LutheranLectionary.org

Series A – Funeral – Monday, June 19, 2023 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:27	The holy Gospel
0:29	According to Saint Matthew the 11th
0:32	chapter
0:35	Jesus said
0:37	come to me all you who labor and are
0:40	heavy laden and I will give you rest
0:45	take my yoke upon you and learn from me
0:49	for I am gentle
0:51	and lowly in heart
0:52	and you will find rest for your souls
0:55	for my yoke is easy and my burden is
0:59	light
1:01	this is the gospel of the Lord in the
1:04	name of Jesus
1:05	amen come to me all you who labor and
1:08	are heavy laden and I will give you rest
1:10	Jesus says now we’re not talking about
1:13	taking a nap here we’re talking about
1:15	something a lot different than that let
1:17	me ask you this question ask her to all
1:19	of you are you tired
1:22	I know I am have you noticed that life
1:25	is difficult
1:26	it is yeah very tired indeed
1:30	and you’ll note that the reason why
1:32	we’re worn out the reason why we’re
1:35	tired the reason why we are heavy laden
1:37	has everything to do with the fact that
1:39	our first parents Adam and Eve yes they
1:42	were real people Jesus believed in them
1:44	by the way and I’m going to go with his
1:47	opinion regarding Adam and Eve because
1:49	he rose from the dead I don’t think
1:51	anyone else has better credentials than
1:53	Jesus I mean when you guys want to
1:55	disagree with Christ go right ahead but
1:57	I’m not going to believe you until after
1:59	you rise from the dead three days after
2:00	you’ve been crucified right he’s got
2:03	good credentials he believed in Adam and
2:05	Eve and in the scripture we hear what
2:07	happened to our first parents after they
2:10	disobeyed the one command that God had
2:13	given them the one command was this
2:15	don’t eat from that tree the tree of the
2:17	knowledge of the good and evil the one
2:19	in the midst of the garden what did Adam
2:21	and do Adam and Eve do they ate the
2:24	serpent deceived them told them that if
2:26	they ate of that tree that would become
2:28	like God knowing good and evil and so
2:32	rather than listening to the voice of
2:34	God the voice that said do not eat of
2:36	that tree they ate of that tree and Adam
2:39	of course listened to the voice of his
2:41	wife and he ate of that tree and both of
2:43	them realized at that moment that they
2:46	were naked
2:48	and God then showed up in the cool of
2:52	the day and asked where Adam and Eve
2:54	were they were hiding they’d covered
2:56	themselves their nakedness with fig
2:58	leaves a lot of good that’ll do it
2:59	sounds very itchy to me
3:01	but when God shows up
3:04	well out came the truth about what had
3:07	happened and then each of the
3:10	participants the serpent Eve and Adam
3:13	all received from God punishments for
3:17	their transgression and it says this in
3:20	Genesis chapter 3 verse 17 to Adam God
3:23	said because you have listened to the
3:25	voice of your wife and you have eaten of
3:27	the tree of which I commanded you you
3:29	shall not eat of it cursed is the ground
3:32	because of you and in pain shall you eat
3:35	of it all the days of your life thorns
3:37	and thistles it shall bring forth for
3:39	you and you shall eat the plants of the
3:41	field by the sweat of your face you
3:44	shall eat bread until you return to the
3:47	ground for out of it you were taken for
3:49	you are dust
3:51	and to dust you shall return
3:53	you see
3:55	that’s where all of this misery comes
3:58	from that’s the reason why we have
4:00	funerals we were never meant to die that
4:03	was not how God created us and when
4:05	anyone says well death is just a natural
4:07	part of life I beg to differ
4:10	death is the consequence of sin the
4:12	wages of sin is death scripture says and
4:15	so as a result of that we all know that
4:17	we have a Payday coming and if you look
4:19	in the mirror I’ve noticed this about
4:20	myself that every day when I look in the
4:22	mirror the image comes back a little bit
4:25	worse you know it’s this horrible thing
4:28	you know I’ve been at Khan’s Binger for
4:30	nine years now and I look at the photos
4:32	back when I was first made the pastor of
4:35	Kong’s Winger Lutheran Church and I look
4:37	pretty good in comparison to the way I
4:39	look now yeah and you’ll know that this
4:42	is what’s happened to all of us and so
4:44	death comes and visits us all and we all
4:46	know that we have a date with death and
4:49	we also know that with that date comes
4:51	uh well a meeting with Jesus
4:56	and for many people that is a anxiety
4:59	producing thought
5:02	have you ever had one of those times
5:03	where you’ve woken up in the middle of
5:05	the night you know and you wake up with
5:07	the shortness of breath and you go
5:10	I’m gonna die someday
5:14	and the reality is is you don’t know
5:16	when that’s going to be I don’t know
5:17	when that’s going to be
5:18	none of us is guaranteed tomorrow or let
5:20	alone this afternoon
5:22	but Christ is not one who is determined
5:27	to give us what we deserve
5:30	and so the the heaviness the burden that
5:34	we all care the burden that we share
5:37	together the burden of death the burden
5:40	of losing loved ones the burden of
5:42	dealing with our own sin the burden of
5:44	conflict have you noticed that we human
5:47	beings don’t get along well with each
5:49	other
5:49	it’s it’s a most amazing thing ever and
5:53	then I would note here if you don’t
5:54	believe me just get married
5:57	right
5:58	you put two sinners in one house
6:01	together and expect them to cohabitate
6:03	peacefully good luck on that right and
6:07	so you’ll know we don’t get along well
6:08	and as a result of sin there is conflict
6:11	in our marriage and because of sin there
6:14	is conflict in our family because of sin
6:16	there’s conflict in the community
6:18	because of sin your sin and mind there’s
6:21	conflict among friends and because of
6:24	sin there’s conflict across the world
6:27	have you noticed that they’re fighting
6:29	Wars even today right
6:32	and I would note something here nothing
6:35	seems to stay the same in this life that
6:38	we live uh somebody I think it was
6:40	Robert had found Reuben’s baptismal
6:44	certificate and it’s rather fascinating
6:47	I actually I I have it here on on my
6:50	iPad because this is such a wonderful
6:52	document and this document shows that
6:55	yesterday June 18th was Reuben cleven’s
6:59	baptismal birthday he was baptized on
7:02	June 18 1931.
7:07	now I wasn’t around back then you know I
7:09	I’ve only heard of 1931 from people who
7:12	were there but one of the things that’s
7:13	interesting as I was scrolling through
7:15	social media this morning as I was
7:17	trying to wake up to a cup of coffee and
7:19	I have to do that nowadays with decaf
7:21	coffee because of hypertension decaf
7:23	coffee is not as fun as normal coffee I
7:25	just want to make that painfully clear
7:27	to everybody here but I I was scrolling
7:29	through social media I saw video footage
7:32	that had been recently restored of Babe
7:35	Ruth and Lou Gehrig taking batting
7:38	practice at Yankee Stadium in April of
7:41	1931
7:46	here the Reuben was born and baptized
7:49	it’s a long time ago a lot has changed
7:51	has it not back in the day Babe Ruth and
7:54	Lou Gehrig they were The Sultans of SWAT
7:57	and everybody worshiped them in New York
7:59	because these guys were the Towering
8:01	figures of manly hood and of athletic
8:06	prowess at the time and at that time
8:09	Reuben was just an infant
8:11	the Nazis hadn’t even taken over Germany
8:14	yet World War II was still a few years
8:17	off
8:19	and in his lifetime Reuben Saw World War
8:22	II the Korean War
8:24	Vietnam War the Gulf War the war against
8:29	terrorism the world has changed
8:31	dramatically has it not
8:33	now we fight the culture War whatever
8:35	that thing is
8:37	and so we note that the world changes we
8:39	change
8:40	the generation that gave birth to us
8:43	they haven’t passed already they’re
8:45	ready to pass and are we ready to fill
8:48	in the spot fill in the Gap can any of
8:51	us do that
8:57	are you tired yet just thinking about
9:01	all of this
9:03	but coming back to the words of Christ
9:06	Christ says come to me all who labor and
9:09	are heavy laden and I will give you rest
9:13	Christ promises for everyone who
9:15	believes in trust in him the Forgiveness
9:18	of all of their sins and their
9:20	transgressions
9:22	and this is a free gift and this is
9:24	because of the great love of God if you
9:27	think that God is some mean angry old
9:30	man with his arms crossed looking
9:32	through his eyebrows at you literally
9:34	looking forward to seeing you when you
9:36	get there so that he can toss you into
9:39	the Lake of Fire you don’t understand
9:40	who God is
9:43	you don’t understand at all and here’s
9:45	the thing Reuben right now is in the
9:48	company of Heaven
9:50	the Jesus he believed in by faith in
9:53	this lifetime has now given way to sight
9:58	and here’s the thing Reuben I’m sure 100
10:01	sure wants you to be with him and if we
10:04	as Christians we do not mourn as the as
10:07	the world Mourns you’ll note that people
10:09	on planet Earth they they all recognize
10:11	you got to die so what do they do they
10:13	get busy doing the YOLO thing right you
10:15	only live once so let’s make sure we
10:17	take off all these things on the bucket
10:19	list but at the end of The Bucket List
10:20	you know what there’s a casket
10:24	at the end of The Bucket List is there
10:26	really anything
10:28	except for a hollow life
10:31	the answers
10:33	for all who are in Christ
10:36	there is forgiveness pardon Mercy Grace
10:39	reconciliation and what our first
10:42	parents lost because of their rebellion
10:45	and transgression against God God
10:47	promised us to restore and to give to us
10:50	on the day that he returns in glory to
10:52	judge the living and the dead he will
10:54	remake the heavens and the Earth Christ
10:57	says behold I make all things new
10:59	including you
11:02	including Reuben
11:04	including a soul
11:06	so come to me all you who labor and are
11:08	heavy laid in Jesus I will give you rest
11:11	take my yoke upon you learn from me for
11:14	I am gentle and lowly in heart
11:16	and in me you will find rest for your
11:19	souls for my yoke is easy
11:22	and my burden is light and how is it
11:25	that Christ can offer something like
11:27	that to us we who are worn out by our
11:30	own sin and its consequences we who’ve
11:33	destroyed the Earth and brought all
11:35	kinds of conflict in it how is it
11:37	possible that we can have such a promise
11:40	from Jesus
11:41	is found in our Old Testament text
11:44	here again the words of the prophet
11:46	Isaiah Isaiah was prophesying hundreds
11:49	of years before Jesus was ever born and
11:52	conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary
11:54	and he says this regarding Christ’s
11:58	death on the cross
11:59	he Jesus was despised he was rejected by
12:04	men Jesus was a Man of Sorrows and he
12:07	himself was acquainted with grief and as
12:10	one from whom men hid their faces he was
12:12	despised and we esteemed him not
12:16	you can hear Echoes of what would come
12:18	later while Christ was on trial on that
12:20	Good Friday when Pontius Pilate trooped
12:23	out Barabbas and brought out Jesus and
12:26	said who which of the two would you like
12:27	me to give to you and they shouted out
12:29	give us Barabbas
12:31	oddly enough his name means son of the
12:33	father there’s some theological
12:35	significance to that but what should I
12:37	do with Jesus crucify him why what has
12:39	he done crucify him they wouldn’t even
12:42	answer the question
12:45	let’s see all of this was to accomplish
12:47	your salvation in mine because Christ
12:50	has borne our griefs Jesus has carried
12:54	our sorrows we esteemed Jesus to be
12:58	stricken and smitten by God and
12:59	Afflicted and indeed he was
13:02	but here’s the good news
13:04	Jesus was pierced for our transgressions
13:08	Jesus was crushed
13:11	for your iniquities
13:13	and mine and the punishment the
13:15	chastisement that brought us peace with
13:18	God was upon him and by his wounds we
13:22	are healed of our sin sickness
13:25	each and every one of us me included all
13:27	of you included we all like sheep we’ve
13:29	gone astray we’ve turned everyone to our
13:32	own ways but God has laid on Jesus the
13:35	iniquity of us all why was Jesus on the
13:38	cross he was bleeding and suffering and
13:40	dying in order to placate the wrath of
13:43	God for you he was despised he was
13:48	rejected he was killed he suffered in
13:51	your place so that you do not have to be
13:54	rejected by God but instead can be
13:57	reconciled to him
13:59	he was pierced for your transgressions
14:02	he took the punishment that you deserve
14:04	upon himself so that you could by faith
14:08	then become a child of God and that he
14:13	would then promise you as a gift because
14:15	of his great love something that none of
14:18	us could ever earn not by our good works
14:21	not by our money not by any efforts on
14:23	our part
14:24	true salvation and the restoration of
14:28	the earth Eden come back all of us in
14:32	the new Earth as it was supposed to be
14:35	where we’ll be reacquainted with
14:37	reunited with those who have gone before
14:40	us and we will have
14:43	eternal life in a World Without End and
14:46	never have to ever have a funeral ever
14:49	again
14:51	that is how good the good news is how
14:56	great our Lord is
14:58	and this is offered to every human being
15:01	freely
15:04	and what does it call us to do then
15:07	to repent of our sins
15:09	to trust in the one who loved us so much
15:11	that he laid down his life so that we
15:14	could live
15:16	there is salvation only in Jesus Christ
15:18	and no one else the scripture is clear
15:21	there is no other name given about on
15:23	heaven or on Earth by which men must be
15:26	saved
15:27	so note this as we consider the loss of
15:31	Reuben we know that we will join him
15:33	someday
15:34	and for all who trust in Christ you will
15:38	have a glorious reunion with him
15:42	I love the fact that one of his
15:44	granddaughters refused to say goodbye to
15:46	him and that is appropriate that is bold
15:50	because for Christians we Never Say
15:52	Goodbye we always say I’ll see you later
15:56	and so
15:58	it is true that I got a little choked up
16:00	I miss Reuben
16:02	he is he was a hard working man for
16:06	somebody who was retired he sure did put
16:08	in a lot of work right and and you note
16:11	this about him he was selfless
16:14	absolutely selfless and I love talking
16:17	to him he never understood the thing I
16:19	was saying because I’ve had to look at
16:20	him in order for him to hear me but we
16:23	enjoyed our conversations together and I
16:26	truly will miss the conversations that
16:29	we’ve had it was funny Marla said he
16:31	never talked to me about his faith but
16:33	he did talk to me about it and the one
16:36	thing I can say about Reuben cleven is
16:37	that he trusted and believed in Jesus
16:40	and it was wonderful in preparing him
16:42	for death the last time I saw him I
16:44	brought him the Lord’s supper and he was
16:46	awake when I got there the time I
16:48	visited him before that he was asleep
16:49	and I didn’t know what to do what do I
16:51	do he’s asleep but he kind of shook
16:53	himself and woke up and he was so happy
16:55	to see me and so I enjoyed our time
16:57	together but remember what our our
17:00	pistol text said from Philippians
17:02	something very important
17:04	and then in the Philippians text Paul is
17:07	kind of musing thinking about his life
17:10	ahead of him and what shall he choose
17:12	he’s nearing the end of his own life he
17:14	says for me to live as Christ and to die
17:17	is gain and that’s true for all
17:19	Christians for every one of us who is
17:21	still alive and a Christian well to live
17:23	is Christ to live selflessly in love
17:26	towards neighbor and love towards God
17:28	serving each other in our toil that we
17:30	have to go through and easing each
17:32	other’s burdens if you would he says if
17:34	I am to live in the flesh well that
17:36	means fruitful labor for me it means
17:37	that for all of us by the way
17:39	yeah what shall I choose I cannot tell
17:41	he says I’m hard for us between the two
17:44	my desire is to depart and to be with
17:46	Christ for that is far better
17:49	so as I walked in today when I saw
17:53	Reuben’s body resting comfortably in his
17:56	coffin
17:59	and as I watched the family gathered
18:02	around when they closed the coffin for
18:04	the last time
18:07	hard to watch
18:10	and yet there’s a joy in it because we
18:13	can legitimately say of Reuben he is in
18:16	a better place
18:18	that’s where he is right now
18:21	he’s with all the Norwegians in heaven
18:23	and I know that there’s more than two
18:25	right
18:27	right big family reunion for him but
18:30	that’s the point
18:31	only a Christian can say that it is
18:34	better to depart and to be with Christ
18:37	because for everyone else if you have
18:39	not faith in Christ this world is the
18:43	closest thing to Heaven that you’ll ever
18:44	experienced
18:45	for everybody who is in Christ This
18:47	World this difficulty that we go through
18:49	is the closest thing to hell that we’ll
18:51	ever experience
18:52	and that’s the dividing line Christ is
18:54	the dividing line so brothers and
18:56	sisters hear the words of Jesus take
18:59	heed of them and note that they are also
19:01	for you are you tired
19:03	are you heavy laden are you tired of
19:06	even trying to save yourself why do you
19:08	even work so hard and try to be so good
19:10	after all because at the end of it this
19:13	life is short
19:14	well Jesus says that he will give you
19:18	rest and he has given Reuben his and we
19:21	look forward to when we can join him in
19:23	that rest in the eternal life that
19:26	Christ gives us for free because of his
19:29	shed Blood on the cross in the name of
19:31	Jesus
19:32	amen

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