was lost. If these people continued to ignore the Christ’s call to repentance and faith, if they persisted in their unbelief, the day came when death came to them. On that day, without faith, Christ’s welcome was withdrawn, His call was cancelled, and His search for a sinful soul was stopped; on that day, they were lost.

When Jesus did His ministry among us, He sent 72 disciples out to share His call to repentance, reformation, and salvation. Listen to what He said to His missionaries. He told them: “Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.” That was His way of saying: Don’t shop around for the best place to stay. Go to a good place with good people and remain with them while you’re in town. Then Jesus added, “As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town…” Jesus was saying: Share the story of salvation. If the house is worthy and hearts are ready, they will listen and by the Spirit’s power, they will respond. But if hearts and home are hard, if they don’t want My message, you keep on going, keep on sharing, keep on inviting other people to be saved. The disciples were told to keep moving because someone, eventually, would listen.

Men and women, today I ask: Is your house worthy? Is Jesus welcomed in your home? Do you want Him listening to the things you say, taking part in the discussions you have, watching your television selections, looking at your computer Internet sites? Is Jesus your guest at every meal; is He your children’s constant companion? Does He receive your thanks for blessings received, problems avoided, difficulties defeated? Is He your Savior and Redeemer, your friend and forgiver, your hope and happiness? Is your house worthy; is the Savior welcomed there and in your life? Today you hear the message of salvation. Today the Savior comes and His story is told. I cannot promise – no man can promise – you will ever hear that story again. This is the day the Lord calls you to repentance and redemption; this is the hour the Lord comes to your family as a friend, to your soul as a Savior, to make worthy the most unworthy of homes. Today He comes.

In 1945, a B-29 was dropping large phosphorescent flares over Japan. The plane hit an air pocket and a burning flair was thrown back into the plane which immediately filled with smoke. The flare blinded one of the plane’s crewmen, Henry Erwin; it burned off his hair, it took off an ear. The flare should have stopped Henry – it didn’t. He said, “I couldn’t see, but I knew I had to get the thing out, or we were all going to die… I said Lord, you’re going to have to help me.” The Lord did help Henry find that flare. So his friends might be saved, with his bare hands, Henry picked up a flare which was burning at a temperature of over 1,000 degrees. Henry picked up that flare and scrambled to the front of the plane and threw it out through an open window. Believing Henry was going to die, it took Congress less than a week to award Henry the Medal of Honor. It was the appropriate thing for the nation to do for a hero, and thanks for a real man, a true hero. You should know, Henry didn’t die. Yes, he lost his looks, his hands, and had to undergo numerous surgeries, but he lived to have and raise children. Henry lived – a living hero to those whose lives he saved.

Today I bring before you the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Look at His hands, His feet, which were pierced by nails for you. Those scars Jesus carries because He willingly gave His life on a cross for you. He gave His life so that you might be forgiven, so you could live forever. See Jesus for who He is – a one-of-a-kind hero. He expects no medals, no congress to honor Him. He only asks that you believe on Him as your friend, your sacrifice, your Savior. If you need some direction in how to do so, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.

LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for June 15
Donating One’s Body to Science

ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.

KLAUS: Hello, Mark.

ANNOUNCER: Our question today comes from a listener who recently spoke with her father concerning his last will and testament. Among other things, he requested that his body be donated to a particular university for training purposes.

This was quite unexpected and our listener was unprepared and somewhat shocked at this request, and she has a number of questions.

KLAUS: Let’s hear them, and let’s see how we can best respond.

ANNOUNCER: First, she wants to know: are there are any religious objections to someone donating their body for scientific research? I guess she wouldn’t have a problem if he were donating his organs, but his entire body – that’s different, but she’s not really sure why.

And second, she wants to know what about a funeral service? From what I understand, the university would eventually return the remains to the family. Do they at that time hold the funeral?
KLAUS: OK, I think maybe we can do some helping here, Mark. At least on part of it, although this is all very emotional stuff.

First, she asked if there was any religious objection to someone donating their body – their entire body, lock, stock and barrel. The answer to that would be, “possibly.” That “possibly” is dependant upon the motivation. Some people might donate their body with the idea that they would be somehow racking up brownie points in heaven. Well, that’s not possible. Jesus has done everything for us. Others might do it for the purpose of trying to avoid the resurrection and God’s judgment. That’s not going to work either. I’m going to work under the assumption that that is not the case for our listener’s father.

Assuming he is a Christian, and that he is being motivated out of love for the Savior to help his fellow man even after he is dead, I can find nothing in the Bible that would prohibit that.

ANNOUNCER: Ok, nothing scriptural, but how about otherwise?

KLAUS: Well, Mark, the father is probably trying to help others. He would do well to explain that to his family, and help them by answering their concerns.

ANNOUNCER: Now, I don’t know if she thinks this is morally wrong, or if it is just practically inconvenient.

KLAUS: If that’s the case, then it would be good for both the father and the daughter to speak with their pastor. They need to explain the father’s intentions and talk about how things ought to be handled. After that meeting, they should put down, on paper, exactly what those requests are. That way, even if the pastor leaves the church, the requests are still going to be known.

ANNOUNCER: That would certainly make things a lot easier for the family.

KLAUS: Yes, and it would also help the person who is going to be conducting her father’s funeral; if he knows and understands what’s going on. The fewer surprises for everybody at such a time, the better things are.

ANNOUNCER: OK, that takes us to the next part of the question. What about a funeral service? Should they wait until the remains come back from the university, or should the university just take care of things? What do you think?

KLAUS: Much of that has to do with personal preference. If you were to ask my opinion, and that is all it would be – my opinion, I can share that.

ANNOUNCER: OK, so from here on out, this is all Pastor Klaus’ opinion.

KLAUS: Without Biblical backing.

ANNOUNCER: Or Biblical proof.

KLAUS: All right, this is what I would do. I would have a memorial service at church or a funeral home shortly after the father dies. When I mention the “funeral home” here I am not talking about going to such a facility because they offer a second rate service. Some might conclude, quite wrongly, that the church declined to have the service because the father’s decision didn’t meet with congregational approval. That would be an unintended and incorrect message.

Funeral home or church, the service would be the same. Local customs and individual preference would help decide that.

I think, to put things off until after the university is finished with its work would take too long, require too much explaining, and might be too hard for many of the people to understand.

ANNOUNCER: Now, should the family ask that the remains be returned to them?

KLAUS: Once again, up to the family. And, once again, if I were the man’s pastor, I would say, “yes.” My experience, and that’s my only reference point here, would say it’s good for mourners such as the daughter, to have a place where they can go to honor the memory of her father.

Of course, the daughter knows dad is with his Savior, but it is still good for most people to have a place to remember and rejoice in the resurrection victory that going to be brought to completion in the day of Christ Jesus.

ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Music selections for this program:

“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC

“Our Father, By Whose Name” arr. by Henry Gerike. Used by permission