Giving Him Thanks

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 24th of November, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Preparing for this morning’s service, I realized that I used the same scripture passage last year that I was led to this year.  But the message I received from the passage this time is much different than before.  It centers once again on Jesus showing His great compassion and mercy for suffering people.  And what did He receive in return?

Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Luke recorded an incident between Jesus and ten men who suffered from one of the most dreaded diseases of the time, saved for us in chapter 17 of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 19, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, He reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As He entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him for what He had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

--Luke 17:11-19 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, because He was Your Son, Jesus showed the same great mercy and compassion as You do while He walked this earth.  He healed people of all manner of illness, disease, and infirmity.  And while He did none of this for the appreciation He might receive from mankind, He nonetheless must have been surprised at the lack of gratitude He too often received.  Father, even today, so many are ungrateful for all the blessings You pour out upon us.  May we who follow Your Son never be counted among the ungrateful.  May our words of thanks be reflected in our deeds of service to You and to Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Show us how we can better express our appreciation for Your many blessings.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson.  She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar bill for church.  "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and you may keep the other for yourself,"  she told the girl.  When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given.  "Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers.  I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did."


Last week I told of Edward Spencer whose health was severely compromised when he rescued 17 people from the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, yet not one of them stopped to thank him.  I thought this week’s story should be a little cheerier.  But I’m not sure the young girl quite understood the point the preacher tried to make.  She might have been happier to keep the dollar and give the quarter, but only as the world might measure happiness.  We can be the happiest and most cheerful when we honor our Father in heaven, the God of all Creation.  Our cheerful giving is one way we can say, “Thank You, God!”, just as is our service to His Son Jesus.

There are many times we can see in our Bible where Jesus said, “Be of good cheer”.  The instance that should be of greatest significance to us is when He added, “for I have overcome the world”.  We should always be cheerful and generous in our giving, for it is one way we can show God our gratitude for His generous giving to us.  And it is one way we can loosen the world’s grip on us.


It could easily be said that our scripture reading this morning is a study of human nature.  As He entered a small town, ten lepers stood off a ways crying out for Jesus to have mercy on them.  By that, of course, they meant for Him to cleanse them of their disease.

Leprosy was a horrible, dreaded disease in that time and culture.  By Hebrew law, a leper could no longer live with their family or associate with the “clean” members of the community.  They were outcasts, shunned by all others.

Jesus did indeed have mercy on them.  He told them to go and show themselves to the priests.  This refers back to Leviticus and the law that describes the ceremony of purification from a skin disease.  As they went, they were healed, but only one came back to thank Jesus, and he was a Samaritan - not a “pure” Jew.

In verse 19 Jesus told this man that his faith had healed him.  But think for a moment…  Verse 14 says the ten were cleansed of their leprosy as they headed off to see the priests.  The Samaritan who gave thanks had already been healed of his disease, hadn’t he?

In the 1599 Geneva Bible, verse 19 is translated as “Your faith has saved you.”  By giving thanks, the Samaritan’s soul was also healed.  By giving thanks, he was saved.


Now, our Bible doesn’t specify that giving thanks is necessary for salvation.  But our assurance of salvation through Christ Jesus surely ought to make us want to give thanks.  And how can we show our thanks?

The Samaritan returned to Jesus, came back into His presence, fell to his knees praising God and thanking Jesus for what He had done.  Could we not do that every now and then, get down on our knees before Jesus, praising God and thanking Him for offering us forgiveness of our sins?  The author of the letter to the Hebrews says this, in chapter 13, verses 15 and 16…

15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

--Hebrews 13:15-16 (NLT)

Do you consider praising God to be a sacrifice?  If we do it as the author suggests, continuously praising God, it becomes a sacrifice of time.  And he adds for us to do good and to share with those in need.  Giving of our precious time to praise God, doing good in the community, sharing with others what God has given us…  these are the sacrifices that please God.

The Apostle Paul echoes this instruction in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, when we says…

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

In everything give thanks.  Not for everything, but in everything.  We wouldn’t thank God for a fire that destroyed our home, but we could certainly thank Him that no one was injured in the fire.  In all situations, we can find something to give thanks to God for if we only take the time to look.

Paul carries this idea a little further, giving more meaning to how our giving thanks can enrich our lives.  Listen to what he wrote to the Colossians, in chapter 3 of that letter, verses 16 and 17…

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

--Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT)

Let the Gospel fill our lives.  Help each other in our Christian walk.  Sing praises to God straight from our hearts that are bursting with gratitude!  And in all things, in everything we do or say, especially when out in public, we must remember that we are representing Christ Jesus.  We just might be the only Jesus someone will see.  So we need to represent Him well, giving thanks through Him to God our Father.

Let’s give thanks with more than words.  Let’s put our gratitude into action.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for everything!  If it were not for You and Your boundless generosity and mercy, we would have nothing.  Thank You especially for our salvation through Your Son Jesus.  Forgive us, please Father, when we are afraid to put our gratitude into action.  Please help us be great representatives of Jesus.  Help us show Jesus to others and teach them all about the Good News He brings.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You commissioned us to spread Your Gospel to all the earth, telling them all about You, representing You to an unbelieving people that they might come to know You as their personal Lord and Savior.  May we never get so busy or so jaded by life that we don’t pause long enough to just say, “Thanks”.  And may our actions speak far louder than our mere words.  Help us, please Jesus, to properly represent You to an ungrateful world.  Help us be ever thankful in our service to You.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

The Gift Is Ours

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 17th of November, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Last week we looked at how God’s Holy Spirit is freely given to all who believe in and accept Jesus as Lord.  We learned that the Spirit will do many things for us, even give us the right words to say if we find ourselves speechless when called upon to testify for Jesus.  The Spirit is given to us, the words are given to us, and we need to give of ourselves in service to Jesus to honor what we have been given.  We need to honor the gift by putting it to good use, because in doing so, we honor the giver.

The Apostle Peter understood just how precious a gift had been given him when he received God’s Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  He also understood the purpose of that gift, and how it should be shared with others.  Listen to what Peter told the people who had just witnessed the Spirit descending upon those who believed and followed Jesus, that day of Pentecost.  Listen and follow along to part of the sermon he delivered, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2 verses 22 through 24, and verses 36 through 42, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know — 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

--Acts 2:22-24, 36-42 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, while Jesus walked this earth as a man, You witnessed to His authority by the very miracles, wonders, and signs He was able to do.  He came to offer us the greatest gift of all: salvation from eternal death and torment.  Rather than thankfully receive Him, we took Him by lawless hands, crucified Him, and put Him to death.  Thank You, Father, for giving us another chance.  Thank You for allowing us to see Jesus for who He really is.  Thank You for Your loving mercy.  Please forgive us when begin to take Your many gifts for granted.  Help us to be more thankful.  Help us to grow closer to You and Your Son through Your Spirit within us.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Show us how we can be better honor You for Your many blessings.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Thomas Kempis, a 15th century Roman Catholic monk, once commented that, “A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.”

But wisdom is so uncommon, so rare among mankind.  Thankfulness itself seems to have become a lost art.  Pastor Warren Wiersby illustrated this when he told of a young ministerial student who was part of a 19th-century life-saving squad in Illinois.  In 1860, a ship went aground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Evanston, and Edward Spencer waded again and again into the frigid waters to rescue 17 passengers.  In the process, his health was permanently damaged.  Some years later at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the people he rescued ever thanked him.


The love Edward Spencer held for his fellow man was not valued by those he saved.  Jesus tells us that, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”  But how much greater must that love be for a man who lays down his life for complete strangers?

This young man put his own life in great jeopardy while saving people he would never know.  In return, they showed no gratitude, gave him no thanks, placed no value on his love.  He gave of his own health and well-being in service to God to honor the great gifts he had been given.  That was his way of saying, “Thank You, God.”

May we never be ungrateful for the many gifts we are given.  May we never take our gifts for granted, especially our gifts of salvation and God’s Spirit dwelling within us.  Stop every now and then and thank God.  Honor Him by serving His Son.


The truth of Peter’s words cut straight to the hearts of those who witnessed that glorious event at Pentecost.  And they were ashamed and filled with regret.  As we all know, you can’t un-ring the bell, you can’t squeeze the toothpaste back into the tube, you can’t go back and undo something you already did.  So in their despair they asked, “What can we do?  How can we make up for this horrible mistake?  Is there any hope for us now?”

Can’t you just feel their anguish?  Haven’t we all felt like that at some point or another?  How can I possibly make up for the stupid mistake I just made?  Well, we can’t – not really.  We can only atone for what we’ve done, seek forgiveness if it were done against another person.

And that’s what Peter told these folks.  Repent, turn from your sinful, disobedient ways and repeat them no more.  Be baptized in the name of Jesus so that your sins might be forgiven.  And I say “might be”, because someone can’t just go through the act, they must truly be changed.  Their heart must be changed.  They must accept Jesus as God, as Lord of all.

And then Peter makes them a promise.  If they follow his instructions, then they will receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit just like the disciples that day.  And not only they who were present and hearing his voice, but this promise is given to their children as well, and to all who are called by the Lord.  That last includes us, afar off both in time and in space, called by Jesus to serve Him.


Now Peter is simply repeating what the resurrected Jesus told His disciples before returning to heaven.  At this point, the Spirit had not yet been sent to dwell in the hearts of believers, for Jesus had not yet ascended.  In his Gospel account, chapter 24, the second part of verse 46 through verse 49, Luke records Jesus saying…

46b “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

--Luke 24:46b-49 (NKJV)

A couple of weeks ago we talked about how it was necessary for Jesus to die and return to heaven so that the Spirit could come to dwell within us.  Now it is up to us, aided by God’s Spirit, to carry on His work, to let others know that they must repent and turn from their wickedness to be forgiven.  And we are to preach this, spread this, to all nations, to all people!

We who believe have been endued with power from on high, the power of God’s own Holy Spirit, the power our Lord wielded as He walked this earth, the power that raised Jesus from the dead!  This is our gift from God, freely given to us.  The gift is ours for the taking.  And like any gift, we can refuse to accept it, we can accept it and not use it, letting it collect dust, or we can accept the gift and put it to use.  It's up to us what to do with it.  We should be thankful for so great a gift.  We should put this gift to use so that the Giver can see our thankfulness by our actions!  Listen to what James, the brother of Jesus, told the early Jewish Christians in his letter, chapter 2, verses 14 through 18…

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

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

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

--James 2:14-18 (NLT)

If we see someone in need, and we have the means to help them, is it enough to say, “Take care of yourself.  I hope everything goes well for you.  I’ll be praying for you.”?

Sometimes prayer is all we can do – we have to put it into God’s hands because we are unable to do more.  But if we do not put our faith, our belief, into action, how can anyone else see our faith?  If we do not use this great and wonderful and powerful gift from God to help others, then what good does it do for them?

James says our faith is dead if it is not put to use.  We’ve allowed the Spirit to lie dormant within the dark corners of our hearts, rather than setting Him free to work His miracles in others.


Let’s show our faith by our actions.  Let’s put the Holy Spirit to work as we serve our Lord.  Let’s value the gift of the Spirit, the gift of God’s love.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for so wonderful and so powerful a gift!  The gift of Your Spirit is ours for the taking, and once taken may we put Him to work advancing Your kingdom.  Forgive us, please Father, when we are too timid or shy, or just too tired to put our faith into action.  Please help us, Father, to make better use of this gift You have given us.  Help us teach others about Jesus so that they too might receive this beautiful gift.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You commissioned us to spread the Good News You bring with all the earth, and You saw to it that we would not be alone or unaided in that effort.  God’s Holy Spirit is our gift, a gift that is meant to be shared.  Lord Jesus, please help us remember just how powerful a gift this is.  And Lord, help us be brave in our service to You.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Given to Us

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 10th of November, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

When Jesus had chosen and called His twelve disciples, He gave them the power to cast out unclean spirits and to cure sicknesses and heal infirmities.  And then He sent them out into the cities, to preach to the lost sheep of Israel; not to the Gentiles or Samaritans but specifically to the Jews.

Now this was a pretty serious and quite dangerous business at that time.  Jesus knew they would face severe opposition and would very likely be hauled up before the Jewish religious leadership.  So He admonished them to be wise as serpents yet as harmless as doves – thinking before acting and causing no harm.  And He warned them of what could happen and how they should respond.

Please listen and follow along to the words Jesus spoke as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in his Gospel account, chapter 10 verses 16 through 20, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

--Matthew 10:16-20 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, Your Holy Spirit plays so many vital roles in our lives.  He is our constant Companion, our Helper, our Guide, our Counselor.  And, Father, He will even give us the right words to say when it’s our time to testify for Jesus.  Thank You for this wonderful gist, Father.  Please help us to surrender ourselves to Your Spirit and to pay attention as He leads us.  Help us to remember to stop and let Him speak when we don’t know what to say.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Show us how we can be better witnesses to Your glory and to Jesus.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Let me list for you a few things you should never say once without thinking twice:

• It's no trouble at all.
• I love dogs.
• We have plenty of room.
• Call me any time.
• Is there anything I can do?
• My spouse is a doctor/lawyer/accountant.
• I'll try anything once.
• Of course, bring the kids.
• Why don't you stay for dinner?
• If worst comes to worst, you can use mine.
• Over my dead body, you will!

I think those are all pretty self-explanatory, especially the last.

Sometimes we get carried away in the moment and say things without thinking, things that we later regret.  A lot of times it’s because we’re angry and we don’t pause a breath to consider our words.  We say the first thing that comes to mind, rather than thinking twice.  The consequences can often be quite painful.

One way we can look at what Jesus tells us in our scripture reading is to think twice before speaking.  Rather than just blurting out the first thing that comes to mind, stop and let the Spirit give us the right words to say.  We may not know the best response for every situation, but He does, and He will give us the words if we allow Him to.


You may have noticed that our scripture reading was very much like our responsive reading.  One came from Matthew, the other from Mark’s Gospel account.  And indeed, they both retell the warning Jesus gave to His disciples.  In Mark’s account, though, He is speaking of the things to come at the end of the age, as the time of His return nears.

In both of these, He is speaking to us as well as to His followers that day.  Like His chosen twelve, we are also His disciples.  And He sends us out as lambs among wolves, too.

And really, there would be no point to send us out to be among other lambs, would there?  If we simply associate with other believers all the time, we can’t make new disciples.  We must go out into the world, among the wolves, sharing the Good News about Jesus, showing Him to people who may never have seen His impact before.


Of course, being thrust into what can easily become a dangerous situation, we might be unable to effectively testify, to witness how much Jesus has done for us.  We may suddenly find ourselves speechless.  That’s OK – we needn’t worry.  Jesus anticipated this might happen, so He made sure we have God’s Holy Spirit in us who will speak for us when the words just won’t come.

Is the Holy Spirit important?  Jesus certainly thinks so.  Listen to what He told the Pharisee Nicodemus, who later became a believer, as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account, chapter 3 verses 5 and 6…

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

--John 3:5-6 (NKJV)

God is spiritual.  His kingdom – heaven – is spiritual.  We are born in the physical plane, of the flesh.  So to be able to enter into the spiritual world, we must be re-born of the Spirit, of God’s Spirit.  And that happens when we recognize Jesus as God’s Son and accept Him as our Lord and Master as well as our Savior.

Now the Spirit’s indwelling is not just for special people, but for anyone and everyone who believes.  John also recorded Jesus when He promised that the Spirit would indeed come to all believers, in chapter 7 and verses 37 through 39 of his Gospel account…

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

--John 7:37-39 (NKJV)

Have you ever thought about the Spirit working like that?  Can rivers of living water flow out of our hearts?  Jesus said He was the living water!  By the Spirit working within us, Jesus will flow out of our hearts, touching all those around us!

This great gift that was given to us is meant to be shared with the world!  The Holy Spirit was given to us.  The words we will need to say in witness of Jesus will be given to us.  And it’s all so we can share Jesus and the Good News He brings with the rest of the world!  So don’t be afraid to go out amongst the wolves!  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You so much for this wonderful gift of Your own Holy Spirit that You so freely give to all who know Jesus as Lord!  Through Your Spirit You are always with us, You guide us, You even speak for us.  And by Your Spirit, we can share Jesus with the non-believing world.  Help us, please Father, to listen to Your Spirit, to follow Him, to surrender ourselves to His guidance in all things so that the living water may pour out from our hearts, softening the hearts of others that they too might receive Jesus as Lord.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You commissioned us to continue Your work on earth, to teach others about You and make more followers for You.  In doing this, we show Your love to the world, we share Your offer of salvation, we help others find redemption and avoid eternal torment.  You send us out among wolves, but You don’t send us alone.  God’s Holy Spirit goes with us, leads us.  And when the words won’t come, He even speaks for us, always glorifying You.  Lord Jesus, please steel us for this task.  Strengthen and encourage us as we walk among wolves.  And Lord, help us give ourselves to the Spirit just as He was given to us.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Insight Revealed

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 3rd of November, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

In our series on the Holy Spirit, we’ve looked at how we received the Spirit, how He resides within us, and what He does for us, among other things.  We know His indwelling is a gift from God, given to us at the request of Jesus when He returned to heaven.  We’ve seen He is our constant Companion, so we’re never alone.  He is our Helper, giving us strength when we feel we can go no further, speaking for us when the words won’t come.  He is our Guide through this life, nudging us along the path God wants us to follow.

All we have to do is believe in Jesus as God’s Son and accept Him as our Lord and Master, and the Spirit comes to us, to live in us.  Then it’s up to us whether we allow Him to do His job.

But there is another aspect of the Spirit’s purpose in our lives, one that involves sharing secrets with us.  The Apostle Paul gives us a little more insight into this vital task the Spirit carries out. Please listen and follow along to what Paul wrote in chapter 2 verses 7 through 12 of his 1st letter to the church in Corinth, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

--1 Corinthians 2:7-12 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, too often we fail to recognize the crucial role Your Spirit plays in our lives.  He is our constant Companion, Helper, Guide, and Counsel.  And, Father, He also tells us about You and some of what You have in store for us.  He is Your gift to us, yet we too often take Him for granted.  Thank You for this wonderful gist, Father.  Please help us better understand what Your Spirit means to us, so that we might more closely follow as He leads.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Reveal to us a little more of Your will for our lives.  Show us how we can better serve You.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


The class of noisy boys in a German primary school was being punished by their teacher. They were assigned the problem of adding together all the numbers from 1 to 100.

The boys settled down, scribbling busily on their slates -- all but one. This boy looked off into space for a few moments, then wrote something on his slate and turned it in. His was the only right answer.

When the amazed teacher asked how he did it, the boy replied, "I thought there might be some short cut, and I found one: 100 plus 1 is 101; 99 plus 2 is 101; 98 plus 3 is 101, and, if I continued the series all the way to 51 plus 50, I have 101 50 times, which is 5,050."

After this episode, the young scholar received special tutoring from his teacher. The boy was Karl Friedrich Gauss, the great mathematician of the 19th century.


If you doubt the result, you can add it up yourself.  Young Karl had a sudden flash of insight.  Some of our greatest inventions came about that way, and many scientists will attest to having been stumped by a problem until suddenly struck by insight.

Insight – sight given by a light shed from within.  We often characterize that by a lightbulb being turned on over a person’s head.  But where does that light come from, if not from God?  How is that intuitive leap accomplished if not given in a vision from the Almighty?  How is a bridge crossed where none existed except that the span is erected by the Great Creator, our glorious Father in heaven?


This passage from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians isn’t the only place in our Bible where we are told that the Spirit will explain some of God’s mysteries to us.  Just a little further on in his letter, in chapter 3 verses 1 and 2, Paul says we are still spiritual infants, able only to take sustenance from milk rather than meat.  But with the Spirit’s help we can grow.

And in the Apostle John’s Gospel account, chapter 16 verses 12 and 13, Jesus says the Spirit will guide us into the truth, speaking through the authority of God, telling us of things to come.  God’s Spirit will give us insight into God’s complete plan for mankind, but only slowly, as we are able to take it in.


Insight – a bolt out of the blue that suddenly allows us to see what was once hidden.  That instantaneous flash of understanding.  The ability to now grasp what eluded us before.  To know something that we have no reason to know.

Paul himself received great insight straight from Jesus during his three days of blindness after that incident on the road to Damascus.  Even Saul, the great persecutor of the early church, received the Holy Spirit and believed.  Listen to how the Apostle Luke recorded the moment, in chapter 9 of his Book of Acts, verses 17 and 18…

17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

--Acts 9:17-18 (NKJV)

Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and his eyes were opened.  While Luke may have been referring to the return of Paul’s physical sight, this also speaks of Paul receiving clearer spiritual sight.  For now he was able to see the truth of Jesus.  When he returned to Jerusalem with Barnabas, after getting over their initial fear of him, the disciples were amazed at how much he knew about Jesus even though he had never walked with the Lord during His ministry.


Insight, special understanding, mysteries revealed.  All of this and so much more come to us as a gift from God with the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.  Like any gift, we have to accept it before it can be any good to us.  And in this case, we need only to ask to receive what the Spirit offers.  Hear the words of Jesus as recorded by Luke in his Gospel account, chapter 11 and verses 13…

13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

--Luke 11:13 (NKJV)

Yes, we are evil, when compared to God -- we are sinners.  But still, don’t we give good gifts to our children and loved ones?  Don’t we do our best to take care of them and see to their needs?  Then how much more will our Father in heaven give us, His children?  How much more will His Spirit reveal of all the mysteries of creation if we just allow Him to work within us, transforming us, guiding us, feeding us milk as we learn and grow spiritually?


Once we’ve accepted Jesus as Lord, God’s Holy Spirit joins with our spirit.  We can ignore Him and go on with life.  Or we can listen to Him, learn from Him, allow Him to guide our steps along the path that Jesus blazed for us.

The more we follow the Spirit, the more He will reveal to us.  The more we understand, the less we need question.  And the greater our assurance of the unimaginable wonders of paradise will be.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, when we accept Jesus as Your Son, You send Your Holy Spirit to live within us and always be with us, to guide us, to transform us into the image of Your Son Jesus.  And through Your Spirit, You reveal Yourself and Your mysteries to us as we are able to grasp them.  There are some things we will not know until we stand before You in heaven.  Until then, Your Spirit strives to give us clearer insight into what You will for our lives.  Help us, please Father, to heed Your Spirit and to surrender ourselves to His direction.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, those who believe in You have God’s Spirit within us.  The Spirit bears witness to You, glorifies You, points the way to You, and so should we.  And He reveals the mysteries of God’s kingdom little by little.  We are infants spiritually, unable to take but small portions at a time.  Lord Jesus, please help us grasp what the Spirit shows us.  Help us better understand the secrets of heaven.  And Lord, help us surrender to the Spirit and follow His guidance.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.