Keep Up the Good Work

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 17th of January, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Last week we gave thought to what our church should be like, as modeled by the very first church established by Peter after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Today we’ll look at the first of the seven churches specifically addressed by Jesus in His Revelation to the Apostle John.  When we finish up this series in March, we should have a clearer understanding of what kind of church we are, and be better able to determine if that is the church we should be.  If not, then we should have a good idea of the path we need to follow to get closer to the church Jesus wants.

So let’s look at the first church Jesus calls out: the church in Ephesus.  Listen and follow along to what the Apostle John recorded as Jesus’ message to this church in the Book of Revelation, chapter 2 verses 1 through 7…

1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’”

--Revelation 2:1-7 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, please use Your Holy Spirit to touch our very souls with the message You have for us this day.  Jesus says the time is drawing close when He will return.  Help us better understand Your will for us, Lord, as individuals and as members of Your church family.  In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


In 1973, Gloria Gaither wrote that “Love Is the Greatest Witness”.  Listen to her reflection on just what Jesus is…

“Jesus walked with common men… but there was nothing common about His words… they upset every comfortable ethic!  He upset judicial systems when He said… ‘Love those who hate you.’  He upset patterns of religion by declaring that real temples of worship were in the hearts of believers.  He refused to discuss laws and rules governing people’s actions, but zeroed in on their thoughts and attitudes instead.

“If Christ had been a warrior they could have fought Him.  Had He been a religionist, they could have ignored Him as an eccentric.  But Christ was Love… what do you do with that?”


Jesus was not a fighter – He refused to fight.  He was not some religious nut that could simply be ignored, as the great Jewish teacher Gamaliel suggested the Jews do.  No, Jesus was love, and still is - love personified, love in the flesh.  He was the very embodiment of God’s love for us all.

He always stressed love – love for our heavenly Father and love for each other.  And that’s why the failings of the church in Ephesus saddened Him so, because their love had subsided.


As we get into this study of the seven churches of Revelation, we need to understand exactly who is speaking to the Apostle John.  At times in this book, John is listening to the saints in heaven and at times to one or more of God’s angels.  But here in the opening chapters, Jesus Himself is doing the talking.  In chapter 1 verse 8 we and John are told this…

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

--Revelation 1:8 (NKJV)

This provides the authority behind John’s message.  This is the word of God spoken by God Himself in the person of Jesus, Who in verse 19 instructs John to…

19 "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this."

--Revelation 1:19 (NKJV)

John did just that, and now it’s up to us to understand and accept what Jesus showed him and us.


Jesus begins His comments to the church in Ephesus by noting that He is the one who holds the seven stars in His hand and walks among the seven lampstands.  In the very last sentence of chapter 1, Jesus explains that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and that the seven lampstands are the churches themselves.

Think about the implications of this for a moment.  First, each church – each church family - has an angel, appointed to watch over it, to help it, to guide it.  Isn’t that neat?!?  We have our own Pilgrim angel, and it’s not one that can be stolen from our cemetery.

The second interesting part of Jesus’ remark is the symbolism of each church being represented by a lampstand.  What does a lamp do, but shed light?  So what is the church to do, if not to shed the light or truth into this world of darkness.

Do we let our light shine forth, or do we make our angel’s job a lot tougher?


Getting back to today’s scripture, we see quite a long list of accomplishments on the part of the church.  Jesus compliments the Ephesians for their works, their labors, their patience, their intolerance of wickedness, their refusal to accept false teachers.  And He notes that, while never growing weary, they did all this for His name’s sake.

That sounds great, doesn’t it?  Any church would cherish being praised like that.  But there’s just one little catch…  Something’s missing.  They’ve left their first love somewhere behind.

By all outward appearances, the Ephesians are a very successful church.  They’ve maintained purity of doctrine, staying true to the word, and they have shown great endurance in service.

Don’t we know of churches that would fit that description of seeming “successful”?  A full parking lot every Sunday.  A preacher that sticks to God’s holy word.  Active in the community.  Not giving in to those who try to mislead Christians into thinking that God’s intent can change on the whims of man.  And we look at them and think it would be great if all churches were like that.  But could something be missing there, like Jesus noted in the Ephesus church?  Have they left their first love, as Jesus put it?  What could that even mean: “left your first love”?

Think back and try to remember your first love, or for that matter, any time when you fell in love.  We’re on our very best behavior.  We are so eager to please the object of our affection that we’re like a puppy tripping all over our own feet in our excitement.  We are devoted – totally and absolutely – to the one we love.  We can’t do enough for them.

This is what Jesus says is missing.  That wonderful fire of first love has gone out.  The eagerness to please God has cooled.  Where is our fresh, sparkling, heart-throbbing first love?  Where is the fire in our belly?  Where is our selfless devotion to God and to the great commission Jesus gave us, to spread the Good News of salvation through Him and only through Him!?!

We share many of the good traits of that Ephesian church.  We have maintained this church family for almost 260 years, with generation after generation worshiping on these beautiful grounds, and that speaks volumes for patience and perseverance.  We do good works in the community and we partner with other organizations that see to the needs of people all around the globe.  We despise wickedness and stick to the true word of God, turning aside those who would teach false doctrine.  But do we still have the full depth of emotion and drive that characterizes first love?


Jesus told that early church to keep on doing what they were doing, but He encouraged them to remember the fire they first felt when they came to Christ.  He wanted them to regain that sense of excitement in serving the Lord God.  He called them to repentance, and warned He would take away their lampstand if they failed to do so.  They’d no longer be able to shed His light across a dark world.

This is what Jesus is telling us, as a church family and as individual members of that family.  He wants us to keep up the good work we’ve been doing, but also to get back to where we were before life beat us down so much.

First of all, we must repent of our sins and leave them behind.  Then we need to grab that enthusiasm we once held, before arguments and splits and dissention ripped off chunks of our church body.  We need to remember what it really means to love, truly love, without conditions and without expecting anything in return.  We can once again be eager to please God, devoted in our service to Him and to His creation.

Some refer to the church in Ephesus as “the loveless church”, but we’re not loveless.  Far from it.  We can refocus our love, though - reinvigorate it and reignite that inner fire we once felt.  We can follow our angel and the Holy Spirit more closely.

If we don’t regain our first love, we run the risk of having our lampstand removed, of having our effectiveness and usefulness as a local church taken away from us.  But if we do get that spark back, if we do bring back that loving feeling, then we will be allowed to eat of the fruit of the tree of life in Paradise.  And that fruit is a life everlasting with God.


Next week we’ll look at the church in Smyrna.  And no, that’s not New Smyrna Beach in Florida.  We’ll see if we share any characteristics with that church, good or bad.  Hopefully we’ll keep doing the good and stop doing the bad.  That’s the whole point of this exercise.  And that’s why Jesus told us all these things.

For now, let’s get back that feeling of first love that we may have lost along the way.  And let’s keep up the good work in serving our Lord Jesus Christ.  After all, the fruit of the God’s tree of life awaits us.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, everything in Your holy word is there for a reason, including the seven churches of Revelation.  We know the message of the churches is important for us to heed and understand because Your Son put so much emphasis on it.  Please impress that message upon our hearts, dear Lord, so that we might better follow Your plan for this our Pilgrim Church in Lexington.

Hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You from our hearts, seeking Your will for our lives…

Blessed Jesus, please help us get back that wonderful feeling of first love and the devotion and eagerness to serve You we once felt.  Help us continue to do the good things we are doing, as well as to rededicate our very lives to You and Your service.  This we pray in Your beautiful name Lord Jesus, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.

What Kind of Church?

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 10th of January, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The season of Lent begins on February the 14th this year.  It’s a period for introspection, when we remember the great sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf and we try to prepare ourselves to honor that sacrifice.

With that in mind, I think it appropriate that we also take a close look at this family as a whole, at what kind of church we are, and what kind we should be.  So over the coming weeks, I’d like us to examine the seven churches in Asia that Jesus specifically addresses in His Revelation to the Apostle John.  We can tell these were important to our Lord, and so should be to us, because He calls each out by name.

We’ll begin today with a brief introduction.  Listen and follow along to how the Apostle John opened his account of all the wonders that Jesus revealed to him in the Book of Revelation, from chapter 1, verses 1 through 8, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

--Revelation 1:1-8 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, open our eyes that we might see the face of our blessed Savior Jesus.  Open our ears that we might hear Your holy word.  Open our hearts that Your Holy Spirit might speak Your message directly to us there.  In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


Jan Everhart recently shared a simple story with me that I think helps illustrate at least part of today’s message.  Actually, there are six illustrations here:

Once upon a time, all the villagers decided to pray for rain to end a drought.  On the day of prayer all the people gathered together, but only one small boy brought along an umbrella - that’s faith.

When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs with glee because she knows you will catch her - that’s trust.

Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarm to wake us up - that’s hope.

We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of what the future holds - that’s confidence.

On an old man’s shirt were written the words, “I am not 80 years old…  I’m sweet 16 with 64 years of experience” - that’s attitude.

And finally, this…  We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children - that’s love.


I believe we need to exhibit those characteristics as a church family.  We need to have faith that our prayers really do hold great power, because of Who we pray to.  We need to trust each other more, and we need to fully trust in our Lord, especially during bad times.  We must put all our hope in the Lord Jesus, for He is our only path to salvation.  We have to face the future with the utmost confidence, knowing that God is in control and He will work all things to our good.  We not only must have the attitude that Jesus is Lord, but also share it with the rest of the world.  And we must constantly foster and reinforce a spirit of love and forgiveness for all.

That last is how Jesus wants His church to be defined, how He wants it to be seen by others: by love and forgiveness for all.


John opens this final book in our Bible by letting us know that what follows came from God and is intended to be shared with all God’s children, His servants.  God sent this to John by His angel, and John in turn bears witness to the word God sent and to the testimony of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Please pay close attention to the urgency of John’s message.  In the very 1st verse the Apostle says he will show us things that “must shortly take place”!  And then in verse 3 he again stresses that we need to know the “time is near” when these things will happen.

Now anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of the Book of Revelation knows that “these things” John is talking about here are going to be quite terrible!  War and famine and plagues and destruction and death, until finally the Son of Man returns to set all things aright.  John cautions that time is drawing close, so we’d better pay attention and heed God’s word.

And I believe here in the first part of this Revelation, Jesus is trying to stress that this applies not only to us as individuals, but to us collectively, as the body of Christ, the church of our Lord Jesus.  It applies to each and every local church family, even the family known as Pilgrim Reformed.

The Lord is coming soon, John says, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him and hung Him on that cross to die.  And all the earth will mourn.  This is God’s will.  That’s what it means at the end of verse 7 when John says, “Even so, Amen.”  So be it - God’s will be done.


As we proceed in the coming weeks, we’ll look at the characteristics of the seven churches of Asia and at how many of those characteristics might apply to us here at Pilgrim.  If we’re honest in that examination, we might better understand what kind of church we are.

But what kind of church should we be?  There are hints throughout the Bible, but I think the very best example can be seen in the first church.  On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended and touched and entered all those present who believed in Jesus as the Christ, as the one true Son of God.  The Book of the Acts of the Apostles describes that event and what took place shortly after, as the church of Jesus began.  Listen as I read to you from Acts chapter 2, verses 38 through 47, beginning with Peter’s closing words to those gathered there…

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

--Acts 2:38-47 (NKJV)

Now, the Bible I am reading this from subtitles this section as “A Vital Church Grows”.  In the children’s sermon we looked at what the word “church” means.  But what about the word “vital”?  That means “alive”, doesn’t it?  But more than that, it means being necessary to life, even the source of life.  If something is vital, it is necessary to the existence, continuance, or well-being of something.  It is essential.

I believe there are two ways we can look at this word “vital” as applied to a church by this passage in scripture.  The first is that the church is vital to the world.  Jesus instituted His church, starting with Peter, to carry on His work here on earth.  His work, ultimately, is to save the world.  So the church is essential for the salvation of all of mankind.

Let me repeat that:  the church is essential for the salvation of all of mankind!  How’s that for a responsibility?!!?  Fortunately, we don’t have to bear it alone – it is one all church families can share in.

But the second aspect of this question of vitality has a more direct bearing on the church itself, and what is essential to the life of the church family.  I believe this is the message of this passage from Acts.

What were some of the characteristics of the first church, that basically started right there at Pentecost?  Peter opened it up with a call to repentance and baptism, all for the remission of sins.  In this way, each member of that first family could and did receive God’s Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus.

And what happened?  Pretty much that first day, with the wondrous events of Pentecost still fresh in their thoughts, around 3000 souls were baptized and saved and added to the roles of this first church!

The Apostle Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, tells us that all these people steadfastly followed the teachings of the Apostles.  They came together in fellowship, in sharing meals, in prayer.  When necessary, they sold their earthly possession and divided the gain among themselves so that no one would have to go without their needs being met!

Did they come together once a week?  Did they observe Communion, the breaking of bread, once a quarter?  No!  They did all these things daily!  Every day, and with gladness and simplicity, not from some sense of duty or with great pomp and circumstance, and all the while praising God.  And lo and behold, they found favor with the people, with all the people, not like today when so many non-believers hold the church in contempt.

And did you catch the result of all this?  Luke says, “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved”.  The Lord added to the church – not Peter, not Luke or John or James or any of the Apostles, but the Lord!  Today we tend to expect the pastor or some committee on Visitation or Membership or Evangelism to go out and drum up new members and spur growth.  But that first church grew daily because the Lord added to it!  Why?  I think it obvious that God was pleased with the church and helped it grow.

How closely does the church follow that example today?  Now I think that we at Pilgrim come close, but there is a lot of room for improvement as individual members of the family and as a family as a whole.

I’m not saying we should sell everything we own and pool the money and split it among ourselves – we’d be bankrupt in no time, financially if not morally.  But we should see to the needs of those who may be struggling.  And we must not make them feel bad or self-conscious in letting us know they have a need or in that need being met.

We must follow the doctrines contained in our Bible, and especially the teachings of Jesus.  What is most important to our Lord?  Love!  First of God our Father, and then of each other!

How do we express that love?  I tell you family - and I want everyone to clearly hear and understand this – I still catch word every now and then of someone saying something hurtful to another!  This is not helpful, it’s not necessary, it’s certainly not our place, and it is not love in action.  Be kind, love each other, treat each other the same way you want to be treated!

I’m also not saying we should take Communion daily, or even weekly, although I know of some church families that take Communion every time they meet.  But you know, we don’t have to be here in church to observe our Lord’s last supper.  The early church held Communion in their homes from time to time, as well as what we would call “Bible study”.  It doesn’t all have to be organized events – we can have simple gatherings in our homes where two or more gather in the name of Jesus.

And we can certainly all pray, can’t we, and praying on a daily basis shouldn’t be a problem, should it?  Then why don’t we?

But I think the key to this passage may be in how God viewed what these people held in their hearts.  There was joy, there was gladness, in being saved and in serving God.  Love was evident in how they looked out for one another.  And not just in how they interacted with fellow believers, but also in their treatment of non-believers, because Luke notes they found favor among all people.

And they did all this not because they felt like they just had to, but out of love – love for God and love for one another.  It’s a tough question to consider, but do we love this church family enough that we would be willing to sell everything we own just to help another in dire need?  We don’t have to, in my opinion, but we should be ready to in our heart.

It is this kind of love and commitment to Jesus that will bring growth.  This kind of love is infectious – it draws others to its warmth.  And God will see our hearts and add to our numbers daily.

This is the kind of church we should be – a family of selfless, unconditional love.


Earlier I said we would be examining the seven churches of Asia as named by Jesus in His revelation to the Apostle John.  John continues this revelation in verses 10 and 11 of chapter 1 when he reports…

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

--Revelation 1:10-11 (NKJV)

Next week we’ll look at the church in Ephesus.  This is the same church that Paul wrote to, in his letter to the Ephesians.  The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, instructed John to write all this down in a book and to send it to the seven churches.  And He also meant for us to read it, and to understand how it applies to us today.

Are we like that church in Ephesus?  Maybe.  We’ll have to look more closely to find out.  But I think we can already see that we’re not exactly like that first church, the kind of church we should be.  So we should heed the words of John when he speaks for Jesus, telling us that the time is near.  “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

And He is coming again soon.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, we can see from our calendars that the time is drawing near when we mourn Your Son’s beating and execution and then rejoice at His resurrection and victory over death.  What we can’t see, Lord, is when Jesus will return to call His church home.  From Your holy word written across the pages of our Bible, we are assured that that time is also drawing near, even if we aren’t meant to know exactly when.

Help us be better prepared for that day, Lord, by becoming the church You would have us be.  Your word shows us how much You supported that first church and how You made it grow daily, all the while to advance Your kingdom.  Help us follow that example, please Lord, so that You might also help us grow and flourish, all to Your glory.

Hear us now, Father, as we cry out to You from our hearts in the silence of this place, seeking Your will over our lives, as individuals and as a church family…

Heavenly Father, help us understand and carry out Your will, Father, and not our own.  Guide this church family, please Father, that we may better serve You and our community.  Help us always put Jesus at the head of this family, in all things, through all activities.  This we pray in that most blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Resolve to Not Be Foolish

[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 3rd of January, 2016.  Today's service also included observance of Holy Communion.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Have you ever heard or even worse said something like, “Don’t be foolish!”, or “Stop acting like a fool!”?  I used to hear that a lot when I was growing up.  I was always into some foolishness or another, and always getting into trouble.  I think my Daddy just wore himself out over praying for me so much.

A good bit of all this is at least partly due to how I was raised.  You see, I just never got the message of the cross, at least not until I finally came to my senses as an adult.  For the cross of Jesus indeed carries a very important message for us all.

Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Paul describes this critical message to the church in Corinth, in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, the 1st chapter, verses 18 through 31, and this is from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

18 The message about the cross doesn’t make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God’s power at work. 19 As God says in the Scriptures, 

“I will destroy the wisdom
of all who claim
to be wise.
I will confuse those
who think they know
so much.” 

20 What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn’t God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? 21 God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about Him. 

Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach. 22 Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise. 23 But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. 24 Our message is God’s power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that He has chosen. 25 Even when God is foolish, He is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, He is stronger than everyone else. 

26 My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn’t think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame. 

28 What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. 29 God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to Him. 30 You are God’s children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. 31 So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord.

--1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we’re embarking on a new year in our journey through this life on earth.  Help us see the path You wish us to follow.  Speak Your message to us this morning through the power and wonder of Your Holy Spirit to guide us through each day.  In the beautiful name of our Savior Jesus we pray.  Amen.


A college physics professor testified that he came to that university believing he had all the answers. He said this:  “An avowed evolutionist, I knew all about cause and effect. I could begin with the present and work back. Behind every natural effect I found a natural cause.

“One day I was studying a specimen under a microscope. Suddenly I noticed a particle of dust on the lens. I asked whence came that dust. That dust was an effect for which I could find no natural cause. I had to admit that behind the dust was not a cause but the Cause. A speck of dust led me to God!”


In our scripture reading this morning, the Apostle Paul quoted from the prophet Isaiah, when he spoke for God.  Listen to what Isaiah said in chapter 29 verse 14, which includes the part Paul shared with the church in Corinth…

14 Because of this, I will once again astound these
hypocrites with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”

--Isaiah 29:14 (NLT)

Now to me, this perfectly describes that college physics professor.  He came into the university all knowledgeable and full of man’s wisdom.  And then God used a speck of dust to confuse and confound him, to destroy that form of wisdom, and bring the professor around to believing the truth.


Now I know that last week I said that I didn’t want us to make any New Year’s resolutions, because we tend not to take them very seriously.  Even if we do try to be serious about keeping them, we fail miserably in our attempts more often than not.  But if you read your bulletin and the title of this message, you’ve probably noticed that I am asking us to resolve one thing this new year.  It’s kind of a backwards resolution, though, so maybe it will be easier to keep.

I’m asking us to resolve to not be foolish in the coming years, or in all the years ahead, for that matter.  There’s a catch, though, and it depends on whether we are looking through the eyes of the world, or as God would see us.  For Paul tells us that God sees the wisdom of the world as mere foolishness.  But those who the world consider foolish, because of their faith and their belief, God will use them to put the wise of the world to shame.  So in this respect, it is better to be seen as foolish by the world, but only in regards to our belief in Jesus as the Christ, the one true Son of God.

Of course we need to remember how we were when God chose us, as Paul reminds us.  I know that many of us here today were raised in families of great Christian faith and strength, and you knew Jesus from the very start and never wavered in your faith.  But many of us came to Christ in more circuitous ways.  We know what we were before Jesus came to us and saved us.  Even some that grew up knowing Jesus as Savior have still received that wondrous shock of the Holy Spirit moving in them, as we saw last week.  We know the condition we were in before God’s grace settled upon us and brought His salvation to us.

We were foolish – there’s no better way to put it.  We were foolish.  And to be foolish in that manner is what we need to resolve to not ever be again!


In a few minutes we are going to remember our Lord’s last meal on this earth as we observe Holy Communion.  Today’s message and scripture may seem a rather odd choice to couple with Communion.  But what happened shortly after this Last Supper?  Jesus was arrested, beaten, tried, convicted, and executed.

This is the message that Paul talks about in verse 18 of our scripture reading, the foolish message about the cross that makes no sense to non-believers. This is what Paul preached in verse 23, and what I preach: that Christ was nailed to a cross on our behalf.

How crazy is that, that Jesus would take the punishment that we deserve?!?  Don’t a whole lot of people think that to be utterly foolish of Him?  Like Paul notes in verse 22, people look for miracles.  They look for something that, to them, appears wise.

And they have problems with what we know to be true, we who they consider foolish.  For we know that this message about Jesus and His cross is an awesome and wonderful demonstration of God’s power at work, just as Paul says in verse 18.  This is the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the grave and death’s cold grasp.  This is the same power that Jesus sent to live within us, that you witnessed here at this altar last week, at the foot of Jesus’ cross.  This is the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

And this is the message of the cross, the message that Jesus wants us to remember when He says, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you.  This cup is the new covenant in My blood.  This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”


Let’s resolve not to be foolish in God’s eyes.  Let’s be sure never to forget the message of the cross.  Let’s always keep that power of God at work within us by giving ourselves over to His Holy Spirit.  Don’t be foolish.  Jesus is Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father, God, You sacrificed Your only Son to give us the chance of believing in Him and being saved for all eternity.  The world thinks us foolish to believe such a thing.  But Father, we know that You destroy the wisdom of this world, and that You can use the most foolish things, in the world’s perspective, to lead a person to Jesus.  Father we pray that You might use us in this way, to help bring the lost back to our Savior’s loving arms.

Jesus, the world thinks it foolish that You would take a crushing beating then allow Yourself to be horribly, painfully, slowly executed when You did nothing to deserve it!  You took the punishment we deserve, just so we might be saved.  This too is the message of Your cross – Your and our heavenly Father’s great love for us all.

Hear us now, Lord God, as we come to You in the silence of this place, to give You our thanks and to seek Your help in our struggles through this life…

Heavenly Father, may we never forget what Jesus did for us.  Help us to never take Your great love for granted.  Help us to never appear foolish in Your eyes.  Use us to show the world the truth of the message of the cross.  This we pray in the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer.  Amen.