Of Faith and New Life

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 30th of December, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This is our "New Year's" message.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Since I’ll be on vacation through next Sunday morning, I thought I’d use today to look ahead to the new year.  A new year, a new beginning, another chance to maybe get a few things right.  Out with the old, in with the new.  Well, there is a way to make old things new, but it has nothing to do with advancing of one year to the next.

Please listen and follow along as I read from the Apostle Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5, verses 6 through 8 and verses 16 and 17, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

--2 Corinthians 5:6-8, 16-17 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, by our belief, by our faith, we are indeed confident that some sweet day we will be with our Lord.  Father, may we cherish the new creation You made of us when we accepted Jesus as Lord.  Help us stay strong in our faith and not fall back into our old ways.  Open our hearts that we might hear Your voice, Your word, and Your message we need to hear.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


Author Ian Wilson tells the story of a London businessman and a warehouse property he was selling:

"The building had been empty for months and needed repairs.  Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, the businessman took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

'Forget about the repairs,' the buyer said.  'When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different.  I don't want the building; I want the site.'”

Wilson goes on to say: “Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball.  When we become God's, the old life is over.  He makes all things new.  All he wants is the site and the permission to build."


Isn’t that a neat way to think about what God does to us when we accept Jesus as His Son and our Lord?  He doesn’t just sweep out the cobwebs and do a few repairs here and there.  He tears us down and starts all over again!  We become something completely different, brand new!  He just needs us to hand over the property rights so He can get to work.  And by that I mean to give our lives fully over to God.


By the world’s thinking, all we have to do is make, and keep, a few New Year’s resolutions, and we’ll become a completely new person.  Well, yes, in a way, to a degree, we can indeed become at least a better person if we really commit ourselves and work at it.  That resolution to exercise and lose weight can definitely have positive benefits on our health.  And stopping to help someone in need instead of passing them by will make us better inside, if we do it often enough.

But really, New Year’s Day is just another day on the calendar, the one that marks the start of a new calendar year.  And even that comes from God.  In the Book of Genesis – the Book of Beginnings – we are told in chapter 1 verses 14 and 15 that…

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

--Genesis 1:14-15 (NKJV)

God gave us new years and changing seasons when He put the stars in the sky, the moon to light our night, the sun to mark off our days.  This was done for our need and our pleasure.  We, and the earth, need the time of rest that the winter months afford, or would if we only take the time and slow down like everything else.  The spring allows the earth to reawaken, the summer gives time for growing, and the fall allows for the harvest.

These are needed things, but they are also pleasurable things.  The seasons change so we don’t get tired of them.  We don’t get bored because in a few months everything will change.

God put this in place for our benefit, for the benefit of His creation.  But He also has planned for everything to change some day.  Everything will be made new, including us!  But there is another way we can become new, and we don’t have to wait until Jesus returns.


During one of the many occasions Paul was in prison, he explained to King Agrippa what had happened to him on that dusty road to Damascus, what had occurred to bring about such a change in him.  Listen to what Paul told Agrippa, from the Apostle Luke’s Book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 26, verses 12 through 18…

12 “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’"

--Acts 26:12-18 (NKJV)

Now we have to remember why Saul was on that road in the first place: to arrest Christians and take them back to Jerusalem for trial and possible execution!  He was persecuting the church, persecuting the body of Christ.  He certainly was not a minister and witness for Jesus.  Not until Jesus gave him new life, a new beginning, another chance to get things right.  And that is why Paul could write to the church in Corinth and tell them that if anyone is in Christ, they become a new creation; old things have passed away, all things have become new!


In a few days people all across this world will celebrate the coming of the new year.  2018 will be swept away and 2019 will be ushered in with fireworks and loud noises.  They’ll mumble their way through “Auld Lang Syne”, reminiscing about times gone by.  And they’ll dream of a better tomorrow that the New Year holds.

Unless they turn to the Lord Jesus and accept Him as God’s Son, the true Christ, believe in Him and follow His commands, then all they can do is dream.  For us who believe, being made new is no dream.  And a far better tomorrow is a promised certainty.

Our faith is the key.  Believe in Jesus, love all others, share His love and serve Him by helping others and sharing the Gospel with them, make disciples of them.  For we are a new creation.  Old things have passed away, all things have become new.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your Son Jesus to offer us salvation, but we have to accept that offer.  Thank You, Father, for loving us that much.  Please forgive us when we forget just what it means to believe in Jesus.  Forgive us when we fail to serve You by serving Him.  Please help us be more obedient to Your word and to His commands.  Help us to return Your love by showing love to all others, by helping them when and where we can, by sharing with them just how much You and Jesus mean to us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…

Lord Jesus, You are our only hope for salvation the only way to be with our Father God in heaven.  Thank You, Jesus, for giving of Yourself that we might be saved.  Forgive us when we fail to fully accept You as Lord, when we want the salvation You offer but don’t do as You command us, when we struggle to truly love others.  Please help us fully believe, help us to follow Your commands, help us to love.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and Master.  Amen.

Of Faith and Joy

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 23rd of December, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This is the fourth Sunday in Advent, with the theme of "Joy".  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is the 4th and last Sunday in Advent, the day when we are filled with joy as we anxiously await the coming of our Lord Jesus.  On Christmas day, God’s Light came down from heaven to earth.  And some sweet day, Jesus will return to conquer evil and bring everlasting joy.

But on that night long ago when Jesus was born into the world, we didn’t know or understand what was happening.  So God sent a messenger to get the word out that a Savior was born.  Please listen and follow along to the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account of that joyful night, from chapter 2, verses 8 through 14, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

--Luke 2:8-14 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You showed mercy and compassion upon Your sinful people by sending Your only Son into this world to offer us salvation.  Father, How could You love us so much, we who are so undeserving of Your love?  Father, may we be filled with joy to the point of bursting just thinking of what You have done for us!  Open our hearts that we might hear Your voice, Your word, Your message, and be joyful.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


C.S. Lewis wrote:  "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.  We are far too easily pleased."

George Bernard Shaw might have had Lewis' words in mind when he said:  "This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."


If we believe what we see on TV, the only hope we ever have for true happiness and joy is if we buy the newest car, the biggest house, the finest jewelry.  We can only be fulfilled if we eat the best burger, the biggest pizza, visit the busiest steakhouse.  According to the world, only the very best things can bring us joy.

Lewis and Shaw tell us otherwise.  Without saying it in so many words, both authors acknowledge that true joy can only come from surrendering ourselves to God, enjoying what He provides, and serving His purposes.  Joy that lasts, that stands the test of time, that cannot be taken away or diminished, comes from the Creator, not the created.


Our dictionary defines “joy” as the emotion of great delight or happiness, keen pleasure, the source or cause of keen pleasure or delight, or the expression or display of glad feeling.  So we can see there’s not only the aspect of feeling joy, but also of displaying that joy.  But do we even know how to be joyful, do we know how to express our joy?  We of the Reformed tradition tend to be rather staid in our worship.  Coaxing an “Amen” out of a German Reformed congregation can be a tad difficult sometimes.

The great prophet Isaiah knew how to express joy, and he encouraged the children of Israel to show their joy.  Listen to what Isaiah wrote in chapter 49 verse 13 of his book of prophecy…

13 Sing, O heavens!
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.

--Isaiah 49:13 (NKJV)

Be joyful!  Break out in singing!  Why?  Because our Lord has given us comfort and has shown us mercy by sending His own Son to us.

Psalm 96 is one of those that we’re not completely sure who wrote it, although it might well have been the work of King David.  No matter the author, the psalmist agrees with Isaiah in Psalm 96, verses 1 through 3, when he tells us…

1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

--Psalm 96:1-3 (NKJV)

Not only are we to sing to the Lord, but to sing a new song!  Why a new song?  I can think of any number of reasons.  One is that we should be creative.  We should take the time to come up with something new and wonderful that shouts our joy to the world.

Another is that when we do or say or even sing the same thing over and over, we start to take it for granted.  It becomes too familiar and we don’t really listen to what we’re saying anymore.  We stop paying attention to what we’re doing.  If it’s something new, it grabs our attention and holds onto us, and to those who witness it.  And then, when we declare God’s glory, when we proclaim the good news of His salvation, people just might stop and listen.


I’m sure you remember the parable Jesus told of three servants who were each entrusted with a sum of money by their master.  It’s in chapter 25 of the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account.  Two of the servants invest the money and return a profit on what they were entrusted with.  Their lord told them, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your lord.”  If we remain good and faithful servants to our Lord Jesus, we will indeed someday enter into His joy, a joy that will far exceed anything we can imagine.  We will know greater happiness and keener delight (as the dictionary puts it) beyond what words could describe.

The angel brought us the wonderful message of good tidings of great joy!  Be joyful, sing to the Lord a new song!  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given!  Be filled with joy in the Lord Jesus, Son of God!


We light the candles at Advent to show that our hope is in our coming salvation, which causes us to show love to others, which brings us peace that leads to joy in the coming Christ.  Let’s show others that our hope is not unfounded by the love we share, the peace we enjoy, the great joy we feel, all because of the Good News of salvation through Jesus our Lord.  For Christ is coming.  In the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your only Son into this world to offer us forgiveness and salvation.  Thank You, Father, for such a wonderful gift, a gift greater than any we could ever imagine, a gift we don’t deserve.  Forgive us, please God, when we fail to express the depth of our joy, when we don’t pass that joy along to others.  Forgive us when the busyness of the season pushes our joy out of our hearts.  Please rekindle the fire of joy within us so we can celebrate what truly matters the most.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…

Lord Jesus, You came to us as one of us.  You came as a tiny baby, and grew into a man.  You came as God’s only begotten Son so that we might be sons and daughters of God.  Thank You, Jesus, for coming, for living, for dying and then rising from the grave, just so we could be saved from our own sin.  Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to follow Your commands, especially when we find it so hard to love all others.  Please help us to honestly feel, express, and share the joy You brought into this world.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and Master.  Amen.

Love and Peace at Christmas

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday evening, the 16th of December, 2018 at Paul's Chapel Church during the joint Advent service between Emanuel, Paul's Chapel, and Pilgrim Reformed Churches.  This is the third Sunday in Advent, but because the second service was canceled due to the weather, this service combines the themes of "Love" and "Peace".]

Today is the 3rd Sunday in Advent, when we would normally consider the theme of peace.  But since we missed the 2nd Sunday due to the huge winter storm, we’ll also ponder love this evening.  And because your pastors and I decided I would bring the message this evening and since I had already prepared a message on love, then love will be the predominant theme.  For on Christmas day, Love came down from heaven to earth and brought us peace.  And even today as we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus into this world while anxiously awaiting His return in all His glory, love is still what this world needs most.

There are many different aspects to love, aren’t there.  Let me share with you a little story of the kind of love that can hurt the most: unrequited love.  This may seem a bit odd for a message at Christmas time, but remember that we are also looking ahead to what is yet to happen.  Listen to what the Apostle Mark recorded in his Gospel account in chapter 10, verses 17 through 22, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

--Mark 10:17-22 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You showed us Your love by sending Your only Son into the world to offer us salvation.  Jesus showed His love by trying so hard to get us to see the truth, and then by giving His all just for us.  We speak of love, but too often our actions and our words do not show our love, do not bring peace.  Please teach us what true love means.  Open our hearts that we might show love not only during the Christmas season, but every day all year long.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


I called the story in our scripture reading one of unrequited love.  Jesus loved this young man – Mark tells us so.  Yet that love was not returned, for the young man loved his possessions more.  And he walked away filled with sorrow, because he could not return the love Jesus held for him.


British pastor and author, James Packer, writes in his book, Your Father Loves You:

The Greek word agape (love) seems to have been virtually a Christian invention, a new word for a new thing.  Apart from about twenty occurrences in the Greek version of the Old Testament, it is almost non-existent before the New Testament.  Agape draws its meaning directly from the revelation of God in Christ.  It is not a form of natural affection, however intense, but rather a supernatural fruit of the Spirit. It is a matter of will rather than feeling, for Christians must love even those they dislike.  It is the basic element in Christ-likeness.


Rev. Packer brings out a number of interesting points.  When we read the word “love” in our New Testament, we are being told of this agape type of love.  Rather than a love of affection, it is one of the supernatural fruits of the Holy Spirit, as described by the Apostle Paul in the 5th chapter of his letter to the Galatians.  And it is not so much a feeling as it is a matter of will.  It is a love that we have to give on purpose.

Why?  Because Jesus commands us to, and if we do indeed acknowledge and accept Him as our Lord and Master, then we must do as He commands.  Perhaps the clearest statement of this comes from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, in chapter 13, verses 34 and 35 when Jesus says…

34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

--John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

If it is a commandment, how else can we view it other than it being a command?  How else will other folks know we are followers of Christ if we don’t have love for one another?

As Rev. Packer notes, loving others is a basic element in being like Christ, which we should all aspire to.  The Apostle Matthew affirms that loving others is indeed a commandment, as he relates a conversation between Jesus and a scribe in his Gospel account, chapter 22, verses 36 through 40…

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

--Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV)

The great commandment from God, second only to loving God Himself, is to love our neighbor just as much as we love ourselves.  Rev. Packer also notes that we are to love even those who dislike us.  Again we’ll turn to Jesus’ own words, as recorded by Matthew in chapter 5 of his Gospel account, verses 43 through 48…

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

--Matthew 5:43-48 (NKJV)

That’s a tough one, isn’t it.  Love those who hate us, who would do us harm if they could, who curse us for what we are.  Yet that is what we are called to… no, commanded to do.

It’s easy to love folks who love us - anybody can do that.  But how many are willing to make the effort to love someone who truly hates them?  Followers of Christ, to be Christ-like, must force themselves to show this strength of love and of will.


I’ve been talking a lot about loving others, but let’s not lose sight of where this love originates.  There is one verse in our Holy Bible that more people know than any other, believers and non-believers alike: John 3:16.  Say it 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)

God so loved the world, yes, but so did Jesus.  Let me ask you this…  Jesus lived in heaven with God before coming down to earth as a man.  Jesus is God.  Did He have to come as a baby?  Did the God and Maker of all creation, fully in control of all the universe, have to come to us as a little baby who couldn't even control His own bladder and bowels?  Did He have to try His parents' patience during the terrible twos?  Did He have to go through a normal childhood, possibly being taunted or bullied by the other children?  Did He have to endure those difficult teen years?

Could Jesus not have come down as a fully grown man, walked up to Andrew and Peter and said "Follow Me" and kicked off His ministry right there?  They wouldn’t have known any difference.  No, for Jesus so loved the world that He was willing to endure life just like us.

And Jesus still loves us.  Another expression of His love can be found in chapter 14 of John’s Gospel account, in verse 27, when Jesus says…

27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

--John 14:27 (NKJV)

God, through His Love, offered us peace.  Jesus brings us true peace.  What kind of peace does the world offer?  We say there’s peace in the middle east when only a few skirmishes are fought.  The world gives us peace for only a short time before throwing us back into the midst of turmoil!  But Jesus brings us a peace that lasts, a peace that penetrates right to our very soul and stays with us.  With the love of God, the love of Jesus, comes a peace that surpasses all human understanding.

Ignoring the fact that Jesus commands us to do so, can't we just show Him our love by loving others?  Can’t we pass His peace along to those in great need?


We light the candles at Advent to show that our hope is in our coming salvation, which causes us to show love to others, which brings us peace that leads to joy in the coming Christ.  Let’s show that love so that others may come to know the same hope we hold, feel the same peace, find the same joy.  For Christ is coming.  In the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your only Son, into this world to redeem us from our life of sin, bring us peace, and offer us eternal life.  Greater love has no one ever shown, greater love has no man even known.  Thank You, Father, for Your wonderful, unmerited, unconditional love and for the everlasting peace You give.  Forgive us, please God, when we fail to act on or even acknowledge Your love.  Please give us the courage and the strength do as we are commanded and share Your great love with all others.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, repenting of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…

Lord Jesus, You gave Your all just for us.  You suffered a cruel death, taking our sins to the grave, and then leaving them there as You rose again from the dead.  You redeemed us by Your own precious blood – we are Yours.  Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to follow Your commands.  Forgive us when we hesitate to show the same love that You hold for us.  Please help us put our belief into action by loving all others, by helping those who need our help, by meeting the needs we are capable of meeting.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and Master.  Amen.

Of Faith, Love and Peace

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 16th of December, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This is the third Sunday in Advent, with the theme of "Peace".  Due to a heavy snow storm, we missed the second Sunday and its theme of "Love".  So this Sunday I am combining the two, with an emphasis on love, for that is what the world needs most right now.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is the 3rd Sunday in Advent, when we would normally consider the theme of peace.  But since we missed the 2nd Sunday due to the huge winter storm, we’ll also ponder love this morning.  For on Christmas day, Love came down from heaven to earth and brought us peace.  And on some glorious day yet to come, Love will return to set the earth aright and bring everlasting peace.  We celebrate the one as we anxiously await the other.

The Apostle John tells us about love, true love.  Please listen and follow along as I read from the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 13 through 21, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

--John 3:13-21 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You showed us Your love by sending Your only Son into this cold world to offer us salvation.  Father, Your love transcends anything man is capable of.  We speak of love, but too often our actions and our words do not show love.  Please teach us what true love means.  Open our hearts that we might show love as an expression of our faith.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a woman who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband: “I not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even.  Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has hurt me.”

Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan: “Go home and act as if you really love your husband.  Tell him how much he means to you.  Praise him for every decent trait.  Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible.  Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him.  Make him believe you love him.  After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb.  Tell him that you're getting a divorce.  That will really hurt him.”  With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful!  Will he ever be surprised!”

And she did it with enthusiasm, this “acting as if”.  For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing.  When she didn't return, Crane called. “Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?”  “Divorce?”, she exclaimed.  “Never! I discovered I really do love him.”


The woman’s actions had changed her feelings.  What started out as play-acting turned into real emotion.  This shows that the ability to love is established not so much by fervent promises as by often repeated deeds.  If we “act like” we love someone long enough, we may find ourselves actually loving them, as Jesus intended.


Did you notice that our scripture reading this morning pretty much encapsulates the life of Jesus?  It speaks of His birth, with God sending His only Son.  It mentions His death, being lifted up on the cross, and His ascension back into heaven, from whence He came.  And it tells of His ministry, spreading the truth,  bringing the light to mankind.  But mostly, this passage speaks of love, of God’s love for His creation, for us.

Yes, it also brings up the subject of condemnation, but notice it is not God who condemns us.  We condemn ourselves when we refuse to believe in and listen to His son!  We condemn ourselves when we reject the light.  But even that is a message of love, for we who believe are not condemned, but are in fact saved, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and given eternal life.


This isn’t the first time John tells us of God’s love, nor will it be the last.  You know how John opens his Gospel account.  Listen once again to chapter 1 verses 1 through 5, and I’m adding in verse 14…

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 overcome it.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

--John 1:1-5, 14 (NKJV)

Do you see the love in that passage?  Jesus, the Word of God, who has been with God since before time and will be with Him long after time has ended…  Jesus, who through Him all things were made and without Him nothing was made that was made…  Jesus, shines the light into the darkness, a light, a love, that cannot be overcome.

On Christmas day, the Word, God’s Love, became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth.  Emmanuel, God with us, God’s Love with us.


For most of us that call ourselves Christian, it’s easy to see God’s love.  But how do we show God our love in return?  The answer to that question is simple to state, but for many, much more difficult to execute.  Later on in John’s Gospel recording, in chapter 13, verses 34 and 35, Jesus speaks to us saying…

34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

--John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

Just as Jesus has loved us, we are to love one another.  Another expression of His love can be found in chapter 14 of John’s Gospel account, in verse 27, when Jesus says…

27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

--John 14:27 (NKJV)

In our first Advent service on “Hope”, we saw where Jesus gives us peace with God.  In our congregational reading a while ago, we repeated that God, through His love, offered us peace.  With the love of God, the love of Jesus, comes a peace that surpasses all human understanding.  And this peace comes from our faith just as does hope and love.

There’s a story that the Apostle Luke relates for us in chapter 7 of his Gospel account, where a “sinful woman” attends a dinner party at the home of a Pharisee because she heard Jesus was there.  She kissed His feet and washed them with her tears, dried them with her hair.  She anointed His head with fragrant oils, sobbing the whole time because she knew she was a sinner.

Jesus told her, "Your sins are forgiven.  Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."  Forgiven, saved, and given peace, all by faith.


We’ve already seen how much Jesus loves us – He brought us God’s love and peace, He gave His all for us, He died on a cold cruel cross for us!  How far are we willing to go to give our love to others?  And especially those “others” who we might consider to be our enemies, those who would do harm to us if they could, those who hate us for what we are.  Are we willing to show them true love, as Jesus loves us?

In chapter 21 of John’s book, he tells us of a conversation between Jesus and Peter, that stubborn, emotionally charged disciple upon whom Jesus built His church.  Three times Jesus asked, “Peter, do you love Me?”  Three times Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, You know I do.”  And each time, Jesus told Peter to feed His lambs, tend His sheep, feed His sheep.  If we love Jesus, we will do as He asks of us, showing His love through our love, taking care of those who have needs we can meet.

Actually, He didn’t ask us to do this, did He?  He said this was a new commandment He gave us.  Jesus commands us to love others, as He loves us!  If He is truly our Lord and Master, shouldn’t we do what He commands?  What price might we have to pay for disobedience?

God loves us, you and I.  Do we feel that love, do we truly know that love?  For that matter, do we recognize God’s love in action?  God is still pouring out His love, even today.  We can see it in the actions of Christians who share His love with others.  Let’s strive to make sure others can see that love in us, in our actions.


We light the candles at Advent to show that our hope is in our coming salvation, which causes us to show love to others, which brings us peace that leads to joy in the coming Christ.  Let’s show that love so that others may come to know the same hope we hold, be given the same peace.  For Christ is coming.

In the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your Word, Your only Son, into this world to redeem us from our life of sin and offer us eternal life.  Greater love has no one ever shown, greater love has no man even known.  Thank You, Father, for Your wonderful, unmerited, unconditional love.  Forgive us, please God, when we fail to act on or even acknowledge that love.  Please give us the courage and the strength to put our faith into action and share Your great love with all others.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…

Lord Jesus, You gave Your all just for us.  You suffered a cruel death, taking our sins to the grave, and then leaving them there as You rose again from the dead.  You redeemed us by Your own precious blood – we are Yours.  Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to follow Your commands.  Forgive us when we hesitate to show the same love that You hold for us.  Please help us put our faith into action by loving all others, by helping those who need our help, by meeting the needs we are capable of meeting.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and Master.  Amen.

Of Faith and Hope

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 2nd of December, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This is the first Sunday in Advent, with the theme of "Hope".  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is the 1st Sunday, and the 1st day, in Advent, that time each year when we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus into this world.  We celebrate the first time He came to us, as a little baby born in Bethlehem.  We reflect on what His birth means to us, what His life showed us, what promise His death and resurrection hold for us.  We acknowledge Jesus as our only hope for salvation.

Please listen and follow along as I read from the 1st letter the Apostle Peter sent out to the early church, chapter 1, verses 3 through 9 and verses 20 and 21, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls.

20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

--1 Peter 1:3-9, 20-21 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, in You we glorify for we know You offer our only hope of salvation, through our belief in Jesus Christ Your Son.  Father, please help us ignore any false hopes the world may offer.  Only through Jesus may we be saved.  Speak into our hearts, Father, with the message You need us to hear.  Show us how our faith assures our hope.  This we pray in the glorious name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


G. K. Chesterton once noted that:  "Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all...  As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength."


Perhaps that helps explain the true story of how self-made millionaire Eugene Lang greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem, New York.  Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders.  What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school?  He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him.  Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart.  "Stay in school," he admonished, "and I'll help pay the college tuition for every one of you."  At that moment the lives of these students changed.  For the first time they had hope.  Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me.  It was a golden feeling."  Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school.


Hope is a powerful force, as this little story shows.  It can give us the courage and strength to go on, when we think we’ve gone as far as we can.  It can shorten the longest night, shine a glimmer of light into the deepest darkness.  Hope is sometimes all we have left.

Of course, what we put our hope in is important.  It is truly wonderful and remarkable that Mr. Lang was able to follow through with his promise to those kids.  But let’s face it…  anything could have happened that would have prevented it.  He could have simply changed his mind, thinking the expense to be too great.  Or he could have gone bankrupt and lost everything.  Where we place our hope is crucial, because any hope the world offers might not come to pass.


The way the world defines “hope” is more like a wish.  Hoping for something is nothing more than wishing that it might happen.  And part of the problem with that way of treating “hope” is that, deep in our hearts, we don’t really believe it will happen, because the world has disappointed us so many times.

But God never disappoints, He always follows through with what He promises, and nothing can stop Him from doing so.  God is our only true hope, and in Him, it’s not just a wish.  Our hope in God is the expectation of what will happen, and it will happen because He said it would.

The Apostle Paul tells us to rejoice in this hope.  Hear what he wrote to the church in Rome, chapter 5, verses 1 and 2…

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

--Romans 5:1-2 (NKJV)

One of the many blessings that comes with our belief in Jesus as Christ is that we can be at peace with God.  We don’t have to struggle with the greatest force to ever exist, nor should we need to struggle with anything this life throws at us, if we take our peace from God through Jesus.  Our faith grants us entry into this peace, and to God’s great grace, our only hope for salvation.  And for that we can rejoice!


There is so much more that comes with placing our hope in the Lord than anything the world can give.  King David, in Psalm 31, verses 23 and 24 tells us…

23 Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
24 Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.

--Psalm 31:23-24 (NKJV)

When we place our hope in the Lord, we are placing all our trust in Him as well.  And as we’ve seen in previous weeks, our faith will be rewarded.  Those who are prideful, who look to the world for their hope and satisfaction, will get what’s coming to them, but the faithful will be preserved, will be saved.  For that we can take courage, and our hearts will be strengthened to resist the world when we place our hope only in the Lord.


In verse 3 of our scripture this morning, Peter says that God has “begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.  Through our belief in Jesus we have been born into life once again, this time to the living hope of our own resurrection into life eternal!

And I see that to also mean that we are a living hope!  When we hope in the Lord, we live as He would have us live, love as He would have us love.  And in that way we show Jesus to the world.  By our very lives, we show others what true hope means, what true hope brings.

We know what God has promised, and our hope in Him is merely our expectation, our anticipation, of that promise being realized.  Our hope was fulfilled by the sacrifice of Jesus, by His death and resurrection.  Now we can share that true hope with the world by being a living hope to others.  We can show them the love of Jesus by giving freely of our love.  We can help them come to know Jesus, to believe in Him, and then find their own true hope.  Like us, they too can come to place their faith and their hope solely in God, giving Him all the glory.


We light the candles at Advent to show that our hope is in our coming salvation, which causes us to show love to others, which brings us peace that leads to joy in the coming Christ.  Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  We dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

We can trust in the Lord, for He is our only true hope.  In the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You are our only hope for salvation and eternal life.  We can put our trust in You because You have never failed us, You’ve always done as You promised.  Forgive us, Father, when we try to place our hopes on things of this world.  Please give us the courage and the strength to put our faith into action and be a living hope that others can see.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help by our faith to serve You in all we do…

Lord Jesus, our hope for salvation is founded on Your resurrection.  You died and were buried, and then raised again to life by our Father God.  Forgive us, Lord, when we place more trust in things of this world than in God’s saving grace.  Please help us grow our faith into the living hope into which we were reborn.  Help us put our gift of faith to good use so that others might see it, and in that act see You.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.