Jonn Scott Flath: Sermon for Jonn

^{Matthew 13:23} But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

I recently preached on this passage but after this past week, I have a greater understanding of what it means.

Jonn liked to tease me about my sermons. He would often call them Baptist sermons because they went longer than the traditional 20 minute Lutheran sermon. I know, you’ree already adding up the numbers: Mark does a 20 minute sermon, Pastor does a 20 minute sermon, we’ll never get out of here. So Pastor, I hope that you have a short sermon because you follow me.

Some question: why as Jonn’s father would I be preaching a sermon instead of offering up a Eulogy? It’s simple; 6 years ago, both Jonn and Robyn stood up here before the entire congregation and voluntarily made a promise to God to remain sexually pure until marriage. I was crying my eyes out when we placed this ring on Jonn’s finger. I was crying because I knew that one day, I would be up here with either Jonn or Robyn, officiating over their wedding and the importance of being able to share with them as they made an active living promise to God.

Jonn is no longer going to have that wedding where he can make a promise of faithfulness to God and his wife, so instead, I am here to tell you about a promise that God has made to Jonn. It is a promise of Salvation which God extends to you, me and every single person on this earth. The opening passage which I read addresses God’s message of Salvation, and the result of someone who hears the word and understands it.

A very inspiring moment in my Christian life was at President Reagan’s funeral. Before millions and millions of people, Michael Reagan said that the greatest gift his father ever gave him was telling him that Jesus Christ is his Savior. Hearing his testimony instead of hearing a testimony about how great his father was as President of the United States was unbelievably beautiful.

But proclaiming such a faith before millions of people as Michael Reagan did pales in comparison to what Jonn has done. Anyone can profess a faith in Christ, but when a person lives a Christ filled life and is able to affect hundreds of people as Jonn did, God’s Holy and perfect power is revealed.

Jonn’s life is a complete modern day illustration to the passage: ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.

In looking back at his life, we see someone who was truly led by God, and in turn, a small part of God’s plan is revealed. When you examine Jonn’s attributes, you will see something that is not normally found in most people.

Jonn was known to approach people who were sitting all alone and sit with them because he wanted them to feel wanted and important. Jonn befriended people who others shunned and teased. Jonn became friends with people who cut themselves, and he care and compassion for them turned their lives around to where they stopped cutting. There was one who was contemplating suicide and after she met Jonn, his friendship, his words, love and care created a desire within her to continue living. Jonn touched the hearts of adults, leaving a huge mark in their lives. And I am sure that you will hear testimony to that fact during our reception.

Jonn was able to do this because he understood God’s word, and produced a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” When you look at how many people are here today, you realize that Jonn is a living testimony to God’s word. Jonn is spoken of never having said anything negative about anyone. He is said to have so much love for life and people that it became infectious, creating a desire within others to live a caring, giving life as Jonn lived.

In truth, I didn’t have anything to do with Jonn’s upbringing. Jonn lived a life that was not self created. He lived a life that was overly filled with the Holy Spirit, and it was the Holy Spirit who guided Jonn and led him to become who he was. Jonn was the result of Jesus Christ living within him and his life is a testimony of what God can do when the Holy Spirit resides within us.

Changing direction for a moment, we lived 25 miles away from Jonn’s school. Because of the distance we drove, Jonn would complain about not being able to hang out with his friends on a regular basis. Ana felt very guilty about living so far away from his school and questioned if we had done the right thing. But look at it this way, if we had not moved, Jonn would have spent so more time with his friends than his family. We would have rarely seen Jonn ourselves. God knew when He was going to call Jonn home and God made sure that until that moment came, we all had equal time with Jonn. God was behind our move to Agua Dulce just so that Ana could have that extra time with Jonn during the 50 mile round trip to school every day. God made it happen so that both friends and family had an equal share with Jonn.

God knew that Jonn would affect hundreds if not thousands of lives and He wanted to use Jonn as his messenger of Salvation. Almost all of Jonn’s friends knew about his faith in Christ. Many even knew about his pledge to remain sexually pure until he married. Jonn always encouraged prayer, trusting in God, and he even made one friend promise to go to church with him while Ana and I were off on a very long business trip. How many 18 year olds would go to church every Sunday while the parents are gone for 9 weeks, let alone invite a friend to tag along? We learned last night that Jonn always arrived early to his ROTC bible study group by 15 minutes, and how he encouraged one cadet to join the Bible study group. Jonn also told one of his fellow cadets regarding choosing extracurricular ROTC meetings, ”If I have to choose, I would put God first because He is so good and I am blessed to be here.

Matthew 22:7-9 is the parable of the Wedding Banquet. The king had invited many to his banquet but nobody ever showed. God used Jonn as His way to invite you to a banquet. As a result of the Holy Spirit led life which Jonn lived, look at how many people are here today. This is all part of God’s plan, so that you will hear and understand the message of Salvation, so that you too can produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Imagine what the world would look like if we all received the Holy Spirit and lived a Christ centered life like Jonn lived.

But with all that said, I am sure there are some who knew that Jonn was not an angel and that Jonn was far from perfect. And to that, I say you are perfectly correct. But this is why Jonn believed in Jesus. He knew that without Jesus, no matter how nice and kind he was, he would never enter into Heaven. He knew that there was nothing that he could do to get to heaven because without Faith in Jesus, we are all seen by God as sinners. And this understanding of who Jesus is, is what made Jonn who he was.

Many people look at Christians and call us hypocrites because we profess to be so righteous when on the outside, we are clearly sinners. And that is where our Salvation comes in to play. God made a promise to the world that He would send us a savior. In the Old Testament, which some may know as the Hebrew bible, God tells of a savior who would be humble, who would serve, who would lead a sinless life. God talks of the specific genealogical line our Savior would come from. God used the prophets to tell us when our Savior would be born and how he will be crucified, die, buried, resurrected and then ascend into heaven. And it all points to one thing: 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. And this all comes down to Jesus Christ, the second part of the Triune God.

Because of Jonn’s life and how he lived, because Jonn trusted in Jesus as his Lord and Savior and being empowered by the Holy Spirit, God used Jonn to touch your very own lives, so that you would come today and here the message of Salvation. God placed faith upon Jonn’s Heart, and empowered him with the Holy Spirit, which led him to be humble, serving, caring, forgiving and most of all, loving.

For those who saw Avatar in the movie theater, think of this analogy. (my wife gets credit for this illustration) If James Cameron could make special effects looked as beautiful as they did in the movie theater, imagine what our Creator, God the Father can create. Now try to understand how God used Jonn to touch everyone’s lives. Just like the comparison between the Avatar movie and the limitless capabilities of God, if you think that Jonn’s love was powerful, imagine how much more powerful God’s direct love is. God is extending to all of you right now, His unrestricted love. God wants you all to know that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, through faith in Him, your sins have been wiped clean.

Jonn was so excited to be in the AFROTC and he was eagerly waiting for his uniform. He had a very strong desire to become commissioned as an Officer in the United States Air Force and to serve his country with honor. My aunt Beverly said it best: “it is clear that Jonn had received his commission long ago, and it was given to him by the highest authority, God. Jonn's mission on earth was to be a bright and shining light. God planned that work for Jonn, and God gave Jonn the attributes needed to fulfill this commission.”

I had asked anyone who wears a uniform to wear it today. I wanted everyone to honor to Jonn and his unrelenting desire to serve this country. But in truth, you are wearing your uniforms to give praise and Glory to God, for it was God who gave Jonn his strength, his faith in Jesus Christ, and the ability to touch everyone he came across. It was God, through his commissioned officer Jonn Scott Flath who extends the gift of Faith to all who hear, to all who listen, and to all who understand.

As for me, I did not wear any vestments today. I stand here in a suit, dressed as a father, speaking as a father, and loving as a father, d,oing what God calls all parents to do. Michael Reagan said that the greatest gift his father ever gave him was that his father told him that Jesus is His lord and Savior.

I was able to share my faith with Jonn and to train Him up as scripture says. Jonn assured me that Jesus is His savior. Jonn knew without any doubt that he would go to Heaven, and what a great gift that is for me and my family to have. But the greatest gift that I have is my bragging rights. I get to brag to the world that God specifically used our son to touch each and every one of you. God chose our son to be a great beacon of light. God chose Jonn to be the seed planter so that he could produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” And guess what, you all have this opportunity to be just like Jonn. Every one of you is being called by God to do exactly what Jonn did. God is asking you to trust in Him, believe in Jesus, and to be empowered by the Holy spirit so that you can go and share His message to the world just like Jonn.

God wants us all to have the Holy Spirit living within us. God wants us all to love as Jesus loved and proclaim the truth that all of our sins have been forgiven through the sinless life of Jesus, who was crucified and died for our sins, who rose again on the third day and ascended into Heaven. God wants us to plant the seed of faith and let it produce countless crops of faith.

I have two short passages that I want to read as I conclude. And yes pastor, I am stepping in to your time so you need to think about cutting your sermon short.

This first passage is about Jesus, which Jonn firmly understood and lived: 1 Peter 1:⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Every believer knows without any doubt that Jonn is in Heaven, but for those who doubt, let me tell you this one last bit of beautiful information. When Jonn stopped running last Friday, he never once complained of any pain. He wanted to finish the run and said that he could not understand what was happening. He said that he ran every day and was bothered that he was dizzy and seeing spots after only 1 mile. Remaining calm, not expressing any fear or pain, not using any profanity or having never misused God’s name, Jonn’s last words, right before he collapsed was: “Oh God!”

1 Corinthians 6:14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

God fulfilled the Promise he made to Jonn and raised him up on Friday September 23rd, 2011. Jonn has now inherited eternal life in Heaven all because Jesus, the Messiah and Savior for all died on the cross for our sins, a rose from the dead, overcoming deaths grip on us all. A truth which Jonn held onto always. – Amen!

"And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."