.- H. L. Mencken, the agnostic editor, died an unbeliever. At his funeral, following his request, there was no song and no sermon.
During his life Mencken admitted he might be wrong in his views about God and the immortality of the soul. “But,” he explained, “if I am wrong I will square myself when confronted in the after life by the apostles with the simple apology: ‘Gentlemen, I was wrong.’”
Brothers and sisters, Mencken was wrong. Totally wrong. When he found out how wrong he was in the next life it was too late to apologize and he wanted to apologize to the wrong person. And our text deals with the judgment.