Promises Fulfilled

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon that would have been delivered on the 27th of December, 2015, had it not been for a very moving visit by God's Holy Spirit.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Have you ever watched what they call a “state visit” on TV?  That’s when some foreign dignitary of very high ranking – like a king or a prime minister – comes to visit the US.  Or when our President goes to visit the leader of another country.  There’s always all kinds of pomp and bluster, armed troops and police all over the place, long lines of big black limousines and SUVs and motorcycles.  It seems to be a very big deal, and a huge fuss.  Just so one important person can come have a chat with another.

But one night a little over 2000 years ago, some very important men, dignitaries from far off lands, came to pay a visit to the most important person ever born on the face of this earth.  There was no fanfare, no fuss, no big show at all.  Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Matthew describes this visit in the 2nd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 12, and I’ll be reading from the venerable King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

--Matthew 2:1-12 (KJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your Son to us not as a conquering king or an important dignitary on a state visit, but as a tiny baby, born in the most humble of surroundings.  Let us be just as humble, Father, as we seek Your will for us this morning.  Speak to us through Your Holy Spirit and give us the message we need to hear today, and help us live it all week.  In the beautiful name of our Savior Jesus we pray.  Amen.


There was an art contest held in a local school in East Texas at Christmas time a few years ago.  One of the prize winners was a picture drawn by a nine year old boy showing three men, offering gifts to the baby Jesus in his manger.  What made the picture unique is how the three visitors arrived: there was fire truck off to the side in the picture.

The principle asked the boy about his decision to draw the truck and the boy, in his heavy East-Texas accent, was quick to reply: “Well, the Bible says the wise men came from a far, so they musta been ridin’ a far truck.”


But have you ever stopped to think what it might have been like if those wise visitors had been women instead of men?

• They would have asked directions in Bethlehem rather than feeling that they needed to stop off at the Palace in Jerusalem.
• They would have arrived on time.
• They would have helped deliver the baby and clean up the stable afterwards.
• They would have given practical gifts, and probably brought a casserole.
• And there would indeed be Peace on Earth.

Does it really matter whether the visiting dignitaries were men or women?  Would it make any difference that they rode in on camels or in a firetruck?  Not to them, I think… nor to us.

What matters is that they received the living, breathing fulfillment of what God had promised so long before.  They found the Christ, the Messiah, Immanuel, God with us.  And when they came into the house and saw the young Child with Mary, His mother, they fell down and worshiped Him.


Over the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at how everything God has told us throughout our Bible has either come to pass, is happening right now, or is promised for a future time.  Just the other day we recognized and celebrated the fulfillment of God’s dearest and greatest promise: that a Savior would come to us and live with us and offer us eternal life through Him.  And Jesus was born, to keep God’s promise.

The wise men in Matthew’s Gospel responded to that promise which they had uncovered in their research.  The followed the star’s path that led them right to the Christ Child.  I think the author of the book of Hebrews might best explain that promise, when in chapter 9 verses 11 through 15 he writes this…

11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

--Hebrews 9:11-15 (NKJV)

“The promise of the eternal inheritance”, the everlasting life as Jesus put it in John 3:16.  And of course, we know that Jesus promised in chapter 14 of John’s Gospel that someday He will return to take His church home.  Many wonder when this will happen, and some have even tried to predict it.  Peter tells us there’s a reason Jesus hasn’t returned yet, and it all has to do with God’s great love and mercy.  List to what the Apostle says in his 2nd letter to the young Christian churches, in chapter 3 verse 9…

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

--2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

So we just have to be patient.  We just have to wait, because we know it will happen.  We know it will happen because Jesus promised it, and Jesus is God, and everything that God promised would happen, either has happened already or is happening right now.

That’s what He’s been telling us the last few weeks.  Jesus will come again, He will take His church home, and He will judge the world.  We just better make sure we’re ready, and we’ve discussed that too.


So what about us?  Do we live and act and think like we’re ready for Jesus to return?  I love how Paul opens his 2nd letter to his young friend Timothy, in chapter 1 verse 1…

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus…

--2 Timothy 1:1 (NKJV)

The word “apostle” means “one sent out”.  Paul says he has been sent out into the world for Jesus Christ by the will of God.  What compelled him to do this?  The promise of life that is Jesus!  This was God’s will, that Paul go out into the world spreading the Gospel of Jesus and the promise of eternal life that Jesus extends to us all if we only believe, and act on our belief.

Paul reiterates this sending in the opening words of his letter to the church in Rome, in Romans chapter 1 verses 1 through 3, with one small addition…

1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh…

--Romans 1:1-3 (NKJV)

Did you catch the additional point Paul makes?  Just like he mentioned in his letter to Timothy, he says he is called as an apostle, sent out to help let people know about the promise of God that is made complete in Jesus.  But he adds “separated to the gospel of God”.  Separated, held apart, dedicated to the Good News of our Father God.  Another word for that is “sanctified”.

The gospel of God - that Good News - is Jesus!  Born to take away the sin of the world.  Born that man might live.  Paul accepted God’s will to be an apostle and he separated himself to serve that task wholly and completely.  That was the promise Paul made to Jesus.  And that was a promise he most definitely fulfilled.


So I’m back to the question, what about us?  Have we even made a promise to Jesus, to God?  If so, are we working to fulfill it?

With the coming of the New Year, many folks will make “resolutions”, usually intended to make them better persons in some way.  They’ll diet, get more exercise, lose weight, quit smoking, go to church more often, be nicer to their spouse…  The list of possibilities is endless. Sadly, most of those resolutions will be broken before we’re even through January.

So I don’t want us to make any resolutions.  Instead, I want us to make a promise, and not to ourselves but to God.  Each one of us knows some area we are lacking in when it comes to our faith.  We all know things we could do so that others can see Jesus in our lives.  We can spot ways that our love of God can be translated more into the real world by being better servants, by helping others more, by loving others fully.  The Apostle James says that faith without works is dead.  We can all increase our work serving Jesus so that we don’t have to worry about our faith dying.

Sanctify yourself to God.  Separate a part of your life out from the culture of the world and give it all to Jesus.  God fulfills His promises.  Make a promise to Him today, and fulfill it.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father, God, as we read through our Holy Bible, we see that everything You ever promised You fulfilled.  Everything You said would happen did or is happening right now in the world.  So we can be sure that what You and Jesus said would happen in a time yet to come will indeed come to pass.  But the greatest promise You ever made, Father, and the greatest gift You ever gave us, is fulfilled completely in Jesus Christ our Lord.  In Him You give the embodiment of Your love.  In Him reside all our hopes and dreams and faith.  In Him we have salvation and life eternal.  Thank You, Father, for keeping that very special promise.

Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence, our heads bowed in Your holy presence.  Accept the promise we now make to serve Your Son Jesus throughout the coming year and all the years ahead…

Heavenly Father, help us fulfill our promise to You, just as You fulfill all Your promises to us.  Help us truly separate ourselves to do the work of Jesus, to complete the assignment He left us.  Help us not to look upon this moment as simply making another resolution, one that we may not keep for long, but to see it as a promise to our Almighty God and His Son Jesus, a promise that we will fulfill.  This we pray in the blessed name of Jesus Christ our Lord and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Just As We Were Told

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 20th of December, 2015.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The day is almost here, and I’m not talking about the first day of after-Christmas sales.  We’ve been working hard to get ready for this day for weeks now.  Shopping, cooking, baking, wrapping gifts, putting up decorations, cleaning the house for expected guests…  And hopefully we’ve been examining our hearts and making sure there is room for Jesus there, within us.

If all goes well, we will soon be able to finally stop long enough to enjoy that silent night, that holy night, the night we celebrate our Savior’s birth.  Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Matthew describes the period leading up to that first Christmas from the perspective of Joseph and Mary, as recorded for us in the 1st chapter of his Gospel account, verses 18 through 23, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

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)

Let us pray…  Father God, this week we will be celebrating the birth of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus.  Some of the rush of the season is now behind us, with some yet to come, so still our minds that we may remember what Christmas is truly all about.  Speak to us through Your Holy Spirit and give us the message we need to hear today, that we might carry it with us all week.  In the beautiful name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


During the Christmas season one year, a famous preacher visited an assisted living center that was home to a number of Alzheimer's patients.  He went around and greeted the people, who were all very glad to see him.  The preacher walked up to one lady and asked, "Do you know who I am?"  "No”, she answered, “but if you go to the Front Desk, they can tell you."


I bet that little comment gave the preacher a healthy dose of humility.  But Joseph and Mary didn’t have that problem, did they, when it came to their little baby.  They knew exactly what to name their child, because an angel of the Lord told them.  “You shall call His name Jesus”.   “And they shall call His name Immanuel… God with us”.


This is a beautiful time of year, isn’t it, as we anticipate the birth of our Savior Jesus.  We try to reflect the beauty that is our Lord and the love of God with bright and shiny decorations and lights.  We focus on that Holy Birth and on the time leading up to it, as described by Matthew in today’s reading - that’s what we do at Advent.

The angel Gabriel spoke to both Mary and Joseph, on separate occasions, and foretold that a child would be conceived within Mary by the Holy Spirit.  And sure enough, what he said would happen did.

That takes us to what Matthew says in verse 22:  all of this was done so that the words spoken by God through His prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.  Isaiah wrote those words for God of the virgin birth some 700 years before the event occurred!  And what he said would happen did.  It happened because God gave him the words to say, and God knows everything that will happen in human history.

So just like He told Gabriel to relay to Mary and Joseph, what God told Isaiah to relay to the children of Israel He knew would happen and it did.  It happened just like we were told it would.


Of course, this is not the only instance where God told us something and it came to pass.  One other we can relate to is when Jesus foretold Peter’s denial of Him just after their last meal together.  Listen to how that conversation went, from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, verses 31 through 35…

31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away on account of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’

32 But after I have risen, I will go before you to Galilee.”

33 Peter answered, “Though all men will fall away on account of You, yet I will never fall away.”

34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

35 Peter said to Him, “Though I should die with You, yet I will not deny You.”  And all the disciples spoke in this manner.

--Matthew 26:31-35 (MEV)

Peter denied his denial, but he was wrong and Jesus was right.  Jesus foretold that Peter would deny even knowing Him, and it happened just as we were told.

Jesus is God, so Jesus knows everything too.  He even knew about His own future, as He tried to tell His disciples on more than one occasion, such as one time when He took them off to the side for a little teaching moment.  This also comes from Matthew’s Gospel, a little earlier in his account, from chapter 20, verses 17 through 19…

17 As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”

--Matthew 20:17-19 (NASB)

Jesus foretold His own death and resurrection, and they happened just as we were told.

Even the Apostle Peter took note of how the words God spoke through His prophet had all come to pass.  In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 3, verses 18 and 24, Peter says this…

18 “But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”

24 “Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.”

--Acts 3:18, 24 (NKJV)

Here, Peter is preaching at Solomon’s Portico in Jerusalem, as the people marveled and were amazed at how he and John healed a lame man there.  Peter proclaimed that everything foretold in ancient times by the prophets all happened just as we were told.


We can easily go through our Bible and find many more instances of God’s word coming to pass.  We have plenty of records to prove that everything God said would happen did indeed happen, just as we were told.  And one interesting aspect of this foretelling in our Bible of future occurrences is that we can also see some of those events happening right now in our own time!

We have wars and rumors of wars, like Jesus said we would.  We have people who refuse to listen to sound doctrine, those who want preachers that will only tell them what they want to hear, and preachers that are very willing to only tell them what they want to hear, just as the Apostle Paul warned us of.  If we really want to dig, we can look at things happening in the Middle East right now along with the involvement of Russia and many other nations and we can see the end times prophecies of Daniel and Ezekiel and those given to John in the Revelation of Jesus Christ beginning to come to pass.

So if everything God told us would happen did already happen or is happening right now, is there any valid reason for us to believe that those things that have not yet happened will not happen?

No!  None!  Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t.  We have too much proof that what God ordains will indeed come to pass, just as we are told it will.  We just don’t know when it might come to pass.

And that is why I and many of my pastor brothers speak with such urgency.  Because much of what God said would happen is happening right now, today.  And that means that what He said would happen that has yet to happen may happen soon!

Listen to what Jesus tells us in the 13th chapter of the Gospel account as recorded by the Apostle Mark.  Please pay close attention, because Jesus starts out by warning us of things we can see happening in the world right now, and then about what has yet to transpire.  This is from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 13, verses 21 through 27…

21 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it.  22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

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.”

--Mark 13:21-27 (NKJV)

Haven’t we heard of people claiming to be Jesus, or the Christ?  I remember not too many years ago a man in Florida claimed he was Jesus Christ come back to give his people another chance.  And folks believed him – he grew quite a following before it all just sort of blew over.

There are many false prophets and teachers active today, preaching from any soapbox they can find, especially on national media, even from the pulpits of Christian churches.  As Paul warned, they preach what people want to hear, what makes them feel good about themselves and the world around them.  No thought, it seems, is given to Biblical correctness - only to political correctness.  Many are led astray by these false teachings, even those who truly believe in and try to follow Jesus.

And there lies the true danger, being led down the path to ruin and destruction.  Because the rest of what Jesus said there has not yet happened, but might very soon come to pass.  There will be a time of tribulation as has never been seen on the face of the earth.

Fortunately for mankind, God in His mercy will shorten those days.  But then the sun will be darkened and the moon will have no light to reflect.  The stars in our heavens will fall and all powers, even in heaven, will be shaken.  And Jesus, the Son of Man, will appear in the clouds above the earth.  And He will send His angels to call His church home.


There are many things we were told would come to pass that did, just as we were told they would.  There are things we have been told would occur that we can see happening today, just as we were told.  And there are things yet to come that we must be prepared for, because they will happen just as we were told.

Believe in and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master and He will be our Savior.  Love God with all our heart and all our soul and love each other as we love ourselves, as Jesus loves us.  In this way we can be ready.  This is how we can be prepared.

The time is approaching when Jesus will come again to call His church home and to judge this world and all of mankind!  Just as we were told.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, we have no reason not to believe You, since everything You have ever told us has come to pass and been shown to be true.  But sometimes, Father, we get complacent, waiting on Your word to become reality.  Sometimes we just fail to understand that everything must work in Your time according to Your plan, Your will, not ours.  Help us, please Father, not only to be more patient but to also be ever alert, for while we don’t know when the next phase of Your plan will take place, all indications are that it may be soon and we must be ready for Your Son’s return.

Hear us now, Lord God, as we give You our thanks, ask for Your help, and seek Your counsel here in the silence, straight from our hearts…

Father God, at this time of year we look forward to our Lord’s return by looking back at His birth.  You foretold that birth and exactly how it would occur through Your prophets of old.  And it happened just as we were told.  Jesus foretold of His return and exactly what will happen in the last days, and we can be assured that this will also all happen just as we were told.  We anxiously await that second coming just as the world awaited His first.  Come, Lord Jesus, come.  This we pray in that blessed name of Jesus Christ our Master and our Redeemer.  Amen.

It Isn't Always Going To Be Easy

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 13th of December, 2015.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Getting ready for Christmas can be a lot of fun, but it can also be an ordeal.  We get too caught up in all the rush, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.  We try to do too much, spread ourselves too thin, run all over God’s creation trying to get everything done before Santa makes his visit.

Some of it’s fun, and some is easy.  But a lot of what we put ourselves through this time of year is neither fun nor easy.  And at least part of the reason for that, in my opinion, is due to our losing sight of just what Christmas is truly all about.

We can perhaps take some small comfort - in the vein of “misery loves company” – in knowing that even the very first Christmas was anything but easy for the mother and earthly father of our Lord Christ.  Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Luke describes the days leading up to that first Christmas, from the 2nd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 6, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

--Luke 2:1-6 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, before we get too much more caught up in the busyness of the holidays, please calm our hearts and speak to us of the real meaning of Christmas and of being a Christian.  Speak to us through Your Holy Spirit and give us the message we need to hear.  Help us prepare room in our hearts for our Lord.  In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


Do any of you remember Duz laundry detergent?  Well, a young boy entered a grocery store one day and asked the grocer for a box of Duz detergent.  The grocer was puzzled and asked why the lad would want a box of Duz.  “I’m going to wash my cat”, the boy answered.  “Young man,” the grocer protested, “you shouldn’t wash your cat with this kind of soap!”  But the boy insisted it would be OK.

A few days later, the boy returned and the grocer asked him about the cat.  “Oh, he died”, the boy replied.  The grocer shook his head and said, “Well, son, I warned you not to wash your cat with that Duz detergent.”  The boy shot back, “The soap didn’t hurt him a bit.  It was the spin cycle that did him in!”

[* From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking by Michael Hodgin, #284, “Easy Duz It”, page 333. *]


You’ve probably heard someone say, “Easy does it”, usually as they’re trying to ease something delicate into position.  Well, in this case, it doesn’t sound like there was anything easy about using “Duz” to wash a cat.  Maybe the cat would have survived after all if the boy hadn’t tried to spin dry him.  But anyone who has ever owned a cat knows that washing them is not an easy undertaking no matter how you do it, even using a washing machine and Duz detergent.


When I was trying to come up with a title for today’s message, the first thought that hit me was, “It ain’t gonna be easy”, which I’m sure would displease all our English teachers.  Other ideas included, “Nobody said it was gonna be easy”, which is a little lengthy, and “If it were easy, anyone could do it”, which is both very true and very long for a title.  No matter what label we put on it, the plain and simple fact is that there is nothing in our Bible that assures us of an easy life on this earth.

I want you to think for a moment about the 12 Disciples, the closest followers and dearest friends Jesus had while He walked this earth.  One of them committed suicide, driven mad by remorse at betraying our Lord.  Ten died horrible deaths, martyred because of their belief in and evangelism for Jesus as Christ, the one true Son of God and the only way to salvation.  Only one of the 12 lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes, but he died alone in exile.  They didn’t exactly have it easy, did they.

Consider the mother and earthly father of our Lord Jesus.  They were blessed by God to bring forth and take care of His only begotten Son.  If anyone should have an easy life, it would be them, wouldn’t you think?  But our scripture reading today says otherwise.

Being privy to the full story behind Jesus’ birth, we know that Joseph had a pretty tough time accepting his betrothed wife turning up pregnant, when they had not yet been together in an intimate way.  He was ready to call off the marriage and have Mary taken to the Jewish version of a monastery until God’s angel came to him and told him it would be OK, that Joseph needed to take Mary as his wife and take care of the child as if it were his own.  I’m sure that wasn’t easy for Joseph or Mary.

And then there’s that journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Joseph had to go to be registered for the census.  In our Bible Study class a while back, we looked at how they would have headed south and then turned east and crossed over into Jordan to avoid going through Samaria, the territory most good devout Jews would not set foot in if at all possible.  This detour would have added days to their trip.  The route was treacherous at places:  crossing the river twice, climbing rocky hillsides and descending the scrabble strewn slopes, through desert and wilderness, at times in the presence of dangerous wild animals, with dwindling food supplies.

This journey would have been a difficult one for two normal, healthy adults, especially if they had proper conveyance.  By all accounts, they had one burro which Mary rode while Joseph walked the entire trip.  Oh, and by the way, what did Luke tell us about Mary’s condition?  She “was now obviously pregnant”.  How pregnant?  “While they were there” in Bethlehem, “the time came for her baby to be born”.  Natural childbirth, without the benefits of modern drugs or medical teams or even a midwife, is certainly not easy, and had to have been especially trying after such a long and torturous journey.  The angel never told Joseph or Mary that it was going to be easy.


And then there’s the Apostle that never walked with Jesus, yet knew Him as well if not better than those who did.  The Apostle that I tend to associate with personally because of the dramatic change Jesus made in him, from what he was to what he became.

The Apostle Paul had an easy life, didn’t he?  He was a good Jew, a member of the Pharisees, the ruling class of religious leaders.  He studied at the feet of the greatest teacher Gamaliel and was destined for great things.  But then Jesus came to him on that dusty road to Damascus and everything changed.

Let’s listen to how easy Paul described his life to be, as he wrote in his 2nd letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 11, verses 22 through 27, when he is talking about those who persecuted and ultimately crucified Jesus, and then about himself…

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

--2 Corinthians 11:22-27 (NKJV)

Yep, that’s an easy life for you – Not!

Notice that Paul mentions his labors for the Lord first, making them the least significant in this long list of woes.  The Jews gave him 39 lashes five times.  Three times he was beaten with rods, and stoned once and left for dead once.  Shipwrecked three times, and always on the move.  Facing perils on water and on land, from robbers and the Gentiles and even his own countrymen, perils in the cities, in the wilderness, in the sea, perils from those who falsely claim to be fellow believers in Christ.  Hungry and thirsty, sleepless, cold and naked too often to count.

Anytime I start feeling I have it tough and self-pity begins to creep in, all I have to do is remember all that Paul endured for our Lord.  You’d think that all of this would get Paul down, that it would slowly beat him up enough that he’d get tired and just give up.

Not Paul.  Instead, he just kept giving praise and glory to God and to Jesus.  Rather than lamenting, he would rejoice, just as he tells us to do, in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians when he says this in chapter 5 verses 16 through 18…

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)

Paul is saying it’s not always going to be easy, but no matter what happens, find something to give God thanks for.  If life gets nasty and bad, rejoice in the Lord and pray to Him throughout whatever ordeal you’re going through, even pray without stopping.  Why?  Will this make it all better?  Maybe, maybe not, depending on God’s great master plan.  But it is what God wills for us to do, what Jesus wants us to do.


I don’t believe there’s a single person here who can look back on their life and say it’s been easy.  We’ve all experienced trials, tribulations, problems, difficulties, times when our faith wavered.  Paul would understand.  And he’d say it doesn’t matter.  In the end, in the grand scheme of things, none of what we have endured, endure, or have yet to endure will mean a thing once we have seen the glorious face of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I can only imagine that’s how it must have been for Mary and Joseph.  After that brutal trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem, they couldn’t even find a decent place to rest their weary bodies.  And then childbirth, without any help, in a crude stable with animals and straw all about.

But then they saw the face of the One of whom the prophets all foretold, the One promised by God’s messenger, the One who would offer salvation to the world.  And everything they had just gone through was forgotten.  Nothing else mattered but that sweet little Baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying there in a manger where the animals normally fed.  Time just stood still as they quietly gazed into the face of God.


If we believe in Jesus as the Son of God and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, then one glorious day He will come to take us home.  On that day, everything we have ever endured – all the hardships and perils and beatings and trials… everything will be forgotten.  Nothing else will matter except the face of our dear Lord Jesus, smiling down on us.

It isn’t always going to be easy.  But if we stay the course, it will all turn our wonderful in the end.  God promised it.  We can believe it.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, You know how frail and weak we are.  Even the strongest among us sometimes buckle under the weight of the world.  We trip and we stumble over the traps that Satan lays all along our path as we struggle to walk that straight and narrow way of our Lord Jesus.  You know our suffering, Father, because You know how much Your own Son suffered when He walked this earth as one of us.  Forgive us, Father, when we fail to rejoice in You, when we forget to find something to give You thanks for even in the worst storms of our life.

Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence giving You thanks, offering You our praise, seeking Your help in our time of trial…

Father God, we know You never said it was always going to be easy.  We know we will face trials in our life, just as Your Son and all those who followed Him faced.  But Father, You have promised us that it will all come out good in the end, that all things turn to good for those who love You and follow Your voice.  We believe that promise, Father, and we put all our hopes, our faith, and our trust in Your Son Jesus, our Master and our Redeemer.  This we pray in that blessed name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Are We Ready?

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 6th of December, 2015.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Last Sunday we entered into the Advent season.  Now the dictionary defines “advent” as a coming into place, view, or being; an arrival.  And it specifically cites the birth of Jesus and the Advent season celebrating His arrival on earth.  This is the time of year we reflect on that humble birth and what that singular event means to this world.

Another milestone in the life of our Christ came at His baptism when God declared Jesus as His Son, affirming the Godhead of our Lord.  Jesus’ birth marks His advent into our world.  His baptism and God’s pronouncement mark His advent into His divinity.  And there is a third advent yet to come.

Today I want to look at how that second advent was announced and how it relates to the third.  Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Matthew recorded in his Gospel account, from chapter 3, verses 1 through 3, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’”

--Matthew 3:1-3 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, before we get too wrapped up in the commercialism of the holidays, please settle our hearts and speak to us about the real truth and purpose behind Christmas.  May Your Holy Spirit whisper the message You have for us this morning into our ears throughout the coming week.  Help us prepare the way of our Lord.  In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


British Railways was looking for a way to test locomotive windshields when they heard about an unusual test cannon at British Airways.  Airways used the cannon to fire birds at great force into the windshields of passenger jets to simulate what too often happens in day-to-day take offs and landings and to ensure the designs and materials of their windshields were up to the task.  They gladly let Railways borrow the cannon for their tests.

Just before the first test run, Railways sent a man out to buy a dead chicken to serve as ammunition for the cannon.  The cannon was then loaded, aimed, and fired at the windshield of a locomotive.  The bird smashed right through the windshield, broke the engineer’s chair, and made a large dent in the rear wall!  Railways officials were furious!  They called Airways, demanding an explanation.  Airways sent out some inspectors to investigate, and they in turn reported back to Railways: “The next time you buy a chicken for this test, either make sure it isn’t frozen or thaw it out before you fire it.”

[* From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking by Michael Hodgin, #271, “A Cold Test”, page 115. *]


I believe this speaks strongly to the old expression: “The devil is in the details”.  The folks at British Railways had a great idea to use something that Airways had already successfully employed many times.  But they got tripped up by one little – but extremely critical – detail: they used a frozen chicken, as hard as a real cannonball.  They tried, but they were not fully prepared for their test.  And that brings me to the title of today’s message: “Are We Prepared?”


In the Advent season, we look forward to the coming of Jesus, to Christmas day and our Lord’s birth.  But many folks might not realize we are also looking ahead to when He will come again.  Isaiah may have been prophesying of Jesus’ first coming into this world, as the holy Infant.  And John the Baptist clearly was announcing His second advent, our Lord’s manifest coming into His divinity.  But both the prophecy of Isaiah and the record of Matthew look ahead to Jesus’ return, His third advent, with the words, “Prepare the way of the Lord”.

Look at what John the Baptist said in verse 2: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  Now listen to the words of Jesus Himself as He began His ministry on earth, from the 4th chapter of Matthew, verse 17…

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

--Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)

In both cases, what exactly is “at hand”?  Jesus!  Jesus is at hand.  Jesus is the kingdom of heaven!  Isaiah foretold His coming, at the same time providing us all with cautionary instructions.

Let’s take a moment to look at just what God said through Isaiah, as it is a bit more detailed than what Matthew gave us.  Hear Isaiah chapter 40, verses 3 through 5…

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.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

--Isaiah 40:3-5 (NKJV)

“Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  This world is a desert, a wilderness, separated from God’s beautiful garden by the sin of mankind.  Until we accept Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, our very heart is also a desert, and we are lost, separated from God’s love by our own sin.

So the first thing we have to do is make sure our own heart is straight with God!  We’ve got to straighten out those crooked places in our lives where we deviate from the path Jesus would have us walk.  We’ve got to smooth over our rough places where we might trip up and briefly follow Satan for a few steps.  Then the true glory of the Lord will be revealed and eventually all mankind will see it together.

Understand that these are God’s words, not Isaiah’s.  It’s in the very last phrase of verse 5: “For the mouth of the Lord has spoken”.


This is all part of our preparation for Jesus’ advent, this straightening and smoothing of our own lives.  But it can even provide benefits in this life today.  Jotham was one of Judah’s good kings, who pleased God by his actions and thoughts, and because he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  Listen to what 2nd Chronicles says of him in chapter 27 verse 6…

6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.

--2 Chronicles 27:6 (NKJV)

He became mighty because he prepared his ways before God.  He took everything to God, sought His counsel, before making any decision or action.  He made his own life straight in God’s sight.


But as I said, I’m more concerned about what comes next rather than the here and now.  We need to prepare for Jesus’ third advent, His return to the earth.  And make no mistake – He is coming again.  We have that on good authority: His own words.  Listen to what Jesus says in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verses 2 through 4…

2 "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

--John 14:2-4 (NKJV)

But Jesus also issues a warning, and this is why we absolutely must be ready.  In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 31 through 34 and verse 41, Jesus declares…

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’”

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”

--Matthew 25:31-34, 41 (NKJV)

So really, our first step in preparing for the third advent of our Lord is to make sure we truly believe in Him.  If so, we will follow His word and repent!  We will turn completely from our sinful ways and dwell only on and in Him.  We will love God and we will love one another as we love ourselves.  And we will show that love by helping others get prepared.  Because we don’t want to be culled off to Jesus’ left side when He returns to judge this earth!  We don’t want to hear Him say, “Depart from Me, you cursed!”


Are we ready?  If not, then it’s time we started straightening out a pathway for our Lord!  A path that leads directly to our hearts.

Be prepared!  That’s my motto.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Lord Jesus, when You return to judge mankind, we so desperately want to hear you say, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.”  Help us be prepared for that glorious day, please Lord.  Show us the crooked places in our lives that need to be straightened out.  Help us feel the rough spots that need to be smoothed.  Help us be fully prepared for Your return.

Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence giving You thanks and asking for Your help.  May our Father’s Holy Spirit carry our unspoken needs and prayers to You in this moment of quietude…

Lord Jesus, You command us to love one another, and by that very example to show others Your love.  Help us, Lord, to serve You by helping others be prepared for Your advent for judging.  Grant us patience, courage and strength, understanding and sensitivity as we come face to face with those who may not want to hear of the Good News You bring.  Above all, Lord, help us be ready for when You come again.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.