To Whom Shall We Go?
Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
There are days and times when the going gets tough. Of that you
are well aware. Who would have thought less than two months ago that we would
be here today? Even two weeks ago, we all had much hope for Lois’ treatment and
recovery. And now you’re caught up in the swirl of thoughts and emotions that
come with mourning: a deep sense of loss, confusion, or perhaps even shock, at
the death of a loved one just recently so active and vibrant.
These reactions are
perfectly normal and natural. It’s death that’s not normal and natural. Oh, I
know it happens all the time, but death was never a part of God’s perfect plan
for creation. Man and woman were made to be eternal, to live forever—body and
soul—in God’s holy presence. There is something deep in the very fiber of who
we are as human beings that recognizes the damage caused by sin. Even the most
hard-core atheist realizes that death is not right. As the Teacher writes in
Ecclesiastes 3:11: “[God has] set eternity in the hearts of men.”
One of the ways that people cope with the death of a
loved one is to tell stories about that person... times and incidents that make
you smile and bring back fond memories… times that make you cry. And as the day
goes on, we will no doubt have the opportunity for that. But I can’t picture
Lois approving of speaking about her too much during the service. For one, she
never really liked to be in the spotlight. But more importantly, Lois
understood that at a Christian funeral such as we have today, the emphasis is
to be on what the Lord God Almighty has done through His Son Jesus. He is to be
our focus of worship. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. So, today I am not
going to be talking a lot about Lois, but I will be speaking of a few times
when God was active in Lois’ life.
The last few weeks have been difficult for you. It has been tough.
Where did you go for comfort? How did you find the strength to endure? Whom
did you seek? I am certain that the places you went and the people you saw
varied for each of you. All of that, of course, is history. It has taken place
and you are only able to tell where you did go and those people you did see. But
there is an even more important question along this line and it deals with the
future. In the future, when you face difficult days or encounter another loss
or when you are burdened with fear, to whom will you go? To whom will you go
when the days are difficult and the times are tough?
The Scripture text for this sermon is from a time when
Jesus was teaching the people how vitally important it is to believe in Him and
to follow Him. Many people would not accept what Jesus said, others were
offended, and only a few remained with Him. Please listen again to our text.
“From
this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the
Twelve.
“Simon Peter
answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One
of God.’”
And that brings us to our question for today: “To whom shall you
go?”
I suppose that it depends on the problem. If it is a medical
problem, you will probably go to a doctor. If it is financial, perhaps you will
go to an accountant. If you have a legal difficulty, you might be wise to
consult an attorney. If something is broken, you’ll call in a repairman. But
what about the issues of life and death or heaven and hell? To whom shall you
go? Certainly when dealing with a problem, you would want get the best
treatment or service or advice. You want the best doctor, the wisest counselor,
the smartest attorney, or the most skilled repairman. And if that is true with
the temporary things that we face every day, how much more concerning the
realities of eternal life and death? To whom shall you go?
The best one to consult is, of course, God. In the days of our
text, people were able to walk up to Jesus and ask Him their questions. That is
just what they did and He answered them—at least all the questions that needed
to be answered. That can happen to us, too. Today, we are able go to God in
prayer, and He answers in His Word. Not all of our questions are answered in
the Bible, but every answer that we need for eternal life with God is given
there.
In the Bible we find that each one of us is a sinner and sin much
every day. We find out that despite this, God loves us deeply. He loves us
more, (and more perfectly) than we ever love anyone else. In fact, I can safely
say that God loves Lois even more than any of you. Lois’ death grieved God even
more than it does you. How can I say this? How do I know? Scripture tells us:
“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That love
includes Lois and you and me.
The first time God’s love was active in Lois’ life was about 2,000
years ago. The Son of God became man and died on the cross to pay the price of
everyone’s sins—your sins, Lois’ sins, my sins, the sins of all people of all
time. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and lives forever. He has paid
for our sin, conquered death, and defeated the devil. Forgiveness of sins,
eternal life, and salvation belong to anyone who believes this Good News and
trusts in Christ Jesus.
Unfortunately, there is a natural, human tendency that often kicks
in at times of seeking out others. It happened in Jesus’ day, and it happens yet
today. People seek out the kind of help they think they want; but that is not
necessarily the kind of help they need. People came to Jesus and He told them
that He is the source of eternal life and that they needed Him. The Son of God
told them that He is the Bread of Life, come down from heaven for them and for
all. But this was difficult for some people to accept and the Bible tells us “from this time many of His disciples
turned back and no longer followed Him.”
The same thing happens today—both with spiritual issues concerning
God and physical issues. Sometimes we go to the doctor, the tests are run, the
results are received, and we are told the truth. But the truth is not what we
always want to hear. So we might try to just ignore the diagnosis or go out and
attempt to find a physician who will tell us what we want to hear. St. Paul describes
the spiritual equivalent in his second letter to Timothy: “For the time will come when men will
not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will
gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to
myths” (4:3-4).
The
truth is only found in sound doctrine. Only as we continue hearing the Word of
God are we able to make the proper applications to our own lives. That means
being involved with Church. It means coming to the place God promises to tell
us the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life for the sake of Jesus Christ.
That brings me to God’s further activity in Lois’ life through His means of
grace.
On December 28, 1949, Lois was adopted as a dear
child of God. Through Holy Baptism, Lois received the gift of the Holy Spirit,
faith, salvation, and eternal life. A short while later she was confirmed in
the Lutheran church. On July 7, 1951, she was united with Clarence in holy
matrimony in the St. John’s parsonage here in Trosky. And that marriage was
blessed by God with four children.
Week after week, in a number of different congregations, Lois stood
with her family and rest of the congregation to confess the creed and join in the prayers of the church. Lois heard
Jesus’ word of absolution spoken through His called and ordained servant. Lois received
Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of her sins and the strengthening
of her faith. And those means of grace certainly brought her much joy and
comfort, especially as she approached the hour of her death. That same Word of
forgiveness and eternal life can be your comfort for times like this, and your
salvation as you consider your own life and death.
So, Jesus told the people the truth, but not everyone wanted to
hear the truth. And so “after this many
of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.” So many of them left. It was not God’s will that they
leave, but they left. The Lord our God turned to those Twelve who remained with
Him. He looked at them and asked, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”
What a question for God to ask His people! “Do you also wish to go
away?” There must have been total silence for a moment as each one thought
about staying or going. Finally, Simon Peter answered for those who remained: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of
God.”
“Jesus, where else is there to go? You only have the words that lead
beyond this life and into eternal life. And hearing Your words and
understanding Your teachings, Jesus, we have come to believe that You are the
Holy One of God. There is no one else we’d rather be with. There is no one else
who will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death.” Peter confessed
what he believed to be true and declared it in a creed: “Lord Jesus, we have
come to believe that You are the Holy One of God.” Are you able to say the same
thing?
It has been said that a funeral service is for the living and not
the dead. That is most certainly true. Therefore also the funeral sermon is one
for you, the living, and the applications must be made to you. For each one of
us here... well, there will come a time when no doctor will be able to help...
when no accountant will be able to give you a few extra days... when no lawyer
will be able to bail you out… when no repairman can fix what’s broken. We will
each face circumstances in our life that we cannot possibly handle on our own;
that just don’t make sense to our limited human reasoning. Moreover, your death
and mine are also coming. And so, the question for each of us to consider is
the one Jesus asked, “Do you also wish to go away?”
And the answer, the only answer that prevails, is our original
question, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
And the
question needs to be answered today, not tomorrow. None of us knows if we will
even be alive at the end of this day. We don’t have any guarantees. Let the
suddenness of Lois’ sickness and death be a sobering reminder for us to get our
lives in order and our priorities straight. Tonight as you are in bed and it is
dark and quiet, think about Jesus’ question and Peter’s answer that are in our
text for this funeral sermon. Then, think about your own answer. Turn to God’s
Word for comfort, peace, and guidance. Pour out your heart to God in prayer.
If you have more questions or want to talk more about these things
in the days ahead, please speak to your pastor or other mature Christian friend.
If you don’t have anyone else, I would love to speak with you about these
things, or I can certainly help get you in touch with someone else who can. There
is truly nothing more important. It is literally a matter of life and
death—eternal life and death.
So, permit me to read our text to you one last time.
“From
this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the
Twelve.
“Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that
You are the Holy One of God.’” Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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