[The following is the full manuscript of my message delivered on the 5th Sunday morning in Lent, the 7th of April, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Today's service included the celebration of our Lord's Supper. Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Today is the fifth Sunday in the season of Lent. This is the time of year when we believers turn our attention to Jesus and all that He suffered and endured on our behalf. You may have noticed that “suffering” is a fairly common theme in our Bible. That is one reason why Jesus stood out so much in the eyes of the people of His time: He could relieve their suffering. Whenever He would enter a town or village, the people would just rush to Him like a flood from miles around. They would seek out Jesus wherever He would go, mainly for His healing touch. Of course, we know that our Lord can heal more than just our bodies, if we seek Him out. But if we don’t seek Him out, we lose out, don’t we?
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to his beloved church in Philippi, talks about those who do not seek the Lord, who are lost but don’t even know it. Please listen and follow along as I read Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter 3 verse 17 through chapter 4 verse 1, from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to his beloved church in Philippi, talks about those who do not seek the Lord, who are lost but don’t even know it. Please listen and follow along as I read Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter 3 verse 17 through chapter 4 verse 1, from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
3:17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.
4:1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
--Philippians 3:17-4:1 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, You love mankind so much that You sent Your own Son to save us, to offer Himself up as the ultimate blood sacrifice for the atonement of our sins. You want us to come back to You, to be with You, to seek You out no matter where we find ourselves, to stay true to You as we walk through this life. Speak to us this morning, Father. Speak to our hearts and write upon them the message we need to understand and remember. This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus. Amen.
An article in the little Guideposts magazine some time back stressed that nothing valuable is ever achieved without effort. It noted that Fritz Kreisler, a famous violinist, testified to this point when he said, "Narrow is the road that leads to the life of a violinist. Hour after hour, day after day and week after week, for years, I lived with my violin. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I had to leave undone; there were so many places I wanted to go that I had to miss if I was to master the violin. The road that I traveled was a narrow road and the way was hard."
Does that sound anything like living the Christian life, walking the Christian path? It should, if we were as serious about achieving a higher maturity of our faith as Kreisler was about achieving a higher level of talent playing the violin. There are so many things in this life that compete with our attending church functions. Like ball games and auto races and fishing trips and excursions and even TV shows, rather than worship services or committee meetings or Bible study.
That same article also quoted tenor Luciano Pavarotti who related: "When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?' 'Luciano,' my father replied, 'if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.' I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it's laying bricks, writing a book - whatever we choose - we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that's the key. Choose one chair."
Here is someone else, a great talent in their field, speaking of commitment, of what it takes to get to their level of achievement. Living the Christian life really boils down to being a personal choice, doesn’t it? Pavarotti says that no matter what we choose to do, we should give ourselves to it. We shouldn’t scatter our attention all over the place, trying to do so much in so many areas. We must focus on one goal, we must seek one prize. As good Christians, we must focus on and seek the Lord and only the Lord.
In our scripture reading, Paul reiterates something Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in the presence of the multitude. Both Apostles Matthew and Luke record Jesus saying, “He who is not with Me is against Me.” There’s no middle ground there, no riding the fence. As Pavarotti said, we have to choose one chair.
Paul speaks of those who do not seek the Lord, and who show they are actually working against Jesus by their conduct and behavior. They sink into idolatry, caring more about their worldly appetites than about the Creator of the world. They brag about shameful things, thinking only about this life here on earth. It’s kind of like Paul could envision Facebook even back then, and the way people brag about the things they’ve done that we see as sinful, even assaults and murders.
But as believers, we are citizens of heaven, not of earth. We are only pilgrims here, waiting for a short time until we can go home to live forever with our Lord. That is why we must constantly seek the Lord and stay true to Him, no matter what we face in this life. We must keep our focus solely on our Lord.
Seek the Lord. The great prophet Isaiah tells us to seek the Lord, but adds a word of caution. Please listen as I read from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 6 & 7…
Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Our Lord is good and will have mercy on us and pardon us of our sins but we must seek Him out and return to Him while we still can!
The Apostle Mark tells of a time before His arrest while Jesus was in a house in Bethany when a woman poured some very expensive fragrant oil over His head. The disciples complained that the oil could have been sold to help the poor. Jesus replied that the poor will always be with us, and we can help them anytime we wish, but that He will not always be with us.
Think about that: a time when Jesus will not be with us, a time when He may not be found, a time when He will not be near. As believers, we harken back and take encouragement from the words Jesus spoke, as recorded by Matthew, when He commissioned us to carry on with His work here on earth. He concluded with the words, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So He is always with us.
But what of those who refuse to believe, what of the unrighteous, the wicked, those who are really enemies of the cross of Christ? When the tribulation described in the Book of Revelation hits, Jesus will not be quite so near for these. They can still seek Him out and be saved, but He will not be so easily found by them. And then, when the end of the age is here and Jesus returns to set everything right again, there will be no more chances for them. Their fate was sealed by their choice to reject Jesus.
Family, this is why it is so important for us to constantly seek the Lord. As we read the newspapers and watch the news on TV, as we try to find entertainment that doesn’t constantly assault our faith and belief, that doesn’t promote a sinful life, we should see that the end of the age is rapidly approaching. Everything described in our Bible is accelerating today.
We must seek out our Lord. We must choose and commit ourselves fully to Him. For there is no other way to salvation except through Christ Jesus our Lord! Seek the Lord now, while we still can! In the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You breathed Your word into the hearts of mortal men, who then set down that word upon scrolls and tablets, preserving it for all mankind. Your word is readily available to us today, in our Holy Bibles. Thank You, Father, for giving us such a wonderful guide for how we should live our lives. Please forgive us when we don’t take advantage of this wonderful gift, when we don’t spend time in study and prayer of Your word. Please help us understand that Your word shows us what we need to know and do to be redeemed and saved, to be righteous in Your sight, so we can live forever with You in paradise.
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 promised to be with us until the end of the age, and we trust in Your promise. But we also know that someday You will return and for those who have rejected You it will be too late. Lord, help us to constantly seek You and Your guidance in all we do. Help us stay strong and true to You until Your glorious return. Thank You, Jesus, for being at our side. Forgive us when we falter, when we have doubts, when this life beats us up so much that our faith weakens. Forgive us when we lose sight of the great sacrifice You made just for us. Help us to ever be true, faithful, and attentive to You and our Father God.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior. Amen.
An article in the little Guideposts magazine some time back stressed that nothing valuable is ever achieved without effort. It noted that Fritz Kreisler, a famous violinist, testified to this point when he said, "Narrow is the road that leads to the life of a violinist. Hour after hour, day after day and week after week, for years, I lived with my violin. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I had to leave undone; there were so many places I wanted to go that I had to miss if I was to master the violin. The road that I traveled was a narrow road and the way was hard."
Does that sound anything like living the Christian life, walking the Christian path? It should, if we were as serious about achieving a higher maturity of our faith as Kreisler was about achieving a higher level of talent playing the violin. There are so many things in this life that compete with our attending church functions. Like ball games and auto races and fishing trips and excursions and even TV shows, rather than worship services or committee meetings or Bible study.
That same article also quoted tenor Luciano Pavarotti who related: "When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?' 'Luciano,' my father replied, 'if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.' I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it's laying bricks, writing a book - whatever we choose - we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that's the key. Choose one chair."
Here is someone else, a great talent in their field, speaking of commitment, of what it takes to get to their level of achievement. Living the Christian life really boils down to being a personal choice, doesn’t it? Pavarotti says that no matter what we choose to do, we should give ourselves to it. We shouldn’t scatter our attention all over the place, trying to do so much in so many areas. We must focus on one goal, we must seek one prize. As good Christians, we must focus on and seek the Lord and only the Lord.
In our scripture reading, Paul reiterates something Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in the presence of the multitude. Both Apostles Matthew and Luke record Jesus saying, “He who is not with Me is against Me.” There’s no middle ground there, no riding the fence. As Pavarotti said, we have to choose one chair.
Paul speaks of those who do not seek the Lord, and who show they are actually working against Jesus by their conduct and behavior. They sink into idolatry, caring more about their worldly appetites than about the Creator of the world. They brag about shameful things, thinking only about this life here on earth. It’s kind of like Paul could envision Facebook even back then, and the way people brag about the things they’ve done that we see as sinful, even assaults and murders.
But as believers, we are citizens of heaven, not of earth. We are only pilgrims here, waiting for a short time until we can go home to live forever with our Lord. That is why we must constantly seek the Lord and stay true to Him, no matter what we face in this life. We must keep our focus solely on our Lord.
Seek the Lord. The great prophet Isaiah tells us to seek the Lord, but adds a word of caution. Please listen as I read from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 6 & 7…
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
call you upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
--Isaiah 55:6-7 (MEV)
The Apostle Mark tells of a time before His arrest while Jesus was in a house in Bethany when a woman poured some very expensive fragrant oil over His head. The disciples complained that the oil could have been sold to help the poor. Jesus replied that the poor will always be with us, and we can help them anytime we wish, but that He will not always be with us.
Think about that: a time when Jesus will not be with us, a time when He may not be found, a time when He will not be near. As believers, we harken back and take encouragement from the words Jesus spoke, as recorded by Matthew, when He commissioned us to carry on with His work here on earth. He concluded with the words, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So He is always with us.
But what of those who refuse to believe, what of the unrighteous, the wicked, those who are really enemies of the cross of Christ? When the tribulation described in the Book of Revelation hits, Jesus will not be quite so near for these. They can still seek Him out and be saved, but He will not be so easily found by them. And then, when the end of the age is here and Jesus returns to set everything right again, there will be no more chances for them. Their fate was sealed by their choice to reject Jesus.
Family, this is why it is so important for us to constantly seek the Lord. As we read the newspapers and watch the news on TV, as we try to find entertainment that doesn’t constantly assault our faith and belief, that doesn’t promote a sinful life, we should see that the end of the age is rapidly approaching. Everything described in our Bible is accelerating today.
We must seek out our Lord. We must choose and commit ourselves fully to Him. For there is no other way to salvation except through Christ Jesus our Lord! Seek the Lord now, while we still can! In the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You breathed Your word into the hearts of mortal men, who then set down that word upon scrolls and tablets, preserving it for all mankind. Your word is readily available to us today, in our Holy Bibles. Thank You, Father, for giving us such a wonderful guide for how we should live our lives. Please forgive us when we don’t take advantage of this wonderful gift, when we don’t spend time in study and prayer of Your word. Please help us understand that Your word shows us what we need to know and do to be redeemed and saved, to be righteous in Your sight, so we can live forever with You in paradise.
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 promised to be with us until the end of the age, and we trust in Your promise. But we also know that someday You will return and for those who have rejected You it will be too late. Lord, help us to constantly seek You and Your guidance in all we do. Help us stay strong and true to You until Your glorious return. Thank You, Jesus, for being at our side. Forgive us when we falter, when we have doubts, when this life beats us up so much that our faith weakens. Forgive us when we lose sight of the great sacrifice You made just for us. Help us to ever be true, faithful, and attentive to You and our Father God.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior. Amen.
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