All in the Family

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the Sunday after Christmas, the 28th of December, 2014.  This message is a little shorter than usual due to the receiving of a new member, the ordination of a Deacon, and installation of Elders and Deacons.]

Did you ever consider that we as Christians might have a job description?  Listen to some of the qualifications the Apostle Paul gives for us and the church from his 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 4 through 13…

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

--1 Corinthians 12:4-13 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Father God, we come together this morning as one family in the name of Jesus, the Head of our household.  May Your Holy Spirit touch each of us and speak Your message to our hearts.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


Now that all the presents have been opened, I thought you might like to hear…
The Top 5 Things to Say About Gifts You Don’t Like

5.  Well, well, well…
4.  I really don’t deserve this.
3.  Gosh, I hope this never catches fire!
2.  I love it, but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.
1. To think I got this the very year I promised to donate all my gifts to charity.


Sometimes we are best defined, and usually recognized, by what we do within and for our family.  People see our role in our family and often take note of how well we perform it – oh, and God does too.  Husband, wife, father, mother, child, grandchild… each role has its own place in the family scheme, its own responsibilities and its own rewards.

I titled today’s message “All in the Family” not because it has anything to do with the old TV show, but more because it has to do with understanding our place in our church family.  But there is one thing we can take from that show: its impact on people, and on one person in particular.

Carroll O’Conner starred in countless movies and television shows, including portraying the Chief of Police in the award-winning series, “In the Heat of the Night”.  Yet in most people’s minds he will forever be known only as Archie Bunker.  Sometimes the only thing that truly matters is how well we fill our role in our family.


In today’s scripture, the Apostle Paul mentions a few of the many and varied gifts we have been endowed with.  Some of us are given the wisdom of God, some great knowledge.  Others have been blessed with an abundance of faith.  Some are given gifts of healing, others can work wonderful miracles.  Some can speak for the Lord and some can more clearly discern His will.  But all these different and diverse gifts are provided by the same God, distributed by the same Holy Spirit, bestowed upon the one church of Christ.

Paul carries this concept a little further in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 4 through 7 and 11 through 16, when he also compares the body of Christ with a normal human body…

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

--Ephesians 4:4-7, 11-16 (NKJV)

Just like our human body is composed of many different parts, each part having its own unique purpose and function, so is the church, the body of Christ, built up from many diverse members, each of us having different gifts, different talents.  We have been equipped by the Holy Spirit so that each of us has something we’re good at, like I told the kids earlier.

Now God specially designed the human body to contain all these various parts with different functions so that they will all work together to accomplish the task of being us, each person of us.  Granted, some of us have parts that work better than others of us, but we all manage to function as the person that God meant for us to be.

The same goes for the church, the body of Christ left here on this earth when He ascended into heaven.  All of our “parts” have been prepared by the Holy Spirit to mesh together and handle the needs and tasks of the church.  All the special gifts and talents, while different in each of us, combine together within the church to do what can only be considered miraculous things sometimes.  But we all have our roles to fill.

Earlier you heard me list just some of the duties and responsibilities of our church Elders and Deacons, as well as some for new members and for the congregation in general.  We each have a role to play – each one of us, whether we are a church officer or not, we have our own ministry.  We have a role to play as a part of the body of Christ.  And I promise you there are people watching to see how well we fill our role.


Many different parts and members and gifts and talents – one God, one Holy Spirit, one church family.  Together, we are far greater than any of us apart.  Together we are the body of Christ.  And together we are the family known to the world as Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This is our family.  To God we are simply known as “beloved children”.  We’re all in His family.  And as Paul says in Ephesians chapter 5 verses 1 and 2…

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

--Ephesians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

That’s our greatest role: imitators of God, walking in love.  Let’s make sure we fill that role very well indeed.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Lord God, Creator of all things and Bestower of all gifts, we lift our praises and our prayers to You!  You have given us so many different ways to serve You, and made it all so that we should not have to try to rely upon our own resources, but should work together toward Your common good.  Thank you for the many different talents and skills, and for the great diversity of life itself!

Father, please forgive us when we fail to use the gifts You have so generously poured out on us through Your Holy Spirit to serve You and help advance Your kingdom.  Forgive us when we fail to work together, as a body should, whether out of silly pride or because we just don’t want to get involved or put forth the effort.  Lord, You have not only given each of us a special ability, but also a special responsibility that maybe only we can fulfill.  You have a role for each of us – please help us fill that role so that we may make You happy.

Hear us now, Lord, as we pause for a moment to speak to You from our hearts those words our mouths can’t form…

Father God, we want to serve You.  We want to use the special gifts You gave us to please You, to build up Your kingdom here on earth, to show others what they themselves can or already do have.  Help us, Lord, to fill our roles well.  In Your most glorious name, Jesus, sweet Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

Magnify the Lord

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the fourth Sunday in Advent, the 21st of December, 2014.]

After the angel Gabriel broke the news to Mary that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of God, she traveled to Judah to spend time with her relative Elizabeth, who was also pregnant, with the child who would grow to be known as John the Baptist.  When Mary first greeted Elizabeth, her unborn baby leaped for joy in her womb!

Elizabeth was then filled with the Holy Spirit and praised Mary in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ... Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”  Mary responded with what is often considered the most beautiful song in the Bible – the Magnificat.  Listen to this song, from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 46 through 55…

46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

--Luke 1:46-55 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Father God, we come before You this morning to worship You and to prepare ourselves to receive our King.  Touch us Lord with Your Holy Spirit that we might hear and heed what You would say to us this day.  In the most wonderful and blessed name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


In the rush of last minute Christmas shopping, a woman bought a box of fifty identical greeting cards.  Without bothering to read the verse, she hastily signed and addressed all but one of them.

Several days after they had been mailed, she came across the one card that hadn’t been used, and she looked at the message she had sent.  She was horrified to read: “This card is just to say… a little gift is on the way.”

[From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, page 63, #132, “Christmas Caution”.]


Sometimes we can be a little hasty in our actions.  That lady got all caught up in the hustle and bustle of our culture’s commercial Christmas when she mailed out cards without even glancing at the “greeting” they conveyed, only to learn once it was too late that each of those 49 cards carried the promise of a “little gift” on the way – sounds kind of like a birth announcement, maybe.  When we get a little too hasty, sometimes we end up paying a price.

Was Elizabeth too hasty in her judgment of Mary’s condition or in her praise?  Nope, time reveals that she was exactly correct.  Did Mary act hastily in visiting Elizabeth?  No again, for in a little while we’ll see that she did so in fulfillment of God’s promise through Isaiah.


The Song of Mary – such a beautiful, heartfelt song of praise and obedience to the Lord.  The King James Version translates the opening line as “My soul doth magnify the Lord”.  And then Mary adds, “my spirit has rejoiced in God”.  Why did she feel so exultant?

Let’s go back just a bit in Luke’s narrative, to when Gabriel first approached Mary.  Listen to how our Gospel writer records that meeting, in Luke chapter 1, verses 26 through 30…

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

--Luke 1:26-30 (NKJV)

“You have found favor with God”.  Wow!  Wouldn’t it be great to hear those words from God’s own personal messenger?  And highly favored indeed, to be chosen to bear God’s only Son!


Mary wasn’t the only one that Gabriel enjoyed a little chat with – he also visited her fiancé, Joseph, in a dream.  Hear how Matthew describes this event in chapter 1 of his Gospel, verses 18 through 23…

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

--Matthew 1:18-23 (NKJV)

I love verse 21: “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Think about that – First, Gabriel says that we are Jesus’ people, we are His!  Then he exclaims that Jesus came to save us from our sins.  Our sins separate us from God - Jesus fixes that.

And then verse 22, where Matthew explains that all this was done just to fulfill what God had spoken through His prophet, Isaiah - like I mentioned earlier.  All this was done just to assure us that anything and everything God promises will come to pass.


So OK, being the mother of God would be a pretty good start at explaining Mary’s exuberance in praising the Lord.  But there’s more to it than that.  Mary says that God has looked down upon her lowly state and blessed her, and people will call her blessed.  God is mighty and has done great things for her.  Notice she said “great things” – plural, more than just giving her His Son to carry and to care for.

She approaches God as a humble servant, His maidservant.  She sings of the great works He has done for her people and for us all.  He has shaken the mighty from their thrones.  And lifted the lowly up on high.  He has filled the hungry with good things… and here Mary doesn’t just mean physical food.  All those who hunger for truth, who hunger to come closer to God, who hunger for salvation – these will be filled.

So her words not only bring to mind events of the past, but also promises for the future.  The psalmist echoes this thought and carries it a step further, in Psalm 9 verse 18…

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

--Psalm 9:18 (NKJV)

Isn’t that the role Jesus came to fill?  That the needy not be forgotten, that the hope and expectation of the poor not perish forever.  What is our hope but to be reunited with God, to live for eternity with Him and not perish.


Family, we have been blessed just like Mary.  We may not have been chosen to give birth to God’s Son - only one person in all of history could receive that great favor.  But we have indeed been truly blessed.  Each day carries a new series of blessing, mostly small ones that are so easily overlooked.  But even the large ones we sometimes take for granted.

Did you wake up this morning with a roof over your head, shelter from the cold?  Then you have been blessed.  Were you able to break your night’s fast with a nourishing bite to eat?  Then you have been blessed.  Were you able to go to the church of your choice, to worship God without fear of arrest or persecution?  Did you have adequate transportation to get here?  Do you feel the love of all those around you this morning?  Then you have been blessed.

So how do we glorify God?  How do we, from our souls, magnify the Lord?  What does that even mean, to magnify the Lord?  Isn’t He big enough?

Well, sure, but Jesus commissioned us to expand and extend the kingdom of God.  To make sure that everyone has a chance to see Him, even those who are blind and cannot see.

Mary magnified the Lord not only with her words but with her life.  While we don’t have a lot of information about her after the early years, we do know that she saw to it that Jesus was well educated, that He learned a trade, that He had opportunities to spend time with religious authorities, that she stayed with Him to the bitter end.  She glorified God as a witness to her relative Elizabeth.  She lived her life in a way that is pleasing to God.

How do we magnify our Lord?  By living as Jesus would have us live.  By witnessing to others of just how much the Lord has blessed us.  By being champions of truth, and justice, and peace.  By helping to spread the Gospel of Jesus throughout the world, starting from our own little corner.  By rejoicing from our spirits in God our Savior.

Let’s sing our song.  My soul doth magnify the Lord!

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, we sing Your praises!  You have been so good to us.  You bless us every day in so many ways.  Your goodness and mercy are known to all generations.  You lift up even the most lowly.  You feed the hungry, in body and spirit.  You do such great things for us.  You showed the greatest act of love by giving us Your Son, that we might be saved and reunited with You.

Father, forgive us when we simply don’t realize Your blessings in our lives, when we don’t notice Your hand at work.  Forgive us when we take for granted all the goodness and mercy you extend to us, or worse, when we think it is of our own doing and not from You.  Without Your grace, we would be eternally lost and without hope.

Lord God, listen to the stirrings of our hearts as we pause for just a moment to express what we simply can’t put into words…

Christ Jesus, You came to us to save us.  You came into this world as a tiny baby, innocent and without sin.  And You gave everything just for us, because You love us.  We await Your birth, Lord Jesus.  May all the earth keep silence on that holy day.  In Your glorious name, O Jesus we pray.  Amen.

While We Wait...

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the first Sunday in Advent, the 30th of November, 2014.]

As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives with the Temple of Jerusalem in view, He was joined by the four men He chose to be His first disciples, the two sets of brothers who were probably His closest friends: Peter and Andrew, James and John.  He had just spoken to all His followers of a future day when the Temple would be destroyed.  And now these four sat with Him privately and asked when they should expect that destruction to occur.

Jesus responded by warning them of the great time of tribulation to come.  And then He told them of what would follow that unimaginably trying period.  Hear the words Jesus spoke to us all, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 13, verses 24 through 37…

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. 

28 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near — at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 

32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming — in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning — 36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

--Mark 13:24-37 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Heavenly Father, we come into Your presence to worship You and to hear the message You have for us today.  Speak to our hearts, Lord, and touch our very core with Your Holy Spirit, that we might better know Your will for us.  In the glorious name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


Danny Pinksen of the Salvation Army told of a missionary who traveled to a small Chinese town. After she arrived, she soon learned that a gang of bandits had just destroyed the little town and everything in it. A native Christian showed the missionary the ruins of his home - a burnt roof and structure and furniture, all turned to ashes. Then, in what appeared to be the last straw, the Chinese Christian pointed to a small pile of charred remains and said, “They even burned my Bible and hymnbook!” From the ruins the native plucked a single page of his Chinese hymnbook, the only thing to escape the flames! The missionary took up the piece of paper and it read “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” What an apparent mockery, a note of joy in the midst of total destruction. But the missionary went on to say that if you could have gone to their little chapel and seen the light on the faces of those native Christians that evening, you might have a better understanding of the hope our Christ offers. Those who had lost nearly everything were speaking of the home that Jesus has prepared for all those who love Him. “Yes”, the missionary claimed, “there is joy to the world, but only because the Lord is come!”


Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, that season leading up to the day when our Lord did indeed come into our world bringing us great joy.  We’ll spend the next month getting ready for the celebration of His birth.  We’ll buy and wrap gifts for our loved ones.  We’ll adorn our homes and church with bright decorations that both lift our spirits and remind us of what Christmas truly means to us and the world.  We’ll sing carols and share joyful times, preparing our hearts to receive our Lord.  We’ll marvel at how a little baby could so dramatically change the world, could provide salvation for all mankind.

Advent also gives us pause to consider the next time Jesus comes to this earth.  Some people have tried to predict exactly when that will happen, but Jesus Himself tells us in verse 32 of today’s scripture that we simply don’t know when.  Not even He or the angels in heaven know the appointed day.  Only God knows when He will send His Son back to earth to gather His church unto Himself and bring it home for eternity.

Verse 26 promises that on that wondrous day, we will see Jesus, the Son of Man, coming in the clouds in all His might and glory.  But we don’t know when it will happen so we’re supposed to stay alert and watch for His coming.  Jesus obviously feels it important that we do so, because he tells us three times: once in verse 33, again in verse 35, and yet again in verse 37.  His last word in our scripture today is “Watch”, with an exclamation mark!

Oh, and He also tells us to pray and to repent while we’re watching and waiting.

The Apostle Paul repeats and confirms what Jesus tells us.  Hear what he says about the timing of the return of Christ, from the 5th chapter of his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, verses 1 through 6…

1 Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.

--1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 (NLT)

So since our Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, as Paul puts it, we just have to wait for Him to come.  The children of Israel waited for hundreds of years for their promised Messiah, and then most didn’t recognize Him when He finally appeared, maybe because they didn’t understand what they had been told of His coming.  We’ve been waiting for nearly 2000 years now for Jesus to come to earth again, but I bet we’ll recognize His arrival this time, based on what He tells us in the first verses this morning.

Most of us don’t wait very well - we’re not a terribly patient people.  We want to do like Isaiah, when he prayed to God for direct divine intervention into the lives of mankind.  Listen to the prophet’s plea from the book of Isaiah, chapter 64, verse 1…

1 If only you would tear apart the sky and come down!
The mountains would tremble before you!

--Isaiah 64:1 (NET Bible)

I know there’ve been times when I’ve felt like that.  “Lord, how can You put up with this for so long?  Why don’t You just come down and set things straight?”  But I’ve had about as much success in getting God to act on my schedule as Isaiah did - meaning none, no success.  So all we can do is wait.

In verses 4 through 7 of the 1st chapter of his 1st letter to the church in Corinth, Paul tells us that we, as believers, already have everything we need to endure that wait…

4 I am thankful to God all the time for you. I am thankful for the loving-favor God has given to you because you belong to Christ Jesus. 5 He has made your lives rich in every way. Now you have power to speak for Him. He gave you good understanding. 6 This shows that what I told you about Christ and what He could do for you has been done in your lives. 7 You have the gifts of the Holy Spirit that you need while you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to come again.

--1 Corinthians 1:4-7 (NLV)

So we’re all set, right?  We have everything we need to wait out our Lord’s coming.  We’ve got plenty of popcorn and Pepsi and a nice comfy couch.

Ah, but Paul implies there’s more to it than just sitting around as we wait, even if we’re sitting here on pews.  Paul says we have the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and even the power to speak for Christ!  We have the gifts that we need while we wait.  What could that mean?  I suppose patience would be a good gift for a long wait.  But I believe there’s a more important message in this.

In His revelation to the Apostle John, Jesus told the disciple He loved to write letters to the seven churches in Asia - the seven individual churches that collectively represent every Christian church in every nation throughout the time since Jesus ascended into heaven, including Pilgrim Reformed Church right here in Lexington, NC.  When it came to the church in Sardis, Jesus first described them as being dead, but He meant spiritually dead because He gave them, and us, some very important instructions.

Listen to what Jesus had for the church in Sardis, from the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verses 2 and 3…

2 “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”

--Revelation 3:2-3 (NKJV)

There’s that familiar phrase again: be watchful.  But then Jesus adds that we should strengthen the things that remain, the things that are about to die.  What “things” remain since He ascended to heaven?

I believe He means us: mankind, the human race.  I believe He wants us to strengthen and encourage each other, to help each other through this life while we wait.  Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world spreading the Gospel and making disciples, baptizing in His name.  I believe He wants us to carry out His mission as we await His return.

While we wait, we can be His personal witness, testifying to others with our lives and with our words of what He has done for us, of how He has changed us.  While we wait, we can share the joy of our salvation with those who do not know that joy.  While we wait, we can seek the lost and help them back to His side before it is too late for them.  While we wait we can do our part to advance God’s kingdom.

While we wait.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your only Son into the world to save us.  Thank You for Your amazing grace that gives us eternal life with You in heaven if we only believe in Jesus and repent of our sin against You.  We light up the night with bright lights everywhere, heralding the birth of Your Son.  We prepare to receive the baby Jesus into our hearts in this time leading up to Christmas day.

And Father, we also use this season of Advent to prepare ourselves for the time when our Lord Jesus will return to gather up His church and bring us home to heaven.  We look forward to the home He has prepared for us, to Your many roomed mansion.  We cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus, come”, thinking about both His birth and His return.  Even in this time of great rejoicing and giving thanks, we still have needs, Father, needs that only You can fill.  We pray, knowing our only hope is in You.

O God, sometimes we just can’t put into words our greatest needs, our deepest desires, our fondest hopes.  Hear us now, please Father, as we reach out to You from our hearts in this hushed place…

Lord Jesus, You came to us when we were dead in our sin.  You came to us as a tiny baby, sinless and defenseless.  You gave Your all for us just so we might believe in You and live forever.  And Lord, You promised You would come again someday for us, to take us home.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Come.  In Your holy name Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

From Desperation, Thanksgiving

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 23rd of November, 2014.]

Last week we examined the Gospel of Luke to gain a bit better understanding of gratitude, of being thankful.  We saw how nine lepers failed to go back and thank Jesus after He cured them and made them clean.  Even though something great had just happened, they didn’t take the time to go back and give glory to God – or even to simply say “Thanks, Jesus”.

Sometimes, even when everything is going well for us, we can get so wrapped up in those good times that we forget to thank God for all He provides us.  But what about when things aren’t going so well?

Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul, from the New Revised Standard Version of our Bible, of his 2nd letter to the Corinthian church, chapter 4, verses 6 through 15, as he reflects for a moment on what benefits tough times may provide…

6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 11 For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

13 But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture — “I believed, and so I spoke” — we also believe, and so we speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. 15 Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

--2 Corinthians 4:6-15 (NRSV)

Let us pray...  O gracious God, wonderful Father, we have gathered in this place to honor and worship You.  Please share Your message with us and bless us by Your Holy Spirit.  Speak directly to our hearts and cast out all doubts from within us.  In the holiest name of Your Son Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen.


The food editor of a local newspaper received a telephone call a few days before Thanksgiving Day from a woman asking how long to cook a 22-pound turkey.  “Just a minute,” the editor muttered, turning in her chair to consult a cooking chart.  “Thank you very much”, replied the novice cook, and hung up!

[From 1001 Humorous Illustrations For Public Speaking, page 347, #927, “Just a Minute”.]

Here are just a few things to be thankful for you may not have thought of:

• Be thankful that only you and God know all the facts about you
• Be thankful that even if you can’t pay your bills, at least you don’t have to be one of your creditors
• Be thankful for doors of opportunity still standing before you and for friends who oil the hinges
• And finally, no matter how lousy the next few days may be for you, you can be thankful that you weren’t born a turkey

[Adapted from 1001 Humorous Illustrations For Public Speaking, page 348, #929, “Sampler on Thanks”.]


Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, first proclaimed by President George Washington in 1789 as a nation-wide day for public thanksgiving and prayer to the Almighty God for His many blessings over this country.  Americans generally point to one event in our nation’s history that set the precedent for this day of giving thanks to God.

After a perilous two month Atlantic crossing under miserable, cramped conditions, that group of people from Europe we now call the Pilgrims landed in the New World in November of 1620.  One of their first actions upon arrival  was to be led by William Brewster in the reading of Psalm 100 as a prayer of Thanksgiving.  Let me read that prayer to you now, in what is close to the Bible they likely read from, the King James Version…

1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.

--Psalm 100 (KJV)

Let me repeat verse 4:  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.  Just a moment ago, with our offering to the Lord, we sang “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”.  We acknowledge His blessings.  We praise Him.  We sing of our thankfulness to Him.  Do we really mean it, or are we just repeating words we learned long ago?


Getting back to our earlier namesakes, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony landed in November, too late to even think about planting crops.  That first winter proved nearly disastrous.  By the spring of 1621, only 47 colonists survived – the rest having succumbed to either the harshness of the winter or to disease contracted aboard ship.  But they did survive and that fall they celebrated their first harvest alongside their Native American neighbors, without whose help they most surely would not have lasted the year.

How can we relate to those early Pilgrims and their plight?  They were desperate - they almost didn’t make it.  But after bringing in a successful harvest and with their time of desperation behind them, they rejoiced and gave thanks to the Lord.

To me that is a trend we ourselves may likely have experienced at some point.  After a drought is broken by a series of rains, don’t we stop and give thanks to God?  Or after torrential storms, don’t we show gratitude for the sunshine when it breaks through the clouds?  If we’ve been out in the cold, aren’t we thankful for getting into warm shelter?  If we’ve ever gone hungry or thirsty for an extended time, didn’t we give thanks when we finally got food to eat and water to drink?

Once some great lack or need has passed, we are thankful.  It just seems to follow that from desperation comes thanksgiving, once that desperate season has passed.


For many people, just surviving each day is a challenge.  I know that some of us are going through very trying times right now.  Some may be nearing the point of desperation.  Sadly, for too many in this world, that time of desperation will not end until their life on this earth has ended.  If we wait for our desperation to be over, it may be too late to give thanks!

I think it crucial that we heed Paul’s urging to us all in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, where he exhorts us to…

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Enter into our Lord’s gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, rejoicing always and praying without ceasing.  And in everything give thanks.  Paul wasn’t just speaking platitudes here – he experienced horrible times but never wavered in his faith, nor in his thankfulness to God.

Look at our message text again.  In verse 7 he notes that he and his companions have a treasure in “clay jars”.  Some other versions say “earthen vessels”.  By this he means that he has a treasure in his earthly body in that he can clearly show that any extraordinary power that might be evidenced through him comes not from him but from God.

In verses 8 and 9 he reflects on some of those tough times where he and his brethren have been perplexed and confused, persecuted, afflicted in every way.  Yet they have not been forsaken, abandoned, broken, or destroyed.

And there at the end, in verse 15, he tells us why this information is so important.  So that God’s great grace might be extended to more and more people.  And as a result, that the combined thanksgiving to our Lord might be increased - all to the glory of God.


In everything give thanks.  Not just during the good times.  Not only after the hard times have ended.  Regardless of the situation you find yourself in, find something in your life to give thanks for.  Even in the throes of desperation, when all seems hopeless, look to the One from whence comes all our hope and be thankful unto Him.  It’s perfectly OK to pray for help through troubling times.  Our Father in heaven wants us to come to Him with our needs.  And Jesus Himself tells us to expect our prayer to be answered, as recorded in the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 11, verse 24, where Jesus says…

24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

--Mark 11:24 (NKJV)

So when you do pray, go ahead and thank God for answering you, believing He has already done so.

And please, don’t wait for the hard times to end to give thanks.  By then it just may be too late.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father in heaven, it’s easy for us to utter the words “Thank You”, especially when we see an end to a desperate situation and know that better times are just ahead.  It’s easy to be thankful when everything is going good.  Help us, Lord, to show our gratitude in all things, in the bad times as well as the good.  Forgive us, Father, when we take Your bountiful blessings for granted, maybe because we have not experienced lack and need.  Maybe we don’t know what it’s like to go through a harsh winter with supplies dwindling down each day to near nothing, so that we can rejoice and sing Your praises once a good harvest is brought in.  Maybe we think that what we have came about of our own efforts and work, forgetting that everything comes from You.  Lord, we acknowledge that there is nothing we have ever made with our hands, nothing we have ever accomplished on our own, that You did not provide the strength, the courage, the resources, the will to make it happen!  For all that we have, we are indebted to You.

Lord, You know our hearts.  You can look into our very core and see if we are genuine in our gratitude.  Look now, Father, and listen as we give You thanks silently from our hearts…

Almighty God, may we always be thankful, truly and genuinely grateful, not just after desperate times have ended.  May we always stand strong against adversity, upheld by Your righteous hand.  May we always come before you with thanksgiving and praise, glorifying Your very name.  In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray.  Amen.

Saying "Thanks!"

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 16th of November, 2014.]

Do you remember the question that used to be so popular: What would Jesus do?  It was generally asked when pondering which of several options in life to choose from.  What would Jesus do: given some set of choices, which would He take?

Well, the best way to know what Jesus would do would be to look at what He actually did.  And much like the “WWJD” question, we’re usually more interested in what Jesus would have us do.  So for a little lesson on gratitude, let’s look at the Gospel of Luke, chapter 17, verses 7 through 19…

7 “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”

11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

--Luke 17:7-19 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Father in heaven, we come into Your presence this morning in the name of Your beloved Son and our Savior, Jesus.  We want to study Your word to learn more about Jesus, to grow ever closer to Him.  Touch our hearts, Lord, and speak to us through Your Holy Spirit.  In the blessed name of Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen.


In a June, 1990, newsletter, Charles L. Brown gave nine possible reasons for why the nine lepers did not return to thank Jesus for their healing:

One waited to see if the cure was real.
One waited to see if it would last.
One said he would see Jesus later.
One decided that he had never had leprosy.
One said he would have gotten well anyway.
One gave the glory to the priests.
One said, "O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything."
One said, "Any rabbi could have done it."
One said, "I was already much improved."


Mr. Brown likely meant for this to be humorous, but it might hit a little too close to home.  Do any of those sound familiar?  Are they similar to excuses we’ve heard before?  Maybe excuses we’ve made ourselves?

For whatever reason, the nine lepers who showed no gratitude took for granted what Jesus did for them.  I wonder if once they realized they had been healed, they were just so thrilled that all they could do was run off to find their families they had left behind long ago and celebrate with them.  They never gave Jesus, or His words, another thought.  In a way, it’s like they expected Him to do what He did.  As if He were the servant in the first few verses, that was only expected to do His job with no thanks necessary.

But right there in those first four verses, Jesus tells us that we should even show gratitude to those whose only function is to serve us.  And true gratitude, not lip service.  Can you think of some examples where we can be grateful to those who serve us?  The most obvious might be our waitress or waiter at the local restaurant.  Or our hairdresser or barber.  Or our paper or mail delivery person.  Or our Sunday School teacher.  Sure, we pay some of those folks, but that doesn’t mean we can’t sincerely thank them for what they do for us.

What about Jesus?  Do we remember to thank Him for all He does for us, for the little things as well as that huge one of giving us eternal life and salvation?  Or are we like the nine lepers, too busy to go back and give Him thanks when the good stuff happens?


Family, I say it every week but we truly are blessed.  We have so much to be thankful for, truly and earnestly thankful.  In his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, in chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should…

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

In everything give thanks.  Now Paul doesn’t say “for everything give thanks”, but “in everything”.  Bad things are going to happen to us in this life.  Paul isn’t going to trivialize that truth by saying we should give thanks even for the bad stuff.  But that we should find something to be thankful for even in the midst of suffering and pain.


To help understand this concept a bit better, I’d like to read a little poem, whose source, unfortunately, is unknown.  The title is “Forgive Me When I Whine”:

Today upon a bus, I saw
A lovely maid with golden hair;
I envied her -- she seemed so gay,
And how, I wished I were so fair;
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle;
She had one foot and wore a crutch,
But as she passed, a smile.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I have two feet -- the world is mine.

And when I stopped to buy some sweets,
The lad who served me had such charm;
He seemed to radiate good cheer,
His manner was so kind and warm;
I said, "It's nice to deal with you,
Such courtesy I seldom find";
He turned and said, "Oh, thank you sir."
And then I saw that he was blind.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine,
I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue;
He stood and watched the others play,
It seemed he knew not what to do;
I stopped a moment, then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word,
And then I knew he could not hear.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I have two ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go;
With eyes to see the sunsets glow,
With ears to hear what I would know.
I am blessed indeed. The world is mine;
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.


We are blessed indeed, the world is ours.  We don’t have to look very far to see someone in far worse circumstances.  So we shouldn’t whine.

Oh, and there will be bad times to come.  Even if we’ve suffered through some before, we may very likely face more ahead.  Nowhere in our Bible are we promised a bed of roses in this life.  As long as we walk this earth we will be subjected to those in this world who at best are indifferent to us, like the master Jesus scolded in the first part of our message text.  But who at worst may well be agents of Satan, intent on attacking all those who follow Christ Jesus.

Paul warns us of the approaching perilous times and perilous men, even as his own time drew to a close.  Hear what he wrote to his young friend and son in the faith, Timothy, in his 2nd letter, the 3rd chapter, verses 1 through 5…

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

--2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)

I pray that none of us fit that description, but worry that we might come close.  Are we ever unthankful?  Are we ever unloving?  Do we love ourselves more than others?  Does that make us boastful and proud, when we really have nothing to brag about?

Misplaced pride can make us do some ugly things, family.  It can make us say things that we might not think anything of, but the one we’re talking to may be deeply hurt by our words.

Let me air just a bit of dirty laundry for a moment.  Folks, we are being blessed with visitors coming to join us each Sunday.  Both with new friends and with those who once were a part of our family that have been returning to worship and fellowship with us.  This is a great time and opportunity for reconciliations, not recriminations.  Words spoken to the effect of “I told you so” may make us feel morally superior, but is that what Jesus would do?  Isn’t it just as easy to say, “I am so happy that you are here”?  “Thank you for joining us this morning”.  “I’ve missed you so much”.


What would Jesus do?  He loved everyone, even those who were ungrateful.  Everyone - not just His disciples, not just His followers, not just His fellow countrymen.

Look at verse 18 of our message text again…

18 “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

--Luke 17:18 (NKJV)

The one who returned to show gratitude was a Samaritan, the lowliest of the low in the eyes of the Jews.  Jesus loved him enough to heal him, and loved him even more when he came back to say “Thanks”.

We need to do both of those.  We need to love on everyone and we need to thank them for being a blessing to us.  But most of all, we need to thank God for His many daily blessings.  And we need to thank Jesus for giving up everything just for us.

Let’s make sure we are not included among those who fail to return to give glory to God.  Just say, “Thanks!”

Amen.


Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, when we stop long enough to think about all the ways You bless us each and every day, we can only marvel at Your great love and grace.  We can’t even come up with a fitting way to thank You.  How could the simple word “Thanks” ever suffice for Jesus giving His all just for us?  Father, help us realize that glorifying You and following Jesus are all You seek in return.

Lord, almost every day we are served by others, but too seldom do we truly appreciate what they do for us.  We think that because it is their job or because we pay them that their service is expected.  We forget that we too are to serve.  Help us remember, Lord, that Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  And He wants us to serve and love others just as He did and still does.  Forgive us, please Father, when we are boastful and proud, when we are unthankful, unloving, and unforgiving.

Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence and speak to You from our hearts…

Loving God, help us to be more loving.  Remind us to serve and to be grateful for those who serve us.  Let us learn from the example Jesus set for us to be more loving and forgiving, to put self aside and put others first, to be grateful for every blessing.  In the name of our Savior Jesus we glorify You, O God, and in His name we pray.  Amen.

God's Word, God's Message

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 9th of November, 2014.]

In our weekly Bible Study class, we just finished the Book of Acts, which closes with Paul still in custody in Rome awaiting an audience with Caesar.  The good news is – he is eventually released.  The bad news is – he is arrested and imprisoned in Rome a second time, because of persecution under the hard-fisted rule of Nero.  This time his cell was in a cold dungeon and he was alone, his friends denied access.  Knowing his death was near, Paul wrote his second letter - the last thing he would write - to the one he called his “son in the faith”.

Hear the inspired message of God as passed along by the Apostle Paul in his 2nd letter to his young friend and protégé Timothy, from the 1st chapter, verses 8 through 13…

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

--2 Timothy 1:8-13 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Father, we’ve come together this morning in the name of Your Son Jesus with joy filling our very being.  We come to worship You and to hear Your word and Your message.  May Your Holy Spirit touch each of us and open our hearts to receive what You know we need.  In the holiest name of Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen.


Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School.

“Well, Mom”, he began, “our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.  When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.  Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements.  They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.”

“Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?” his now incredulous Mother asked.

“Well, no, Mom”, he replied.  “But if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!”


If we’re honest, I think most of us would admit that sometimes we do have trouble believing some of the stories in our Bible.  Did Methuselah really live for 969 years?!?  Really?  Was the entire world really under water for so long?  And what about little Joey’s story?  Did the Israelis really walk through a sea without getting wet?

Do we have faith sufficient to believe that everything in the Bible is indeed the word of and from God?


Let’s look at today’s scripture for a moment.  Paul tells us in verse 8 not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.  He doesn’t say his testimony or our testimony, but the Lord’s testimony – the testimony of our Lord Jesus Himself.  So just what is that testimony?  Where do we find it?

Jesus’ testimony would be the words He spoke, and especially all the things He said about God, His Father, our Father.  While we do have a few of those quotes mentioned in other books, such as from Paul describing his conversion on the road to Damascus, the bulk of what Jesus spoke that was recorded for us is contained within the four Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  And it’s all right there in our God-inspired Bible.

So Paul is effectively saying to not be ashamed of the Gospel.  In fact, in the last half of verse 8, he encourages us to even be ready to suffer for the Gospel if necessary.  Why?  Why would we want to even consider suffering for the Gospel?  Look at verse 10: because “Jesus Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel”!  Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.  Isn’t that worth suffering for?

And then Paul makes a few brief inclusions I’d like to focus on a little.  First in verse 11, where Paul says he was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.  An apostle is one who is sent, so Paul says he was sent to be a preacher and a teacher.  And then in verse 13 he pleads with us to hold fast, with a sure and strong grip, to the pattern of sound words that we have heard from him.  Hold tightly to the words we have heard from this preacher.

This isn’t the first time Paul left us a very similar thought.  In his 1st letter to the church in Thessalonica, the 13th verse of the 2nd chapter, he put it like this…

13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

--1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV)

The Thessalonians received the word of God from Paul and his companions, and they welcomed it not as the word of man, but as the word of God, which is exactly what it truly is!  Paul, the man, delivered the message.  The message came from God.


We know how important the word of God is.  And how important it is that we put aside any disbelief and trust in the truth of what we read in our Bible.  Jesus confirmed this for us more than once.  One such time that I find interesting came when Jesus was taking the naysayers and doubters to class regarding the necessity of keeping our hearts and spirits clean of evilness.  After He finished His little lecture, the following occurred…

27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 

28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

--Luke 11:27-28 (NKJV)

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it”.  That almost sounds like it should have been in the Beatitudes, doesn’t it?


Why do Jesus and Paul think it so important to hear and keep the word of God?  The author of Hebrews can shed a little light on this.  Actually, he leaves no doubt, when he proclaims in chapter 4, verses 12 through 13…

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

--Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJV)

We must one day give an account of our every action when we stand in judgment before the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of all there is.  Nothing we’ve ever done can be hidden from His sight.  So we’d better know what He considers good and what He considers sin.  And the best way to know that is to read and hear His word, and hold on to that knowledge and abide by it every second of every day.

That brings to mind a passage of scripture, the words God spoke to my innermost being, that finally convinced me to give my life to the ministry of Jesus Christ.  It comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, chapter 10, verses 13 through 15…

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

--Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV)

People need to hear and believe the word of God, the truth of the Gospel, to be saved.  In order to hear it, they need a preacher.  And the preacher must be sent by the Lord to bring the Good News of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Paul said to hold fast to the words he taught, not because they are the words of some man, but because they are the words of God, delivered by a man.

Folks, you know by now how much I enjoy cutting up and having fun.  But once I stand in this pulpit, a serious urgency builds within me.  Each Sunday, before I begin the message, I quietly and quickly pray that God will hide me behind the cross of His Son so that you can see only Jesus.  I give our loving and ever present Holy Spirit free rein to take over and speak God’s word through my mouth.  During the week as I prepare the sermon, I can feel His hand guiding my fingers on my keyboard, directing my thoughts, building His message brick by brick in my mind and my heart.

Just as our Bible is the word of God, preserved by men directly inspired by God, each sermon I present is the message of God, delivered by this unworthy man, wholly inspired by God.


These are not my words aimed at you.  My sermons are directed as much if not more to me than to you.  These are God’s words, spoken by this lowly man.  This is God’s message, delivered by a saved sinner.

God’s word, God’s message.  Hold fast to them, in faith and in love which are in Jesus Christ.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, we are a very special family.  We have each chosen to come together and worship You together.  And Father we thank You so much for binding us together in our love of You and Your Son Jesus.  A huge part of that worship for us Lord is to hear Your word and to study over what You have to tell us so that we might be able to better understand Your will for us, as individuals and as a church family.  Thank You, Father, for giving of Yourself even as we worship and praise You.

Father, You speak to us in so many ways.  You speak through Your inspired word in our Holy Bible.  You speak in the sunrise and sunset and the gentle breeze.  You speak to us in the quiet of the night.  You speak to us through Your Holy spirit as we listen to the words of the message You wish us to hear each Sunday morning.  We pray, Lord, that You will help us accept and receive Your message just as You intended it for us.

Hear us now, Lord, as we pause to listen for Your soft reply to our innermost prayer…

All wise God, help us to hold fast to the pattern of sound words that originate from You, no matter what the source.  Help us, Lord, to understand Your will for us.  Use us to carry out Your plan in this world.  In the beautiful name of our Master Jesus we pray.  Amen.

Stand in the Gap

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 2nd of November, 2014.]

Israel’s history has been one long roller coaster ride.  They enjoy their up times when they are right with God and everything is going well and they are blessed.  And then they experience their down times when they are disobedient to God, when they are immersed in sin and reap His judgment.  Today we’re going to look at one of those low points as God speaks through His prophet, Ezekiel, delivering to His people what we might consider a “state of the union address” for Israel.

Hear the words of God from the book of Ezekiel, chapter 22, verses 23 through 30…

23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ 25 The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. 28 Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken. 29 The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and 
needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. 30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

--Ezekiel 22:23-30 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Father, we are here this morning to worship You and to hear Your word and Your message.  We come in the name of Your Son Jesus knowing He will join us and will be here with us.  Move Your Holy Spirit throughout this body of Christ so that we might receive what You wish us to hear.  In that name above all names, the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


A Sunday School teacher said to her class of grade school children, “We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times.  But there is a higher power.  Can anyone tell me what that higher power is?”

One child blurted out, “Aces!”


Noted journalist William Safire once was told of a politician who gave an “if-by-whiskey” speech.  Unfamiliar with this particular expression, Safire asked around until a colleague explained it by sharing the following:

Fuller Warren, Florida’s governor in the 1950’s, was running for office in a year when counties were voting their local option on permitting the sale of liquor.  Asked for his position on wet-versus-dry, he would say: “If by whiskey you mean the water of life that cheers men’s souls, that smoothes out the tensions of the day, that gives gentle perspective to one’s view of life, then put my name on the list of the fervent wets.  But if by whiskey you mean the devil’s brew that rends families, destroys careers and ruins one’s ability to work, then count me in the ranks of the dries.”


I think too many politicians today are following the pattern of Gov. Warren, just telling the people what they want to hear, depending on who is listening at any given moment.At least he was honest about his lack of commitment and his unwillingness to take a stand, one way or the other, on important issues like this.


Let’s go back a little ways in time – around 238 years ago or so, when a group of God-fearing men got together to stand against tyranny and cruelty.  God smiled on them and blessed them and the United States of America was born.  And indeed, the US is a blessed land, abundantly rich in natural resources and beauty.  Over the years, Christian men and women led this great nation through times of peace and of war.

Fast-forward to today.  It is too often difficult to tell exactly where our leaders stand – they tell us one thing and tell others something else.  Immorality is the norm, and becoming increasingly supported by those in positions of authority.  The once unthinkable is commonplace.  Our tax dollars are used to finance activities that our Christian conscience simply cannot condone.  Outrageous views are forced upon us but we are scolded to be tolerant.  Christians are now seeing persecution right here in the US and from the people’s own leaders!

It doesn’t take too much interpretation to go from what we see in today’s scripture reading to what we see on our nightly news and in our newspapers.  That list of Israel’s sins takes place daily on our very streets across the US, even right here in Lexington.  Sure, some of the names and terms are different.  But we can certainly recognize them and relate to the level of moral decay that God describes through Ezekiel.

So we have to ask an obvious question:  How can we truthfully think that the United States can avoid the same judgment that God pronounced and carried out against His own chosen people??!!??

And if our answer is that perhaps our own judgment is coming soon, then who among us is willing to stand in the gap before the Almighty God on behalf of this land so that He might not destroy it?!!?

If we look a little earlier in Ezekiel, in chapter 21, we learn that not only did God plan a judgment for Israel, but He raised up the very implement for her destruction: Babylon.  Is God doing the same for us today?  Is He preparing our judgment?  Who is He raising up to take us down?  Russia?  China?  The Islamic State?


Let’s look for a moment at another instance in the Old Testament where God has judged an entire people.  God told Abraham that He was going to destroy all of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the great sin of the people there.  Abraham pleaded with the Lord, who agreed He would not do so if even as few as 10 righteous men could be found there.  Well, we know that those evil places were wiped from the face of the earth, so the Lord must not have been able to tap even 10 men who could stand in the gap.

I pray that there are still enough righteous people left in our land so that God might spare us.

And then there’s Jonah…  God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn them to repent lest they be destroyed. This is how God instructed His reluctant prophet, in chapter 1 of the Book of Jonah, verses 1 and 2…

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

--Jonah 1:1-2 (NKJV)

We all know the story of Jonah and how he didn’t want to go to Nineveh and tried to flee from God.  So God had him swallowed up by a big fish and delivered on the shore near the city.  But what is amazing and different about this story is the end result.  The king of Nineveh listened to God’s words through Jonah, heeded that warning and repented!  He led his people to repent also.  And their land was saved.  The king stood in the gap before God and neither his land nor his people were destroyed.

Can you see any of our current crop of national leaders doing that?  And if our leaders did repent, would the people follow them and repent also?


One of the sins of the children of Israel that God warned Ezekiel of, and one too often prevalent in our society today, can be seen in verse 28 of our message text.  God accuses them of “seeing false visions, and divining lies” for the people, “saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God’”, when the Lord said no such thing.

Isn’t that an occurrence we encounter way too frequently this time of year, when elections roll around, and especially national elections?  Lying to the people seems to have become an accepted practice for political candidates.  Or if not outright lying, then stretching the truth so far as to render it unbelievable.  Or leaving out pieces that the people really need to know in order to make an informed decision.

But this particular sin seems to be especially onerous in God’s way of looking at things.  It is so important that we understand how much He detests it that He gave us this same warning twice in the same book of His Bible.  The first time came back in chapter 13 of Ezekiel, in verses 3 through 7…

3 Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. 6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

--Ezekiel 13:3-7 (NKJV)

This doesn’t just apply to prophets speaking for God, but for anyone who misrepresents themselves to others.  Gov. Warren in our little story earlier certainly fits this description, doesn’t he?  But sadly, this type of behavior is too often seen in some pulpits across our nation, with preachers that present themselves as speaking for God, when the words they deliver are stretched far from Biblical truth.


So what is all this leading up to?  I’m not trying to spread doom and gloom and send everyone running for the hills.  Actually, just the opposite.   Because we still have a chance.  God is giving us the opportunity to stand in the gap.

This coming Tuesday we can exercise our right, and our responsibility, to vote for those who will lead and represent us at the local, state, and federal levels of government.


When it comes to our leaders, we first need to understand and heed Paul’s instructions in his letter to the Romans, chapter 13 verses 1 and 2…

13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

--Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV)

God appoints those who stand in a position of authority over us.  Or another way to look at this is that He gives us the leaders we need or deserve at any given time.  This can be a little tough to swallow sometimes, when we consider some of our elected or appointed leaders.  Just like the kings of ancient Israel, we can have good leaders who truly try to serve the people, or we can have bad ones who lead us nearly to ruin.  But we have to remember that each only rules because God put them in that position.  He has a purpose for each leader whether they are good or bad in our eyes.

But I think we can sway this process in our favor a little by showing God that maybe we deserve better.  While Paul tells us that God appoints all our leaders, he also instructs us to pray for them, to ask God to intercede for them for our sake if not their own.

We read this last week but it bears repeating.  From Paul’s 1st letter to his young protégé Timothy, chapter 2 verses 1 and 2…

2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

--1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV)

Pray for all who are in authority.  I think we should also pray that God give us discernment in choosing those we elect come Tuesday.  Pray that we are able to discern between those who just say the things we want to hear and promise all kinds of great and wonderful things to come if only they attain office, and those who will truly strive to follow Christ and carry out the work necessary to help complete God’s plan and advance His kingdom.

In his 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul reveals a prophetic truth to us, in chapter 4 verses 3 and 4…

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

--2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)

This certainly applies to politicians as well as preachers, doesn’t it?  A time will come when people will no longer endure sound doctrine, but will only vote for the candidates that tell them what they want to hear, that offer them a bigger piece of the pie, that tempt them with the riches of the world that someone else will pay for, that promise to free them from any personal responsibility.

Folks, it’s sad, but in both cases – preachers and politicians – that time Paul warned us of has indeed come.  That time is now.


If God appoints our leaders, how can we possibly hope to influence the outcome?  How can we turn the tide?

I believe we need to show God we truly do care about our nation.  Like the people of Nineveh, we need to repent.  We need to turn from our personal sins and confess our national sins and as individuals turn from them as well.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, tells us that the fervent prayer of righteous people accomplishes much.  So we need to pray - pray for our current leaders and those who will lead us in the future.  And we need to pray for discernment into who truly are the best candidates, those who will indeed serve the people and serve God.

And then we need to go to the polls Tuesday and vote for those people our Lord shows us to be Godly.  We need to demand that our elected officials serve the people they represent.  And that our preachers preach only the word of God.  No hidden agendas, no false visions, no promises that cannot be kept.

In this way maybe we can show God that there are still enough righteous people living in this beautiful land He gave us.  That we care more about advancing His kingdom than advancing our bank accounts.  That we desire to serve Him and His children rather than simply enjoying the pleasures of this world.  And if we do, He might stay His hand and not destroy our nation.


When God next takes a look at the gaps in His wall, let Him see us all standing there hand in hand, filling those gaps on behalf of our land.

Amen.


Let us pray…  God of all creation, we thank You for this great and rich land You have given us!  Its natural beauty is unmatched, its variety is endless, its resources seemingly boundless.  Father, You have blessed us by placing us here, by allowing us to live here.  And we thank You so much.

But Lord, for too long we have taken all this for granted.  We allow those who lead us to lead us astray.  We turn a deaf ear to the truth and only pay attention to those who say the things we desire to hear.  We look only to those who promise to give us what we know we have not earned, what we do not deserve.  We call privileges rights and pretend like You said it is so.  We stand by and marvel while more and more people of authority give us visions of things that cannot be, and speak on Your behalf words You have not spoken.  Father, we know that You have appointed all these, but Lord we ask You to please give us true discernment into the leaders we should have, not just because we want them for our own selfish reasons.  Please show us those who will serve You first, who will repent and lead us to repent, and who will help lead us back onto a more righteous path.  Guide our thoughts and our hands as we cast our votes, and please Lord, give us Godly leaders once again.

Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in a moment of silence to repent of our failure to follow You, as we pray for Your guiding hand over our life…

Almighty God, help us accept and honor those You appoint in a position of authority over us.  But help us show You, Lord, that we are intent on selecting those to lead us who will first look to You before taking any action that will affect those they lead.  Father, we are ready and willing to stand in the gap before You on behalf of our land.  In the wonderful name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.

What is Acceptable?

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 26th of October, 2014.]

Many people think of the Old Testament as providing merely a history lesson.  It simply tells of the lives and times of some folks who lived long ago.  But I see it as far more than that.  The Old Testament serves as more than just a backdrop to the New Testament.  Everything in it, in some way, points to Jesus.  Jesus is the fulfillment of all the OT prophecy.  And it contains valuable lessons, straight from the words of God, for us today.  We’re going to look at one of those lessons this morning, as we go back to the beginning.

Follow along as I read the account of the second great dark blot on man’s record, as contained in chapter 4 of Genesis, from the second half of verse 2 through verse 17…

2b Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son — Enoch.

--Genesis 4:2b-17 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  O God our Father, we come together to worship You, and we pray our worship is pleasing to You.  Lord, use me to speak the words You wish Your people to hear.  Use Your Holy Spirit within us to deliver the message You know we need to receive.  May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of each of our hearts, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer.  In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


The Butterball Company set up a Thanksgiving hotline one year to answer questions about cooking turkeys.  One woman called and asked if she could use a turkey that had been in the bottom of her freezer for 23 years.  The Butterball expert (which is in itself an interesting job title and description) told her it would probably be safe if the freezer had been below zero the entire time.  But the expert warned her that even if the turkey was still safe to eat, the flavor would likely have deteriorated and wouldn’t be worth eating.  The woman said, “That’s what I thought.  I’ll just give the turkey to our church.”


While this is an amusing little story, it may hit just a bit too close to home for some Christians in our society today.  Too often, sin first begins to show itself in what we give to God.  And giving to God serves as the focal point in today’s scripture reading, doesn’t it?  Brothers Cain and Abel both made an offering to God.  But what one gave pleased God more than what the other gave.  Did Cain offer the harvest equivalent of a 23 year old frozen turkey?


This really is a sordid little tale that Moses tells.  It records the very first murder – the first instance of one man purposely taking the life of another.  And sadly, it tells of a man killing his own brother in a fit of rage.

But the 4th chapter of Genesis doesn’t start or end this way.  In verses 3 and 4 we see these two brothers worshiping God by bringing Him an offering.  And then in the ending of verse 26, Moses tells us that…

26 … Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.

--Genesis 4:26c (NKJV)

That is a form or worshiping God too, calling on His name.  And I find it interesting that long before God revealed Himself fully to Moses and His chosen people of Israel as the Great I Am, there is a small but growing group of people who grasp the real identity of the One True God.  So while Genesis 4 begins and ends with worshiping God, sandwiched in between is a murder and some serious recriminations.

But why did Cain kill his brother, Abel?  How could this happen?  Let’s look at what caused the anger to answer the question of why.

Cain was a farmer.  Abel was a shepherd.  Both brought an offering to God.  Cain, the farmer, brought an offering of his harvest, of “the fruit of the ground”.  Abel, the shepherd, brought his offering from the firstborn of his flock.  God was pleased with Abel’s gift, but not with Cain’s.  Again, why?

Farmer and shepherd: both of these vocations are honorable and even noble.  One is not better or more highly thought of than the other.  And both brothers bring an offering to the Lord that is in keeping with their vocation.  Yet God “respected” Abel’s offering but not Cain’s.  Why?

Some insist that God did not find favor with Cain’s offering because he did not make a blood sacrifice as Abel did.  We can find instance after instance in the Bible – mainly in the Old Testament but with one very prominent example in the New Testament – where the atonement of sin can only be accomplished by a blood sacrifice.

But is a blood sacrifice always necessary?  If we move a little further into Israel’s history, we see grain and harvest offerings as legitimate forms of worship to God that He not only accepts but also commands in specific circumstances, such as found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.

So perhaps it isn’t so much what was offered as how it was offered.  Motives matter to God.  Why we do what we do is important.  Our Lord isn’t so much impressed if we do the right thing for the wrong reasons.

The scripture says that the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but did not respect Cain and his offering.  In each case, the man is listed first and his offering second.  Our good teacher tells us in Proverbs chapter 21 verses 2 and 3 that…

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

--Proverbs 21:2-3 (NKJV)

The Lord weighs our hearts.  To Him, doing what is right in His eyes and upholding justice are more important than any sacrifice.  Since a sacrifice is exactly what Abel offered, we can only surmise that Cain’s heart wasn’t in the right place.  If it had been, if he was righteous and a champion of justice, then God would have seen his offering as acceptable even without a sacrifice.  In Leviticus, chapter 22 verse 20, Moses cautions…

20 Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf.

--Leviticus 22:20 (NKJV)

I believe it safe to say that what Cain had to offer from his heart was defective, or else God would have found favor with him.  If God weighs our hearts ahead of our giving, then we need to make sure our heart doesn’t have a defect which would, like Cain’s, make us unacceptable to the Lord.


I keep talking about offerings and sacrifices, but what we’re really looking at here is worship - how we worship God.  Remember I said earlier that chapter 4 of Genesis begins and ends with worship of the Lord.  We worship Him with our offerings just as we do when we sing praises to Him, when we call on His name, when we pray to Him, when we give thanks.

So our story of Cain and Abel comes down to whose worship was acceptable to God and whose wasn’t, and why.  Obviously, Abel’s worship was acceptable but Cain’s was not.  And the “why” is because Cain’s heart was not in the right place – his heart just wasn’t in it.

The author of the book of Hebrews has this to say about our brothers in chapter 11 verses 4 and 6…

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

--Hebrews 11:4, 6 (NKJV)

Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  Our Lord finds righteousness and faith to be pleasing in His sight.


Look at verses 3 and 4 of our message text again.  Cain simply brought the fruit of the ground, probably grain and other crops of the harvest.  But Abel brought a firstborn sheep of his flock, including the choice portions.  Cain did enough to get by, in his own mind.  Abel went above and beyond.  Cain just gave from part of his harvest.  Abel gave the very best from his flock.

We don’t really know all that much about these two brothers from the little bit of scripture telling their story, but don’t you think that Abel had a better relationship with God than Cain did?  We can almost say that Cain suffered a disconnect from God - a separation from Him.  This shows that a good relationship with our Lord is an essential element of acceptable worship.

So a righteous heart, faith, and a good relationship with our Lord are required for our worship to be pleasing to God.  Another way to look at this is in part of my prayer earlier, which comes from Psalm 19 verse 14…

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

--Psalm 19:14 (NKJV)

We really do need to watch what we say, as well as what we feel in our hearts and think in our minds, because God hears everything and if we want to please Him, we need to be mindful of the words we choose.

The Apostle Paul has a little more to add regarding what might be acceptable and pleasing to God.  For instance, from the 2nd chapter of his 1st letter to his young friend Timothy, verses 1 through 4, Paul says…

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

--1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NKJV)

Pray for others.  Anytime we’re talking to God and asking Him for His blessings or to intercede in our lives or when we give Him thanks, we should also pray on behalf of others.  Fact is, if we take to heart what Jesus said and the example He set, we should put the needs of others ahead of ourselves when we pray.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, to pattern our own lives and behavior after His beloved Son.

And another instruction from Paul, from the 12th chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses 1 and 2…

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

--Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)

We should present our very bodies to God as a living sacrifice.  Notice the word “living” there. God doesn’t want us to sacrifice our lives for Him, but to live our lives for Him.  Not to live for the world and its earthly pleasures, but to serve God through serving Jesus.  He wants us to live a life that is holy, to be right with Him, to have faith in Him, to give ourselves to Him.

God gave Cain every chance to repent of his sinful act and to live a better life.  He wanted to save Cain, not condemn him.  And He does the same for us – He gives us every chance to repent, He wants to save us.


So what is acceptable?  I believe Jesus summed it up best when He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

If we do that, everything else will fall into place.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Lord God, we do love You and have faith in You and we want our worship to be acceptable to You.  But Father, we know that sometimes we don’t necessarily do the right things for the right reasons.  Sometimes we might do what the world sees as right just so that the world will see us doing right.  And while our deed may very well be one You would also see as right, You want us to do it not to be seen and thought highly of by others but to do it just because we love You and want to do something good to serve You.  Help us, please Lord, to always remember that righteousness is more important to You than any sacrifice or offering that the world might take note of.

Hear us now, Father, as we pause and speak to You in the silence from our hearts, seeking Your forgiveness for our unrighteousness, repenting of our offerings given for the wrong reasons, praying that our worship might be acceptable and pleasing to You…

Gracious and loving Father, Creator of all there is, we want to please You.  We desire to serve You.  We can never thank You enough for all Your mercies and blessings but we long so much to show You our love by only doing what is acceptable to You.  Help us, O Lord, that our offerings of worship will find favor in Your sight.  In the glorious name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.