Prepare the Way

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 30th of November, 2025, and the first Sunday in Advent.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

Family, today we celebrate the start of what we consider our Christmas season.  And we’re doing so with this special worship service, for this is a very special day.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke saved for us in verses 1 through 6 of the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account of the life of Jesus - of a slightly later point in time - and I’ll be reading this from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make His paths straight.

5 Every valley shall be filled

And every mountain and hill brought low;

The crooked places shall be made straight

And the rough ways smooth;

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

--Luke 3:1-6 (NKJV)

Today is the first Sunday in Advent.  This is a crucial time for us as we await the coming of our Savior.  This marks the beginning of our watch that will end on Christmas Eve, with the birth of a precious little baby.  Our Lord Jesus entered this world as one of us, lived among us, and died as we all someday will die.  But He didn’t stay dead, for God raised Him from the dead, to sit at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  We who believe will also be raised from the dead to join them in paradise.  So our Lord’s coming is indeed crucial for us.

Another little baby was born just a few months before Jesus, born miraculously to an elderly couple, both well beyond normal child bearing days, born as a gift from God.  This was John, later known as the Baptizer, who was given the mission from God to prepare mankind for the coming of the Messiah, our Christ.  Of course, John was not chosen to announce the birth of Jesus, since he was just a baby himself at the time.  His assignment was to prepare men for the Messiah to be known, for the start of Jesus’ ministry on earth.

This is what Advent is all about, this is why we observe it: to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord.  We have the advantage over the people of Luke’s day for we know when Jesus was born, and we know why He was born.  We will celebrate His birth in just a few weeks.  But we still need to get ourselves ready for His coming.

John preached a message of repentance.  He aimed at men’s hearts with his words, as much as their minds, for our hearts can overrule our minds.  And family, it is our hearts that we must prepare.  It is our hearts we need to look into so that we can purge ourselves of our sins, turn from them, and give ourselves fully to our Lord Jesus.

During this Advent season, let us prepare the way of the Lord.  Let us repent of our sin and stay on the straight and narrow path so that we will see and enjoy the salvation of God.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the coming Messiah.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to save us from ourselves.  Guide us through this time of Advent that we may free ourselves of our grasp on the world and focus more on our coming Savior.  Please forgive us, Father, for not bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel.  Help us reach out to others sharing the truth, serving You by serving others, loving You by loving others.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus, more forgiving and merciful in our daily walk, so that we might be more righteous in Your sight.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Give Thanks

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 23rd of November, 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, the day specifically set aside in America to give thanks to God for His divine providence over these United States.  It harkens back to the harvest feast in 1621 between the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the local Native American tribe to celebrate a successful harvest following a deadly winter.  Those early Pilgrims recognized God’s hand in surviving the long, dangerous ocean voyage, a terribly harsh winter, and the help provided by the natives.  And our Founding Fathers also acknowledged God’s intervention and intercession in our achieving military victory over and gaining independence from the strongest nation at the time.

Now, as Thanksgiving Day approaches, I pray that we later Pilgrims recognize God’s hand at work in our lives.  When we do, how often, and in what manner, do we thank Him?

The Apostle Paul certainly appreciated God working in his life, and through him, in the life of the early church.  Everywhere he went, in every letter he wrote, to everyone he spoke, Paul acknowledged God’s goodness and mercy, His kindness and faithfulness.  He knew how God, through the resurrected Jesus, had turned his life around and shown him the truth.  And he shared this truth unashamedly and without hesitation.

While our bible contains so many examples of this in his letters, I’d like to share one that I think fits nicely into our Thanksgiving tradition.  Please listen and follow along as Paul gives thanks and prays for the church in Colossae, in verses 11 through 20 of the opening chapter of his Letter to the Colossians, and I’ll be reading from the New Life Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

11 I pray that God’s great power will make you strong, and that you will have joy as you wait and do not give up. 12 I pray that you will be giving thanks to the Father. He has made it so you could share the good things given to those who belong to Christ who are in the light. 13 God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.

15 Christ is as God is. God cannot be seen. Christ lived before anything was made. 16 Christ made everything in the heavens and on the earth. He made everything that is seen and things that are not seen. He made all the powers of heaven. Everything was made by Him and for Him. 17 Christ was before all things. All things are held together by Him. 18 Christ is the head of the church which is His body. He is the beginning of all things. He is the first to be raised from the dead. He is to have first place in everything. 19 God the Father was pleased to have everything made perfect by Christ, His Son. 20 Everything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace.

--Colossians 1:11-20 (NLV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for turning Paul from a persecutor of the early church into its greatest evangelist.  And thank You for all the many blessings You bestow upon us.  You give us so much that sometimes we take Your goodness for granted.  We forget what we were before Your Son came to us and changed us.  We struggle to truly show our appreciation for sending Your Son to redeem us, let alone for all the ways you bless us and bring joy into our lives.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

An old issue of the little Daily Bread tells of the Scottish minister Alexander Whyte who was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit.  He always found something for which to be grateful.  One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this."  Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

We’ve had days like that, haven’t we.  But the thing is, we couldn’t really appreciate the beautiful days if we didn’t experience lousy weather every now and then.

I see this – the mix of good days and bad days – as just another blessing from God.  The bad gives us greater appreciation for the good.  The change, knowing that bad days will eventually be followed by good ones, gives us hope and something to look forward to.

It’s the same with the changing seasons, knowing that a blustery winter will give way to a renewing spring, a sweltering summer will surrender to a cooler, crisper fall.  The changes bring joy and keep us from getting bored.  And as we always say, here in North Carolina, if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute – it will change.

As we look at those early roots of our Thanksgiving tradition, we can see the blessings that Paul describes.  God’s great power made those early Pilgrims strong enough to survive against terrible odds, and made our forefathers strong enough to face off against and defeat the greatest army.  He gave the Pilgrims joy in their first successful harvest, and He still gives us joy in our freedom to worship – or not worship - as we wish.

The Native Americans shared their knowledge and their good things with those early colonists, and our forefathers shared the Gospel, as this nation was founded by Christian men and women on Christian principles.  And God took the Pilgrims and our nation’s founders out of a life of darkness under foreign rule and into the light of Christ Jesus, whose blood made us truly free.

Christ is as God is.  He made all things – seen and unseen - and all things are held together by Him.  He is the first to be raised from the dead, showing us our own future thanks to God’s mercy and our faith.  Christ’s blood has made peace for us with God.

How can we not be thankful?  How can we not be filled with joy?  Paul might have thought of asking those questions when he wrote to the church in Thessalonica.  In verses 16 through 18 of the 5th chapter of his 1st Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul encourages us to…

16 Be full of joy all the time. 17 Never stop praying. 18 In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus.

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLV)

Be joyful for all that God has done for us.  Never stop praying, give thanks in everything, no matter what we’re going through.  This is what God wants of us, we who recognize all that He and Jesus have done.

You’ve heard me say before that we’re just not completely sure who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews.  For the longest time, it was firmly believed that Paul was the author.  But further scrutiny in later years seems to indicate that it just doesn’t sound like Paul, it doesn’t seem to fit neatly with all the letters we know he wrote or dictated.

Of course, there are many parts that do fit, that do sound like what Paul would have written.  For instance, in verses 15 and 16 of the 13th chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews, we are exhorted with the words…

15 Let us give thanks all the time to God through Jesus Christ. Our gift to Him is to give thanks. Our lips should always give thanks to His name. 16 Remember to do good and help each other. Gifts like this please God.

--Hebrews 13:15-16 (NLV)

Give thanks to God all the time!  Always give thanks, in all situations, in everything, as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.  Now that doesn’t mean we should thank God for the bad stuff that happens, but that we find something good and thanks-worthy even in the bad times.

And here’s the kicker: this is our gift to God.  Did you ever wonder how you can give God something in return for all He’s given you?  Well, there it is:  simply thank Him.  Count your many blessings.  Name them one by one.  And thank Him for each and every one.

And remember that particular instruction to always give thanks.  Not just one day a year, but always!  And don’t just give thanks for the meal or the day off, if you’re fortunate enough to get one, but for all His many blessings over your life.  Give thanks, for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

In the beautiful name of Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for everything - for literally everything.  You created everything there is; we would have nothing without Your goodness and generosity.  We in this house acknowledge Your hand at work and we thank You.  We love You and trust You, Father.  But sometimes we just take everything You do for us for granted.  We know that it pleases You when we stop long enough to say “Thanks”, and now we know that You see our thanks giving as a gift.  Please help us give thanks in all things, dear God, and every day, not just once a year.  And Father, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You are God, and we owe You more than we can ever give thanks for.  Thank You, Lord, for coming to us when we were lost, to show us the way.  Thank You for leading us out of the darkness into the light.  Thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  May those simple words – Thank You – convey our love and our true appreciation.  Please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  Help us give thanks in all things at all times.  And please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Are We There Yet?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 16th of November, 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

There is a phrase that is so popular and used in so many ways that no one has any idea when or where it originated.  You’ve heard it in movies and in TV shows and probably from the back seat of your own car.  “Are we there yet?”  I remember one particularly annoying movie or TV scene where the kid just keeps repeating over and over, “Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?”  We adults are more likely to say it in a slightly different way, “Aren’t we there yet?!!?”  Either way, it’s an easily recognizable sign of impatience, of being past ready of getting to wherever we’re going.

Now, while this phrase normally applies to road trips, whether going to Grandma’s house or the beach, I think it might also fit right into the Advent season, which we are about to enter.

The word “advent” loosely means “coming”, and is often used to indicate waiting for the arrival of something, or someone.  In the Advent season, we are awaiting the birth of our Lord Jesus, His coming into the world.

Of course, that can also apply to His second coming.  While the birth of Jesus is incredibly important to us, our Bible gives far greater emphasis to His future and imminent return.  Some sources mention that there are over 1800 references to the second coming compared to just a handful of specific verses detailing Jesus’ birth.

So if we ask, “Are we there yet?”, we may be anxiously awaiting Christmas day, or we may be looking forward to the day Jesus returns to set all things right.  As for the first… well, just wait a bit longer – it’s only a few weeks away.  As for the second, the Apostle Paul tells us it's not quite yet time.  Please listen and follow along as Paul gives us and the church in Thessalonica a little better idea of what to expect, from the 2nd chapter of his 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 When our Lord Jesus returns, we will be gathered up to meet Him. So I ask you, my friends, 2 not to be easily upset or disturbed by people who claim the Lord has already come. They may say they heard this directly from the Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that they read it in one of our letters. 3 But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear. 4 He will brag and oppose everything holy or sacred. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God. 5 Don't you remember I told you this while I was still with you?

6 You already know what is holding this wicked one back until it is time for him to come. 7 His mysterious power is already at work, but someone is holding him back. And the wicked one won't appear until this someone steps out of the way. 8 Then he will appear, but the Lord Jesus will kill him simply by breathing on him. He will be completely destroyed by the Lord's glorious return.

9 When the wicked one appears, Satan will pretend to work all kinds of miracles, wonders, and signs. 10 Lost people will be fooled by his evil deeds. They could be saved, but they will refuse to love the truth and accept it. 11 So God will make sure they are fooled into believing a lie. 12 All of them will be punished, because they would rather do evil than believe the truth.

13 My friends, the Lord loves you, and it is only natural for us to thank God for you. From the beginning God chose you to be saved. His Spirit made you holy, and you put your faith in the truth. 14 God used our preaching as His way of inviting you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 My friends, this is why you must remain faithful and follow closely what we taught you in person and by our letters.

16 God our Father loves us. He treats us with undeserved grace and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father 17 will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.

--2 Thessalonians 2 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for making and executing a plan for all of mankind and for the world itself.  Jesus came to us to atone for our sin and offer us salvation, all according to Your plan.  If we could see more of Your plan, maybe we would be more obedient to Your word.  But then we wouldn’t need faith.  So we struggle through this life relying on our faith and trusting in You.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

I believe I've used this little report before, but it serves as a testament to what Paul just told us, that the signs Paul disclosed have not yet been seen.  This comes from a 1991 issue of the magazine Today in the Word:

After 14 years of studying the Bible, William Miller became convinced that Christ would return in 1843.  When Miller announced April 3 as the day, some disciples went to mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven.  Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed loved ones.  Philadelphia society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God's kingdom amid the common herd.  When April 4 dawned as usual the Millerites were disillusioned, but they took heart.  Their leader had predicted a range of dates for Christ's return.  They still had until March 21, 1844.  The devout continued to make ready, but again they were disappointed.  A third date - October 22, 1844 - was set, but it also passed without incident.

The people were fooled.  They either didn’t know or didn’t believe it that no one is able to determine the exact date and time of our Lord's return to earth.  There will be some, though, that will still try to predict when it will happen, and many people - even believers - will be led to believe them.

Jesus warned us about this.  He had been trying to explain to His disciples that He would soon leave them and go back to the Father, but that one day He would return.  They asked Him, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”  The Apostle Matthew recorded our Lord’s response, in the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 4 through 8 and 36 through 39…

4 Jesus answered:

"Don't let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be Me. They will say they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

6 "You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

36 “No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son Himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows. 37 When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 38 People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. 39 They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. This is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.”

--Matthew 24:4-8, 36-39 (CEV)

Don't be misled by anyone who would claim or predict the day and time when Jesus will return.  Only our Father God knows when He will send His Son back to earth, to take His "bride" - the church - to the home He has prepared for her.

Yes, there are signs we can watch for that will herald the second coming.  And yes, some of those signs have already occurred.  We’ve definitely heard about, and experienced, wars and threats of wars.  Nations and kings have gone to war against each other pretty much as long as there have been nations and kings, but the end has not yet come.  People have indeed starved to death, and earthquakes shake the world up quite frequently, but this is only the beginning of troubles.  Some of the Old Testament prophets even give indicators of the impending end to watch for.  But I think we can all agree that Jesus hasn’t come back yet.

So let’s look again at what Paul shared with us.  Bad people will try to fool us, even tell us Jesus has already come and we missed it.  Don’t believe them.  We can read in Revelation that every eye will see Him when Jesus returns, riding in on the clouds.  I promise you: we won’t miss it.

But Paul gives us the one sure sign, the one that will clearly denote the end is at hand.  In verses 3 and 4 of our scripture reading, Paul assures us that, “Before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear.  He will brag and oppose everything holy or sacred.  He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God.”

The “wicked one” Paul warns of is Satan’s chief agent that we know as the Antichrist.  When he makes his public appearance, when he stands in the Temple and claims to be God, then God will send Jesus back to us.

For now, though, the wicked one is being held back, not allowed to show himself to the world.  He’s already at work, fomenting those wars and starvations Jesus spoke of.  Only the Christ has the power to hold the Antichrist back until God says to let him go.  So yes, although a lot of the foretold signs have been seen, this last and most easily discernable indicator has yet to occur.

We're not quite there yet, although it sure seems we're getting close.  But not all of the signs have been fulfilled.  Jesus is still holding the Antichrist back.  Until he makes his public debut and claims to be God, we will still have to wait, and pray.

And only God knows when that will be.  But we need to be ready when He does come.  Like the servants of the master who went off to a wedding feast, we need to keep working at the task we’ve been assigned until our Master returns.  We need to keep sharing the Gospel, the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus.  We need to keep making disciples.  We need to keep trying to save the lost, rescue the perishing, offering the hand of Jesus’ love.  We need to be doing what Jesus told us to do when He returns, because we don’t know when that will be.

So let’s get out there and help the lost be found.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for keeping so much of Your plan hidden from our view so we can show our love and devotion to You by living our faith.  We fully trust that You are working all things to our good, even when we can’t even begin to understand why some things happen.  We trust You, Father, and trust in Your great faithfulness.  But sometimes we just can’t help but wonder about and even question what You allow, why You let Satan run rampant through our world, our lives.  We know this is part of our sinful nature, and we know it displeases and disappoints You, Father.  We really do want to live and act more righteously.  Please help us in this, Father.  And especially, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, for now You are holding back the Antichrist, and the day of Your return.  Thank You, Lord, for keeping the wicked one at bay, even though Satan is wreaking havoc around us.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  We just ask that you please help us get out there and be working Your assignment while You are away.  And please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  We don’t want to disappoint You and our Father God any more.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Come Out of That Tree

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 9th of November, 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

Last week we looked at the time when Peter walked on water, at least momentarily.  He effectively challenged Jesus to call him out of the boat and walk over the surface of the sea, just to prove that it really was Jesus calling him.  And Jesus did just that.  So Peter climbed right out of that boat and began walking on the water to Jesus.  But he was quickly distracted by the wind and waves and began to sink, only to be saved from certain drowning by the hand of Jesus.

Now, I believe it’s safe to say that Peter never had any idea that he could walk on the surface of the sea before this event.  And I bet none of us think we can do that either.  But we’ll never know if we don’t try, and if we don’t fully trust in and focus on our Lord Jesus.  If He ever does call us out of the boat, we need to climb out and start walking.

Today I want to follow up on this idea of Jesus calling us out of where we are.  Now we know that Jesus spent the vast majority of His time with common folk, and especially with those that were the worst of sinners.  (Yes, we know that we are all sinners, and that God doesn’t see any one sin as worse or less than another, but back then, and still today, some people considered some sins to be far, far worse than “normal” sins.)  Tax collectors, prostitutes, and of course the Romans, were considered the worst of the worst of sinners.  Jesus even had one of these “worst of sinners” as a disciple and apostle: Matthew, the former tax collector.  But there was another tax collector who enjoyed Jesus’ compassion and grace.

Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Luke relates the story of Zacchaeus, from the first 10 verses of the 19th chapter of his Gospel account, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made His way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” He said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

--Luke 19:1-10 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to seek out and save the lost.    Thank You for giving us the faith to believe in and follow Jesus.  And thank You for calling us Your children because of our belief.  Father, we know we don’t always do what is right in Your eyes and it disappoints You.  We’d much rather stay in our own little comfort zone than to get out and do the work You and Jesus have for us.  Please forgive us those times and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Zacchaeus must have been quite good at his job, for our scripture noted that he was the chief tax collector in the region of Jericho.  Not only that, he had become very rich at it.  His position in the hierarchy was likely pretty secure.

Bits & Pieces magazine once published this little quip:  A manager and a sales rep stood looking at a map on which colored pins indicated the company representative in each area. "I'm not going to fire you, Wilson," the manager said, "but I'm loosening your pin a bit just to emphasize the insecurity of your situation."

I don't know about you, but I sure don't want God loosening my pin even a little bit!  As His Son’s representative, I want my situation to be secure.  There are times, of course, when other people are blocking our sight and we can’t see what’s important.  We may have to go higher for a better view.  But if Jesus calls us down with a task to do for Him, we need to immediately get down and to it, like Zacchaeus did.

Now, some may say, “I’m saved.  I know I’m saved by my faith.  So why do I need to do anything else for my salvation?  I’m nice and safe in this boat, I’m comfy in this tree.  Why would Jesus even ask me to do anything else, even if I felt like I could?”

I think the half-brother of Jesus can answer this.  Please hear the argument James makes in the 2nd chapter of his letter to the early church, verses 17 through 19…

17 Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

--James 2:17b-19 (NLT)

I love that last part – even the demons know and believe that there is only one God, yet they are certainly not saved.  Maintaining our faith requires more than that.  Listening to James, we can see that our faith drives our call to action.  We are driven to do good because of our faith.  Our action for Jesus, our good deeds, are the external indication of our internal faith.  Much like our baptism is the outward sign of our inward commitment to Jesus.

And make no mistake, Jesus calls us to action, to climb out of the boat, to come out of that tree.  He always has a task for someone, or some ones.  For instance, after sending the 12 disciples out as apostles into the villages and towns He intended to visit soon, Jesus sent 72 more disciples out on the same mission.  Here is how Luke reported this in the first 3 verses of the 10th chapter of his Gospel account…

1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves."

--Luke 10:1-3 (NLT)

This is pretty much the forerunner of our command to go into the world making disciples.  We are to be some of those workers bringing in the harvest.  Going out as lambs among wolves, we are to be humble, compassionate, and kind, even if the wolves try to tear us apart.  We are not to react “in kind” when evil strikes.

Family, we can do nothing if we don’t try.  Jesus is calling us to come out of that tree, for He has something for us to do.  He is calling us out of our comfort zone and into a new and different course in our life.  He is calling us to serve Him, with all our heart and all our souls and all our mind.  And if we love Him, we will willingly do as He commands.

So come out of that tree, and get to work.  Make a difference in the world, even if it's only for one person.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for inspiring Your Son’s disciples and apostles to record at least some of the things that Jesus said and did.  Through their letters and Gospel accounts, we can not only come to know Jesus better, but we also gain greater clarity in how He wants us to serve Him.  Sadly, though, we’re not always very willing to do what He commands.  Fear often stops us, the fear of how others will react, the fear of not knowing what to do, the fear of failure.  We confess our failure, Father, and seek Your help toward better servitude.  Please encourage us and help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You gave us a very few straightforward commands.  We are to love others as You love us, and we are to go out and make more disciples by telling others the things You did and said.  If we truly love others, we will want them to be saved from eternal damnation, just like You wanted us to be saved.  And that means we will reach out to them, sharing the Gospel message at every opportunity.  Thank You, Lord, for keeping it that simple.  But Lord, it’s just not all that easy for us.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us, but we’re either too afraid to approach other people, especially complete strangers, or we’re just too comfortable in our life as it stands, too comfortable in the status quo.  Please forgive us when we hesitate to do what we know You want us to do.  We don’t want to disappoint You and our Father God any more.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Get Out of the Boat

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 2nd of November, 2025.  This service is the second of our hybrid series - part traditional and part modern.  If all went well, a recording of the service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

In our responsive reading a few minutes ago, I said, “There is no limit to what the Lord is able to do when we leave the results to Him.”  Our bible is full of miraculous feats Jesus performed.  The four Gospel writers recorded many, but certainly not all of them.  The Apostle John admits to this, when he ends his account by saying, “there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written”.  But the key is, we have to leave the results to Jesus.  Of course, leaving the results to Him implies that we must set things in motion first.

Let’s look at a few of those miracles.  When Jesus heard that His kinsman John, the Baptizer, had been beheaded, He went off by Himself to a deserted place.  But the multitudes soon found Him, and He was moved with compassion for them.  Note that the people set things in motion by seeking out Jesus, even if He was trying to get away for some grieving time.  He was moved with compassion and healed their sick.  And then as evening fell, he fed them all from just five loaves of bread and two small fish.

That should sound familiar.  We call it the feeding of the five thousand, along with probably an equal number of women and children.  And then...  Well, let the Apostle Matthew pick up the story from there, as recorded in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 22 through 33, and as read from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible...

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

--Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, You are so very good to us and we thank You for all Your many blessings, and especially for our bible and everything in it that tells us about Your Son Jesus and all the marvelous things He did while He walked this earth.  Father, too often our faith falters and we feel ourselves sinking.  So we plead for Your continued blessings, knowing we cannot get through another day without You.  Please help us ignore and avoid all the ways of the world that try to pull us under.  Help us return hatred with love, violence with prayer and forgiveness.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus as we walk through this life.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us.  Tell each of us what we need to hear.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

By the time of the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples had seen Jesus perform around two dozen or more acts and signs that no normal human could ever do, including raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead.  So why were they so shocked that He could walk on water?

Let’s set the stage.  It was dark now, and a storm was kicking up the sea.  The boat was being tossed by the waves and there was probably lightening flashing in the sky.  I mean, there had to have been some light source, either the moon or lightening, or they wouldn’t have seen Jesus walking on the sea.  So in the dim, possibly flickering light, they spot this impossible thing on top of the water coming right at them.  “It’s a ghost!”, they cried out.  But Jesus assured them that it was just Him, coming to join them – no need to fear.

Now maybe Peter wasn’t completely sure it truly was Jesus, so he challenged the figure by calling out, “Lord, if it’s really You, command me to come to You on the water.”  So Jesus did, and Peter did.  He climbed right out of that boat and began walking to Jesus, walking on the surface of the sea.  But all too soon the wind and the waves caught his attention, pulling his focus from Jesus, and he began to sink beneath the waves.  Fortunately for Peter, Jesus was there to save him.  Oh, and Jesus calmed the storm, too.

So what went wrong?  Peter set things in motion by climbing out of the rocking boat and onto the stormy sea.  But he took his eyes off of Jesus.  He let himself get distracted and did not leave the results to the Lord.

Who among us here today would even be willing to try?  How far do we trust Jesus?  Just as He called Peter to come to Him over the sea, He calls us to go out and make disciples for Him.  What distracts us from doing that?  What causes us to sink?  Are we even willing to climb out of the boat?

Toward the end of their last supper together on this earth, Jesus is trying to prepare His disciples for their life, and their role, without Him.  Listen to how the Apostle John recorded our Lord’s words in verses 10 through 15 of the 14th chapter of his Gospel account…

10b “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

--John 14:10b-15 (NKJV)

“If you love Me, do what I have called you to do, and if you need My help, ask in My name and I will help you.”  Do we love Jesus?  Do we trust in His promise to help us?

Family, we can’t do a thing if we don’t try, and certainly not great things like Jesus said we could.  We’ll never know if we can walk on water or not if we aren’t willing to get out of the boat.  We’ve got to take that leap of faith and climb out of our comfort zone, ask Jesus for help and support, and get out there sharing His love and the Gospel message.

But if we do finally step onto the raging sea, we must remember to keep our eyes, our focus, on Jesus.  Don’t look down.  Always look up - look up to Jesus.

In the blessed name of our Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, Your love is shown in the faith You have given us, the faith to believe in and follow Your Son Jesus.  Non-believers jeer and scoff at our faith, and seem to hate us for it.  Christians the world over face persecution, even here in the United States to an increasing degree, just because of our faith.  So Father, sometimes we are hesitant to share our faith in public.  Please forgive us, Father.  We thank You for this faith.  Please embolden us to put all our trust in You.  Please help us get out of the boat and be more open with our faith, more trusting that our service in Your name will work to our good.  Boost our trust and call us to walk on water.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for calling us to Your service.  And thank You for promising to always be with us, to help us when we begin to sink.  We trust in Your promise, Lord, still we worry about our safety and the safety of our loved ones if we let our faith be seen in public, for the world has become a dangerous place for believers.  But we can take heart from those who are now being more open in showing their faith, daring Satan and his minions to stifle their voices.  Please help us, Lord Jesus, to become one of them.  And forgive us when we struggle to love others like You want us to.  We know it disappoints You when we let our fear keep us from approaching others and showing Your love as we walk through each day.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, sharing Your love as we go.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Do You Want a Revival?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 19th of October, 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

Family, does it seem like respect for the law of the land has dramatically lessened over the last decade?  It’s just crazy how much real lawlessness we see everywhere these days.  Protests often morph into criminal acts.  Robberies, thefts, recklessness on our highways, absolutely senseless shootings and stabbings, street takeovers, and the list goes on and on.

Laws are enacted by our elected representatives to preserve society, so that we can all live together.  Laws enforcement is an attempt to keep us civil with each other, to at least try to make life peaceful for us.  Without laws, society quickly devolves into chaos, and we’re seeing more and more of that.  Most of our laws derive from the Ten Commandments, such as don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t lie.  As more and more people rebel against God’s sovereignty, our society cracks and splinters.

Now the law attempts to keep us doing the right thing by telling us what is wrong.  And this is how God’s law works, too.  His law was given to us so that we would know and understand sin.  If there were no law, we wouldn’t know what actions are sinful, we wouldn’t know when we’re disobeying our God, condemning ourselves in the process.  Satan works to discredit and do away with the law.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome in which he gives us a little more insight into how God’s law and sin are related, and how the law and faith work together to salvation.  Please listen and follow along as Paul shares this piece of wisdom from God in the 3rd chapter of his Letter to the Romans, in verses 19 through 31, and I’ll be reading from The Living Bible version of our Holy Bible this morning…

19 So the judgment of God lies very heavily upon the Jews, for they are responsible to keep God’s laws instead of doing all these evil things; not one of them has any excuse; in fact, all the world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God.

20 Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying them; His laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.

21-22 But now God has shown us a different way to heaven — not by “being good enough” and trying to keep His laws, but by a new way (though not new, really, for the Scriptures told about it long ago). Now God says He will accept and acquit us — declare us “not guilty” — if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like. 23 Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; 24 yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending Him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in His kindness freely takes away our sins.

25 For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God’s anger against us. He used Christ’s blood and our faith as the means of saving us from His wrath. In this way He was being entirely fair, even though He did not punish those who sinned in former times. For He was looking forward to the time when Christ would come and take away those sins. 26 And now in these days also He can receive sinners in this same way because Jesus took away their sins.

But isn’t this unfair for God to let criminals go free, and say that they are innocent? No, for He does it on the basis of their trust in Jesus who took away their sins.

27 Then what can we boast about doing to earn our salvation? Nothing at all. Why? Because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds; it is based on what Christ has done and our faith in Him. 28 So it is that we are saved by faith in Christ and not by the good things we do.

29 And does God save only the Jews in this way? No, the Gentiles, too, may come to Him in this same manner. 30 God treats us all the same; all, whether Jews or Gentiles, are acquitted if they have faith. 31 Well then, if we are saved by faith, does this mean that we no longer need obey God’s laws? Just the opposite! In fact, only when we trust Jesus can we truly obey Him.

--Romans 3:19-31 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to work on the heart of Saul and turn him into the great evangelist, church planter, and writer for Your Son Jesus.  His letters to the early church are invaluable to Christians today.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us remember what Paul told us and put all our trust in You and Jesus.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Family, do you want a revival?  The church continues to see declining attendance, even as so many people still call themselves Christians.  There have been moments in fairly recent years when the church has experienced mini-revivals, short-lived revivals, such as immediately after 9-11.  There’s also been an up-tick in witnessing and professing faith following the killing of conservative Christian Charlie Kirk, but it hasn’t been widespread.  But folks, we need a good solid revival that will take root and hold for the next hundred years.  Where’s the next Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday, or Billy Graham?

You may be wondering what our scripture reading this morning has to do with revival.  Well, everything, I think.  Paul tells us that recognition of our sin is critical to us.  And folks, recognition – and acknowledgment - of our sin is a crucial component of revival.  James Packer, in his book Your Father Loves You, writes, “Revival is the visitation of God which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping and restores a deep sense of God's near presence and holiness. Thence springs a vivid sense of sin and a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love, with an evangelistic outflow.”

Packer goes on to say that all revivals have similar phases.  First, God comes upon us, His presence is felt, bringing an overwhelming sense of one’s own sins and sinfulness.  Second, the Gospel - the Good News of salvation through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus – is loved as never before.  Next, repentance deepens, an acknowledgement of and turning away from sin.  And finally, the Holy Spirit works, and works fast, as godliness multiplies, Christians mature, and converts appear, leaving the church stronger.

Now, a lot of people don’t want to think that they’ve sinned, and certainly don’t want to be told they sinned.  Satan has convinced some that there is no sin, or at least they’ve never been guilty of sinning.  But family, it’s not our job to go around telling people they sin, or pointing out their sin to them.  Our task is to love them and tell them about Jesus, and if they’ll listen, we can help them come to Jesus.

So what can we, as believers, do to help save our people, our nation?  Hear what the priest Ezra wrote in his 2nd Book of the Chronicles, chapter 7, verses 13 through 15 …

13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust swarms to eat up all of your crops, or if I send an epidemic among you, 14 then if My people will humble themselves and pray, and search for Me, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land. 15 I will listen, wide awake, to every prayer made in this place.

--2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (TLB)

“This place” mentioned there at the end, when God promises He will listen to every prayer made in this place”, this is God’s temple, which is now our heart.  God will listen to every prayer made from and in our hearts.  Prayer is our greatest and best tool to fuel a renewed love and following of our Lord.  In the 85th Psalm, verses 4 through 7, the sons of Korah confirm this when they pray…

4 Now bring us back to loving You, O Lord, so that Your anger will never need rise against us again. 5 (Or will You be always angry — on and on to distant generations?) 6 Oh, revive us! Then Your people can rejoice in You again. 7 Pour out Your love and kindness on us, Lord, and grant us Your salvation.

--Psalm 85:4-7 (TLB)

Pray for revival!  Pray that all people will love the Lord Jesus!  Pray, and God will listen.

Do you want a revival?  I think we need one, but it won’t be easy, getting a great revival going.  It won’t be easy, because it has to begin right here, here in Pilgrim Church, here in each of our hearts.  Each one of us needs to revive our faith.  We need to remember why we’re here, what we’re about, who we owe a debt to that we can never repay.  We need to recognize and admit that we are sinful, and then turn completely from our sinful ways.

It won’t be easy to start a revival because it has to start right here within each one of us, and it will hurt.  I am not looking forward to the day when I will stand before Jesus and listen as He tells me all the things I’ve done wrong, all the ways I’ve disappointed Him, hurt Him.  But I know that then He will say, “I shed my blood to wash You clean; your sins are forgiven.”

Family, I am calling us to revival.  Revival itself can be considered a call to Christians to awaken from their slumbers and take up their cross once again.  Let us serve Jesus, witness for Him, get our people back to Him, starting right here in Pilgrim.  Rather than worrying about empty pews, get on the phone, call your relatives and friends, and invite them to come and worship our Lord with us, encouraging and supporting and loving each other with us.  If we want a revival, it must begin with you and me.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for giving us Your law so we can know what sin is.  Through Your law we know what goes against Your will, what displeases You, and the ways we might condemn ourselves.  Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to wash us clean of our sin, but Father, we need Your help to stay clean.  We confess our sinful nature, Father, and long to be revived in our love for You and our service for Jesus.  Please, Father, send a revival, and let it begin right here within each of us.  Please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You shed Your own precious blood to wash us clean of our sin, and we are forgiven.  Thank You, Lord, for giving of Yourself for us.  Please help us give more of ourselves for You.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  We just ask that you please renew our hearts for greater service to You.  Revive our love for You and our fellow man.  And please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  We don’t want to disappoint You and our Father God any more.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Living In Fear

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 12th of October, 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

Family, there’s a lot of scary stuff going on in the world these days.  You can’t turn on the TV or read the news without seeing a report of another shooting or someone being attacked or a hit and run incident.  If it holds, there may finally be a bit of peace in the Middle East, but history teaches it probably won’t last very long.  Something many of us never expected: law enforcement officers are under attack in a number of our larger cities, and National Guard troops are patrolling the streets.

Violent crime is becoming a norm because of a blatant disregard for human life.  Respect for person and property is at a low.  We can’t even have courteous discourse any more.  Disagreements quickly turn violent and someone gets hurt, or worse.

Many people are now afraid to even leave their homes.  Of course, their homes may no longer be safe, what with all the home invasions we hear of.  And we don’t have to go overseas or even to Charlotte to experience some of this mess.  It’s going on all around us.  So yeah, we have pretty good reason to be scared.

So did the Apostle Paul.  During his service to our Lord, he experienced shipwrecks, suffered many beatings, was bitten by a poisonous snake, faced angry crowds many times, and was often thrown into jail.

This morning, I’d like to look at the point when he was imprisoned in Rome for the second time.  He likely felt his days coming to a close, so he wanted to write to his protégé Timothy one last time.  He may have intended this as a "farewell" letter to his young friend who was leading the church in Ephesus.  He wanted to urge Timothy to stand strong in his faith and his service, reminding him not to give in to fear of anything man can do to him.

Please listen and follow along to the opening 14 verses of Paul’s 2nd and final letter to Timothy, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life He has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 I am writing to Timothy, my dear son.

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

3 Timothy, I thank God for you — the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.

5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time — to show us His grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now He has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. 11 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.

12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until the day of His return.

13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me — a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. 14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

--2 Timothy 1:1-14 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, You watched over Paul the entire time he served Your Son Jesus.  You did not spare him any of the suffering or pain, in much the same way You did not stop the suffering Jesus endured.  But You did ensure he would be able to finish the task assigned him of spreading the Gospel message among the Gentiles.  Yet with all he went through, Paul was never afraid, for he knew that the world could not take away what was truly important, and that was his eternal soul.  Father, we need You to help us remember how Paul reacted to all the chaos going on around him.  We need to adopt his mindset and attitude.  We need to put all our trust in You and not worry about what the world and other people may do to us.  Please, Father, help us set aside our fears and go about the work Jesus assigned us, just like Paul did.  Please forgive us our failures and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more open and caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find 

salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, our worship, and our service.  And please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Fear can be paralyzing.  And folks can be terrified of so many different things.  In his book, Nothing to Fear, author Fraser Kent lists just a few.  I’ll probably mangle the pronunciations, but here goes:

Peladophobia: fear of baldness and bald people. Aerophobia: fear of drafts. Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple. Chaetophobia: fear of hairy people. Levophobia: fear of objects on the left side of the body. Dextrophobia: fear of objects on the right side of the body. Auroraphobia: fear of the northern lights. Calyprophobia: fear of obscure meanings. Thalassophobia: fear of being seated. Stabisbasiphobia: fear of standing and walking. Odontophobia: fear of teeth. Graphophobia: fear of writing in public. Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.

Personally, I have a dread, irrational fear of snakes - any snake, all snakes - but I don't let it keep me from going out in places snakes might be.  I try to practice the suggestion Robert Louis Stevenson gave when he said, "Keep your fears to yourself; share your courage with others."

So we can try our best to emulate Paul and not be afraid of a world gone mad.  But that doesn’t mean we can ignore the madness and take unnecessary risks.  We certainly shouldn’t step out into heavy traffic without looking for a safe time to cross the street.  And we know there are places we should avoid if at all possible, even in broad daylight.

We have to realize that if Paul suffered, if Jesus suffered, we certainly aren’t immune to the physical and emotional pain the world can inflict.  We must remember that Jesus promised that in this world we will have tribulations, but we can be of good cheer for He has conquered the world.  And Paul tells us that our suffering in this life cannot compare to the glory we will know when our next life begins.  Jesus has conquered the world and we will share in that victory at our last.

But we do have to get through this life, this world, first.  And while God is Sovereign over all of His creation, He has put our greatest enemy in control over the world and evil is all around us.  The Apostle John reminds us of this in his 1st letter to the early church, chapter 5, verse 19, when he writes…

19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

--1 John 5:19 (NLT)

And evil has been among us since the very beginning, as noted by Moses in the 6th chapter of his Book of the Genesis, the last part of verse 9 and verse 11 through the first part of verse 13…

9b Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.  11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence."

--Genesis 6:9b, 11-13a (NLT)

Makes me wonder how much more we’ll have to endure before the earth has again been completely filled with violence.  And yes, we do have to endure the evil of the world, even as we try to stand against it.  But Jesus tells us that we must not respond to evil with evil, to not react in kind.  The Apostle Matthew recorded this instruction from our Lord in the 5th chapter of his Gospel account, in verses 38 through 40, as Jesus addressed the multitude during His Sermon on the Mount…

38 "You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too."

--Matthew 5:38-40 (NLT)

Too often we see where people respond to violence by being violent in turn.  It’s a natural reaction – we want to defend ourselves.  We feel there’s no other choice but to fight back.  Anger fuels anger.  And violence can set our fear on fire, kicking in our need to defend ourselves.

Jesus says turn the other cheek.  Don’t return anger with anger, violence with violence.  Don’t let fear trigger a violent reaction of our own.

Family, in all these years of human existence, little has changed in the collective heart of man.  The wicked strut all around us, not caring a bit how blatant their lies are.  They spread false rumors and made-up claims just to cause trouble and strife.

This is not a political issue.  It's not left versus right.  It's not conservative versus liberal.  It's evil against good.  The church still stands as the bulwark against evil, just as Jesus promised.  We, His church, will endure and withstand.

So let’s ignore our fear.  Let’s keep doing the work Jesus assigned us, trying to save the non-believers from the horrible fate that awaits them, sharing the Gospel with anyone who will listen.  For this is God’s will for us, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for giving us chance after chance to do the right thing as we walk this earth.  Thank You for Your patient mercy.  We know we can put all our trust in You, Father, but too often we let our fear overrule our faith.  Too often we walk in fear, we live in fear.  Please help us remember that this life is short and once we are through it, we will dwell in paradise with You.  So we don’t need to worry about what the world, other people, or even Satan might do to us as long as we remain faithful to our Lord Jesus.  We try to not live in fear, but it’s hard not to.  We need Your help, Father.  Please keep reminding us of our future life with You, which far outweighs any suffering we may experience in this life.  And please help us reach out to others and share with them all You teach and show us through Your word. 

Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith, trying to make us his own.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what comes our way.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for standing with us in this world gone mad.  Even as we worry about our safety and the safety of our loved ones, we know that while the world may take our mortal life from us, our eternal life is secured by our faith in You.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  We just ask that you please keep blessing us, keep helping us through these crazy times.  And please forgive us, Lord, when we struggle to love others like You want us to.  We know it disappoints You when we let our fear keep us from approaching others and showing Your love as we walk through each day.  Please help us be more like You in how we live and behave.  Help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.  Give us the words to say, show us the deeds to do to lead the lost to You.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Here We Are to Worship

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 5th of October, 2025.  This service is the first of our hybrid series - part traditional and part modern.  In this service, held on World Communion Sunday, we also participated in Holy Communion with our Lord Jesus.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

Jesus passed a loaf of bread and a cup of wine around His twelve disciples and commanded them, and us, to eat and drink in remembrance of Him.  The bread is His body, broken for our sake – Jesus taking our punishment upon Himself.  The cup is the new covenant God made with us, sealed by the blood of Jesus, the Spotless Lamb whose blood washes us clean of our sin.  When we share the bread and the cup in remembrance of Jesus, we worship our God for His grace and mercy.  That is why we are here this morning, to worship our loving, gracious, merciful God.

We all know about the meeting and conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Sychar.  Jesus asked for a drink of water and she scoffed at Him, for a Jew would never even talk to a Samaritan woman, let alone drink from her cup.  So Jesus told her a little about her life, things He had no way of knowing, and she began to believe.

Please listen as the Apostle John picks up the story from there, as recorded in the 4th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 19 through 26, and as read from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible…

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you all say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 Yet the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

--John 4:19-26 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, You are so very good to us and we thank You for all Your many blessings, including the blessing of our bible and everything in it that tells us about Your Son Jesus and Your great kingdom.  Father, even though we are disobedient children, prone to stumble and stray from the path of righteousness, we still plead for Your continued blessings, for we know we cannot get through another day without You.  Please help us ignore and avoid all the ways of the world that try to pull us away from You.  Help us return hatred with love, violence with prayer and forgiveness.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus as we walk through this life.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us.  Tell each of us what we need to hear.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Pastor Rick Warren wrote a book titled The Purpose Driven Life, and A. W. Tozer titled one of his books, The Purpose of Man: Designed to Worship.  Both books answered the age-old question:  “Why am I here?”

Why are we here?  Why are we here on this earth?

I imagine each of us has posed that rhetorical question ourselves at one time or another, or had it asked of us.  Warren and Tozer both say that we are here, at this place in this time, to worship and serve God.  But then the world forces its way in and pushes all that aside.  And, at best, we’re left with an hour or two on Sunday mornings.  So each Sunday morning I open our service with a call to worship: “Come, let us worship our Father God”.

That is why we should be here, each one of us, to worship God and for no other reason.  There should be no personal agenda involved, nothing that would dilute just spending a little time with God, in the presence of His Son.  We’re not here to show off, or just to see our friends.  We’re certainly not here to be mindlessly entertained.  We are here to worship God, in words, in songs, in giving, in prayer.  In all things and all ways, let us worship our God, for He is an awesome God.

Now, someone may ask how do I worship?  What is involved with worship?  Am I doing it right by being here, by sitting here, by listening and maybe trying to sing a little, or at least speak the words?  Well… maybe; it really kind of depends.

Remember what Jesus told the Samaritan woman?  The time is now here when true worshippers will worship our Father God in spirit and truth.  Whether our worship is true depends on what is in our hearts, in our spirit.  It gets back to that question of why are we here.  And that word “here” can apply to here on earth as well as here in this building at this very time.  We are here – on earth and in this service – to worship God with all our heart and for no other reason than to be with Him and give Him all the glory and praise.

And looking at the question of are we doing it right, in a righteous way, we need to realize that there are many ways to worship in a manner pleasing to God.  Let me give you an example that some might not consider a form of worship.  Immediately after concluding His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was confronted by an outcast with a highly contagious disease.  Listen to how the Apostle Matthew relates this brief encounter as recorded in the first 3 verses of the 8th chapter of his Gospel account…

1 When He came down from the mountains, large crowds followed Him. 2 And then a leper came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I will. Be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

--Matthew 8:1-3 (MEV)

The leper came and worshipped Jesus.  How?  How did the leper worship Jesus?

We aren’t told much about the scene, but we can imagine that he stopped the distance away from our Lord that the Jewish law required of a leper.  And we can envision that he probably got down on his knees, bowing before Jesus, which could be seen as a physical sign of worship.  But it is in his spirit, his heart, where the true worship is found.

“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  He had no doubt that first off, Jesus was Lord over him, and second that Jesus could cleanse him of this terrible disease if He was only willing to do so.

We don’t usually think of asking God or Jesus to help us as being a form of worship, do we?  It seems more self-serving than worshipful.  But this is what God wants, for us to put all our faith and trust in Him, knowing without a doubt that He can do anything, anything we might ask, if it is in His will.  Knowing and fully believing that God works all things to the good for those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose, this is just one of many forms of righteous worship.

Back in Capernaum, a crowd had gathered to hear Jesus teach and to be healed.  Among them was a pair of disciples of His kinsman, the imprisoned John the Baptizer, who had grown impatient waiting for Jesus to really do what He came to do, who wondered why he was still in chains when Jesus was supposed to free the prisoner.  Jesus told the two to go back and tell John, what they had seen, that Jesus healed the sick, cured the blind, made the lame to walk, and preached of the kingdom of God, all things according to Messianic scripture.  As they departed, He returned to addressing the crowd when…

I’ll let Matthew continue this story, as he recorded in the 9th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 18 and 19 and verses 23 through 25…

18 While He was speaking these things to them, a certain ruler came and worshipped Him, saying, “My daughter is even now dead. But come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus rose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

23 When Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the musicians and the mourners making a noise, 24 He said to them, “Depart. The girl is not dead, but is sleeping.” And they laughed Him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

--Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25 (MEV)

The ruler came and worshipped how?  By asking Jesus to bring his daughter back to life, knowing without a doubt that He could do it.  So here again we see this form of worship, just asking for things we want to happen, and believing they will happen, if it is in God’s will.  The worship is in the belief, the faith.

Oh, and in between verses 19 and 23, Jesus also healed a woman who had suffered a bleeding illness for twelve years, when she just reached out and touched the hem of his robe.  She had faith that just touching His hem would be enough to cure her.  There was no doubt in her belief, her faith.  This too was a form of worship.

So yes, family, we are here to worship.  And it doesn’t matter what form our worship takes, as long as it is in sprit and in truth, that our faith and our belief drives our trust in our God.  We can pray, we can sing, we can just sit here and listen, as long as we are sincere in our faith, believing without a doubt in our Lord’s authority and ability.

But family, let’s remember that here, in this beautiful building, is not the only place and this hour together is not the only time we can stop and worship.  We are here, on this earth, to worship our God.  So let us extend our worship to any hour, any place, no matter the circumstance, no matter who we’re with.  Non-believers need to see the power of faith, and showing them is a form of worship.  Pray, sing, and preach if you can, all in the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, we are here to worship You.  We know that is what we are here to do, but Father, it is not something the world finds worthwhile or important.  Non-believers scoff at our faith.  Worse yet, they persecute us for it, even here in the United States.  So Father, sometimes we are worried and afraid to let our faith be seen, to worship in public.  Please forgive us, Father.  We thank You for the faith You have given us, to believe in You and Your Son Jesus, and to put all our trust in You.  Please help us be more open with our faith, more trusting that our service in Your name will work to our good, knowing that the world cannot take what is truly important from us.  You are our God and we love You and worship You.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us ways to worship our God, both through Your own living and in Your interactions with others.  You tell us that true worship is in spirit, trusting and believing in the power and the authority of God.  Still, Lord, we worry about our safety and the safety of our loved ones if we let our faith be seen in public, for the world has become a dangerous place for believers.  But we can take heart from those who are now being more open in showing their faith, daring Satan to quieten their worship.  Please help us, Lord Jesus, to become one of those.  And forgive us when we struggle to love others like You want us to.  We know it disappoints You when we let our fear keep us from approaching others and showing Your love as we walk through each day.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, sharing Your love as we go.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.