[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 13th of September, 2015 - Homecoming Sunday at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Today is our homecoming Sunday – a time when folks traditionally return to the church they grew up in if they moved away. For them and for those who didn’t move away, it’s still a time to get back to our Christian roots, and to remember what is truly most important in our lives. So it is very appropriate that tonight we also kick off our annual revival series. We’ll come together and listen to some beautiful music and hear a great speaker bring God’s message to us and we’ll pray that our gracious Father in heaven work His mighty power throughout all the land that a great revival might begin!
But family, this act of revival is not passive on our parts. We can’t just sit here and wait and hope or even pray to God that it happens. We have a very active role to play in this as well. There are things we should be doing, characteristics we should be cultivating, attributes we should be showing in our daily lives. Revival is an ongoing event. Renewal begins and increases each day. Let’s hear what the Apostle Paul has to say regarding this whole process in chapter 3, verses 1 through 17 of his letter to the Colossians, reading from the New Living Translation of our Bible…
But family, this act of revival is not passive on our parts. We can’t just sit here and wait and hope or even pray to God that it happens. We have a very active role to play in this as well. There are things we should be doing, characteristics we should be cultivating, attributes we should be showing in our daily lives. Revival is an ongoing event. Renewal begins and increases each day. Let’s hear what the Apostle Paul has to say regarding this whole process in chapter 3, verses 1 through 17 of his letter to the Colossians, reading from the New Living Translation of our Bible…
1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
--Colossians 3:1-17 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, we call today homecoming, and we’ve come to be with You and our church family, but we know this is not truly our home. That wonderful place yet awaits us. But as we wait for You to call us home, Father, please renew us with Your message, refresh us with Your word, revive us with Your most Holy Spirit. In the blessed name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten The red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car."
I’m reminded of the expression, “actions speak louder than words”. This lady’s “words”, as “spoken” by her bumper stickers and license plate frame and Christian fish emblem, are in direct conflict with her actions of blasting the guy in front of her who had simply obeyed traffic laws.
We could assume that at one point in her life she really had tried to follow Jesus and honor him, but had just strayed from Him over time. That or all the stuff on her car was just for show and her actions more closely matched her true character. Either way, if she ever truly was a Christian, she desperately needed a revival of her spirit, a refreshening of her promise to follow and obey Jesus.
Revive us, refresh us, renew us… That’s what we ask of God at least once a year – more often if we’re truly honest with ourselves and our personal needs. And we ask this not only for ourselves on an individual level, but for our nation and even our world, that all of mankind’s hearts might be turned to Jesus.
But family, I think we need to add another request, and that is one for rededication. And this takes us back to the active role of revival. We need to rededicate ourselves to Jesus, recommit ourselves to serving Him, reexamine just where we are in our walk in life.
This should be an ongoing practice for us, even on a daily basis. The Apostle Paul put it this way, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 12 verses 1 and 2…
A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten The red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car."
I’m reminded of the expression, “actions speak louder than words”. This lady’s “words”, as “spoken” by her bumper stickers and license plate frame and Christian fish emblem, are in direct conflict with her actions of blasting the guy in front of her who had simply obeyed traffic laws.
We could assume that at one point in her life she really had tried to follow Jesus and honor him, but had just strayed from Him over time. That or all the stuff on her car was just for show and her actions more closely matched her true character. Either way, if she ever truly was a Christian, she desperately needed a revival of her spirit, a refreshening of her promise to follow and obey Jesus.
Revive us, refresh us, renew us… That’s what we ask of God at least once a year – more often if we’re truly honest with ourselves and our personal needs. And we ask this not only for ourselves on an individual level, but for our nation and even our world, that all of mankind’s hearts might be turned to Jesus.
But family, I think we need to add another request, and that is one for rededication. And this takes us back to the active role of revival. We need to rededicate ourselves to Jesus, recommit ourselves to serving Him, reexamine just where we are in our walk in life.
This should be an ongoing practice for us, even on a daily basis. The Apostle Paul put it this way, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 12 verses 1 and 2…
12 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)
Paul says it is our duty – our “reasonable service” – to serve God using our physical bodies, not just through prayer, and to allow Him to transform us into that new person by renewing us constantly, until we attain what He has willed for us. This is an ongoing process, not instantaneous.
Paul reinforces this in his letter to his colleague Titus, in chapter 3 verses 4 through 6…
Paul reinforces this in his letter to his colleague Titus, in chapter 3 verses 4 through 6…
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
--Titus 3:4-6 (NKJV)
Isn’t that a beautiful passage? God grants us salvation, not based on anything we might ever do ourselves, but only by the blood of Jesus shed for us on that cross. But Paul again notes that we are being constantly renewed by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, that Jesus sent us when He returned to be with His Father in heaven. Not that we were renewed, but that we are being renewed.
And oh what marvelous things we can do when we allow ourselves to be renewed, when we do our part. Do you remember when Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai the stone tablets on which God had etched the Ten Commandments? He shattered them against the ground because the people had been worshiping a golden calf while he was on the mountain with God. So he had to go back up later on and seek God’s forgiveness for the people and to receive two new tablets. Hear what he said to God, and God’s reply, from the Book of the Exodus, chapter 34, verses 8 through 10…
And oh what marvelous things we can do when we allow ourselves to be renewed, when we do our part. Do you remember when Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai the stone tablets on which God had etched the Ten Commandments? He shattered them against the ground because the people had been worshiping a golden calf while he was on the mountain with God. So he had to go back up later on and seek God’s forgiveness for the people and to receive two new tablets. Hear what he said to God, and God’s reply, from the Book of the Exodus, chapter 34, verses 8 through 10…
8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”
10 And He said: “Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you."
--Exodus 34:8-10 (NKJV)
God promised He will do awesome things with us, through us, in us, so that all the people around us can see the work of the Lord. He made a new covenant with His chosen people, the children of Israel. And He made a newer covenant with His most precious creation, with all of mankind, when He sent His Son Jesus into the world with His offer of salvation.
If we let Him, if we do our part, He does awesome things with us, and through us, and in is. Some of the fruit of that promise can be seen in the words of the prophet Isaiah, in chapter 40 of his book, verse 31…
If we let Him, if we do our part, He does awesome things with us, and through us, and in is. Some of the fruit of that promise can be seen in the words of the prophet Isaiah, in chapter 40 of his book, verse 31…
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
--Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)
Trust in the Lord. That’s our first step, the first part of our role in all this revival business. Trust in the Lord and in His word and His promise. But there’s a little more to it than that.
Let’s look again at our scripture reading for this morning. Right off the bat, in the opening verses, Paul instructs us that since Jesus brought us back to life spiritually, we must focus on the things of heaven and not the things of earth.
What are the most important things in this world? Watch TV for a while and the commercials will tell you. You can’t be happy or satisfied or complete if you don’t have the newest car or the latest phone or the sexiest clothing. Those are things of the earth, the stuff Paul tells us to ignore. Instead, focus on our Father in heaven, on His word in our Bible, on the great and wonderful things Jesus has done and is doing for us. We must not allow ourselves to be conformed to this world, to fit into its mold. We must put this worldly life behind us, put it to death as Paul says. This is our active role, this is the part we must take in revival.
Look at verse 5: have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. If there is anything Satan and this world, this current age, promotes, it would be sexual immorality. Put it behind you. Don’t be greedy, because greed is lusting after things, things of this world, putting those things ahead of God and that is a form of idol worship.
Verses 8 and 9: get rid of anger, of rage, of malicious behavior and feelings toward others. Don’t slander others, and don’t let profane speech define you. And please, don’t lie to each other.
Paul understands us – he’s been there. He shows it in verse 7 when he says we all used to do these things when we were part of this world, when we let our lives be ruled by the ways of the world and not the ways of God. But we’re supposed to be through with that, we who have accepted Jesus, the Son of God, as Lord and Master and Savior. Instead, we’re to let our new nature show through.
We all know what that should look like, and if we don’t then Paul gives us some good hints in the latter verses. Be tenderhearted, humble, and merciful. Treat others – all others – with kindness, gentleness, and patience. Make allowances for the faults of others because we ourselves certainly have our own faults! Forgive anyone who offends us. And above all, be loving. We are to love all others as we love ourselves, as Jesus loves us. Let the peace of Christ Jesus rule us and dictate our actions. And finally, always be thankful to God, in all things. We don’t have to look very far - no matter where we might be standing at the moment, no matter what condition we may find ourselves in – to find something we can thank our God for, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we take all this to heart and strive to follow Paul’s lead, the revival begins and grows. As we continue the process, as we distance ourselves from the ways of this world and set our focus on the things of our heavenly Father and His one true Son, the Holy Spirit renews and refreshes us constantly. And with each passing day, that renewal grows and becomes more evident to those around us, and soon begins to spread to them as well.
The revival that begins within you can spark a flame that becomes a wildfire fanning out in all directions and igniting many to come to Jesus. That’s how revival works.
But it takes work. We have a part to play. Let’s begin that work by first rededicating ourselves to Jesus. And let the revival begin within us.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, homecoming Sunday is special to us because we get to see folks we haven’t been with for a while. And no matter where we go, it’s always so good to be home again. And Father we so anxiously await that time when You call us to our ultimate home, our true home, and we can come back to You.
But until that glorious day, Lord, please begin a revival within us. Touch our hearts and help us recommit ourselves to serving Your Son Jesus. Help us follow the instructions Paul gave so that Your Holy Spirit will renew and refresh us more and more each day. Show us Your will for us and then help us live our lives according to that will, not focused on the things of this earth but on the things of heaven. Help us resist the temptations that Satan constantly throws in our faces, his continuous barrage attacking our convictions and our resolve. Strengthen us to stand, and in standing to become renewed.
Hear us now, merciful Father, as we silently repent of our sins and recommit our lives to You…
Lord God, we rededicate our lives and our service to Your Son Jesus Christ, beginning right now. Give us the strength and the courage to do justice in an unjust world, to have mercy in a merciless society, to shun material things in a materialistic age, to love others when all around us are loveless. Renew us, revive us, refresh us, O Lord Jesus, as we rededicate ourselves to You. This we pray in the name of Him who gave His all for us, the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Let’s look again at our scripture reading for this morning. Right off the bat, in the opening verses, Paul instructs us that since Jesus brought us back to life spiritually, we must focus on the things of heaven and not the things of earth.
What are the most important things in this world? Watch TV for a while and the commercials will tell you. You can’t be happy or satisfied or complete if you don’t have the newest car or the latest phone or the sexiest clothing. Those are things of the earth, the stuff Paul tells us to ignore. Instead, focus on our Father in heaven, on His word in our Bible, on the great and wonderful things Jesus has done and is doing for us. We must not allow ourselves to be conformed to this world, to fit into its mold. We must put this worldly life behind us, put it to death as Paul says. This is our active role, this is the part we must take in revival.
Look at verse 5: have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. If there is anything Satan and this world, this current age, promotes, it would be sexual immorality. Put it behind you. Don’t be greedy, because greed is lusting after things, things of this world, putting those things ahead of God and that is a form of idol worship.
Verses 8 and 9: get rid of anger, of rage, of malicious behavior and feelings toward others. Don’t slander others, and don’t let profane speech define you. And please, don’t lie to each other.
Paul understands us – he’s been there. He shows it in verse 7 when he says we all used to do these things when we were part of this world, when we let our lives be ruled by the ways of the world and not the ways of God. But we’re supposed to be through with that, we who have accepted Jesus, the Son of God, as Lord and Master and Savior. Instead, we’re to let our new nature show through.
We all know what that should look like, and if we don’t then Paul gives us some good hints in the latter verses. Be tenderhearted, humble, and merciful. Treat others – all others – with kindness, gentleness, and patience. Make allowances for the faults of others because we ourselves certainly have our own faults! Forgive anyone who offends us. And above all, be loving. We are to love all others as we love ourselves, as Jesus loves us. Let the peace of Christ Jesus rule us and dictate our actions. And finally, always be thankful to God, in all things. We don’t have to look very far - no matter where we might be standing at the moment, no matter what condition we may find ourselves in – to find something we can thank our God for, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When we take all this to heart and strive to follow Paul’s lead, the revival begins and grows. As we continue the process, as we distance ourselves from the ways of this world and set our focus on the things of our heavenly Father and His one true Son, the Holy Spirit renews and refreshes us constantly. And with each passing day, that renewal grows and becomes more evident to those around us, and soon begins to spread to them as well.
The revival that begins within you can spark a flame that becomes a wildfire fanning out in all directions and igniting many to come to Jesus. That’s how revival works.
But it takes work. We have a part to play. Let’s begin that work by first rededicating ourselves to Jesus. And let the revival begin within us.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, homecoming Sunday is special to us because we get to see folks we haven’t been with for a while. And no matter where we go, it’s always so good to be home again. And Father we so anxiously await that time when You call us to our ultimate home, our true home, and we can come back to You.
But until that glorious day, Lord, please begin a revival within us. Touch our hearts and help us recommit ourselves to serving Your Son Jesus. Help us follow the instructions Paul gave so that Your Holy Spirit will renew and refresh us more and more each day. Show us Your will for us and then help us live our lives according to that will, not focused on the things of this earth but on the things of heaven. Help us resist the temptations that Satan constantly throws in our faces, his continuous barrage attacking our convictions and our resolve. Strengthen us to stand, and in standing to become renewed.
Hear us now, merciful Father, as we silently repent of our sins and recommit our lives to You…
Lord God, we rededicate our lives and our service to Your Son Jesus Christ, beginning right now. Give us the strength and the courage to do justice in an unjust world, to have mercy in a merciless society, to shun material things in a materialistic age, to love others when all around us are loveless. Renew us, revive us, refresh us, O Lord Jesus, as we rededicate ourselves to You. This we pray in the name of Him who gave His all for us, the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment