Second Chances

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the Sunday morning before New Year's Day, the 29th of December, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Traditionally, each new year is seen as giving us an opportunity to make things right in our life.  We get another chance to do something better.  If there was ever a person given a second chance who made the most of it, that person had to be Saul, better known to us as the Apostle Paul.

Saul was a Pharisee, and best known in his day as a great persecutor of the early Christian church, yet he became arguably the greatest evangelist and church planter that ever lived.  How did that miraculous change come about?

Listen and follow along as Paul recounts his conversion to King Agrippa during one of the many times he was under arrest.  This account was recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, in chapter 26 verses 4 through 18, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

4 “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 5 They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7 To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

9 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

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 rescue 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 26:4-18 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, throughout the history of mankind, You have given us chance after chance to do the right thing.  Our Bible records many instances of how Your people would do wrong and You’d punish them, but then You’d forgive them and open Your heart to them once again.  Father, thank You for Your loving kindness, Your mercy, Your forgiveness.  Thank You for all the second chances You give us.  Please help us do what is right in Your eyes.  Help us accomplish the task that You have set us aside to perform.

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


A police officer stopped a teen-age girl after calls that a car had been seen going around her neighborhood in reverse for quite some time.  The girl told the officer that her parents had let her use the car, but she had put too much mileage on it.  "I was just trying to unwind some of it," she said.

And then there’s the college football coach who was faced with the possibility that his star player might be declared academically ineligible.  He pleaded with the math professor not to flunk the kid.  "Tell you what, coach," said the professor, "I'll ask him a question in your presence.  If he gets it right, I'll pass him."  The athlete was called in, and the prof asked, "What's two and two?"  "Four," replied the player.  Frantically the coach cried out, "Give him another chance!  Give him another chance!"


Sometimes we have weird ways of trying to get another chance in this life.  The young driver was apparently trying to get another chance to drive the family car again by removing some of the miles she had put on it.  And there may be the rare occasion when we think we need a second chance but we actually don’t.  I feel those times to be few and far between, though.  Jesus died so that our sins might be forgiven and forgotten, but then we just keep on sinning, even making up new sins as we go along.  That’s where God’s mercy comes in, giving us second chances.

During their association together, Peter often said or did something dumb and Jesus would rebuke him.  But then Peter did something many of us cringe to think about.  He denied Jesus when He was arrested, denied walking with Him for the past three years, denied ever even knowing Him.  Yet in the 21st chapter of the Apostle John’s Gospel account, we see where Jesus gives Peter another chance, restores him as a disciples, shows His love and forgiveness.

And here we stand, showered by God’s love and mercy, given yet another chance to do things right, to make things better.  What will we do with this opportunity?


As I mentioned at the start, Paul is a great example of second chances.  He was a Pharisee, strong in his faith, active in his duties, very dedicated to carrying our God’s work.  And that is why he persecuted the early Christians.  That is why he brought them to trial and voted for their death.  That is why he even traveled to distant lands, to bring the converted Jews back to Jerusalem to stand trial for their heresy.

Everything Paul did was done out of devout service to God, as he and the rest of the Pharisees saw it.  But then Jesus showed him just how blind he was, by taking away his sight.  The Lord could have left him blind, or worse, and that would have been fitting.  Instead, Jesus showed Paul the truth, then restored his sight and put him to work.

The great prophet Isaiah foretold how the Messiah would restore sight to the blind, among other things.  Listen to one incident that occurred early in Jesus’ ministry, as recorded by Luke in his Gospel account, chapter 4 verses 16 through 21…

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

--Luke 4:16-21 (NKJV)

The part Jesus read comes from Isaiah chapter 61, verse 1 and the first part of verse 2.  As I’ve mentioned before, Isaiah lived and died around 700 years before Jesus was even born.  And yet, Jesus noted that what Isaiah foretold so long ago, had come true and stood before them that day in Nazareth.

Jesus brought us the good news that salvation and forgiveness are within our grasp.  He came to heal those whose hearts have been broken by the burden of sin.  He offers freedom to all who are held captive by sin.  He restores our spiritual sight so that we might see the truth.  He sets us free from Satan’s oppression, from eternal death.  By His sacrifice, He gave us all a second chance: a second chance at being forgiven, a second chance at being redeemed in God’s eyes.

Jesus gave Paul a second chance so that he could be a minister and a witness for Jesus, in order to turn the Gentiles from darkness - from blindness - to light, from the power of Satan to God, so that all who believe might receive forgiveness of sins.  And Paul certainly took full advantage of his second chance, serving Jesus even while he himself was severely persecuted, often beaten and imprisoned.  He persevered through hardships and trials we’ll never experience, even as his health failed, even as his own execution neared.  Paul came to us, the Gentiles, to show us the truth and the light that is Jesus, the fulfillment of scripture and prophecy.  He showed us by his own example just what it means to get a second chance.

Family, what have we done with our second chance?  We who believe have been forgiven of our disobedient ways, washed of our sin by the precious blood of Jesus.  Our eyes have been opened to the truth of Jesus as Lord, as God, as our Master and our Savior.  We have been given the chance to be a minister and witness for Jesus, to preach the Gospel to the poor in spirit, to show those who are still captive to sin how they can be freed, to open the eyes of the blind.

A new year is upon us.  Let’s proclaim it to be the acceptable year of our Lord.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, Your servant Isaiah told the world of Your Son’s coming and what that would mean to us.  Yet Your people remained deaf, and would not hear.  They chose to stay blind, and would not see.  Thank You, Father, for giving us a second chance to hear and see the truth.  Thank You for sending Your Son to save us from ourselves.  Please help us honor the chance You have given us to better ourselves, to be more righteous in Your sight.  Please help us better serve You and Jesus.

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 were the fulfillment of prophesy spoken long before Your birth.  You offer truth and forgiveness, yet so many prefer blindness and death.  Help us, please Lord, to take full advantage of the many chances You and our Father God offer us, chances to serve You, chances to be better, chances to help others.  Restore our sight, Lord Jesus, and use us as You will.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Sorrow Turned Into Joy

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the fourth Sunday morning in Advent, the 22nd of December, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

As the time for Jesus to make the ultimate sacrifice approached, He tried to explain what would soon transpire.  He had talked about this before, using parables and terms His followers might be able to understand.  But they just didn’t get it, and His fate was closing in, so Jesus made it a bit more straight-forward.  He knew how His passing would affect these men who had walked with Him these three years.  So He wanted to comfort them and let them know they would see Him again, and that then they would know true and everlasting joy.

Please listen and follow along to what Jesus told His disciples, and through them speaks to us as to what we can expect in this life and in the next.  This comes from the Apostle John’s Gospel account, chapter 16 verses 16 through 24, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

16 “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”

17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

--John 16:16-24 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your own Son into this world to offer us salvation.  Through Jesus, all the sorrows we experience in this life will be forgotten and turned into joy when we next see Him, but only if we truly believe in Him and follow His command.  Help us, please Father, to love and to serve others, to show them Your goodness, to tell them of Your Son.  Help us to spread at least some measure of joy across the earth as we serve with gladness and joy in our hearts.

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


Let me read to you from a short article that appeared in the May 1993 issue of the magazine, Turning Point:

Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it, while others have not.  Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:

Not in Unbelief - Voltaire was an infidel, an unbeliever, of the most pronounced type.  He wrote: "I wish I had never been born."

Not in Pleasure - Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone ever did.  He wrote: "The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone."

Not in Money - American millionaire Jay Gould had plenty of that.  When dying, he said: "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."

Not in Position and Fame - Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both.  He wrote: "Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."

Not in Military Glory - Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day.  Having done so, he wept in his tent then said, "There are no more worlds to conquer."

Where then is real joy found?  The answer is simple: in Christ alone.


Real joy is found in Christ alone.  You’ve probably figured out by now that I enjoy words, their meanings and origins.  One dictionary definition of "joy" is the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.

There are times when we should be filled with joy, yet find ourselves overcome with grief.  When a loved one who was a true believer passes away, we should rejoice that they are free of this life and its turmoil and now safely with Jesus, but the most overwhelming emotion we feel is grief and pain.  And all too often when we do feel joyful, our happiness quickly turns to anguish or sorrow.

Last week we looked at how the peace Jesus offers is not like what the world can provide.  That’s because any peace the world might give quickly deteriorates back into turmoil, while the peace we receive from Jesus is everlasting.  And the same holds true for joy, real joy.  Any joy we might feel from worldly things quickly fades away as life reasserts itself.  But Jesus promises that the joy we believers will receive when we see Him again will not fade, nor can it be taken from us.  Everlasting peace, everlasting joy.


It was around this same time, just before Jesus was arrested, that He tried to explain some of this using parables.  One I’m sure you’re familiar with involved the servants and the talents.  The master was about to leave for an extended trip and entrusted some talents into his servants’ care.  Two invested the money and returned a profit to their master, while the third did nothing with his share.

The Apostle Matthew recorded Jesus as He told what the master said to the two that put to good use the resources entrusted to them.  This comes from Matthew’s Gospel account, chapter 25, verse 21…

21 "His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’" 

--Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Isn’t that what we all want to hear when we see Jesus face to face?  Don’t we want to enter into the joy of our Master?

The fullness of joy comes from serving others, from using the talents our Master has entrusted into our care to see to the needs of others.  And our Father God has indeed entrusted much into our care, gifts and talents and resources of all kinds.  We should be good stewards of all these resources, like the two servants who put the talents given them to good use.

Since we receive so much from God, since Jesus sacrificed everything for us, we should be willing to do anything for God.  Not only that, we should do it with joy and gladness in our heart.  Otherwise there may be a penalty.  Moses tried to warn his people, God’s people, of what that penalty might entail, in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verses 47 and 48 …

47 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you." 

--Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (NKJV)

That’s quite a difference from everlasting joy, isn’t it.  I don’t want to dwell too much on this, only to say that God wants us to be joyful, to be cheerful, and to serve Him with joy and gladness in our hearts.  And especially this time of year, when we should wish for all the world to be filled with joy.  This is the time that the angel proclaimed, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people”.  It’s the time for singing “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”.

Let’s do all we can to help bring the Good News and great joy of Jesus to all people.  And all the sorrows of this life will turn into great and everlasting joy when we next see our Lord and Master.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You give us so much, and in great abundance.  If for no other reason than that, we should willingly serve You with joy and gladness in our hearts.  Thank You, Father, for all Your many blessings.  Please help us understand that it is our duty and our privilege to share what You have given us, to be good stewards of the resources You have entrusted into our care.  Please help us be joyful, even when our hearts are burdened with sorrow.

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 promise us everlasting joy and peace – a peace that knows no end, joy that cannot be taken from us.  When we next see You, all our sorrows of this life will be forgotten and will turn into great joy.  Help us, please Lord, to be faithful over the things You have given us.  Help us not only to serve You by serving others, but to do so joyfully so that they too may know and receive the gift of Your joy.  Help us be Your good and faithful servants.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

The Prince of Peace

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the third Sunday morning in Advent, the 15th of December, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Around 700 years before Jesus was born, God revealed the coming of His Messiah, His Son, through the prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah told of what Jesus’ life, and death, would be like, all the mighty things He would do, how He would be despised, beaten, and executed just to offer us forgiveness of our sins and salvation from eternal death and torment.

Listen and follow along to one small part of what God revealed through Isaiah, as recorded in chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 of his prophecy, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

--Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You spoke to Your chosen people through Your prophet Isaiah and told them of the coming Messiah.  Through Isaiah’s writing, You spoke to the world, You speak to us, telling us of Your Son Jesus, of how He would be born and come into this world as one of us, how He would be die at our hands.  Help us, please Father, to yearn for and accept the unending peace Jesus offers.  Let Him truly be our Prince of Peace.

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.


Christian author Berit Kjos, in her book A Wardrobe from the King, told this little story:

Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace.  Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece.  The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide.  Finally the great day of revelation arrived.  The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered.

The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled.  As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd.  A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.

The man who began the search uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise.  Could this be peace?  A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice.  The crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray.  Stormy, gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain.

In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls.  One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power.  A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch.  Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs.  With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.


One dictionary definition of "peace" is the state of being free from anxiety or distress.  That would pretty well describe the mother bird.  Even with all the turmoil around her, she was at peace as she covered and protected her eggs.  Someone whose name is lost to time once said, "Peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always."  During His ministry on earth, Jesus often told those He healed and saved to “go in peace”.  Go, and be free of anxiety and distress; you are saved.

In chapter 2 verse 14 of his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul tells us that Christ Himself is our peace.  Jesus is perfect peace.  He brings us freedom from anxiety and distress.  He is our ever faithful reassurance in times of trouble.  All we have to do is turn to Him, open our hearts to Him, trust in Him.


This is a busy day for the Pilgrim family.  We recognized some of our own for their contributions to the family and the community.  We welcomed new members into our family.  And in a little while, we’ll come back and enjoy sweet fellowship in food and song.  I don’t want to add to the busyness of the day by keeping you too long, but I do want to share God’s message of peace.  So I’ll let Him do most of the talking, though the words He gave us in our Holy Bible.

The greatest peace came to us when Jesus was born, just as Isaiah foretold.  God sent the birth announcement through His angel, as related by the Apostle Luke in his Gospel account, chapter 2, verses 13 through 14…

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 2:13-14 (NKJV)

Fast-forward to the adult Jesus in His ministry, right after His last meal on earth with His disciples, just before His arrest.  The Apostle John recorded for us, in chapter 14 verse 27 of his Gospel account, what He told His followers, including us…

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)

Jesus followed that declaration with a promise that John saved for us in chapter 16 verse 33…

33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

--John 16:33 (NKJV)

Jesus wants us to have peace, to be at peace, to be free of anxiety and distress.  He knows that this world causes us a great deal of stress and tribulation.  We are constantly bombarded by turmoil.  Our news is all about disasters and accidents and people killing one another.  Wars are everywhere – it’s hard to find a place without conflict of some sort.  The world is the devil’s playground and the last thing he wants is peace on earth.

But in Jesus we have peace, internal peace, unending peace.  A prince is the son of a king.  Jesus is the Son of God, the greatest King.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Open your heart to Him and enjoy His peace.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your Son into this world, an angel announcing His birth.  Peace on earth, You sent us, but unlike man’s peace or any peace we had ever known.  You offer us freedom from anxiety, from fear, from distress, if we would only open our hearts to Your Son, accepting Him as our Lord and Master, knowing Him as our Savior.  Thank You, Father.  Please help us realize and enjoy Your peace, especially during this busy season.  Because it is now that we celebrate Your Son’s birth, the bringer of peace, the Prince of Peace.

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 came to us as one of us.  And the Gospel writers tell us that on that night, the earth knew peace.  Your Father’s messenger announced Your birth, blessing us with peace.  You are the Prince of Peace, the Son of God.  You bring peace to those who are Yours.  Not a peace like the world can give, that is fleeting and quickly broken, but a peace that has no end, a peace of tranquility, freedom from distress, anxiety, and fear.  Help us, please Jesus, to slow down enough in the busyness of the season to open our hearts to You and enjoy Your sweet, refreshing peace.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus our Lord, our peace and our Savior.  Amen.

Abide In Love

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the second Sunday morning in Advent, the 8th of December, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

How many of you remember the old Beatles hit song, “All You Need Is Love”?  It repeated over and over, “All you need is love” and “Love is all you need”.  Well, my beloved family, Jesus is love, so I’d say all we need is Jesus.  Jesus is love and He is all about love.

Listen and follow along to what Jesus has to say about love, as recorded by the Apostle John in his Gospel account, in chapter 15, verses 9 through 17, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another."

--John 15:9-17 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You loved Your Son Jesus even while He walked this earth.  He kept Your commandments, doing everything in service to You, and so was able to abide, to live in Your love.  And Jesus loved us just like You loved Him.  He showed His love by giving of His life to save our lives, our eternal lives.  Father, we want to abide in the love of Jesus, to enjoy that love, just as He abided in Your love.  Help us, please Father, to keep Jesus commandment to love one another so that we might fully experience the joy His love brings.

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.


It is said that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once captured a prince and his family.  When they came before him, the monarch asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I release you?"  "The half of my wealth," was his reply.  "And if I release your children?"  "Everything I possess."  "And if I release your wife?"  "Your Majesty, I will give myself."  Cyrus was so moved by his devotion that he freed them all.  As they returned home, the prince said to his wife, "Wasn't Cyrus a handsome man!"  With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, "I didn't notice.  I could only keep my eyes on you - the one who was willing to give himself for me."


The prince’s wife was deeply touched that her husband was willing without hesitation to give up his life to save hers.  She said she couldn’t take her eyes off of him.  If we stop and think a minute, I believe we all know at least one person who would be willing to give their own life to save ours.  There are many people who put their lives on the line for us – law enforcement, fire fighters, members of the armed services, and others.

But there is one person who not only was willing, but indeed did give up His life to save ours.  That person was Jesus, who gave of His mortal life so that our eternal lives might be saved from endless torture and pain.  But I’m not sure how many of us are as emotionally touched and affected as the prince’s wife.  How many of us can only keep our eyes, our focus, on Jesus?  How many are too distracted by all the handsome things of this world and fail to place our attention on the one who gave His all for us?


Jesus spoke of abiding in His love by keeping His commandments, just as He abided in His Father God’s love by keeping His commandments.  We usually think of abiding in something as living in it.  We abide in a house, we abide in Davidson County.

But abide also means to remain, to stay, and to continue.  If we are to remain in the love of Jesus and continue experiencing the joy His love brings, then we should do as He commands.  Especially since He commands so little of us.  He commands us to love one another, as He loves us.

OK, so that’s not always so easy is it?  There are a lot of people in this world that are just unlovable, especially those who would do us harm.  Sometimes it’s even hard to love certain members of our own family.  But we’re not commanded to necessarily like them, or approve or condone what they’re doing, just to show them the love of Jesus through our love.


Love.  One indication of loving someone is being willing to forgive them, to give them another chance.  No relationship can stay intact for very long without this aspect of love.

Peter denied Jesus, just as Jesus said he would.  But the Lord gave him another chance, just as He gives us all another chance.  After His resurrection but before He returned to heaven, Jesus had a little one-on-one with Peter.  Listen to the conversation John recorded for us in chapter 21 of his Gospel account, verses 15 through 17…

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep."

--John 21:15-17 (NKJV)

“Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, feed My sheep.”  Jesus showed Peter His love by giving him another chance.  And He told His disciple how he could show his love: by seeing to the needs of others.

Feeding them and tending to their needs are physical aspects of serving them, of showing our love.  But there is a spiritual side as well.  Even believers need to be spiritually fed and tended to from time to time.  Even we still have questions, sometimes have doubts.  Especially when all the turmoil of life beats us down enough, our spirit can suffer, our faith can weaken.  Even we need to be fed God’s word.

How much more so those who have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord?  Their spiritual need is great, for their eternal lives are in jeopardy.  We need to feed them the milk of God’s word, tend to their spiritual needs.  We can best reach them, maybe only get access to them, if we tend to their physical needs first, or at least at the same time.  But we must be willing to try, to make of ourselves a living sacrifice in service to God.  By showing our love, we show the love of Jesus.  And since Jesus is love, we show them Jesus.

Jesus chose us to be His and to enjoy His love.  Let’s share that joy and love with the world.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You have shown Your love for us in so many ways, even though we’ve done nothing to deserve Your love.  You give us all we have, all we need.  You give us Your word to help us as we struggle through this life.  You gave us Your only Son so that we might enjoy eternity with You if we only accept Him as our Lord.  And even though we rejected Him and forced Him to die for us, You still love us and shower us with Your love daily.  Thank You, Father, for loving us unconditionally. Please forgive us when we are unwilling to share Your love by sacrificing our time and resources in service to others.  Please help us be more obedient to Your Son that we might abide in Your love forever.

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 told us that the greatest love one could show is to lay down their life for another.  And then You showed us all that love, by giving of Your own life for our sake, that we might enjoy eternal joy and life with You and our Father God.  All we have to do is accept You as our Lord and Master and follow Your commandment.  And Your command is that we love one another, just as You love us.  You love us enough to give Your life for us, so we should be willing to give of our lives to others, in service to their needs both physical and spiritual.  Help us, please Jesus, to obey Your command, even for those who are unlovable.  Help us make of ourselves a living sacrifice in our service to others, and in doing so, showing them You through our love.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.