To Live Is Christ; To Die Is Gain
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
When our loved ones die, we often find ourselves reflecting on the lives they lived. You see, death has a way of putting us on pause. And when we pause, we look back. We remember the good that they did, the kindness that they showed, and the right decisions they made along the way.
“Remember that time when they helped…”
“I will never forget how generous they were…”
“They always tried to do the right thing…”
Sadly, though, what often happens in America is that these good things are misapplied. You know what I mean; you have seen it done before. We take a person’s good works, their good deeds, and their right decisions, and then we apply them spiritually before God Almighty – almost as if they are a bargaining chip. We chalk up their good deeds, the cherished memories, and their accomplishments in the “good” column and quietly begin to imagine that our loved one is in heaven because of all the good they did throughout life.
Now, please hear me clearly: the good works are good. The kindness shown, the generosity shared, and the right decisions made are all things for which we can give thanks. But we must guard against the temptation to make these things the basis for why a person is in heaven. In other words, our neighbors benefit from our good works and our families receive our kindness, but those works and kindness are not sufficient to carry us through death and into the presence of God without blemish.
Today, that temptation is before us. We may be tempted to do what is so often done in American funerals—focus primarily on the deceased person. That is to say, it may be tempting to focus primarily on Ray and all the good he did in this life. Now, please hear me clearly: we certainly can give thanks for the good that the Lord worked through Ray. But we cannot make that good the foundation of our comfort in this funeral service. The reason why? Our entrance into glory does not rest upon the good we have done. Trusting in our good works, our good deeds, and our right decisions to bring us into heaven—that is actually the way of the wide gate. Yes, you heard that correctly that is the way of the wide gate that leads to destruction.
Let me explain.
Consider our reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus says,
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Now, dear friends, notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say,
“Enter through the narrow gate by a lifetime of good works.”
He does not say,
“Enter by the narrow gate because you did enough good deeds and made enough right decisions.”
And He certainly does not say,
“Enter the narrow gate because your good deeds outweighed your bad deeds—because you managed to walk the straight and narrow path well enough to earn your place in heaven.”
No, Jesus says none of that. He simply says to enter the narrow gate.
But that raises the question—what is the narrow gate?
Dear friends, the narrow gate is Jesus Christ. Yes, you heard that correctly, the narrow gate is Christ and Christ alone. You see, elsewhere, Jesus tells us plainly,
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.”
And, in our reading from the Gospel of John today, we hear Jesus say,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So our entrance into everlasting life rests entirely on Christ and Christ alone. The narrow gate is Christ's life, death, and resurrection for you and for me.
Dear friends, please listen carefully, the wide gate that leads to destruction is the gate where we try to bring all our trophies and accomplishments as tokens of our supposed goodness. But my friends, eternal life cannot depend upon us. No, we must enter through the narrow gate with empty hands, receiving by faith what Jesus has accomplished for us. We could say it this way: the narrow gate is for sinners who have nothing to bring before God except Jesus. The narrow gate is for those who have no goodness to bargain with, no accomplishments to present as payment - only Jesus and His mercy.
That old hymn, “Rock of Ages,” says it best,
“Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dree; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.”
Dear friends, Ray knew all of this. He knew that he was a sinner. In fact, Ray confessed it. I heard him confess it over 440 times. For eight and a half years that I have been a pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran, at our Sunday Divine Services, Ray confessed that he was a poor, miserable sinner—that he had sinned in thought, word, and deed, and deserved God’s temporal and eternal punishment. Indeed, Ray himself confessed before his Lord and with fellow members of St. Paul’s Lutheran, week after week, that he needed mercy.
Now, dear friends, that same mercy Ray confessed he needed week after week was the very mercy he needed to hear about in my last conversation with him in his hospital room.
That day in the hospital, the weight of everything began to overwhelm Ray. And so, I directed Ray back to what he had heard so many times before - the mercy of Jesus.
As you all know, Ray wasn’t one to mince words. And so, I had learned that I could shoot straight back at him. And so, long story short, Ray shared a lot of his feelings with a bit of emotion, until I finally interrupted him and said,
“Raymond, stop. Listen up. God doesn’t give a crap about your feelings right now, and neither should you.”
Now, the Lord certainly cared about Ray in his distress. But Ray’s feelings could not overturn what Christ had promised him. And so, needless to say, I got Ray’s attention. I went on,
“Tell me this Ray: are you baptized? Did the Lord God snatch you from darkness into light in the mighty waters of Holy Baptism?”
The room was quiet. And with crystal clarity, Ray looked at me and nodded his head and said,
“Yes, He did.”
I went on,
“Has the Word of the Gospel been put into your ears? Have you heard that your sins are forgiven completely through Jesus’ cross and resurrection—that Christ has purchased and won you from sin, death, and the devil?”
The room was even more quiet. And with a crystal-clear voice, Ray said,
“Yes, He has.”
I went on,
“Ray, have you been invited to the Lord’s Table, where Christ has put His body and blood upon your tongue to strengthen your faith and give you a foretaste of eternal life?”
Ray responded,
“Yes, yes, He has.”
Then, taking his hand, I responded,
“Then who cares about your feelings? Who cares about the devil’s accusations? None of it matters; you are in Christ. Your sins are forgiven. You are washed clean! To live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Nodding his head, Ray said,
“You are right, Pastor, yes, you are right. To live is Christ and to die is gain. To live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Dear friends, on October 16th of 2026, Raymond Mathaus Schwarz entered through the narrow gate with empty hands. And those empty hands received everything from Jesus—forgiveness, life, and salvation. Ray’s empty hands received the mercy of a Savior whose hands were pierced for him.
Today, our comfort rests in the narrow gate - Christ. Jesus has conquered the grave. His forgiveness holds firm. And His promise to Ray remains forever true:
“If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.”
Dear friends, the Savior who made that promise to Ray has kept it. Jesus has brought him home – to paradise until the great resurrection of all flesh on the last day.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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