See, Hear, Understand

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 21st of August, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Many of our Gospel accounts of Jesus are about the stories He told the people who gathered around Him.  Jesus spent a lot of time healing people and that brought in the crowds, and allowed Him to teach them His New Way.  But what He had to teach was so different from what they knew and had learned that Jesus needed to present His teachings in a simpler form for them.  So He taught by telling parables, word pictures, using common ideas the people would be very familiar with and extending those concepts to illustrate what Jesus wanted them to understand.

Our scripture reading today is one such parable, but in it Jesus also explains His point in words we understand.  Listen and follow along to the Parable of the Sower as told in Matthew’s Gospel account, chapter 13 verses 1 through 23, from the New Living Translation…

1 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
15 For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

--Matthew 13:1-23 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, You allow us to understand some of the secrets and mysteries of Your kingdom, while keeping others from us until revealing them in Your good time.  So we still need You to teach us by painting pictures for us – images that we might see in our minds, parables that we might hear and understand.  Please let us see, hear, and understand Your message this morning, Holy Father.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


Little Tommy attended first grade Sunday School faithfully. He loved his teacher, Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith told great Bible stories, and she would always end the story by saying, "And, boys and girls, the moral of the story is...".  Little Tommy enjoyed learning about the morals of each Bible story.

But when Tommy entered second grade, he moved up to another Sunday School class, taught by Mrs. Jones. She told Bible stories, too, but she never ended them by giving the moral of the story. After a few weeks Tommy's mom asked him how he liked his new Sunday School teacher. Tommy said, "Mrs. Jones is okay. The only problem is that she doesn't have any morals."


I'm glad Jesus' parables all have morals.  And the moral of this particular story, in case you missed it, is that we should all be as good, rich soil, so that when the word of God falls on us, it will take root and flourish and yield an abundant crop far greater than what was sown: an abundant crop of other believers as we spread the word, the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus.

Sadly, I think some Christians miss the point.  I think there are some Christians who spend the week sowing their wild oats, and then go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure.


As I mentioned to the kids earlier, in this parable, Jesus reminds us of the words God spoke through Isaiah shortly after calling him to be His prophet.  Listen to what Isaiah wrote, in chapter 6 of his prophecy, verses 8 through 10…

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 “Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”

--Isaiah 6:8-10 (NKJV)

We are told that God loves us, all of us, and wants only the best for us.  And that is very true indeed.  But some people would have you believe that because God loves us all, He would never let anyone perish, no matter what.

Well family, this scripture from Isaiah and the words from Jesus’ own mouth tell us otherwise.  Yes, God is love, but He is also holy.  He is a God of love, and a God of justice.  He gives all of us every chance in the world to turn from our sinful ways, believe in Jesus and be saved!

But there will come a day when our chances dry up.  There will come a day when the God of justice says, “Enough!”  There will come a day when man’s eyes will be shut to His truth.  When man’s ears will be closed to His word.  When man’s heart will be hardened and made unable to understand that our only key to salvation has stood right before us all this time!  When we will no longer be able to return to God, to repent, and be healed.

This is the seed of the Sower.  This is the word of God.


A good bit further on in his book of prophecy, in chapter 55, verses 10 and 11, Isaiah again speaks for God who says this…

10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

--Isaiah 55:10-11 (NKJV)

Right now, there is still time to see, to hear, and to understand.  For just as the rain and snow fall from heaven and don’t return there, but instead water the earth and allow it to flourish, so is the word of God. It goes forth from God’s mouth and does not return empty, instead accomplishing the work of our Father.  God’s word will prosper in the task that He set it to do.

Do you remember how the Apostle John describes Jesus in the first 5 verses of the opening chapter of his Gospel account?…

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. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

--John 1:1-5 (NKJV)

The Word of God, Jesus, indeed went into the world and accomplished what God had planned.  The Word of God took our sins upon Himself and carried them to the tomb.  The Word of God died for us so we could be saved.  But even back then, there were people who would not see, who would not hear, who would not understand…


Jesus, the Word, is coming again.  Are we prepared for His return?  Are we good, fertile soil?  Will God’s seed that is cast upon us receive plenty of light from the Son, or will we shade it?  Will we nourish it and water it daily?  Will it flourish, producing much fruit?  And will we share that great harvest with those who may not yet understand?

My dear brothers and sisters, there is coming a time when those poor folks will no longer have a chance, no matter what we do or say.  And that time is rapidly approaching!  But we still have time.  Look at how Jesus explained His parable.

Right now there are those who hear the word of God, but they don’t understand His message.  That allows Satan to come and pluck their souls away, keeping them from redemption.  How can we help them understand?  How do we take the hardened ground of a footpath and turn it into good soil?

There are those who hear God’s message and accept it at once, and with great joy.  But then, without further encouragement and fellowship, that joy quickly diminishes and they also fall prey to Satan’s temptations.  How do we add good soil to that rocky ground?

There are those who hear the word of God, but then the world crushes in on them.  Life can be overwhelming at times, and some folks simply can’t take it.  All of the little “weeds” of life slowly crowd out the wonderful news of salvation through Jesus, choking out God’s word so it can no longer be heard.  How do we pull out all the weeds?

There are those consumed by worries and cares.  The big crises and the little dramas all take their toll, and the word of God falls on deaf ears.  They stumble over their biggest fear: How could God possibly love me?!?  How do we relieve someone’s anxiety?

How do we help those blinded by what the world sees as signs of prosperity and success and riches?  How do we show them that things don’t matter?  That only Jesus and building a good solid relationship with Him is all that matters!

How do we turn hardened, rocky, weed and thorn filled ground into good, rich soil, ready to accept and nurture the word of God?  Slowly, lovingly, first tilling it and then adding in nutrients.  Watering it regularly, tending it, cultivating it.

Maybe my parables aren’t quite as effective as Jesus’.

We begin with prayer, seeking our Father’s intervention, His help, for someone currently lost.  We show them love - unconditional love, the love of Jesus - not condemnation or judgment.  We offer help, whenever and however we can, and all without any expectation of reward or even thanks.  When we get the chance, we tell them of how Jesus has touched our life, of how much He means to us.  We tell our “before and after” story.

We make ourselves available for this person.  When life starts crowding in on them again and the anxieties and fears build and grow, we hold their hand and calm their hearts.  We do our best to ensure they don’t feel alone, that they can feel the constant presence of God.  We encourage them, and fellowship with them.  And did I mention we pray?

Eventually the ground softens, the seed takes root, the sun warms it, the rains water it, and it grows to produce even more fruit.  This is the word of God, sent from His mouth, and it will not return empty.  See, hear, and understand.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for helping us be good soil, for giving us Your Word that leads to our salvation.  Father, we know there are many who fail to see, who turn a deaf ear, who refuse to understand.  Thank You for sharing Your message with us, for giving us Your Word, Your Son, so that we might live.

Hear us now, Father, as we come to You with heads bowed in this quiet place.  Please listen to our pleas, spoken silently from our hearts…

Lord Jesus, You are God’s Word, sent into a world of darkness to shed divine light over all.  Yet some prefer the darkness.  Some don’t want to give up their sinful ways.  Some keep their eyes closed, their ears plugged, just so they can’t see or hear the truth.  Lord Jesus, let us be Your fertile soil.  Spread Your seed of truth, of God’s word, and let it grow within us so that it can produce fruit thirty, sixty, even a hundred times greater than what You planted.  And help us cultivate others to receive God’s word.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our Master, in whom we place all our trust, and all our hope.  Amen.

Real Need, or Real Scam?

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 14th of August, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

I’d like to talk today about faith, true faith, and just what having faith entails.  And of course I mean faith in Jesus as the Son of God and as our Lord and Savior.  And faith in God that He will provide for our needs, as He provides all that we have.

But how do we apply that faith to our daily life?  Do we simply give it lip service, telling others about our faith, or do we show it, putting it to work?

Listen and follow along to what the Apostle James, the half-brother of Jesus, has to say about faith, reading from the 2nd chapter of his letter, verses 14 through 18, from the New Living Translation…

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?  Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15  Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” — but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing.  What good does that do?

17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough.  Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.”  But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds?  I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

--James 2:14-18 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, we come together this morning in the name of Your Son Jesus to listen to the message You have for us today.  Help us, please Father, to not only listen, but to gain better insight into what You would have us do while we still walk this earth.  Please grant us better discernment into Your will.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers across a lake.  One day a passenger noticed that the good old man had carved on one of his oars the word “Faith” and on the other the word “Works.”  Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of these oars.  The old man, being a well-balanced Christian and glad for the opportunity to testify said, “I’ll show you.”

First he dropped one oar and plied the other called “Works”, and they just went around in circles.  Then he dropped that oar and began to ply the oar called “Faith”, and the little boat just went around in circles again - this time the other way around, but still going nowhere.

After this demonstration the old man picked up “Faith” and “Works”, and plying both oars together, they sped swiftly over the water.  The Scotsman explained to his inquiring passenger, “You see, that is the way it is in the Christian life.  Dead works without faith are useless, and faith without works is dead also, getting you nowhere.  But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing.”


Have you ever felt like you were just going around in circles, not really getting anything accomplished?  The image of a dog chasing his own tail, just going around and around comes to mind.  As a kid I used to love doing that, and especially the dizzy feeling that would follow.

But as an adult… well, not so much.  I like to get somewhere, accomplish something, make a difference – not just spin my wheels.  So maybe I need to balance out my faith and my works a little better.


I know it must seem that I’ve come to you with my hand out quite often lately – or my bucket or basket or collection plate, as the case may be.  I’ve asked you to give to groups that come here to share their ministry of music with us.  I’ve asked you to give to help needy, at-risk children.  I’ve asked you to give to help members of this church family.  I’ve asked you to give to help complete strangers with an immediate financial need.  I’ve asked you to give to help bury an infant child.

And each time, you have answered my call without hesitation.  Each time, you have opened your hearts and your purses and your wallets and given generously.  And I can’t help but feel that, at least some of those times, you’ve wondered if there was a real need, or if it was just a real scam.  I feel that way, because I often have my own doubts about the legitimacy of a need, too.

Family, for each need I bring before you, we receive many, many more requests of the church.  Each week brings phone calls and visits from people pleading for help.  The calls are heaviest during periods of low area employment, and they’ll increase with the coming of winter.

I truly believe most are legitimate and I really wish we could help with each and every one.  Sadly, we can’t.  Sadder still, not all stated needs are real. Some are indeed real scams, perpetrated by those who don’t care who they con out of their money.  Those who realize churches are often a soft touch and have little or no way to verify if a need is real or not.  I’ve been taken in before, by these con artists.  I’ve been in churches that have been conned, too.

But family, what I’d like to ask is, if we give to someone in need and it turns out to be a scam, what does God think of that?  Are we to blame for being deceived, or them for deceiving?  Does God still see our giving as an act of love even if we were, in effect, stolen from?

The point is, my dear brothers and sisters, running the risk of being scammed must not keep us from responding to the needs of others whenever we can.  We cannot be responsible for what that other person does or says, nor will we be held responsible when we face our Judge in heaven.  But we will be held responsible for how we reacted to the needs of others.

Now if we know full well that a claim is fraudulent, then we are under no obligation to give.  The Apostle Paul cautions us to avoid deceivers, in his letter to the church in Rome, chapter 16, verses 17 through 19…

17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18 Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 19 But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong.

--Romans 16:17-19 (NLT)

We’ve all seen the people standing at busy intersections, holding signs saying they need work or food, taking money from kind-hearted motorists.  Don’t we wonder if they are just faking it to make an easy dollar?

But the problem is, we can’t always be sure if someone is serving Christ, or their own personal interests, as Paul puts it.  We can’t be absolutely certain if their story is nothing more than smooth talk and glowing words, meant to deceive rather than express the truth.

And if we’re not sure, if we’re not certain, why take a chance on not doing what God would have us do?  I think Jesus spoke volumes on this subject, such as this, recorded in the Gospel account of the Apostle Matthew, chapter 16, verse 27…

27 “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.”

--Matthew 16:27 (NLT)

Did Jesus say we would be judged on our ability to detect and avoid being deceived?  No, He said we will be judged according to our deeds, according to what we do!


James tells us that if someone comes to us in need and we send them away with well wishes and kind words, then we have done nothing to help them.  If we actually see that they have need of food or clothing, and we just tell them to “stay warm and eat well”, but give them no food to eat nor clothes to keep them warm, then what good does that do?

Faith by itself is not enough.  Faith must be given expression.  Our good works, our good deeds, give proof to the world of our faith.  The world itself is faithless.  It requires proof.  Faith does not – that is the very definition of faith: believing, even when there is no proof.

That’s what James means when he says how can you show me your faith if you don’t show me your good works, your good deeds.  He is taking the role of the world there, of those who need some sort of proof.  Our good deeds show them our faith in Jesus.  They prove our commitment to serving our Lord.

James concludes, “I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”  “I will prove to you just what I believe in by the example I set.”  Testimony is great.  Telling someone about Jesus is wonderful and can be a true blessing to them if they listen and accept what you say.  But words alone carry little weight without action to back them up.

Earlier in his letter, in verse 22 of the 1st chapter, James says this about words…

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

--James 1:22 (NLT)

Words are great, and especially God’s words.  But don’t just listen to them, take action based on what they say!  We can’t fool ourselves into thinking that we are righteous – right with God – just because we read and believe in His word.  We must do what His word says.  James is speaking for God when he says that our faith must be accompanied by our deeds.

Actions speak louder than words.  Good deeds show our faith in Jesus because they show our love for our fellow man.  We do great deeds here, my Pilgrim family.  We just finished one up yesterday, and provided much needed funding for an area need.

But let’s not get caught up in worrying about whether any other need we gave to is real, or a real scam.  Let’s trust in God that our help will be applied to real needs.  And let’s keep doing good deeds.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, we consider all of our Holy Bible to be Your word, even if it was penned by another because we know You inspired that author to write Your words.  So Father, help us not only to listen and hear Your word, but to take action and do what Your word says.  Give us the courage and resolve of our faith to put our belief to work on behalf of our Lord and Savior.  And Father, please direct our good deeds to serve You and not the selfish desires of man.

Hear us now, Father, as we speak to You from our hearts in the silence, seeking Your forgiveness for our doubts and Your strength for our endeavors…

Lord Jesus, You commanded us to love one another, unconditionally and without regard for personal reward.  Your brother James told us that one way to honor that command is to do good deeds for our fellow man.  Our good deeds serve as proof to the world of our love, and of our faith in You.  Strengthen us, dear Lord, as we strive to do good, knowing all the while that we may be taken advantage of at any time.  If we do fall victim to a scam, Lord Jesus, please soften the heart of the deceiver and let them know You so that they may be saved.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our Master, in whom we place all our trust, and all our hope.  Amen.

God's Wrath

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 7th of August, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Five Sundays ago we admitted that without God, we are nothing.  Once we truly accepted that fact, we realized we needed to spend more time in prayer with God, to make more of an effort to grow closer to Jesus.  That led us to a better understanding of the role Jesus has for us as a church, the commission He gave us to go out into the world making disciples.  So we can see where we need to keep moving forward, and to keep moving the church forward, not allowing ourselves to be distracted or sidetracked from that mission, because the end of this age is rapidly approaching.

Today we’ll take a closer look at just what happens when that end comes – the Day of God’s Wrath!  Listen and follow along as I read what Jesus revealed to the Apostle John about that time, from the Book of Revelation, chapter 6, verses 9 through 17, from the New Living Translation…

9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters — their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred — had joined them.

12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.

15 Then everyone — the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person — all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

--Revelation 6:9-17 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, You love us.  Of that we have no doubt.  Because of Your love, You give us every chance possible to follow Your word.  Father, help us to better understand Your word, and Your will for our lives.  Speak to us this morning through Your Holy Spirit and give us the message You need us to hear and to heed.  In the holy name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


One day as a young mother and her kindergarten-aged son were driving down the street, the inquisitive and very observant little boy asked, "Mommy?  Why do the idiots only come out when Daddy drives?"


A man's car stalled in heavy traffic as the light turned green.  All his efforts to restart the engine failed, and a growing chorus of blaring horns to his rear made matters worse.  He finally got out of his car, walked back to the first driver in line behind him, and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to get my car started.  If you'll go up there and give it a try, I'll stay here and blow your horn for you."


In the first of those little stories, it sounds like Daddy probably had trouble controlling his temper, and too often got angry while driving.  In the second, the man displayed great self-control and found a clever way to confront another person's anger and maybe avoid their wrath.

As funny as those tales are, there will come a day when God will no longer control His anger, when His wrath will pour out over all the earth.  That is one event we definitely want to avoid!


For a lot of people, the Book of Revelation is, at best, confusing, or at worst, downright scary.  And really, it’s a good bit of both.  Our reading today speaks of that scary time, as Jesus opens the seven seals of the Tribulation the earth and its inhabitants will face.  Those who have died through this period because of their belief in Jesus cry out for vengeance, but are told to wait just a bit longer.  Which tells us vengeance will indeed come.

Then it gets really scary as the sun darkens, the moon turns red as blood, the stars fall from the sky, itself transforming into something that John can’t even adequately describe.  Mountains and islands shift; the whole earth trembles.  Those still alive cry out for death!!…

But death does not yet come.  They will find no release from their punishment.  For the full wrath of God and the wrath of the Lamb is upon them, and there are none who can stand against it, there is nowhere to run or hide!

And it gets worse.  Later on in Revelation, in chapter 14, verses 9 through 11 we read…

9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

--Revelation 14:9-11 (NKJV)

I wonder if they’ll recall the words of the psalmist Asaph in Psalm 79, verses 5 through 7…

5 O Lord, how long will You be angry with us? Forever?
How long will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge You —
on kingdoms that do not call upon Your name.
7 For they have devoured Your people Israel,
making the land a desolate wilderness.

--Psalm 79:5-7 (NLT)

Brothers and sisters, God is trying to warn us there.  If we refuse to acknowledge Him and do not call upon His name, it will not go very well for us.

A big part of acknowledging God is obeying His word, His commands, His Son.  We must stick to and stand by His word as given to us in our Holy Bible.  It hasn’t changed – God hasn’t changed nor has His word to us.  Yet there are some who will tell you that God didn’t mean everything exactly like He said it, or that the true meaning has changed over time – He did, it hasn’t.

And we know there is sin in this world - there is wickedness all around us and there are people who have simply given in to Satan and serve as his tools.  God, through His Chronicler, cautions us not to be swayed.  Hear His warning from 2nd Chronicles, chapter 19, the first two verses…

1 As King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home, uninjured, 2 the prophet Jehu (son of Hanani) went out to meet him. 

“Should you be helping the wicked, and loving those who hate the Lord?” he asked him. “Because of what you have done, God’s wrath is upon you."

--2 Chronicles 19:1-2 (TLB)

At the end of the age we do not want God’s wrath to fall upon us because of what we have done!  It will not be pretty, not even a little bit.

And the One who came to earth to offer salvation to all of mankind will return to pour out the cup of God’s wrath over the face of the earth.  Listen to chapter 19 verses 11 through 16 of the Book of Revelation, to what John is shown as the seven years of Tribulation reach a grand finale and draw to a dramatic close…

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns. A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

--Revelation 19:11-16 (NLT)

Scary – very scary, and hopeless for all on earth.

Ah, but there is hope.  And that hope begins with God’s great mercy and the offer Jesus made so long ago.  John repeated that promise Jesus spoke, in his Gospel account, chapter 3, verse 16.  You know the words – say them with me…

16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

--John 3:16 (NKJV)

Not only that, but Jesus also shows us what will happen to those who accept His offer, who do believe in Him and obey His commands and follow the path He laid.  The Apostle Matthew saved those words for us, in his Gospel account, chapter 24, verses 30 through 31…

30 "And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send out His angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather His chosen ones from all over the world — from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven."

--Matthew 24:30-31 (NLT)

And the Apostle Paul, in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 4 verses 16 through 18, makes sure we understand just what this means to us, as believers in Jesus - just what awaits us when our Lord returns…

16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet-call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord. 17 Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with Him forever. 18 So comfort and encourage each other with this news.

--1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (TLB)

There is our hope!  There is our escape plan.  That is how we avoid the Day of God’s Wrath.  Jesus calls us to His side before he pours out that great and terrible cup upon the earth.


Do you feel relieved now?  You should, if you truly believe in Jesus, if you have fully accepted Him as your Lord and Master, if you strive to follow His voice and do what you know He wants you to do.  There is no reason to fear the Day of God’s Wrath, for we will not be here on earth when it happens!  That is Jesus’ promise!

But if you are still scared, you need to ask yourself if you have given yourself fully over to Jesus.  Have you surrendered yourself and all that you are to Him?

If you have any doubt, then it is time to humble yourself before our Lord and admit your weakness, admit your failings, and accept His strength.  Come to His altar, to the foot of His cross, before you leave this building today, and we’ll pray together for His forgiveness.  Come and fully accept Him as Lord, or rededicate your life to Him.

Or maybe your fear is not for yourself, but for a loved one that you aren’t sure if they are saved.  If so, then come and we’ll pray together that God’s Holy Spirit might touch them and soften their hearts, that they might allow Jesus in and fully accept Him as Lord, that they might be saved this very day.

Family, the Day of God’s Wrath is coming fast!  Don’t put off until it is too late what you can take care of right now!  For when Jesus calls His church home, it will be too late for all those left behind, all those who just didn’t believe and fully commit.

If there’s any fear, if there’s any doubt, then come now, or during the prayer, or during the last hymn - come and we’ll pray together.  God will forgive.  Jesus will save.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You love us so much that You sent Your only Son into the world to offer us the gift of Your grace: salvation.  You sent Jesus, and He willingly came, knowing full well that He would be despised, rejected, tortured, and killed at the very hands of those He came to help.  And by His resurrection, those who fully believe in Him trust that You will resurrect us as well, and allow us to live with You and our Lord forever in heaven’s glorious land.  Thank You, Father God!

Hear us now, Father, as we lift our personal prayers to You in the silence, our pleas for Your forgiveness, our thanks for Your great and wonderful grace, our recommitment to Your Son Jesus, all coming straight from our hearts…

Lord Jesus, You promise that if we only believe in You, repent of our sinful way, accept You as our only Master, and follow Your commands and Your example, that You will spare us from God’s terrible punishment.  You promise that You will call us to the safety of Your side before You pour out the cup of God’s fearsome wrath over those who deny You.  Precious Jesus, help us be true and faithful believers.  Forgive us our doubts, our fears, our times of unfaithfulness.  Please send God’s Holy Spirit to touch all those who hearts may be receptive to Your offer of salvation, that they may fully accept You and be saved.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the Son of Man, the one true Son of God, our only hope.  Amen.