Spiritual Wisdom

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 30th of October, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Two weeks ago we looked at who our real enemy is.  We saw how we are engaged in spiritual warfare, that we battle against Satan and not against man.  I think most of us would consider warfare of any type to be a negative thing, something we’d rather avoid if possible.  So this week I’d like to look at something very positive, yet still spiritual in essence.  I’d like to talk about spiritual wisdom – the wisdom that comes from God.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus.  This comes from his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 15 through 23, reading from The Living Bible…

15 That is why, ever since I heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and of the love you have for Christians everywhere, 16-17 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that He has done for you. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future He has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to Him! 19 I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him. It is that same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven, 21 far, far above any other king or ruler or dictator or leader. Yes, His honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else either in this world or in the world to come. 22 And God has put all things under His feet and made Him the supreme Head of the Church — 23 which is His body, filled with Himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere.

--Ephesians 1:15-23 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Father God, just as did Paul, we pray to You now for Your wisdom, that we might hear and understand the message You have for us this morning, and that we might grow ever closer to Your Son Jesus.  Speak to us, Lord, and open our hearts.  In the holy name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


I wonder if you sometimes think about me after one of my messages like this person did...  A preacher I heard about gave an unusual sermon one day, using a peanut to make several important points about the wisdom of God in nature.  One of his members greeted him at the door afterwards and said, “Very interesting message, Pastor.  I never expected to learn so much from a nut.”


Well, sometimes I am pretty nutty.  Columnist Doug Larson once wrote: "Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk."  Some unknown wit left us with this: "A wise man learns from the mistakes of others…  Nobody lives long enough to make them all himself."  And someone else said that, "Wisdom is spiritually opportunistic."

I like that last one, and it brings us back to what Paul wishes for us, that God give us the wisdom and insight to understand just what Jesus did for us.  We need spiritual wisdom.


Spiritual wisdom.  Since I like to make sure we’re all on the same page, I try to give dictionary definitions from time to time.  This is one of those times.  Our dictionary defines “spiritual” as “of or relating to the spirit, as distinguished from physical nature”.  Something spiritual is not of or bound by physical laws.  For our purposes here, we’ll add that it comes from God, or is of God.  And “wisdom” is defined as “knowledge, discernment, or insight of what is true or right, coupled with just judgment as to action”.

Did you catch that wisdom has two parts?  First is the knowledge or discernment or the insight into what is true or right.  Wisdom is knowing what is right.  But then the second part is doing what is right – a just judgment to action.

I’m sure you know some of what our Bible says about wisdom.  Such as this, from Proverbs chapter 9, verse 10…

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

--Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)

Now “to fear” in this regard means to respect, honor, obey the Lord.  We only have to fear His retribution and punishment if we disobey Him, or deny His Son or His Holy Spirit.  So obeying God leads us on the path to wisdom.

Earlier in Proverbs, actually at the opening to his book in chapter 1, verses 2 through 7, wise King Solomon said this…

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

--Proverbs 1:2-7 (NKJV)

What do we need to do to know wisdom, to receive instructions of wisdom, justice, judgment?  Solomon says a wise person will hear and increase learning, and will seek out counsel from the wise.  But how do we become wise in the first place?

We begin by obeying God, by honoring Him and His commands, by willingly accepting instructions from those we see as wise.  And remember what Solomon said there: fools despise wisdom and instruction.  So we shouldn’t be fools.


Have you ever heard the expression, “conventional wisdom”?  Conventional wisdom describes a generally accepted theory or belief, an opinion or belief that is held or accepted by most people.  That doesn’t sound much like spiritual wisdom, does it?  This isn’t what Solomon is talking about, is it?  Conventional wisdom is more like “human wisdom”.  Whereas spiritual wisdom is defined by truth, conventional wisdom is defined by what is perceived as truth, even though it may not be.  What it boils down to, conventional wisdom is just an educated guess.

God is truth.  Man is fallible and man’s perceptions are easily swayed and fooled.  Wisdom we receive from God, by obeying Him and studying His word and learning all we can about His Son…  this is wisdom that will never fail us.  It has nothing to do with guesses or the law of averages or flipping a coin.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, in the 1st chapter of his letter, verses 5 through 8, provides this trustworthy advice…

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

--James 1 5:8 (NKJV)

If you think true wisdom is something worth having, then ask God for it.  He’s generous; He won’t find fault with you for seeking His wisdom.

But James cautions us to make sure of just where our faith truly lies.  Do we put even a portion of our faith in man and our own abilities and knowledge?  Or do we trust solely in God to provide us with what we need?  Is our loyalty divided?  Do we put anything else in our lives ahead of God and worshiping Him?  Do we prize and covet possessions more than we do a close, personal relationship with our Lord and Savior?  Do we sit in church with one foot still firmly planted in the world?  Do we waver in our faith and obedience?  Then we are as unsettled as a wave upon the sea, that is blown and tossed about by the wind.  We cannot realistically expect to receive anything from the Lord, including wisdom.  If our loyalty is divided between God and the world, then we are unstable in everything we do.


Wisdom, especially spiritual wisdom, seems to be in rather short supply these days.  We are pulled in so many different directions, given instructions from so many different sources, led every which way by so many different authority figures.  This is all part of Satan’s scheme, his counterattack against God and His perfect plan for mankind.

Satan spreads confusion, offers temptations to divide our loyalties, provides soothing words to his followers for them to use to convince us to turn from what we should know is right.  And too many of us don’t know which way to turn, which way to go, which voice to listen to.

It’s all right here in our Bible.  We turn to our Lord Jesus.  We go to our Father God in prayer.  We listen for His voice speaking quietly into our lives and we follow His commandments and His will for us.  We ask for His wisdom, the only true and faithful wisdom, and He will give it to us.

Spiritual wisdom, straight from God, because He loves us so much.  And thanks to Jesus, all we have to do is ask.

Thank You, Jesus.  Thank You, Father.

In the saving name of Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You provide so much for us.  You meet our needs and then some.  You even give us wisdom – true, spiritual wisdom – if we would only ask for it.  Father, please help us to always heed Your commands and obey Your voice.  Nudge us when we start going astray.  Remind us of Your presence when we begin to doubt.

Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in this place, calling upon You and praying silently straight from our hearts…

Lord Jesus, You gave Your all for us, and You continue to give.  We pray that our Father God grant us the wisdom to see You more clearly, to better understand how much You have done for us, to grow ever closer to You and more like You.  You are the Head of the Church – we are the body.  Help us to move and work together to carry out Your mission on earth.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.

The Lion Never Sleeps

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 16th of October, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Do you remember how David is described in the Bible?  In 1st Samuel chapter 13 verse 14 we see that “The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart”.  That man was David, later to be king of Israel.

But for a man after God’s own heart, David led quite a tempestuous life.  Seems like he was always in trouble, always on the run from some army or another out to get him.  Listen and follow along as David pleads to God for protection, from his 17th Psalm, verses 6 through 13, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have closed up their fat hearts;
With their mouths they speak proudly.
11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
13 Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword.

--Psalm 17:6-13 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, just as David called upon You, so do we, for like him we know You will hear.  Make Your message clear to us this morning, Father, so that we will better understand what we face, and where we can turn for help.  In the glorious name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


One day two men were talking as they noticed a woman walking down the road toward them.  One of the men remarked, “That’s Mrs. Jones.  She always has something good to say about everyone.”  The other man decided to test her, so when she drew close he asked, “Mrs. Jones, what do you think about the devil?”  She thought for a second and answered, “He sure is busy, isn’t he?”  And that just goes to show you can find something good to say about almost anyone.

Do you happen to remember the 1995 movie, “The Usual Suspects”?  In that film, Kevin Spacey played a character named “Verbal” who utters this rather poignant insight: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.  And like that... he is gone.”


Well, the devil certainly has been busy, but there’s nothing good about it.  And unfortunately, he hasn’t gone anywhere, even if too many people believe he doesn’t exist.  The devil is alive and well and stalking the streets of New York, London, Paris, Moscow, Rome, Baghdad…  even Lexington, North Carolina.  He’s looking for easy prey to pounce on, for lost souls to devour.  Do you remember the old song from the ‘60s, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”?  “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.”  Well, it is indeed a jungle out there, but the lion we need to worry about never sleeps.


King David called upon the Lord seeking His protection from the wicked who oppress him.  David compares his deadly enemies to a young lion, eager to tear its prey; a young lion, lurking in secret places.  He asks God to cast that lion down, to slay it with His sword.

From our Bible studies, we know that God’s sword is His sacred word, as saved for us in our Holy Bible.  But who are the deadly enemies David speaks of in Psalm 17?  Who are these wicked ones that he likens to a young, ferocious lion?  Through much of his life, David’s enemies were many and, as I mentioned, he spent a lot of time on the run.  But I believe the Apostle Paul gives us all we need to know about David’s true enemies.  Listen to what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, by way of explanation as to the type of conflict we are engaged in.  You’ve heard me read this before, and will again, I’m sure.  It comes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 12…

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

--Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

We fight against evil spirits, not against flesh-and-blood enemies.  These are wicked rulers of the unseen world, even in the heavenly places.  But these spirits infiltrate the physical, seen world.  They tempt man to do their bidding.  They inhabit the weak, those who seek only pleasure in this life.  They wreak destruction and strive to divide us, turning man against man, brother against brother, sister against sister.  They never rest, for spirits need no rest like mortal flesh does.  And chief among these, at the head of the pack, leading all the demonic forces of darkness is Lucifer, Satan… the devil himself.

David isn’t the only one to compare the devil to a stalking lion, nor does only Paul see our true spiritual enemy.  Hear what the Apostle Peter has to say, in his 1st letter to the far-flung church, chapter 5 verse 8…

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

--1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

Our adversary, our real enemy Satan, walks across this land like a roaring lion, just looking for another soul to devour.  As David says, the devil surrounds us all.  He oppresses us, trying to weaken our faith, our resolve to stand.  He watches closely, eager to tear us to shreds if we let our guard down, if we lower our shield for even a second.  He hides in the darkness, lurking in the secret places even within our own hearts.  He’s waiting… waiting…


Family, this is a war like none other.  This is the last war, the final war, although it has been running throughout all of human history and will continue until Christ comes again!  And it is a war we must win, as individuals and as a church.  For to lose this war is to lose our eternal souls.

What are some of the weapons arrayed against us?  Temptations can come from any place and in any form.  Take a look at the picture on the screens…  How many of those look familiar?  Facebook, Twitter, photos, newspaper articles, email, regular mail, magazines, television…  Yes, those things can provide good, reassuring, faith-filled messages, too.  But Satan uses them and more every day, every second of the day, to tempt some poor unfortunate soul into losing everything for nothing more than a bit of pleasure, a moment of lust, a hint of revenge.

Family, we are engaged in spiritual warfare.  Our foe isn’t the person who flips us off in traffic or who breaks in line ahead of us in the store, it’s the demon that tempted them to do that.  Our enemy isn’t a radical religious fanatic, it’s the demon who possesses him.  Our adversary isn’t a Democrat or a Republican or a liberal or a conservative, it isn’t a pimp or a producer of pornography, it isn’t an ISIS fighter or a Taliban insurgent, it isn’t a pirate or a scammer or a member of any corrupt government or illegal organization or gang.  It isn’t any human being at all.

Our enemy is Satan, a spiritual being.  Our war is spiritual in nature, as we battle for our very souls.  So our armament must also be spiritual.  We must rely upon God’s truth and His righteousness, keeping our faith strong at all times.  We must hold to the Gospel, the Good News of salvation that only Jesus can bring.  We must hold fast to our only offensive weapon, the word of God, studying our Bible and depending on what God has given us in its pages.  And above all, we must pray.  Pray to God for strength, for help, for guidance.

Be alert, be sober, be ever vigilant, for Satan is walking the land looking for souls he might devour.  And he is a lion that never sleeps.

In the saving name of Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You have given us everything we need to protect ourselves from Satan, who prowls about looking for the weak.  You are righteous and ever faithful to us, and You give us the righteousness of Your own Son if we just believe in Him and hold fast to our belief.  You give us Your holy word to be our sword, the same sword that Jesus will wield when He returns in all His glory to conquer our foe.

Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, calling upon You and praying straight from our hearts…

Lord Jesus, You are our only hope of salvation.  Only through You can we gain everlasting life in heaven with You and our Father God.  You are the truth.  Help us share and spread that truth.  Our faith in You is our only shield against all the weapons Satan may unleash toward us.  Give us the strength, Lord Jesus, the strength and the resolve to stand against whatever the devil may throw against us, the strength to resist until the end and then to share with You the final victory.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.

Abandoned

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 9th of October, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The Apostle Paul was not one to mince words.  He pretty much spoke the truth of Jesus and accepted whatever consequences might come from those words.  He was never bashful nor at all hesitant about spreading the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus.

But that Good News also often came with a warning, because we all have a choice.  We all have a responsibility to act wisely when making that choice.  Because the consequences of our choice can be a matter of life or death:  life everlasting with God, or eternal death in the lake of fire.

Listen and follow along to the words of encouragement and the rather shocking warning the Apostle Paul gives in his letter to the Romans, chapter 1 verses 16 through the first part of 26, and verse 28 through the first 2 verses of chapter 2, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible.  This is rather long, so bear with me, please.  Paul writes…

1:16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “The righteous will live by faith.”

18 But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who, by their wickedness, prevent the truth from being known. 19 They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. 

28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

2:1 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in His justice, will punish anyone who does such things.

--Romans 1:16-26a; 1:28-2:2 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, Your Son Jesus saved the Apostle Paul and brought him to You.  Your Holy Spirit led him through his ministry.  You inspired him as he wrote his letters educating, enlightening, and even at times rebuking the churches of Jesus throughout the land.  And You made sure his words would be available to us still today, so that we might also know Your will as he did.  Help us understand the important message You have for us this morning, Father.  In the glorious name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


I'm sure you know the story of Helen Keller, born blind and deaf but given the gift of communication through the dedicated efforts of her teacher, Anne Sullivan.  The movie, "The Miracle Worker" dramatized these women's remarkable tale.  But you may not have heard of one little incident between the two.

After painstakingly teaching Helen sign language, Miss Sullivan worked to give her student the names of various physical objects.  And then Miss Sullivan attempted to explain God to this deaf, blind girl.  She began by tapping out the symbols for the name "God".  To her surprise, Helen quickly spelled back, "Thank you for telling me God's name, Teacher, for He has touched me many times before."  Helen Keller already knew something of God and His nature, His kindness, but it was a wordless, nameless knowledge.  Miss Sullivan gave that oft-felt presence a name: "God".

Compare that, if you will, to what John MacArthur wrote in his book, “Can God Bless America”, where he stated that, "America wants God's blessing, but not God.  Our nation has systematically pushed Him out of the national consciousness - rejecting biblical morality, ignoring His Word, and relying on the political and entertainment arenas for moral guidance."


These two anecdotes, when taken together, pretty well illustrate today's scripture reading.  Remembering that faith is the firm belief in that which cannot be seen nor proven without a shadow of doubt, we can certainly see that Helen Keller knew God by faith, and so lived by faith.  Meanwhile, our nation in general, our modern culture, our national and even global society, has turned from God, has shoved Him aside and out of its life, has chosen to pursue temporary pleasures rather than salvation and eternal life with God.

I believe God smiled upon Helen.  Do you suppose He might be angry with much of America?


Our scripture reading covers two very important topics.  The first is that we must live by faith.  The second is what happens if we don’t.

Paul notes that the scriptures say the righteous will live by faith.  Let’s take a moment to look at that particular passage in scripture.  It comes from the book of the prophet Habakkuk, chapter 2, verse 4…

4 “Look at the proud!
They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”

--Habakkuk 2:4 (NLT)

That also has two points of interest.  The righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.  We talked about being righteous before, and I asked do we really think ourselves righteous.  God truly is righteous and His righteousness is shown in the righteousness of Christ Jesus that is considered by God to belong to the one who believes.  In other words, God passes along the righteousness of Jesus to us because we believe in Him.  God, through the death of His Son, declares righteous those sinners who come to true faith in Christ.  But note that we must fulfill our part.  That’s the second point.  We must be faithful to God; we must live by faith.

And I think it very interesting to note that this verse from the Old Testament shows that the way of living by faith was known even in ancient times, long before Jesus came to this earth as a man.  Another interesting little side fact is that this particular passage in scripture greatly inspired Martin Luther.  This simple message put him on the path that led to nailing his list of proclamations on the church door that ultimately led to what we call the Great Reformation, and eventually to this church.


All of that is the good part - the words of encouragement Paul offers.  We quickly move into the warning.  And he starts out by letting us know that God will show His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who, by their wickedness, prevent the truth from being known.

They know the truth!  How could they not know, since He has made Himself evident from the very beginning of man’s existence.  We can see and experience His creation all around us.  We can understand His invisible qualities.  Yet so many refuse to acknowledge Him, refuse to worship Him, refuse to accept Jesus as His Son.  They put other things first in their lives, worshiping the created rather than the Creator.  And worse yet, they encourage others to sin.

So how does God respond?  Basically, He says, "OK, if that's the way you want it, do whatever you want to do.  I'm through with you.  I release you.  I'm letting you go.  I'm abandoning you."

Three times in this short passage, God threw His hands up over these sinners and abandoned them: in verses 24, 26, and 28.  He wants to make sure we notice that some people have been and will be given up on, abandoned, left to do whatever they want and to suffer the consequences of their actions!

That’s kind of a scary thought, isn’t it, to be abandoned? If we think about how that would feel, then we can better understand how Jesus must have felt as He hung from that cruel cross and shouted, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?”


Abandoned, left alone.  But it gets worse.

Paul brings us all down a notch or two when he tells us we have no grounds for judging these people that God will abandon.  Their lives may be full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip, but so are ours!  They may be backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful, but so are we!  They may invent new ways of sinning, disobey their parents, refuse to understand, break their promises, be heartless, and have no mercy, but we are subject to doing all those ourselves!  We cannot condemn them because we are just as bad as they, and we know better!

We also know that God, in His justice, will punish anyone who does such things.  We know, and we have fear, because it is written in the great Book of Jesus’ Revelation to the Apostle John, chapter 20, verses 11 through 15…

11 And I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from His presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

--Revelation 20:11-15 (NLT)

God keeps two book on His creation.  One is the Book of Life, in which He records all those who believe in His Son Jesus.  Those that Paul describes whose names are not listed in that book will be sentenced to perish eternally in the lake of fire.  The second book records all our deeds and actions and words and thoughts while we walked this earth.  We will stand before God and we will answer for all those things, but we will still live for eternity with Jesus because of our belief.

Still, we will be judged.  So it’s best that we strive to live up to the righteousness that comes to us by the death of our Lord Jesus.  We must try with all our strength to live a life of faith, and of faithfulness to God.  For in the end there will be no place to hide that God cannot find us.

Don’t risk being abandoned.  We must repent of those sinful ways that Paul described, and accept Jesus as our Lord or rededicate ourselves to Him as our Master.  Only through Him can we truly be righteous.

In the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, we come before You as sinners, seeking to be righteous in Your sight.  We believe in Your Son Jesus and we accept Him as our Lord and Master.  Please, Father, do not abandon us, for we need You always by our side.

Hear us now, Father, as we pray in the silence from our hearts, repenting and seeking forgiveness…

Lord Jesus, we can only sense what You must have felt there upon Your cross, as You died so that we might live.  We so desperately do not want to be or even feel abandoned.  Help us, please Lord, to live a life of righteousness and faithfulness.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith.  Amen.

Our Only Hope

[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 2nd of October, 2016.  Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.  Today's service included the observance of Holy Communion.]

In just a little while, we’ll be coming to our Lord’s table to share in His last supper on earth.  As I always do, I’ll be working from the words the Apostle Paul left us in his 1st letter to the church in Corinth.

But there is part of that message that we hear less frequently, or only as a comment.  It is a very important part - one we all need to be reminded of from time to time.  It has to do with what we bring to that table, how we approach it.  And I’m not talking about bringing a bottle of wine or a loaf of bread or a green bean casserole.  It’s what we bring in our heart that matters.

Listen and follow along to the critical instructions Paul provides in 1st Corinthians chapter 11, verses 23 through 32, as read from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

23 I have already told you what the Lord Jesus did on the night He was betrayed. And it came from the Lord Himself.

He took some bread in His hands. 24 Then after He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember Me.”

25 After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine in His hands and said, “This is My blood, and with it God makes His new agreement with you. Drink this and remember Me.”

26 The Lord meant that when you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you tell about His death until He comes.

27 But if you eat the bread and drink the wine in a way that isn’t worthy of the Lord, you sin against His body and blood. 28 That’s why you must examine the way you eat and drink. 29 If you fail to understand that you are the body of the Lord, you will condemn yourselves by the way you eat and drink. 30 That’s why many of you are sick and weak and why a lot of others have died. 31 If we carefully judge ourselves, we won’t be punished. 32 But when the Lord judges and punishes us, He does it to keep us from being condemned with the rest of the world.

--1 Corinthians 11:23-32 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, as we prepare to approach the table of our Lord Jesus, please open our hearts to Your message this morning.  Help us understand the meaning and importance of sharing in our Lord.  In the glorious name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.


As Vice President to President Ronald Reagan, George Bush represented the United States at the funeral of the former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent expression carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest.

There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.

(Gary Thomas, in Christianity Today, October 3, 1994, p. 26.)

Hope.  The wife of an atheist put her hope in the love and mercy of Jesus, who died on a cross.  The dictionary defines hope as “the feeling that what is wanted can be had”.  As a verb, to hope is defined as “to feel that something desired may happen”.  The modern concept of hope is more like wishing for or expecting, but without any certainty of fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting what is desired.

But our Bible holds quite a different definition of hope.  As used in Scripture, hope is a strong and confident expectation.  It is more akin to confidence that what has been promised will be fulfilled, rather than what is desired.  And it is that confidence and assurance of fulfillment that makes all the difference in the world.

Our hope is in the Lord Jesus.  Our promise is in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.  And our belief gives us confidence and assurance of that hope, that promise being fulfilled.

Our choir sang “In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song; This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.  No guilt in life, no fear in death — This is the power of Christ in me; From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home — Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”

Hope.  In Christ alone.


Our scripture reading speaks of that promise, of our covenant with God that is signed and sealed by the blood of Jesus.  But there’s another very important part of that passage.  It informs us of the need for fulfilling our part, just as Jesus will fulfill His.

Paul warns us not to eat the bread and drink the wine, or juice, in a way that is unworthy of our Lord, lest we condemn ourselves.  Let me reread part of that scripture, verses 27 through 29 of 1st Corinthians chapter 11, this time from the New King James Version…

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

--1 Corinthians 11:27-29  (NKJV)

If we come to our Lord’s table and partake of His elements in an unworthy manner, we sin against His body and blood, we will be guilty of His body and blood.  We will be just as guilty of our Lord’s body being broken and His blood being spilled as the Roman soldiers who performed the deeds and the Jewish leaders who caused it all to happen!!!

But what does Paul mean by taking the bread and the wine in an unworthy manner?  Jesus gives a pretty good example in His Sermon on the Mount when He tells us not to approach the altar of God when we hold ill-will in our hearts for another, or when someone else holds resentment against us.  We must first reconcile with that person.

It comes down to this…  We must not approach our Lord’s table, or the altar of God, unless our hearts are right with God.  We must not take of the body and blood of our Savior if we are not seen as righteous in the eyes of our Father God.

We need to examine our own hearts right now, before we come forward.  If there is anything that keeps you from being right with God now, then take advantage of our prayer time and repent and seek His forgiveness so that you will not be coming to Jesus’ table in an unworthy manner.

Place your trust in Him and depend on His mercy, just as Mrs. Brezhnev did.  Get right with God.  Get right with Jesus.  For our only hope is in Christ alone.

Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, as we come to our Lord’s table, we pause for just a moment to examine our hearts.  Please, Father, may we be righteous in Your sight.  We know we are sinners, Father, but we repent of our sin and seek Your mercy, for the sake of Your Son Jesus, our only hope.  Father, if we are not right in Your eyes, if we need to reconcile with a brother or sister, please show us the way to reconciliation and righteousness.  Help us, please Father.

Hear us now, Father, as we pray in the silence, straight from our hearts, repenting and seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, we pray that we are worthy of coming to Your table, that we do not eat the bread nor drink the juice in an unworthy manner.  We realize You are our only hope, and we don’t want to lose that hope because of something we do that could so easily be undone.  Lord, if there is someone we need to reconcile with, please help us do just that.  Help us, we pray, as we struggle to turn from our sinful ways and stay on the path of righteousness You blazed for us.  In Your power alone, Christ, we stand.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust.  Amen.