The Time is Fulfilled

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday, the 22nd of February, 2015.]

Our Gospel writer Mark was a man of few words.  He cut quickly to the point in relating the life of Jesus to his primary audience in Rome.  Nowhere is that more evident than in the 1st chapter of the book that bears his name.  Unlike Matthew, Luke, and John, Mark spends no time at all on the birth and youth of Jesus, but jumps straight to His baptism as an adult.

Hear and heed the word of God, the authority of God, as recorded in the 1st chapter of Mark’s Gospel, verses 4 through 20…

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 

6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 

16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 

19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

--Mark 1:4-20 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Lord God, we come again this morning to sit before Your altar to worship You and hear the message You have for us this day.  Use Your servant to give voice to Your words, and Your Holy Spirit to touch our hearts, that we might come closer to You and to what You would have us be.  In the holiest name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


“Two Words”  (author unknown)

Sandra Bullock won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Leigh Ann Tuohy in the film, “The Blind Side”.  The film chronicles a Christian family who took in a homeless young man and gave him the chance to reach his God-given potential.  Michael Oher not only dodged the hopelessness of his dysfunctional inner city upbringing, but became the first-round NFL draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2009.  At a fund-raiser, Sean Tuohy noted that the transformation of his family and Michael all started with two words.  When they spotted Michael walking along the road on a cold November morning (the movie depicts it at night) wearing shorts and a T-shirt, Leigh Ann Tuohy uttered those two words that changed their world.  She told Sean, who was driving, “Turn around.”  They turned the car around, put Michael in their warm vehicle, and ultimately adopted him into their family.

Those same two words can change anyone’s life.  When we turn around, we change direction and begin an exciting new journey.  Some may need to make an about face concerning their disbelief in Christ, or it could be a Christian needs to turn around and reconsider the value of fervent prayer.  Whatever your situation, a great story of wonderful change could be just two words away.


When we turn around, we turn to face something new.  We also turn away from the past.  The word “repent” means just that: to turn away from our sin and to face Jesus.  This past Wednesday we entered that part of the Christian calendar known as the Lenten season.

During Lent we prepare ourselves for what is to come: the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is a time for repenting, for turning around from our sin and toward Jesus.  And it is a time for remembering the great sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf, just for us – just for you and me.

We would have looked more closely at Lent in our Ash Wednesday service, which was postponed due to bitter cold and nasty weather.  And since we will do so this coming Wednesday evening, weather permitting, I won’t dwell too much on Lent itself today.  But I do want to focus on those aspects that Jesus brought out in our scripture reading today.


Mark opens his Gospel with that most significant event: the baptism of Jesus by His own relative, John the Baptist.  After all, it was at His baptism that we are first given clear evidence of Jesus’ lordship, when God the Father spoke from heaven immediately after Jesus stood back up and said “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Mark notes that there was John, baptizing in the wilderness in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, as written in chapter 40, verse 3 of the book of Isaiah…

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.

--Isaiah 40:3 (NKJV)

I can only imagine John looked like the “wild man from Borneo”, one of our more memorable circus acts of old.  Yet people came from far and wide to be baptized by him in the Jordan River, even the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Mark says John was “preaching a baptism of repentance” .  Baptizing folks was his ministry, and through the process he would preach to them that they must repent, they must turn from their sins for them to be forgiven – that’s the part about “remission of sins”, which is forgiveness.  And the people came to him, confessing their sins before him, being purified by the water and their confession and their repentance.  Yet One would come, John preached, that would baptize them by the Holy Spirit of God, and not by water.

And sure enough, that One did indeed come – Jesus too came to John to be baptized.  And immediately, Mark says… immediately the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where He was tempted and tested by Satan for forty days!  First we are shown that Jesus is indeed God, and then He is whisked off into the wilds where He is ministered to only by the angels, and where He resists everything the devil throws at Him.

I told you Mark was stingy with his words.  The next thing we read, John is in prison and Jesus is beginning His ministry in the region of Galilee.  And I love the way Mark describes that ministry in verse 14, with Jesus “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God”.  Remember that the word “gospel” means “good news”.  The people Jesus spoke to should have known about the kingdom of God, wouldn’t you think?

But the next verse from Mark’s pen, the first words he quotes directly from Jesus, actually carry the good news Jesus preached.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Matthew quoted Jesus almost the same way during this event in our Lord’s life.  In his Gospel account, chapter 4 verse 17, the disciple puts it like this…

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

--Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)

The kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, is at hand.  No longer is it some ambiguous place way out there somewhere.  God’s kingdom, heaven, is right here.  The time has finally come that all the prophets foretold and heaven is with us right now!  The kingdom of God was made manifest in the person of Jesus, come to earth to live among man!

What does that mean for us?  How does this piece of information, this bit of good news, impact us?  Jesus Himself tells us in the rest of verse 15.  We must repent of our sin and believe in the gospel, believe in that good news, believe in Jesus as the very Son of God!


Then, in Mark’s economy of words, we see Jesus walking alongside the Sea of Galilee where He came upon two brothers who were fishermen, throwing their net into the waters to catch some fish.  “Follow Me”, He said simply.  “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  They did just that, and again Mark says “immediately”.

A little further on, and one would suppose with Simon Peter and Andrew in tow, Jesus came upon two more fishermen brothers – James and John.  He repeated His invitation and James and John joined Andrew and Simon to become the first four disciples.

And for the fourth time in this short passage, Mark used the word “immediately”.  With not one moment of hesitation, these four men dropped everything just to follow this Man named Jesus.  In Him, they recognized the kingdom of God.  In Him, they saw the good news.  In Him, they believed.


In our congregational reading a little while ago, we said: “I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”  What does it mean if my sin is always before me?  What might happen because of that?

If my sin is always before me, it’s right there in front of me all the time.  It’s right there waiting to trip me up.  It’s right there where I might easily step into it all over again.  Jesus says to repent of our sins, to turn completely away from them and not go back.  To put that life behind us.  To turn around and face Him.

And if I know my transgressions, if I know my sin, then I can confess it, just as the people who came to John did so they could be baptized.  I need to confess my sin, to Jesus and to myself.  Of course Jesus knows all about our sins.  We can hide nothing from God.  But He wants to make sure that we know what we have done wrong, so that we can turn to Him for help in not doing it again.  Some people call it guilt; some call it our conscience kicking us.  The Holy Spirit will convict us when we have done wrong in the eyes of God and He will tell us our sin.

It’s up to us to admit our guilt and then strive to not repeat it ever again.  We must confess our sins and repent of them – turn from them completely and never go back!  And we must believe in the gospel of heaven at hand, of God with us, of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Repent and believe!  For the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand!

Amen.


Let us pray…  Almighty, all powerful God, You created all that ever did and ever will exist.  But Your greatest feat, Your dearest gift, Father, was to send Your Son Jesus to earth, not to condemn the world but to offer redemption to the world.  You brought us the kingdom of heaven through Your Son, that we might repent, believe, and be saved.

Father, the believing part seems easier for us than the repenting part.  We may readily confess of our sins, but we find it more difficult to completely repent of them.  We just seem to slip back into unrighteous ways far too easily.  Jesus withstood forty days of temptation from the devil, but Lord we can’t hold out for more than a few minutes sometimes.  Help us be strong, please Lord.  Help us turn away from our sin and not look back.  Help us turn around and face You.

Hear us now, Father God, as we cry out to You in the silence, and listen for Your reply…

Lord Jesus, You showed us a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven.  You came to us when we were lost in the darkness, dead in our sin.  And You shared with us the good news that all we need to do is to turn completely away from our sin and to believe in You.  We believe You are the Son of God, Lord Jesus, and we pray for Your help to repent completely and fully.  In Your most wonderful name, Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

Room to Grow

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday, the 15th of February, 2015.]

Old Testament scripture very often clearly illustrates God’s great wisdom and generosity.  That is certainly the case in today’s message text, describing the time when Isaac lived among the Philistines in Gerar.  Listen and follow along to this account as recorded by Moses in the book of Genesis, chapter 26 verses 12 through 22…

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” 

17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them. 

19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

--Genesis 26:12-22 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Heavenly Father, please bless us as we gather here in the name of Jesus to worship You.  Speak to us through Your Holy Spirit so that we might hear and receive Your message.  Give us what we need to get through the coming week.  In the holiest name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


Since we’ve been talking about growth a bit, I thought I’d share with you a few things I learned from gardening:

• Nothing ever looks like it does on the seed packet. 
• Whichever garden tool you want is always at the back of the shed.
• The only way to ensure rain is to give the garden a good soaking. 
• Weeds grow at precisely the same rate at which you pull them out. 
• Autumn follows summer, winter follows autumn, drought follows planting. 
• The only way to guarantee some color all year round is to buy a garden gnome. 
• No matter how bare the lawn, grass will grow in the cracks in the driveway and parking lot. 
• When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

That last one bothers me, for I worry that sometimes we may be pulling a little too much on some of our valuable plants here within our church family.


Chapter 26 of Genesis opens with a drought and famine forcing Isaac to move his family.  The Lord pointed him to Gerar and told him to dwell there and if he did, God would bless him, continuing the covenant made with Isaac’s father, Abraham.

So Isaac settled his family there among the Philistines, and they prospered.  They planted crops and reaped a hundredfold.  Their flocks of fowl and herds of cattle increased beyond measure.  And in one of the surer signs of wealth in those times, Isaac and his household employed a great number of servants.  Blessed by God, Isaac became very prosperous indeed.

And all the while, the Philistines stood back and watched, and became more and more jealous.  Finally, their king Abimelech came to Isaac, with not a little fear and dread, and asked him to leave, giving the excuse, “you are much mightier than we”.

So Isaac packed up shop and left, but he didn’t go far.  He moved his household and flocks and herds to the nearby Valley of Gerar and had his servants dig wells to supply water for his family and livestock, just as his father Abraham had done when he first came into the land.

Now the Philistines had filled in all of Abraham’s wells after his death, and soon took up where they left off by filling in Isaac’s new well in the valley.  They quarreled with Isaac and his servants, saying, “This is our water.  You can’t have it.”  So his servants dug another well, just to have the Philistines argue over it as well, forcing Isaac to abandon it.

But the third time was the charm – the blessing from God.  They dug yet another well, and this one did not upset the Philistines.  Recognizing the hand of God at work, Isaac declared that the Lord had made room for him and his household there in that valley, and they would be fruitful in that great land.

Did you notice in our scripture, in verses 20 through 22, that Isaac gave the three wells names, like his father before him had done?  In order, he named them Esek, Sitnah, and Rehoboth.  The name Esek is translated “Quarrel”, and the two peoples did quarrel over that well.  Sitnah literally translates as “Enmity”, and there certainly was hostility, animosity, and even hatred born of envy between the original inhabitants of Gerar and the newcomers.

But the third name, Rehoboth, means “Spaciousness”.  By bestowing that name over the well, Isaac emphasized his declaration that God had made room for him and his people there in that valley.  God had set apart that space for them from among the Philistines living there.  The Lord provided them all the room they needed to grow and prosper.


I wonder if the Lord had this little episode in Isaac’s life in mind when, over a thousand years later, He told the people of Israel to get ready to grow.  In chapter 54 verse 2 of Isaiah’s book, God spoke to His chosen people through His prophet telling them to make room…

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.”

--Isaiah 54:2 (NKJV)

Doesn’t that sound like they’ve got a growth spurt coming?  Enlarge the area for your tent, stretch out the walls, lengthen the cords, and pound those stakes in a little deeper because you’ll soon see an increase.  Now God wasn’t just talking about increasing their population here, although after their return from Babylonian captivity, their numbers did grow.  The Lord also wanted His people to be prepared for His blessings over them to increase.  He was lifting the curse of captivity from them and would soon pour out His grace and generosity over them once again.

God promised Abraham that He would bless him so that he in turn could be a blessing to others, and now the Lord was all set to carry out that pledge with the remnant of the nation that came from Abraham.  He would bless all of Israel so that they could be a blessing to the whole world.


Family, the Holy Spirit showed me a parallel between our scripture story this morning and our church today.  Isaac’s servants dug three wells.  The first two were contested and could not be used by his household.  But with the third well, peace settled in and the Lord blessed His people and made room for them there among their neighbors where they could be prosperous and fruitful.

In the last five or six years, you’ve called three pastors to minister to you.  While there may not have been quarrels, there were a few areas of contention.  But for whatever reasons, the first two could not be fully utilized by this church family, not as you had envisioned.

The third now stands before you and, at least for now, we have peace and a strong sense of working together and cooperation.  More importantly, I feel we have God’s blessing over us and our endeavors.  I believe He has made room for us to be fruitful and to prosper.

He is telling us to lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes because growth is coming.  Growth not only in numbers, but in blessings.  For God works many of His great feats through the hands of man.  He gives so much to us so that we can give to others in need.  Like Abraham, He blesses us so we can be a blessing to others around us.  I truly believe our wonderful Father is preparing to bless this church like never before, to reward all your hard work and dedicated efforts over the many years.

And folks, please don’t misunderstand me: This has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with God.  Those first two wells did nothing wrong.  They didn’t cause the conflict between Isaac and the Philistines.  It wasn’t their fault they couldn’t be used by Isaac’s family.  Nor did the third well itself bring them peace and prosperity.  This was all just part of God’s plan for His people.

I don’t know why our loving Father chose me to be at this place at this time – I who am the least worthy of all – but I thank Him that He did.  I’m still amazed that He called me here, and that you affirmed that call.  And I thank Him every day for this wonderful family.

But folks, it is God who is blessing us all.  It is He who has made room for us here.  It is He who will make us ever more prosperous and fruitful in this community and in this land.


Last week I challenged each of us to bring in 15 visitors during the year - just a little more than one a month.  Invite them in for a Sunday service or one of our meals or Bible Study or Youth Fellowship or game night or our Community Fun Day or any other activity we may have going on.  Invite them in and plant a seed, I said.  And then water and tend that seed so it can bud and blossom into beautiful flower.

I asked you to join me in praying for 63 new or returning members this year.  For that to happen we need to bring folks in to see just how much God is doing through us and for us, to see how loving and blessed a family this truly is.  We could call ourselves Rehoboth, for God has made room for us and given us spaciousness.

So invite folks in.  We’ve got plenty of room to grow.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father, we thank You for this church, for this loving family and the beautiful building we gather within to worship You and to do Your work.  We thank You for the countless blessings You give us, for the strength to carry on in the midst of adversity, for the great sacrifice of Your Son Jesus and for the joy of allowing us to continue His work here on earth.  And Lord, we thank You for making room for us in this world where we can thrive and prosper.

Father, You give us this room to grow, so we ask for 63 new or returning family members this year so that in turn we can be even more of a blessing throughout our community.  Let our land here be fruitful, please Lord, allowing us to better serve You.  Show us those of Your children who You would have be with us and grant us the courage to invite them in.

Hear us now, O Lord, as we approach Your throne in the soft quiet of this place, speaking to You from our hearts and listening for Your reply…

Father, may we continue to draw from the deep well of Your blessings and take full advantage of this space You have made for us, of this time and this place that You have given us in the world.  Help us, Lord Jesus, fulfill the commission You gave us to make disciples of all nations, to baptize in Your holy name, and to spread Your Gospel throughout all the earth.  In the most beautiful name of all, the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we pray.  Amen.

Planting the Seed

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday, the 8th of February, 2015.]

Jesus taught so many of His lessons by telling parables to His audience.  He would use language that normal people could understand, giving examples they could easily relate to.  Listen and follow along to what is commonly referred to as the Parable of the Sower, as related by Mark in his Gospel account, chapter 4 verses 1 through 9 and 13 through 20…

1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

--Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Father in heaven, we have come together this morning in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of Your Holy Spirit living within us for the sole purpose of worshiping You.  Teach us now the lesson You would have us learn.  Open our hearts and ready our minds to receive Your message.  In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


Sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective…

When Goliath came up against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He's so big we could never kill him." David looked at the same giant and thought, "He's so big I can't miss."

And then there’s the businessman driving along in the country one day when he spotted an old man sitting on a fence rail watching the cars go by.  Stopping to pass the time of day, the traveler said, "I never could stand living out here.  You don't see anything, and I'm sure you don't travel like I do. I'm on the go all the time."

The old man on the fence looked down at the stranger and drawled, "I can't see much difference in what I'm doing and what you're doing.  I sit on the fence and watch the autos go by and you sit in your auto and watch the fences go by.  It's just the way you look at things."


Today I’d like to take a look at Jesus’ parable of the sower in a slightly different way.  We don’t have to guess at what Jesus meant with this little tale of a farmer and his attempts at sowing seeds, because He gives us the meaning.  The seed in this story is the word of God being spread throughout the world.  The various places the seed lands – by the wayside, on stony ground, among the thorns, and finally on good, rich soil…  These are the people that hear the word, and how it affects them.

The gist is that we want to be the good ground.  We want to be the good soil where the seed can take root, just like in the video I showed the kids.  Rich dirt that allows those roots to grow deep and strong and to produce results within us that flourish and bear fruit for our Lord.

The good ground is our heart, our attitude, the foundations of our faith.  It is a rich, strong environment where God’s word can take root and grow within us, developing the strength we will need to get through those hard times we know will come.  Our faith born of this good soil and nourished by our prayer and study will allow is to endure the birds pecking at us, help us cross over the rocky ground, shield us from the scorching sun, protect us from the thorns.

So we’ve figured out what the seed and the soil are, and the birds and thorns and stones, but who is the sower?  Who is spreading the seed?  Well, God, of course, since it is His word as recorded for us in our Holy Bible.  And there’s me - I am a sower, along with all my brothers and sisters who preach God’s word to His children.

But how about you?  Don’t you have a bag of seed to scatter as well?  All of us who follow Jesus were given that great commission to spread His Gospel throughout the earth.  So I wanted to spend a little time today talking about planting the seed.


The Apostle Paul also commented on planting seeds, when he was explaining to the church in Corinth that both he and Apollos served the same purpose and were not in some sort of competition for followers.  Hear how he put it in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 3 verses 5 through 8…

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

--1 Corinthians 3:5-8 (NKJV)

Paul was there first and set things up – he planted the seed.  Apollos came along afterwards and carried on what Paul started – he watered the plant.  Paul says that’s all good, they’re both working toward the same goal, the same harvest that ultimately Jesus will make.

The point I’d like to hold onto here is that for the best results, the seed needs to be nourished after it is planted, whether by the sower or someone else entirely.  The word that is spoken into someone’s life must be reinforced and encouraged as often as possible.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Zechariah foretells the results of what Paul is talking about here…

11 “But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

12 ‘For the seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
The ground shall give her increase,
And the heavens shall give their dew —
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.’”

--Zechariah 8:11-12 (NKJV)

The seed – God’s word – will be prosperous and will produce great fruit and God’s people will be the beneficiaries.

In his book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 16 verse 5, Luke gives us an even clearer description of the outcome of this kind of effort, this time by Paul and his protégé Timothy…

5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

--Acts 16:5 (NKJV)

The churches strengthened in faith and increased in numbers.  And that brings me full circle to that slightly different perspective I mentioned at the start.


Our church family has suffered significant loss over the last five or so years, some from passing from this life but many simply left for whatever reason.  Last week the Holy Spirit put it on my heart that this is the time to regain the strength we lost.  And not only that, but to grow stronger so we can do more than ever before.

So here’s my challenge to you:  This is 2015.  Let’s each one of us bring in 15 visitors during the year!  That’s just a little more than one a month.  Invite them in for a Sunday service, sure, but also for some of our more informal activities, like our meals or Bible Study or Youth Fellowship or our Community Fun Day.

Invite them in and plant a seed!  Plant the seed in them that God’s word is spoken and lived here.  And if someone plants that seed, let’s all pitch in and water and nourish it.

I’ve been asking God to bring our family 63 new or returning members this year – one for each year I’ve lived on this earth.  And please don’t get me wrong – I don’t care about the numbers, but I do care about this family and all the good we do in this world.  I want to see our family increase so we can increase what we do.  I want to see us grow so our love can grow out further into the community and beyond.

Just last week you planted a seed when you resoundingly approved the Audio/Video upgrades that will help us spread God’s word within these walls and outside into the greater community.  We must water and nourish that seed so that it will produce great fruit.

If every person in here this morning brought one guest each month to a Sunday service, we’d have - on average – somewhere between 15 to 25 guests each week!  Can we realistically bring in 5 new members a month?  If we sit back and wait for the world to beat a path to our door, then no, we won’t even bring in one all year.  But with God, all things are possible.

Join me in praying for those 63 new members.  Invite your friends or someone you know or even a perfect stranger to come spend a little time with us.  I’m not looking to pull someone from another church if they are receiving what they need there.  I’m looking for the unchurched, those who may be looking, those who aren’t quite sure about all this “Christianity” stuff, or those who are not being fed where they are.  Pray every day that the Lord lead you to one of those folks and that He encourage you to approach them.

Whenever you see something on Facebook, maybe in our Pilgrim Reformed group page, that has something to do with our church, please consider sharing it on your timeline so your friends that might not follow our group page can see what we’re doing.  Every now and then, copy some of your email contacts with our church emails, so they can see the upcoming events.  Show folks how to access our online service videos.  Plant the seed any chance you get, and then go back every now and then and water it.

Above all, pray that our good Lord make the ground of this church fertile and productive, that our seed might be prosperous, as Zechariah foretold.  And that our church be strengthened in faith and increased in number, as Luke added.  It may take a while, but we will start seeing the fruits of our labors.


It all begins with planting the seed.  Now let’s get to work.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father, we thank You for this church, for this loving family and the beautiful building we gather in.  We thank You for the strength You give us, and for the willingness of so many to labor in the fields serving You.  And Father we know we could do even more if our family grows again.  Lord, we know nothing is impossible for You so we ask for 63 new or returning family members this year, 63 more pairs of hands to help plant the seeds of Your word throughout our community.  Make our ground here fertile, please Lord, and enable our reach to extend farther than ever before.  Show us those of Your children who we can plant the seed in, and help us water it often so we can all benefit as it bears fruit.

Hear us now, all mighty God, as we speak to You in the silence and listen for Your reply…

Help us, please Father, to be the very best sowers of Your seed.  Strengthen and encourage us to plant the seeds of Your word in the hearts of our fellow man.  Bless this church, Lord, that it might grow and flourish, all to Your glory, O God.  In that name above all names, the name of Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen.

Be Still

[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday, the 1st of February, 2015.  A called Congregational meeting was held immediately after the service.]

Do you ever get to the point where you feel like you just want to run away?  When there’s so much going on that you need to escape?  Where you need to find some place to get away from it all, even if only for a little while?

Well, the Sons of Korah clue us in on where to find just such a place, and how to approach it.  Follow along as I read the 46th Psalm…

1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

--Psalm 46 (NKJV)

Let us pray...  Gracious Father, we gather this morning in the name of Jesus Christ and through the intercession of Your most Holy Spirit to worship You, to exalt You above all others, and to praise You.  Open our hearts to receive Your message.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.



A man asked God how long a million years was to Him.  God replied, “It’s just like a single second of your time, My child.”  So the man asked, “What about a million dollars?  What is that to You?”  The Lord replied, “To Me, it’s like just a single penny.”  The man gathered up his courage and asked, “Well, Lord, could I have one of Your pennies?”  And God responded, “Certainly, my child!  Just a second.”

[From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, page 297, #781: “Waiting for God”.]


I thought maybe we could spend a few seconds with God this morning.

You know, from what I’ve seen so far, most of us have no problem with doing things for God.  And most of us don’t have too much trouble talking to Him, whether in somewhat formal prayer or just as we go about our normal daily life.  But when it comes to sitting still and listening to God, I think that might be a different story.

The Sons of Korah tell us at the start of the 46th Psalm that God is our refuge and our strength.  And that we can rely on Him in times of trouble.  Maybe that’s why we have no reservations about going to Him when we need something.   “Lord, I really need that job – help me get it please.”  “Oh Great Physician, help me over this illness.”  “God, would you help me find my car keys, please?”


There is no doubt that God can do anything He wants for us – He can heal us, He can open doors for us, He can provide us with everything we need and anything we could ever desire, if He so pleases.  And he is indeed our refuge – we’re told this three times, in verses 1, 7, and 11.  God is our safe haven when we find ourselves under attack from Satan’s forces.  Or when we just need to get away from the world for a few minutes.

But I believe verse 10 is an instruction we need to be especially careful to follow.  It tells us how to approach God, how to treat Him, how to think of Him, how to respond to Him.  “Be still”, God tells us through this Psalm.  Be still, stay quiet, stop fidgeting and give some consideration to this all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present deity that we are asking something from.  Stop for a moment and just reflect on who God is and what He means to us and to this world we inhabit.

Now the Sons of Korah are not the only ones to provide this strongly worded suggestion.  King David gives similar advice.  Listen to the 3rd and 4th verses of the 4th Psalm…

3 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

--Psalm 4:3-4 (NKJV)

If we want to be set apart for God, so that He will hear us when we call on Him, then we need to meditate within our hearts and be still!  Be still and know that He is God!  And please remember that everything in our Bible, though written by the hands of man, is fully inspired by God just as if He wrote the words down Himself.  God is telling us to be still and to understand just what He is to us.


I’d like to read one more scriptural reference.  This one from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4, verses 35 through 41, as Jesus and His disciples sail across the Sea of Galilee…

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

--Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV)

Can’t you just imagine the scene on that boat as the storm suddenly rose to engulf them?  They’re all scurrying about, trying to bring down the sails and tie things off and probably bail water out of the boat.  And there’s Jesus, back at the stern, fast asleep.  So they wake Him up and shout over the wind, “Doesn’t it bother You any that we’re all about to die!?!”

Jesus stands up, maybe yawns and stretches a bit, and tells the wind and the sea to be still, be at peace.  Immediately the wind ceases and a great calm comes over the sea.  And then the amazed disciples utter the kicker: “even the wind and the sea obey Him”.

Jesus said, “Be still”, and the wind and the raging waves listened and became still.  Do we listen?


Do we even know what it means to be still anymore?  The wonder of technology has brought some great time-saving devices into our lives.  We have phones on our hips to make communications faster and easier, no matter where we are or what we’re doing.  We have better cars and planes to get us where we’re going faster than ever.  We have computers to bring us information from all over the world instantly.  Microwave ovens cook our meals in a matter of minutes or even seconds.  Satellite radios, 24-hour news and weather, instant-on TVs.  Faster, faster.  Now, now, NOW!

But what are we doing with all this time we’re supposed to be saving?  We are constantly rushing around and never seem to get anywhere.  No matter how hard we try or how fast we fly we just can’t get everything done that needs doing.  We never seem to have enough time.

When do we stop long enough to reflect on God, to think about just who He is and how much He means to us?  When do we take a little extra time to get to know Him better and build a stronger relationship with Him, to grow with Him?  How many friendships never get off the ground because we don’t take enough time to establish a true relationship?  How many marriages fail because one stopped walking and growing with the other?  The same holds true for our relationship with God, with Jesus.

We must take the time to establish and then develop a true and lasting relationship with Him, and then grow in that relationship, learning more about Him as we go along.  We need to stop rushing around for a few minutes a day and just sit there and read our Bible, to think about all the blessings God gives us, to listen for His voice in the quiet of our own thoughts.

Maybe the Amish have the right idea.  With no modern devices and very few of what we might consider conveniences, they have less of the stuff in life that distracts us from getting to know God.  Even their primary mode of transportation – a horse and buggy – lends itself to spending more time in contemplation of God’s goodness as it takes them longer to get anywhere and there are fewer distractions involved with the process.

I’m not saying we need to give up all our modern conveniences.  Some of us would go into withdrawal without our smart phones and computers!  And no one wants to take all day just to go to the grocery store.  But we do need to set aside a few minutes each day to put all those distractions away and to simply be still!  God is at work all around us – we just need to stop long enough to notice, to reflect on His handiwork, His marvelous creation.

As King David said, we need to set aside some time so that we can be set apart for God, so that He will hear us when we call out to Him.  We can continue talking to Him – He wants us to tell Him how our day has been, how we’re doing.  He wants to hear from us.  But He also has things He wants to tell us.  If we’re the only ones doing the talking, we’ll be missing out on half the conversation.


Stop for a while.  Sit down and get comfortable.  And listen for what God has to say.  Be still, and know that He is God.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, if we would just take the time to glance at our surroundings, we would see so much of Your handiwork in this world.  You bless us each and every day with glorious beauty all around us.  Yet, Lord, we tend to let all the day to day craziness of our modern life distract us from spending more time with You, listening to You, getting to know You better.  Forgive us, please Lord, when we just can’t seem to stop long enough to be still and think about just how much You mean to us.

Hear us now, Father, as we do pause for a moment in the stillness, as we quietly listen with our hearts for Your voice…

Help us, please Lord, to find the time each and every day to be still and listen for You in the quiet.  Help us grow in our relationship with You, that we might know You better and discern Your will for us.  Help us set aside time, dearest God, that You might set us apart and hear our prayers.  Speak to us, Father, when we are still and quiet.  In the most holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Master we pray.  Amen.