Whether I Live Or Whether I Die, I Belong To The Lord
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Photo by: www.serenityrichard.com |
The following is posted with family permission. May the Lord give to the family of Lou Haussler and to all who mourn, comfort in their grief and a sure confidence in the Lord's loving care.
Prayer Service Homily Text: Romans 14:7-9
To
Him who loves us and has washed us from our sins by His blood and made us a
kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever
and ever. Amen.
Too
often pastors will stand before people at funerals and attempt to convince
everyone how good and whole and righteous a recently deceased person was.
It
goes like this: a person dies; people
gather at funerals; a question comes to their minds:
Is the deceased ‘in or
out?’ Did he make it pass the pearly
gates? Was he admitted to the heavenly
banquet?
And
so the pastor will incorrectly attempt to resolve this unsettling question, usually
by laying out a long description of the person’s moral achievements and
righteous qualities while alive, so as to convince everyone that the recently
deceased made it into the blissfulness of heaven. If the pastor is skilled enough, he may be
able to convince some that the deceased person arrived on the other side of the
pearly gates and the pastor may be able to at least quiet the haunting fears of
whether or not the recently deceased is in or out.
Tonight
though, I will not stand before you and try to convince you about Lou. I will not lay forth a case on whether or not
Lou made it. But rather, I will announce
to you that Lou undoubtedly ‘did’ make. In
fact, two weeks ago Lou even said that he would make. He said, “There is a heaven—there is a life
after this—and that’s where I’m going, that’s where I will be!”
Now,
how could I and Lou be so certain of this?
Was Lou banking on all of his kindness, modesty, generosity, work ethic,
and loyalty that he had accumulated over the past 89 years? Was he confident that he had enough chips to
cash in in order to make it?
This
is an interesting and plausible theory.
The only problem is that Lou confessed with me and with all of you at
our Sunday Services that he was a poor-miserable-damn-sinner that had offended
the Lord God in thought, word, and deed.
Otherwise stated,
in-with-under-and-in between the generosity, modesty, kindness, and loyalty
shown in Lou, was a sinner through and through—a sinner just like me and just
like you.
This
creates a bit of a conundrum. The
problem is now this: how can one be so certain of everlasting life in the midst
of being a sinner? That is to say, when
you and I confess that we are sinners in thought, word, and deed, can we ever
be sure, that we are fit for the kingdom of God?
The
answer is yes.
Lou
was certainly confident of eternal life.
And you can be to. You see, in
the words of the Apostle Paul, Lou stated one afternoon, “If I live, I live to
the Lord, and if I die, I die to the Lord.
So whether I live or whether I die, I am the Lord’s.”
Did
you hear that? If one lives or if one
dies, it really doesn’t matter either way.
In other words, you and I and Lou do not live and dare not even die only
to ourselves. Both life and death are
not yours.
Dear
friends, please listen. Our dear brother
Lou was not the master of his own fate. Therefore,
it would be foolish to talk about Lou’s accomplishments and Lou’s actions in
regard to everlasting life. His life and
his death, which are the most important things in a person’s life, were not
his, but rather they belonged to Jesus.
That’s right, the owner of all that Lou had and is, is Jesus.
This
is so, for when Christ bled and died on the cross, He did it for Lou.
This
is so because the Lord baptized Lou into His Holy Name making Lou His own.
All
of Lou’s living and even his dying is not only in the Lord, but the Lord is the
owner of it.
Therefore,
take comfort this evening, for Jesus is not only Lou’s master, but yours too. The Lord Jesus Christ is the owner of all
that you and I have and are. And the
Lord's ownership over us does not cease at death. Our dying does not lead us to
an uncertain end. Therefore with Lou and
with the Apostle Paul we can boldly confess that in living and in dying we
belong to Him; He never lets us go.
Lou
belonged to the Lord. You, who have
ears, hear this as well, ‘You belong to the Lord as well.’ It is not about the strength of you taking
possession of the Lord, but the fact that the Lord has bled for you, died for
you, resurrected for you, washed you, worded you, breaded you, and wined
you—making you His very own possession.
Thus,
tonight in the midst of grief for the loss of Lou, we stand and we confess with
boldness that we belong to the Lord, like Lou.
In the midst of the pain of loss, we stand and confess with boldness
that nothing can snatch us from the Master’s hand nor separate us from His
love—not even death.
The
peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
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