[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 10th of July, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
What do you think when you watch the nightly news on TV or read about current events in our paper or online? What crosses your mind as the images of horrific violence flash across the screen or through your brain, from places all around the globe and even right here at home?
Do you wonder what in the world is going on? Do you suppose that maybe God has now abandoned this land He once smiled upon, has now forsaken us? Has God left us? Or did we leave Him?
An Old Testament prophet most folks have never heard of, or don’t remember, answered some of these questions thousands of years ago. Listen and follow along to a brief account of Azariah, the son of Oded, as recorded by the scribe Ezra in the 2nd Book of Chronicles, chapter 15, verses 1 through 8, from the New Living Translation…
Do you wonder what in the world is going on? Do you suppose that maybe God has now abandoned this land He once smiled upon, has now forsaken us? Has God left us? Or did we leave Him?
An Old Testament prophet most folks have never heard of, or don’t remember, answered some of these questions thousands of years ago. Listen and follow along to a brief account of Azariah, the son of Oded, as recorded by the scribe Ezra in the 2nd Book of Chronicles, chapter 15, verses 1 through 8, from the New Living Translation…
1 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with Him! Whenever you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. 4 But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him out, they found Him.
5 “During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. 6 Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. 7 But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.
--2 Chronicles 15:1-8 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, we come before You this morning to worship You and to listen to Your word. Speak to our spirits that we might receive and understand the message You have for us to carry us through the week ahead. In the holy name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
On many levels, the scripture I just read is one of revival. The Holy Spirit of God came upon Azariah, who went out and effectively shared that Spirit with King Asa. Asa was so moved that he began taking the land of Judah back for God. He was revived by the Holy Spirit and he made things happen.
Revival. A Lutheran bishop once told of visiting a parish church in California and finding a bright red and orange banner on the wall with the inviting words, "Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!" Above those words was the image of a burning fire. The bishop was somewhat taken aback by a sign posted directly beneath the banner which read, "Fire Extinguisher". So much for that church's commitment to spiritual renewal.
A lady once asked Evangelist Billy Sunday, "Why do you keep having revivals when it doesn't last?" Billy responded by asking her, "Why do you keep taking baths?"
The truth is, we need constant revival. We need to be reminded everyday of just what we have with Jesus, and how lost we would be without Him. There are fire extinguishers everywhere we look. So we need to keep Jesus in our sight at all times. We must not abandon God, for without Him we are nothing.
In our Responsive Reading this morning, we affirmed that we are all weakness, but God is our eternal strength. And with Him we can walk through this life today and every day. In our anthem, the choir declared that without Him we could do nothing. We’d simply be drifting along, like a ship without a sail. We’d be lost – completely, utterly lost.
The Apostle Paul understood this concept of being lost all too well. Here’s what he told the Ephesians, in chapter 2 verses 12 and 13, when he describes our time before accepting Jesus as Lord…
On many levels, the scripture I just read is one of revival. The Holy Spirit of God came upon Azariah, who went out and effectively shared that Spirit with King Asa. Asa was so moved that he began taking the land of Judah back for God. He was revived by the Holy Spirit and he made things happen.
Revival. A Lutheran bishop once told of visiting a parish church in California and finding a bright red and orange banner on the wall with the inviting words, "Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!" Above those words was the image of a burning fire. The bishop was somewhat taken aback by a sign posted directly beneath the banner which read, "Fire Extinguisher". So much for that church's commitment to spiritual renewal.
A lady once asked Evangelist Billy Sunday, "Why do you keep having revivals when it doesn't last?" Billy responded by asking her, "Why do you keep taking baths?"
The truth is, we need constant revival. We need to be reminded everyday of just what we have with Jesus, and how lost we would be without Him. There are fire extinguishers everywhere we look. So we need to keep Jesus in our sight at all times. We must not abandon God, for without Him we are nothing.
In our Responsive Reading this morning, we affirmed that we are all weakness, but God is our eternal strength. And with Him we can walk through this life today and every day. In our anthem, the choir declared that without Him we could do nothing. We’d simply be drifting along, like a ship without a sail. We’d be lost – completely, utterly lost.
The Apostle Paul understood this concept of being lost all too well. Here’s what he told the Ephesians, in chapter 2 verses 12 and 13, when he describes our time before accepting Jesus as Lord…
12 At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises that God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God, 13 and you were far from God. But Christ offered His life’s blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God.
--Ephesians 2:12-13 (CEV)
We were far from God – He was not far from us, but we were far from Him. Then Jesus brought us near to God once again by His sacrifice on the cross and our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Master.
But just as Azariah alluded to, it is up to us to stay with Jesus. In the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 15 verses 4 and 5, Jesus cautions us to…
Without Him we can do nothing! John the Baptist even took that a step further, as he answered an accusatory question from the Pharisees about Jesus that the Apostle John recorded in his Gospel account, chapter 3 verse 27…
But just as Azariah alluded to, it is up to us to stay with Jesus. In the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 15 verses 4 and 5, Jesus cautions us to…
4 “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”
--John 15:4-5 (HCSB)
27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven."
--John 3:27 (NKJV)
Not only can we do nothing without Christ, we can get nothing if it hasn’t been given from heaven! And that makes sense, when we take this all together with what the Apostle John tells us in the opening verses of his Gospel…
Without Jesus, we can do nothing, we can receive nothing, and nothing was even made! But with Jesus - staying in Him, remaining in Him, abiding with Him – we have everything! My personal life verse, Philippians 4:13, proclaims…
I can do nothing without Jesus, but through Him and the strength He gives me, I can do anything! If I had enough faith, I could even walk on water.
So yes, we look around the world and we have to shake our heads and wonder what is going to become of us all. Even those of us that have accepted Jesus as Lord and who try our best to follow Him and obey His voice, we still worry about what is going to happen next.
Well, family, we have good reason to worry. Not about ourselves, unless we are only pretending to be faithful to Jesus. No, we’re covered by the shadow of the cross and the blood of the Lamb shed on our behalf.
But what of the rest of the world? What of all those who refuse Jesus as Master, who deny Him as the Son of God? What of those who only give lip service to being a Christian but live their lives contrary to His commands and teachings?
We see the awful violence everywhere and wonder where will it strike next, who will be its next victim? A long time ago, the prophet Isaiah tried to warn us, in the 10th chapter of his book of prophecy, verses 1 through 4…
We - the human race – we’re in trouble. We’ve passed cruel and unfair laws that cheat the poor and needy, robbing from what should go to widows and orphans. What will we do if God punishes us for our actions and our inactions? Where can we turn if God is against us, where can we hide that He cannot find us?
Family, the Lord is still angry! And He’s not done with us yet!
I know I’ve thrown a lot at you this morning. Only you and God know which parts apply specifically to you. I’ve quoted more scripture than usual because my words may be meaningless, but the word of God is inerrant and true. With Jesus, by remaining true and faithful to Him and obeying His voice, we have everything, we can do anything, we are given everlasting life. Without Him, we’re in deep trouble.
That isn’t to say we will escape all of life’s tribulations and troubles if we stay with Jesus. There’s no promise of that in this life. Just because we have to still live in this world, we may fall victim to some of what Isaiah warns us. We may get caught in a rampage of violence. Even the innocent still suffer. But with Jesus, and only with Jesus, we have the promise of unimaginable treasures and everlasting life with God in heaven once our life on this ball of dirt closes and the next begins.
Without Jesus, we have nothing. With Him, we have everything. Keep your faith strong, and share the Gospel of Jesus with others so that they too may share in God’s glory.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, if we only stop a moment to realize, we know within our heart of hearts that You are our everything. We know that all things come from heaven and we would have nothing without You. Father, please forgive us when we fail to acknowledge this, when we take for granted all that You bestow upon us. Forgive us especially, Father, when we forget how much Jesus gave us, there upon that cross at Calvary.
Hear us now, Father, as we reaffirm our belief in Your Son, as we speak to You from our hearts in the silence, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, without You, life would be unbearable. Without You, we would have no hope. Without You, we would have no reason to take even one more step. But with You, Lord Jesus, with You we have everything. Through You we receive the strength to carry on. Through You we may come to our Father God, who grants us eternal life by His amazing grace. Thank You, Lord! It is in Your precious, blessed name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
--John 1:1-3 (NKJV)
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
--Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
So yes, we look around the world and we have to shake our heads and wonder what is going to become of us all. Even those of us that have accepted Jesus as Lord and who try our best to follow Him and obey His voice, we still worry about what is going to happen next.
Well, family, we have good reason to worry. Not about ourselves, unless we are only pretending to be faithful to Jesus. No, we’re covered by the shadow of the cross and the blood of the Lamb shed on our behalf.
But what of the rest of the world? What of all those who refuse Jesus as Master, who deny Him as the Son of God? What of those who only give lip service to being a Christian but live their lives contrary to His commands and teachings?
We see the awful violence everywhere and wonder where will it strike next, who will be its next victim? A long time ago, the prophet Isaiah tried to warn us, in the 10th chapter of his book of prophecy, verses 1 through 4…
1 You people are in for trouble! You have made cruel and unfair laws 2 that let you cheat the poor and needy and rob widows and orphans. 3 But what will you do when you are fiercely attacked and punished by foreigners? Where will you run for help? Where will you hide your valuables? 4 How will you escape being captured or killed? The Lord is still angry, and he isn’t through with you yet!
--Isaiah 10:1-4 (CEV)
Family, the Lord is still angry! And He’s not done with us yet!
I know I’ve thrown a lot at you this morning. Only you and God know which parts apply specifically to you. I’ve quoted more scripture than usual because my words may be meaningless, but the word of God is inerrant and true. With Jesus, by remaining true and faithful to Him and obeying His voice, we have everything, we can do anything, we are given everlasting life. Without Him, we’re in deep trouble.
That isn’t to say we will escape all of life’s tribulations and troubles if we stay with Jesus. There’s no promise of that in this life. Just because we have to still live in this world, we may fall victim to some of what Isaiah warns us. We may get caught in a rampage of violence. Even the innocent still suffer. But with Jesus, and only with Jesus, we have the promise of unimaginable treasures and everlasting life with God in heaven once our life on this ball of dirt closes and the next begins.
Without Jesus, we have nothing. With Him, we have everything. Keep your faith strong, and share the Gospel of Jesus with others so that they too may share in God’s glory.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, if we only stop a moment to realize, we know within our heart of hearts that You are our everything. We know that all things come from heaven and we would have nothing without You. Father, please forgive us when we fail to acknowledge this, when we take for granted all that You bestow upon us. Forgive us especially, Father, when we forget how much Jesus gave us, there upon that cross at Calvary.
Hear us now, Father, as we reaffirm our belief in Your Son, as we speak to You from our hearts in the silence, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, without You, life would be unbearable. Without You, we would have no hope. Without You, we would have no reason to take even one more step. But with You, Lord Jesus, with You we have everything. Through You we receive the strength to carry on. Through You we may come to our Father God, who grants us eternal life by His amazing grace. Thank You, Lord! It is in Your precious, blessed name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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