Jump Start # 2117

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for me to die once and after this comes judgment.”

Our Jump Start yesterday dealt with the topic of suicide. That prompted one of our readers to ask me about cremation. That’s not typically a “devotional” topic, but it is of interest to many folks, so I thought I would say something about it. Before I do, let me add, I am receiving many questions from our readers. I love that. Because I do not address your question in a Jump Start does not mean the question was not important. I have to be in the mood to write about what I do. Some questions fit better in a Bible class than this format. So, don’t feel bad if I do not address what you ask me about. Some questions are saved for a dry spell in my writing.

 

What about cremation? The question folks have about this is not about finances, or personal preferences, but Biblically. Is it wrong to be cremated? I have a son in the funeral industry. He tells me that last year cremations out paced traditional funerals. We understand the popularity of something doesn’t determine it’s rightness with the Lord.

I recently watched a video of a preacher explaining why cremation was wrong. Our bodies are the temple of God and what we do matters.

So, here are some thoughts:

First, we are to return to dust. God told Adam, and I believe all the creation following him, you will return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust and to dust you shall return. That is talking about our bodies. Our bodies are destined to return to dust. What will be resurrected, will be a glorified state.   Here where I live, in the Ohio Valley, there once were thousands of native Americans, or Indians. What happened to that Indian, a thousand years ago that fell and died in the woods and was never buried. He returned to dust. If we knew exactly where the spot was and dug, I doubt there would be anything. He’s returned to the earth.

 

Now, here is a thought about cremation. The process of cremation takes us to dust faster than anything else. The traditional burial process today, involves pumping embalming fluid into the body, which is placed in an airtight casket and buried in a waterproof vault. It will take a long, long time for that body to return to dust. Case in point, is the body of President Abraham Lincoln. In 1901, 36 years after his burial, his casket was moved and secured. A small hole was cut in the casket. Twenty-three people looked and saw the body of the President. They were amazed at how well the body looked. His eyebrows were gone, but his face, the wart on his face, his beard, it was all very recognizable. So, if we are supposed to return to dust, it seems cremation gets us there faster.

 

Second, the N.T. doesn’t really say much about how to be buried. Stephen was buried. How and where we do not know. James, Antipas, Ananias, Sapphira, deaths we read about in the N.T., we are not told how they were buried. Jesus was buried in what we would consider a cave today. His body was wrapped in cloths. He was not embalmed. He was buried immediately after He died. Joseph was embalmed. Hundreds of years later, his bones were buried in the promise land. The American Indian put their dead on platforms raised above the ground. The Navy buries their dead at sea. Am I to be embalmed? Do I have to have a vault for the casket to be placed in? Many of those things are dictated by state laws and the rules of the cemetery. Can I be buried in a mausoleum building above the ground or do I have to be buried in the earth? Is it better to have a wood casket than a metal casket, since I am to return to dust? I know some are bothered that pagans burned their dead. Doing the same does not mean I have left the Lord and have embraced what pagans do. I do other things that pagans do, such as eating meat, but that does not mean I have given up on the Lord, nor am I endorsing paganism.

 

Third, if cremation is wrong, who is it that sins and when does that sin take place? Is it the person who wishes for that? Is it the family that allowed that? Is it the funeral director who arranged for it? Is it the guy working at the funeral home who pushes the buttons and actually cremates the body? Who sinned? Now, there is another thought. Let’s say I tell my family that I want to be cremated. It’s my choice. Have I sinned even though the action hasn’t taken place? Now, at my death, lets say my family carries out my wishes and I am cremated. If cremation is wrong, when did the sin take place? After my death! So, is it possible, once the soul has left the body to sin? Can I sin after my death? These are thoughts that most of us haven’t put much time into. The emphasis of the N.T. is doing what we are doing here and now, and living righteously while we are alive.

 

Fourth, often cremation is thought to disrespect the body that God has given to us. Corinthians is sited as glorifying God in your body. It seems once I am dead, I no longer have control of that. Goliath’s head was cut off. Was that wrong for David to do that? Jonathan was hung up on a wall by the Philistines. The Corinthian passage is written in the context of sexual sins. The glorifying of the body was made by righteous choices of the person living. It seems a stretch to apply this to a body that is dead and the soul has departed.

 

So, bottom line, is cremation wrong? Wrong, meaning sinful. I would say no, it’s not sinful. That’s my thinking. You may not conclude the same with me. Prayer and study ought to precede this decision. Do not be critical of others who disagree with your decision. This is one thing that a person cannot change. Once the body has been cremated, there is no going back. A person can’t “repent” and do differently.

 

Finally, our bodies have served us to house our souls. Our bodies wear out with age. The outer man decays, Paul says. Our bodies are not eternal. We will not be raised needing glasses, hearing aides, artificial hips and false teeth. We will be raised in a glorious state. The focus of our attention is not our funeral and burial but our resurrection and eternity with the Lord. If one is convinced that traditional, in the ground, burials are the only way that is right, then they should follow their convictions and conscience. One should not make this decision simply because one way is cheaper than another way.

 

And, our readers might ask, what will happen to me? I’ve told several that I want to be stuffed and placed at the doorway of the church building with Jump Start books in my hand. That won’t happen. These decisions are private and personal and if a person has a choice, they need to be told to the family and even written out.

 

I don’t know if this answers any questions. If it generates discussions, especially within the family, that is a good thing. Remember, something is only sinful if it is wrong according to God. My dislike of something does not mean that it is sinful. Our bodies are a marvelous creation of God. We come in all sizes and colors. We are made by God. We need to be thankful and count the blessings of health, mind and strength.

Roger

 

Jump Start # 2116

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men t die once and after this comes judgment.”

The news report yesterday brought the sad story of fashion designer Kate Spade’s death. At the age of 55, she took her life. Famous, rich, living in a place where most of us could not afford, she seemed to be living the dream that most folks are after. Deep depression ruined her life and now it is over. She is yet another in a long list of famous people that have taken their lives. Robin Williams immediately comes to our mind as another one. We wrote about mental illness at the time of Williams death. What about suicide?

It is commonly believed that suicide is a one-way ticket to Hell. “Self-murder,” as some describe it, has no hope because the person never repented of that sin. And, with that, we often leave the subject and feel satisfied that no one will ever consider it. But they have and they do. Within the body of Christ, families have had to deal with all that comes with suicide. There are so many unanswered questions and the problems are often shifted to the family to deal with. Dying of cancer happens. But suicide, that is something that seems shameful and people whisper about it for a long time.

In the pages of the Bible we remember King Saul falling on his sword during the Philistine battles. His armor bearer had to “finish him off,” as one might coldly say. Judas hung himself after betraying the Lord. The text states that he fell and burst open which leads us to conclude that he was left hanging until he rotted and burst. I expect no one wanted to deal with Judas. The disciples wouldn’t. The Jews wouldn’t. The Romans didn’t care. Elijah and Jonah both asked God to end their lives but they didn’t do anything to speed up that process. They left it in the hands of the Lord. Samson’s death wasn’t so much a suicide as it was dying in battle as he crushed the Philistines in the arena where he was. Paul told the Philippians that his desire was to go and be with the Lord, but he didn’t do anything to hurry that up.

One doesn’t find any positive words in the Scriptures about taking your own life. One doesn’t find God using a suicide as an example for us to follow. Suicide doesn’t seem to be an act of faith. In fact, the lack of faith may be one of the reasons a person ends their life. They are scared. They are tired. They are lonely. They are trying to escape trouble. They are not thinking right. The experts have all kinds of ideas why this is done. Netflix ran a series of shows entitled “Thirteen reasons.” It was about a teen who took her life. Reports have come in from all over the country about others taking their lives and this show being one of the reasons. They are now coming out with season two, which is reported to be a raunchy, godless continuation of the same characters who now deal with life without their friend.

Does a person go to Hell if he takes his own life? Let’s walk down that hallway for a moment.

First, it is not our prerogative to decide who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell. Yet, that doesn’t satisfy most people. They want to put a person in one place or the other. What we know, is what God has revealed to us. What He has revealed is what He has decided. It’s not so much the act of death, but the lack of faith that will destroy our souls. Jesus said, unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. He said, unless we repent we will perish. So, to start with, don’t be so judgmental to a hurting family that is ashamed, grieving and full of questions as to why a loved one took their life. Saying, “He’s in Hell,” isn’t nice, helpful and it may not be completely true. Remember the golden rule. What would you want someone to say to you if the roles were reversed. Likewise, back off with all the questions. “How did he do it?” is very personal. “Did he leave a note?” Even if he did, do you think the family ought to share it with you? Stop being so nosey and curious. Comfort the family that is about to collapse because of this tragic event and are ashamed because they feel responsible for not doing something to prevent this. Be a help and not more burdens that the family must carry. Be a face that welcomes them and not one that runs them off.

Second, if we conclude that a person goes to Hell because their final act on earth was sinful, and they did not repent, that sounds very close to salvation by works. That doesn’t allow any room for God’s grace. Thinking this out, then, we would have to conclude that if a person’s final thought was not good, he will not go to Heaven. If a person’s final words out of his mouth was a bad word, then he is not going to Heaven. Our final thought, word, and action has to be holy, or else the person will go to Hell. That’s where this leads us to. We are to be righteous, but John wrote, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” So, we sin. What if we happen to sin in our final moment here? Gone. Toast. No hope. Is that the conclusion? Your last step better be right or you are a goner? Perfection or grace? This is not to be sloppy, careless or indifferent about sin. This is not to be casual about our walk with the Lord. But how could Paul conclude that there was a crown of righteousness awaiting him, if on the floor of execution, he had a final bad thought?

Then, are we saying, suicide doesn’t necessarily send one to Hell? It’s not the act of suicide, but it’s giving up on God, not having faith, and not working through problems as God wants us to. What makes suicide wrong is that our problems seems greater than God. We succumb to our problems and give up on any help from the Lord. This is what makes suicide wrong. It is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Problems come and go. Few of us can remember the things we were bothered about five years ago. They are no longer there. Taking your life is permanent. There is no coming back. There are no options after death.

Getting help, talking to the right people and holding on to a Biblical faith are the keys to dealing with our problems. Walking through the Bible shows that we are not the only ones with issues. Building a strong support system of fellowship in the Lord helps us think the way we ought to. Getting medical help when it is necessary. . Changing your environment. Getting away from negative people. Stop listening to dark music. Letting your mind dwell upon the Lord. Understanding and seeking forgiveness and God’s grace to deal with our past. All of these are keys to help one who is struggling with dark thoughts.

There are two dark secrets that have been hidden for generations in the church. You don’t hear many sermons on these. You don’t hear people talking about these. They are there and most know about it. Those twin tunnels of darkness are sexual addictions and suicide. Most congregations have a history with these two. Both are evidence of faith issues.

Maybe turning on the lights and talking about these things, even in the home, will help. They certainly do not go away because we have kept silent about them. Maybe healthy, Biblical discussions about handling problems in life will do more good than an off handed comment, “Suicides all go to Hell.”

The troubled mind is hard to understand. There are folks who are plagued with mental issues for a long time. Some are passed from one generation to the next. Be patient. Be helpful. Be Biblical.

Roger

Jump Start # 2040

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

I was asked a question recently. I have been asked this before. The situation is generally the same. It’s an older Christian who has walked with the Lord for decades. They long for Heaven. In their sweet way, they ask, “I don’t know why I am still here? Why doesn’t the Lord take me?” The ones that ask this are not depressed, despondent or fixated upon death. They have lived a full life. They have lived a faithful life. They are ready, but here they remain.

Age hinders them from teaching as they once did. Their memory isn’t strong and the energy it takes to teach simply isn’t there. Entertaining others is hard. They have done this for years and years, but now, it’s just too hard on them. These folks are not walking around with a sad face. They smile, connect and offer advice to others, but still, they wonder, “Why am I still here?”

Modern medicine has made it possible for us to live much longer. Cancer is no longer a death sentence. Medicines, surgeries and various forms of rehab has made living into the 90’s not only a possibility but a reality for many folks. We live longer these days.

Our passage has something to do with this question. Why am I still here? The simple answer is, “It’s just not your time.” God has a divine appointment and He’ll call us home when it’s our time. But for some, they feel as if they are more of a burden to brethren and their families. They feel like they are not helping out as they would like. Unable to do much, they become dependent upon others for their care and wellbeing. And, so, the question is asked, “Why am I still here?”

Here are a few thoughts:

First, you are setting an example for your family. Your continual devotion to the Lord, your attendance at worship services, your character, your kindness are leaving footsteps for others. Instead of being a grumpy old person, who bring charm, sweetness and the spirit of Jesus into a room. You remind your grown children how they need to think about others. Your decades of commitment encourages those who are younger. Your family will long remember that you made a promise to the Lord and you stuck with it. Even when it wasn’t easy. Even when you didn’t feel the best. Your very example does more good than a month of sermons.

Second, your years of experience helps the church. You have hung in during good times and hard times. There were the battles. There were the days when things were small and money was tight. There were issues that came. There were days without leaders. You’ve seen it. You’ve been there. Our culture today is stuck on self. It’s easy to bail when things are not the way we like it. Your example has helped hold a congregation together. You have kept our eyes upon what is really important, and that is the Lord and His word. You may feel that no one listens to you any more, or, worse, no one today cares, but that’s not the case. It’s time for others to pick up the sword and the banner for Christ. You have made it possible for a congregation to continue. Throughout the land, many congregations have folded. Young people have moved away. Few new people came. Leaders left. The church dwindled down until it was necessary to close the doors. That’s happened in many places. But, there are other places where that small band of disciples hung in there, worked hard and made a strong and powerful congregation. People like you, who stayed, not just in the same location, but you stayed with the Word of God, made it possible for a congregation to exist today. Why won’t the Lord take you? Possibly because more needs to hear your story, a story of faith.

Third, God simply isn’t done with you yet. That’s the best answer I have. Maybe you can’t teach anymore. Maybe you can’t preach. Maybe you get tired very easily these days. Maybe you get things jumbled up in your mind. John Newton, the author of the hymn Amazing Grace, was interviewed late in life. He said that he was old and forgot nearly everything. However, there were two things that he’d never forget. He said, “I am a great sinner and Jesus is a great Savior.” There are two spectrums of faith that brings so much to a congregation. First, it’s the young. It’s the teenager and the college student. Sharp. Energetic. Full of questions. Curious. Passionate. Second, it’s the senior citizen. Aged. Experienced. Dedicated. Faithful. Both make a church. Both are necessary. Sometimes the two groups do not understand each other. Sometimes the aged fear the young in faith. Sometimes the young think the aged are stuck in their ways. But when they connect and when they work as one, what a wonderful blessing they add to a congregation.

In many ways, it would be wonderful to just go from the baptistery to Heaven. Just bypass this messy and crazy world we live in. But that’s not God’s way. He needs us to be His hands and feet and eyes. We must be busy doing good works so others will glorify God. We must let our lights shine. We must invite. We must show. We must serve.

So, with each day that we have, we must find something worthwhile to do to help others and to honor God. Rather than focusing upon what we cannot do, let’s find what we can do. I was talking with a 90 year old Christian recently. She needed some get-well cards. When asked why, “to send them to the folks in the church you are not feeling well.” Now, that’s the spirit. Keep working, doing what you can, until the Lord calls us. Some of us get the honor of serving in the kingdom for multiple decades. What a privilege that is. I recently took a picture of three preachers who were all in their 80’s. Heroes! They looked fail and old. But they were still preaching and doing whatever they could for the Lord. I wondered how many thousands of sermons those three had preached. How many hundreds and hundreds of lives they helped. They were not sitting in rocking chairs doing nothing, they were still teaching and preaching and encouraging others. They were going to keep on working until the Lord stopped them.

What we do changes with age. Find what you can do, and get at it. Someday, the call will come. Our time here will be completed. We will leave a legacy of good. We will leave impressions of what really matters in life. We will leave footprints for others to follow. Hopefully, we leave, making things better than we found them.

Why doesn’t God take me? He will. Just be patient. In the meantime, keep busy doing what you can in the kingdom.

Roger

Jump Start # 1970

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

 

Another shooting has taken place in our country. This time, on a Sunday morning and in a church building. Many killed. Many wounded. Details will come out about the cause and motive. But you and I know the cause. It’s a world that no longer respects life, follows God nor cares about one another. The troubles of a broken world keep mounting. These mass killings are happening too much, nearly every month. It’s not guns. There was a truck in NYC that mowed down several. It’s sick and twisted hearts and souls that are lost and have no regard for life.

 

There are a few places that we still think ought to be off limits to wrong, and one is a house of worship. People minding their own business, peaceably worshipping God and terror strikes. Immediately our verse comes to mind. We’d like to think that when it is our time to leave this place, we will be surrounded by family, it will be a loving and memorable moment. That’s movies. It may happen as the result of violence, or a car accident. It may happen not as we thought it would be.

 

There are several lessons that come from this latest shooting.

 

First, one must live each day ready to see God. We need to be living thankfully and obediently towards God. Our lives ought to reflect that they have been touched by God’s grace. I hate what this world is turning into. I hate that my generation is handing a world to my grandchildren that is going to be fearful and not trusting of others. Life is precious. Life is a gift from God. We need to stop putting off what needs to be done. We need to say, “I love you,” more. We need to be serious about our walk with God. We must get about doing what needs to be done in our homes and in our congregations.

 

Second, death isn’t the end nor something to be fear as a child of God. Death is the doorway that allows us into the next room. For the believer, death is welcomed. It means that he is through with this place and all of it’s problems. He is welcomed into the arms of Jesus. We get so fixated with death that we forget that there is something beyond death. Death is merely a process, like birth, that takes us from one room to the next. Death isn’t the end of the story. This deranged shooter in Texas that died, either by his own hands or in a shoot out, found out immediately that it wasn’t over. It’s never over. There is no ‘the end’ to our story. We live on. Connecting to our first point, those that are walking with Jesus, death is welcomed and seen as a way to be with the Lord. Those who don’t know God, death is to be feared. It’s not the death, but the eternity that is found afterwards. A person doesn’t go to Heaven because they were a victim of crime. A person doesn’t go to Heaven because they died trying to help others. Heaven is for those who have chosen to walk with God. They have put God at the top of their lists and the top of their hearts. Their lives illustrate that. They are forgiving. They are kind. They are helpful. Death is never the end.

 

Third, our country continues to be shocked by senseless brutality. Folks do not see that this is where evolutionary and atheistic thinking leads to. Life without God isn’t pretty, fair nor kind. Life, with no accountability except to self, ends up doing whatever a person feels like. No standards. No rules. No guidelines. No examples. Without foundations under us, storms will cause us to collapse. The only real foundation is God. Congress will be pressured to pass some laws to prevent more killings. It won’t work. TV talk shows will analyze what needs to be fixed, but no one will mention God. That’s the problem. Lives without God are without any direction, purpose or restraints. A person will do whatever they feel like.

 

Fourth, it is time for congregations to get serious about security. We do not live in Mayberry anymore. Little churches in little towns, like what happened yesterday in Texas, reminds us that this could happen anywhere. Leaders in congregations need to get past the 1950’s thinking. The weekly contribution should not be taken right back up to the front where people can see all the money just sitting there. Immediately, put it in a secure place. Someone ought to be in the lobby to watch the doors. Front doors may need to be locked after services begin, which means some families need to begin getting there on time. Discussions need to take place about what should be done in case of an emergency. Get the head out of the sand and realize our world is ugly, dangerous and we need to take steps to help our people be safe.

 

Finally, because of these shootings, we can live in fear, or we can walk by faith. If we are living righteously and walking with God, the worst thing that can happen is someone takes my life. Jesus said do not fear the one who can take your life and do no more. Events like the Texas shooting can make us mean and hateful toward others. We can’t let that happen. It can make us want to keep all outsiders out. We can’t let that happen. We must continue to reach the lost. We must continue to let Christ live in our hearts. We must continue to be kind, forgiving and helpful. We let the enemy win when they cause us to be changed or to live in fear. Be smart. Take precautions. Let’s continue to live righteously and joyously, knowing that some day we are out of this place and in a place that will forever be secure and good.

 

Sinful people making wrong choices too often touches the lives of innocent and good people. When will this stop? When the Lord comes and this world ends. Until then, we continue on. We will meet Sunday. We will worship. Fear will not stop us. Bad people will not prevent us. And we live, knowing it won’t be long and all of this will be over. This certainly isn’t Heaven.

 

Our prayers are for the families that have lost loved ones. May their hearts not turn to anger. May they find comfort in the Lord.

 

Come, Lord Jesus!

 

Roger

 

Jump Start # 1716

 

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”

 

Whispers of eternity—we continue with those thoughts today. Our verse is a solemn reminder not only of our coming death, but a reminder of eternity. The divine appointment involving death is clearly seen all around us. People die. Young people, old people. People who are ready to die and people who are not ready to die. This verse not only tells us that we die, but there is that one word that whispers eternity for us, “AFTER.”

 

Death isn’t the end. There is something AFTER death. After death comes judgment. We exist. We are accountable. God isn’t through with us. Death is not the end of us, it’s also not the worst thing that can happen to us. Death is just a process. It is the opposite of birth. Birth takes us from one realm or room to another. Death simply is a doorway from this realm or room to the next. You can’t get to the next room without going through the door called death. Death is the opposite of birth. It’s a doorway, or an entrance. It’s a process. It’s not a place you go to, but what you go through.

 

Many get so fixed upon that door. They worry about that door. They think about that door. They are afraid of that door. They put so much energy trying to avoid that door that they forget that there is something AFTER. The door isn’t it. The door isn’t the end of our story. We live on. There is more to come. There is that AFTER. This is why we use expressions such as “AFTERlife” or “life after death.” There is more.

 

This is how we are made in the image of God. This is the dual nature of man. The body dies but the soul doesn’t. Luke records Jesus saying do not fear the one who can kill the body and do no more. One can take your life, yet, you still live. Not here, but in the next realm or room. No man can kill the soul. We are everlasting.

 

This being true, then it seems that we ought to be more emphasis upon the AFTER than the BEFORE. Before death is where we are now. After death is the eternal. We will spend more time in the AFTER than we do the BEFORE. Much of what occupies us in the BEFORE really won’t matter in the AFTER.

 

Here’s a few for instances:

 

I really doubt in the AFTER that God will be concerned whether we changed the oil in our cars every 3,000 miles.

I doubt that God will care whether we fertilized our yards every spring.

I doubt that God will care whether we updated our houses.

I doubt that God will care whether we flossed our teeth or not.

I doubt that God will care how clean and up to date our resumes looked

I doubt that God will care how many apps where on our phone

I doubt that God will care if we could remember who won the past Super Bowls.

I doubt that God will care if we maxed our 401’s.

I doubt that God will care how often we took our pets to the vet.

I doubt that God will care what we served at Thanksgiving.

 

These are the things that make up our world BEFORE death. Most of these things are unique to our times. The early Christians would not have known about most of these. Yet, here we are, worrying, fretting and getting bothered about these things.

 

It’s the AFTER death things that really matter. That list would include:

 

Our character

Whether we worshipped God as He wanted to be worshipped

The difference we made in the lives of others

Whether or not we walked with the Lord

Did we pray?

Did we know His will?

Were we forgiving?

How hard did we try?

Did we believe?

BEFORE and AFTER—that’s more than just photos we notice on Facebook. It really expresses the whispers of eternity. If you want a nice AFTER, then you must make the right choices BEFORE. You can’t live like a sinner and die like a saint. Your BEFORE death, determines you AFTER death.

 

There is a coming appointment. We won’t miss it nor be late for it. The appointment is made by God. It is appointed unto man to die once, AFTER that…

 

Roger