This Is Love

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Ash Wednesday evening, the 26th of February, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Our scripture this evening looks back at a time after Jesus returned to heaven, during the days of the early church and the inclusion of Gentiles into the holy family of God.  Paul was at work starting churches among the Gentiles with the help and companionship of his friends such as Barnabas and Silas.  Peter had already preached to the Gentiles, baptizing them and watching as the Holy Spirit came into them.  But like I mentioned, these were the early days of our Lord’s church and some of the details were still being worked out, including what was expected of new converts.

Listen and follow along to a critical point in our church, especially as regards us Gentiles.  This comes from the Apostle Luke’s Book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15 verses 1 through 12, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

1 While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them — much to everyone’s joy — that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.

4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. 5 But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”

6 So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. 7 At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. 8 God knows people’s hearts, and He confirmed that He accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts through faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

12 Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

--Acts 15:1-12 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, early in His ministry, Jesus proclaimed that He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it, to give it meaning.  You knew that man could not keep Your law because we are sinners.  That is why You sent Your Son into the world, to give us a chance of salvation that we would not have otherwise.  This is love, Father – undeserved mercy, love, and grace.  Father, help us be more worthy of Your love.  Help us love as Jesus loved, and live more closely as He lived.  Help us turn from our sinful ways and give ourselves fully to You and to Your Son.  Forgive us and save us, please, O merciful God.  In the name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.


I think it’s kind of in our nature to resist change.  Even when it is a change we want or need, we still tend to hang on to the old ways as long as we can.

This is what we see happening in the early church of our scripture reading.  Many of the Pharisees realized the truth, became believers and followed Jesus.  But they just couldn’t give up the old rules and regulations, the rituals they had known and followed all their lives.  They seemed to think it was great that all these Gentiles were coming to Christ, but they needed to be just like the Jews first or they couldn’t be saved.

Paul and Barnabas vehemently disagreed.  So everyone got together in Jerusalem and had a long talk, trying to come to a resolution.  Finally, Peter stood up and said, “Look, we Jews weren’t able to fully keep the Laws of God handed down through Moses, and we’ve known them all our lives.  Why should we expect these newly converted Gentiles, who haven’t a clue about the Law, to all of a sudden follow it?  Why are we challenging God when He chose to accept the Gentiles just as they are?”

You see, Peter could speak with authority on this subject, because God had already chosen him to open the door to the Gentiles, beginning with the household of the Roman centurion Cornelius.  Peter witnessed God’s Holy Spirit come to all those Gentiles in Cornelius’ house there in Caesarea, the city named after Caesar.

We can read about this in Acts chapter 10, when Peter hears the voice of Jesus telling him, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”  In verses 34 and 35, Peter tells the household…

34b “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him."

--Acts 10:34b-35 (NKJV)

God is not partial.  Jew, Gentile, black, white, red, yellow, brown, man, woman, child, rich, poor, educated, ignorant…  none of that matters.  What does matter is to fear God, respect Him, and live righteously, doing what is right in God’s eyes as best we can.  What God has cleansed is no longer common.


God chose to accept us, and to cleanse us, just as we are.  He chose us not as we should be or as He wants us to be, but just as we are.  Jesus chose a tax collector by the name of Matthew to follow Him and be a disciple.  As Jesus and His new followers sat together at a table, a number of other tax collectors and sinners joined them.  Some Pharisees took notice of this and scoffed that Jesus would sit and eat with the likes of them.  Do you remember what Jesus told them?  Matthew recorded it for us in his Gospel account, chapter 9, verses 12 and 13…

12b “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

--Matthew 9:12b-13 (NKJV)

Jesus didn’t come to earth seeking the righteous, those already fully right in God’s eyes.  He came to us sinners, calling us to repentance.  He came to us just as we were, lost in darkness, drowning in our sin.  He came to us with the love of God, to save us from ourselves.  And we are all saved the same way, we who believe.  No matter who we are or what we were, we are all saved the same way: by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.


There’s just one more point I’d like to quickly touch on.  Actually, both Jesus and Peter touched on it.

Peter noted that God shows no partiality, no favoritism, if you will.  And the main distinction he is trying to make at that time is between the Jews who now believe and the new Gentile believers.  The Jewish tradition was steeped in ritualistic observance of the Law, even though no one could completely keep the Law.  In truth, the Law and all their rituals had become their god, their idol.  The Gentiles had mostly been idol worshipers before they heard the Gospel and believed.  They had their own set of rituals, too, although somewhat different from those of the Jews.  And both groups included sacrifices in their rituals.  Ritualistic fasting, if we engage in it, is a form of sacrifice, as is giving something up for Lent.

But Jesus reminds us that God desires mercy, not sacrifice.  Our rituals are meaningless if we do not show mercy and forgiveness to others.  And yes, here tonight we are observing a ritual, that of our Ash Wednesday observance.  But we are not obsessing over the ritual, but rather over what Jesus did for us, His sacrifice for us.  We have been forgiven and shown mercy even though we’ve done nothing, nor can we ever do anything, to deserve it.

This is love, unconditional love.  This is how God loves us.  Let us love others in the same way.


Tonight, I don’t have ashes to give you.  Instead, I have a small symbol of God’s love.  It is a small token, like a coin, that you can carry in your pocket or purse.  On one side it reads, “This is love”, beside our Lord’s cross.  The other side has one of the verses from our reading this evening, Acts 15:11.  It speaks of our salvation through the love of Christ Jesus and the grace of our Father God.  God loves us so much that He gave us His own Son.  Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life for us.

Carry this little token with you all the time.  Maybe you’ll have a chance to show it to someone, to tell them how much God loves you, how much God loves them.  Give something up for Lent, something meaningful, in remembrance of Jesus giving up everything for us.  Let us confess our disobedience to God and repent of our sin, so that the sacrifice Jesus made will have meaning.  In the name of our Master and Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for loving us so much as to send Your only Son to atone for our sins.  May we observe this season of Lent by examining ourselves, by confessing and truly repenting of our disobedience and sin, by prayer and fasting, by works of love and service, and by reading and meditating upon Your word.  We repent of our sinfulness, O Lord, and seek Your forgiveness.  This we pray in the blessed name of Jesus our Christ, who gave His all for us.  Amen.

And So It Begins

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 23rd of February, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Lent is that season in the Christian calendar when we reflect on all that Jesus did for us.  We look specifically at His sacrifice for us, as Lent leads directly to the cross and our Easter celebration.

And it begins with His baptism, and with what followed.  For our observance of Lent traditionally mirrored the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, led there by God’s Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan.  But this time should be so much more to us.  Lent may coincide with those 40 days of temptation, but in our observance, it ends just short of the cross.

So for today, as we stand upon the threshold of Lent, let’s look at how it begins.  Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Matthew recorded for us in his Gospel account, in chapter 3, verse 16 through chapter 4 verse 17, reading from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible…

3:16 And when Jesus was baptized, He came up immediately out of the water. And suddenly the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending on Him like a dove. 17 And a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

4:1 Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. 2 And He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, and then He was hungry. 3 And the tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be turned into bread.”

4 But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, and set Him on the highest point of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written,

‘He shall give His angels charge concerning you,’

and

‘In their hands they shall lift you up,
lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “It is also written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

8 Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur, 9 and said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. ”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Get away from here, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’”

11 Then the devil left Him, and immediately angels came and ministered to Him.

12 Now when Jesus heard that John was put in prison, He left for Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness
saw great light.
And on those who sat in the land of the shadow of death,
light has dawned.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

--Matthew 3:16-4:17 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You were proud of Your Son even before He began His ministry on earth, because You already knew what He would do.  And You expressed Your pride out loud, so that others could hear and witness to His authority.  Father, may our lives and our personal ministries reflect Jesus and so also please You.  Please help us show Your Son in all we do.  Help us truly show Jesus to an unbelieving world.

Speak to us now, Father so we can hear You.   Write Your message upon our hearts.  Speak to us of sacrifice and love.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


George H. Gallup, the inventor of the Gallup poll we're all familiar with, once observed:

"There's little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the unchurched.  There's as much pilferage and dishonesty among the churched as the unchurched.  And I'm afraid that applies pretty much across the board: religion, per se, is not really life changing.  People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming depression, but it doesn't have primacy in determining behavior."

In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church's integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin.   It is a change in belief without a change in behavior."  He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation, without repentance."


As much as we’d like to disagree with Gallup’s conclusion, I’m afraid he is all too correct in far too many cases.  You’ve heard me talk about what I call Sunday Christians, those who profess to believe in Christ Jesus, but don’t live as Jesus would have them live.  They attend church on Sundays, but during the rest of the week they behave and act just like everyone else, just like the non-believers.  You can’t see Jesus in them.

This is what Gallup is talking about, and this is what Morley means when he speaks of a change in belief without a change in behavior.  The Apostle Paul tells us we should become a new person when we accept Jesus as Lord, and not keep living how we used to live.

But the problem is, too many people don’t really accept Jesus as Lord, even when they profess to believe in Him as the Son of God.  Belief is just the beginning.  We need to change, to reform, to repent.  People should be able to see the difference in us in our daily lives.  This is why we need Lent – to repent and to examine ourselves, to look closely at whether or not we reflect Jesus in our everyday dealings with others, in our daily walk.


Our scripture reading this morning started out near the end of chapter 3 of the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account, but let me read the first 2 verses of that chapter to you…

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

--Matthew 3:1-2 (NKJV)

The life of Jesus on this earth - as one of us - began at His birth, of course, but His ministry didn’t start until He was an adult of around 30 years of age.  A man named John was baptizing people down along the Jordan River, preaching repentance because the kingdom of heaven was at hand.  And then the Kingdom of heaven Himself walked up to be baptized, and the ministry of Jesus began.

Matthew recorded those first few moments, followed by the next 40 days.  This is how Jesus’ ministry began, with 40 days of being tempted by the devil!  We can’t even resist the temptation to talk bad about someone we dislike!  Yet Jesus was able to resist everything the devil threw at Him.  And this is why Satan left Jesus alone, and why the devil keeps after us all the time.


During those 40 days, Jesus fasted, which kind of lent itself to that first recorded temptation of changing the rocks into bread.  Now a ritual fast lasted from sunup to sundown, with eating allowed before and after.  But Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights!  Maybe this was at least partly an acknowledgment of what Moses told the children of Israel, in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verses 2 and 3…

2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

--Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (NKJV)

“Bread” plays an interesting role in all this.  “Turn the stones into bread.”  “Man does not live by bread alone.”  Jesus said He was the bread of life.  God’s Word is our bread.

Jesus, the Bread of life, fasted for forty days and nights, relying solely on God’s word for sustenance.  None of us can do that, for sure, but we can, and should, rely solely on God’s Word to see us through.


There’s one last little fascinating point I’d like to share.  Jesus’ ministry began as a trial - going without food for forty days, being tempted by the devil in the desert.  He did not ask for this - He was led to it, by His Father’s Spirit.

His ministry, and the rest of His mortal life, only lasted three years, but I think we could say that all of it was pretty much a trial.  Jesus was constantly hounded by the Jewish leadership, the Pharisees and Sadducees and scribes and high priests.  And at the end He faced trial at the hands of the high priests and the Roman governor Pilate.

Now as God, Jesus knew all this would happen.  I can envision Him there in the wilderness, the desert, praying to God as He watches Satan approach.  And I can hear Him saying, “And so it begins.”

Jesus asked for none of this, but was led to it all by His Father, so that His Father’s will would be accomplished.  He did this – all the trials, all the hardships, all the suffering - all for us.  Let us reflect on this as the season of Lent begins.  Jesus did it all for us.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, we cannot see into tomorrow, nor can we fathom the mysteries of Your ways.  But even though we cannot conceive why You could love us so much, You gave Your own Son to the world, knowing how the world would treat Him, that the world through Him might be saved.  Thank You, Father, for offering us salvation.  Thank You for giving us the faith to believe in Your Son and to follow Him in this life.  Please help us turn from our disobedient ways and reflect Jesus more closely in our lives.

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

Lord Jesus, You knew that the last three years of Your life would be one trial after another.  From the very beginning You knew, yet You followed the path God laid for You, the only path that could lead to our salvation.  Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your all for us!  Help us, please Lord, to be more obedient to Your commands.  Help us to love others as You love.  Help us to be Your hands and feet here on earth.  Help us to be more like You in our daily walk.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

United With Jesus

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 16th of February, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

You may have noticed that I’ve been talking about Jesus the last few weeks, and especially about our relationship with Him.  We are approaching the Lenten Season and it is appropriate that we do just that.  It is important that we spend time in reflection of our personal relationship with our Lord as we near the time when we observe His death upon the cross.  Because it is by that death that we are freed from our sinful relationship with Satan, but only if we take up a relationship with Jesus.  We must become one with Him, be united with Him.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells us about the sacrifice Jesus made for us and what it means to us.  This comes from his 1st letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 1 verses 18 through 31, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

--1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, so many people in this world think the message of the cross to be nothing more than foolishness, just the perpetuation of some ancient myth.  They may concede that a man named Jesus once lived, but they would never surrender to Him as their Lord.  The world sees far too many other things to be important rather than to have a relationship with Jesus.  Father, we pray that our own personal relationship with our Lord will continue to grow and mature with each passing day.  Please help us stay united with Your Son.  Help us be one with Christ so that the world might see Him in us.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Speak to us of love.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Pastor and author A.W. Tozer, in his book The Pursuit of God, wrote:

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.


Pastor Tozer is trying to point out that when we come together to worship, our focus should be centered on Jesus.  We should each one be looking to Him, seeking His guidance and direction.  And in this way we become more closely attuned to one another because we are all tuned to the same source.  This is a very good reason why we should not let anything distract us from hearing God’s word, from seeking the face of Jesus and becoming one with Him.


I believe Paul’s message in our scripture reading this morning is very powerful on two main points.  The first is how skewed the world’s concept of wisdom is when viewed by God.

In God’s great and wise plan for the salvation of mankind, His Son Jesus had to die.  His blood sacrifice was necessary for the one-time atonement of all our sin.  The world thinks this foolish, and they are headed for destruction because of it.

What they probably see as even greater foolishness is that we believe.  We believe in Jesus.  We believe He is the Son of God who died for our sin.  We believe He is our only hope of salvation.  And when we witness and testify and preach that Jesus died for our sin, the Jews are offended, and the non-believers, the worldly say it’s all utter nonsense.  But to us, to we who are called by God to salvation - no matter who we are or what we once were - to us, Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.

Paul reminds us that few of us were wise in the ways of the world, or powerful or wealthy when God called us.  But that also shows God’s wisdom, using what the world calls foolish to put to shame those who think they are wise and who take pride in it.  God chose those who are powerless to shame the powerful.  He calls those despised by the world, those that the world counts as nothing, to bring to nothing what the world considers important.  He calls us, to show the world His truth.


And then we get to the second piece of critical information that Paul imparts.  God has united us with Christ Jesus.  Through the sacrifice Jesus offered on our behalf, we have been made right with God, so that He now considers us as pure and holy.  Jesus freed us from true foolishness, from our chains to sin.  The world may see us as foolish, but God sees us as holy.  We are united with Jesus and He is holy, so we too are holy, in God’s eyes.

We are united with Jesus through our baptism by the Holy Spirit when we first accept Jesus as Lord.  Paul also speaks of this, in his letter to the Galatians, chapter 3 verses 26 through 29, when he says…

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

--Galatians 3:26-29 (NLT)

We are united with Christ in baptism.  This is our baptism not by water, but by God’s Holy Spirit, when we first come to Jesus.  And in that baptism we put on Jesus; we’re united with Him not only in our spirit, but in our daily walk.  Just like people can see the clothes we are wearing, they should be able to see Jesus on us, in us, through our interactions with them and with others.

We’re no longer who we used to be, but are now one in Jesus, one with Jesus.  We are His; we belong to Jesus.


So family, if anyone ever tells you that you’re foolish for believing all this Jesus nonsense, just smile and nod your head in agreement.  For we are foolish, as far as the world sees.

But in God’s eyes, we are holy.  We are holy because we are cleansed by the blood of His Son.  We are all one in Christ, united with Jesus.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You use those who the world considers foolish and ignorant to destroy the wisdom of the wise and to discard the intelligence of the intellectuals.  What You see as important, the world sees as nonsense, and they are on the road to condemnation.  Thank You, Father, for uniting us with Your Son Jesus.  Please bless us with Your wisdom and help us put to shame those who think themselves wise.

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, by Your sacrifice, we are washed clean so that when our Father God looks at us, He sees us as holy.  Because of our belief, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit and united with You.  God no longer sees us for what we were, but for what we have become in You.  Help us, please Lord, to show You to the world.  Help us to share Your love through our interactions with others and through our actions in service to You.  Help us to be You to those who do not yet know You so that they may come to believe.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Do We Love Jesus?

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 9th of February, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Valentine’s Day comes this week – the day that is dedicated to love.  For we who call ourselves Christians, every day should be dedicated to love.  Christ Jesus loves us so much, He was willing to take our punishment for us, even giving His life so that our sin could be forgiven.  And He commanded us to love – to love others as we love ourselves, as He loves us.  But then in my mind the question pops up:  Do we love Jesus?  Do we really and truly and deeply love Jesus?

The Apostle John loved Jesus and Jesus loved him.  In his account, he speaks more of the love of Jesus than any of the other Gospel writers.  Listen to what Jesus said, in chapter 14 verses 15 through 24 of John’s Gospel account, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me."

--John 14:15-24 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we know how much You and Jesus love us.  You love us so much You sent Your only Son that we might be saved by following Him.  Jesus loves us so much He suffered and gave up His own life so that You might see us as righteous.  You can see into our hearts, to know if we truly love You in return.  We pray that our actions, our love for others, shows that we love You.  Father, please help us show Jesus our love by keeping His commandments.  Help us truly love all others, and not just those who love us in return.  Help us live as Jesus would have us live, and love as He would have us love.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Speak to us of love.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Some now unknown poet penned this little composition, titled, "In Christ We Have":

In Christ we have
A love that can never be fathomed
A life that can never die
A righteousness that can never be tarnished
A peace that can never be understood
A rest that can never be disturbed
A joy that can never be diminished
A hope that can never be disappointed
A glory that can never be clouded
A light that can never be darkened
A purity that can never be defiled
A beauty that can never be marred
A wisdom that can never be baffled
Resources that can never be exhausted.


In Christ we have a love that can never be fathomed.  The word “fathom” has a couple meanings.  For one, it’s a measure of length equal to six feet, and pretty much always mentioned in nautical use.  I remember Samuel Clemens - Mark Twain - wrote about working on a riverboat using a sounding line to measure off how many fathoms of water the boat was in so they wouldn’t run aground.  To fathom something, then, is to measure it’s depth, or in our normal use, to better understand something.

The love of Christ Jesus cannot be fathomed, cannot be measured, its depth is unknown.  It is a love so great, we can’t even understand it.  This is the love of Jesus for us.  How deep is our love for Him?


In our scripture reading, John relates just one of the many times when Jesus confounded His disciples.  But I think that the source of confusion this time, at least when I consider the question He was asked, pretty much missed the mark.  Jesus said, “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me”, followed by, “he who loves Me, will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”  So what does one of the disciples focus on?  “How is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Judas – and this was not the betrayer Judas Iscariot – Judas got hung up on how was Jesus going to show Himself to them and not to the world, but completely missed the part about love.  If it happened today, we might say he was more concerned about getting flowers and chocolates rather than sharing true love.

Whoever has received Jesus’ commandments and keeps them, these are the ones who love Jesus.  And these are the ones loved by His Father, God.  We have received Jesus’ commandments.  We know what He expects of us.  Do we fully, completely keep those commandments?

Since Judas didn’t get it, Jesus repeats Himself by saying that if anyone truly loves Him, they will keep His word, and the Father will love them.  If we love Him, we will keep His word, do as He commands, live as He tells us to live, love as He loves.  It’s not about duty or obligation or responsibility – it’s all about love.


I think Jesus really clarified this issue of loving Him a little earlier in His ministry.  John also recorded an incident – and again, one of many – where Jesus was admonishing the Pharisees and scribes.  Listen and take to heart what He told them, in chapter 8 verses 42 through 47 of John’s Gospel account…

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

--John 8:42-47 (NKJV)

That’s pretty harsh, isn’t it?  If we are children of God then He would be our Father.  And if He is truly our Father, then we would love His Son as our own brother.  We would love Jesus.

But if we don’t love Jesus, then God cannot be our Father.  Instead, Satan - the devil – is our Father.  Jesus is the Truth, but there is no truth in Satan.  Those who refuse to hear the truth are not children of God, but belong instead to the devil.


If we are children of God, if God is our Father, then we will love Jesus.  If we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments.  Jesus said these words, not me.  Whatever I say, you can take with a grain of salt, but whatever Jesus says is nothing but the truth.  If we don’t believe what He said, if we don’t hold it true in our hearts, then we are not of God and the devil is our father.

But we are children of God.  And we do love Jesus.  We love Him for all He did and continues to do for us.  We love Him because He is our Brother, God’s true Son.  Let’s make sure we show Him our love by keeping His commandments.  There’s basically only two.  We are to step out into the world sharing the Good News of salvation He brings and making disciples.  And we are to love others, to show His love to others, to show Jesus to those who may not otherwise ever see Him.

Jesus has made Himself manifest to us, He has shown Himself to us.  Now let’s show Him to the rest of the world.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, our Brother.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, we are Your children and we love You.  You manifested Your love by sending Your Son to atone for our sin.  He manifested His love by sacrificing Himself as a blood offering on our behalf.  Thank You, Father, for Your great love.  Please help us show our love in return by keeping Jesus’ word.

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 suffered and gave up Your own life for us so that we might be saved from eternal damnation.  In this You showed Your unfathomable love for us, a love we will never understand.  Help us, please Lord, to show that we truly do love You.  Help us to show in how we interact with other people and in how we live our daily lives.  Help us to keep Your word, to abide in Your word, in all we do.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

We Are Jesus

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 2nd of February, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Last week we glimpsed just a few of the many reasons why we need Jesus in our lives.  Today will be a little different.  Today we’ll look at why I can faithfully say that we are Jesus.

Now I don’t mean for that to sound grandiose or that I have some kind of mental condition or delusions of godliness or the like.  I’m not saying that any of us is the one and only Jesus, the one true Son of God.  But in one very real and true sense, we are Jesus, each of us who believe in Him and follow His commands.  And the Bible supports us in that statement.

Let’s look to the man who knew Jesus because of the very special insight that Jesus Himself gave him.  In his letter to the Colossians, chapter 1, verses 21 through 29, the Apostle Paul writes this, as saved in the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

21 You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you His enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But His Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now He lets you stand in His presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.

24 I am glad that I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue the suffering of Christ for His body, the church. 25 God’s plan was to make me a servant of His church and to send me to preach His complete message to you. 26 For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God’s people. 27 God did this because He wanted you Gentiles to understand His wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and He is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.

28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature. 29 That’s why I work so hard and use the mighty power He gives me.

--Colossians 1:21-29 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we were once far away from You, aimlessly wandering around in our sin.  But You had compassion on us and sent Your Son to lead us in the way of righteousness and to wash away our sin with His blood.  Father, thank You for loving us so much.  Please help us continue to grow in our faith.  Help us to become more and more like Jesus.

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


On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, there is a portrait with the following inscription: "James Butler Bonham -- no picture of him exists.  This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle.  It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom."


Family, no actual picture of Jesus exists either.  But the likeness of the Son of God, who died for our freedom from sin, can be seen in the lives of His true followers.  People should be able to see Jesus in us, in our actions, in our daily lives, in our treatment of others.  Is Jesus evident in us?


Paul says we used to be far from God.  What separated us?  What caused that huge chasm between us and God to open and keep us apart?  Our sin, starting with Adam and Eve and continuing through the ages.  Our sin keeps us far from God.

But Jesus bridged that gap for us, by sacrificing Himself, by making of Himself the blood sacrifice necessary for the forgiveness of sin.  And now, not only are we able to again be in God’s presence when our time comes, but Jesus also lives in us!

If Jesus truly lives within us, then He should be visible through us.  He should be reflected in our faces, in our actions, in our deeds, in our normal day-to-day routines and interactions with other people.  For family, we are Jesus!

That’s a pretty bold statement, but Paul backs it up.  In his 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12 verse 27, Paul tells us…

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

--1 Corinthians 12:27 (NKJV)

Before He left this earth, Jesus gave us a job.  He left His mission in our hands.  We are to go out and tell other people all about Him, share with them the good news of salvation through Him, show them His love.  We are to be His body on earth, His surrogate in His absence.  We are His arms, His legs, His eyes, His ears, His mouth.  We are Jesus.  We are the only Jesus some people will ever see.  Do we live like it, do we act like it?

The very next verse in that letter says that if one of us suffers, if one of us members of the body of Christ suffers, then all of us suffer.  And if one of us is honored in any way, we all rejoice.  Do we?

When we accepted Jesus as Lord, we died with Him so we could be brought back to life with Him.  By our faith, we live for Him and He lives in us.  In his letter to the Galatians, chapter 2 verse 20, Paul says…

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

--Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

We cannot become the new creation that Paul describes in other scripture unless the old creation first ceases to exist.  The old me must die before the new me can live.

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And it is Christ that people should be able to see in me, not the old person that I was when still far from God.  Otherwise then, as far as I go, Jesus died for nothing.


Now, sometimes it may seem that for us to be Jesus will require a lot of work and sacrifice on our own part.  Paul certainly understood and experienced this personal work and sacrifice aspect.  How many times was he shipwrecked, arrested, beaten, imprisoned?

Yet Paul also fully understood the rewards.  In the 1st chapter, 21st verse of his letter to the Philippians, the good people who helped financially support him while in prison in Rome, Paul says…

21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

--Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)

To live is Christ, because Christ lives in us.  We are Christ, we are Jesus.  And when we die, when we leave this life on earth, our gain will be great.  If we live so that other people can see Christ in us, we will share in His glory in heaven.


Family, live in such a way that people can see Jesus through us.  Be that new creation that Christ shed His blood for.  Let the old self be crucified, dead, and buried so that the new can come to life, and live in Christ.

We are Jesus.  Make sure others can see Him.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and our only hope.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, once we were far from You, separated by our sin.  But You sent Your Son to atone for our sin by sacrificing Himself as a blood offering on our behalf.  Thank You, Father, for Your love and mercy.  Thank You for giving us a little more insight into Your plan for our salvation.  Please help us to honor the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

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 gave up Your own life for us, suffered for us, just so we might be spared everlasting torment, eternal separation from our Father God.  And then, once we accepted You as Lord, You chose to live within us.  Help us, please Lord, to better reflect You and Your presence in our lives.  Help us to show You to other people in how we live our daily lives.  And please help us to be You to those who do not know You.  Help us portray You, in our lives, in our love.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.