May Nothing Be Lost

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 25th of July, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Last week we studied a passage of scripture from the Gospel account of the Apostle Mark.  In that reading, I skipped a section on purpose simply because it did not pertain to the point of the message.

Do you remember what I said I skipped?  It was Mark’s account of the feeding of the 5000.  This event was recorded by all four of the Gospel writers, so we know it is something very important for us to study and understand and learn from.

We call this the feeding of the 5000, but each of the Gospel writers puts that number at 5000 men, which does not include any women and children that were very likely also present.  The Apostle Matthew in his account even mentions, “Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children”.

But the Apostle John added one little piece of information in his account that the other three failed to include, one short sentence Jesus spoke after all had eaten that I think we need to hear.  Please listen and follow along to how John recorded this event for us in chapter 6 of his Gospel account in verses 1 through 15, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

--John 6:1-15 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for hearing all prayers, especially those offered up by Your Son Jesus.  He took five loaves of bread and two small fish and thanked You for the feast they would provide.  Thank You, God, for giving Jesus the power and authority to work such mighty signs and miracles, so that the people then and we now would know that He is indeed Your Son.  Please hear our prayers also.  Help us give You thanks for what You are about to do in our lives.  Help us speak to others of Your mighty power and compassionate love.  And Father, please guard us from Satan and those who so gleefully do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and our service to Jesus.  Please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this morning.  Show us in our minds and our hearts how we might help save the lost from a horrible fate.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer.   Amen.

I apologize that this little story may not be well-suited to the faint of heart, but it is very telling.  In one of his essays, George Orwell describes a wasp that, "was sucking jam on my plate and I cut him in half.  He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus.  Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him."  In his essay, Orwell didn’t mention this, but that wasp and people without Christ have much in common.  Severed from their souls, but greedy and unaware, those people continue to consume life's sweetness.  Only when it's time to fly away will they fully grasp their dreadful condition.

OK, so that was a little gross, but it makes a very interesting comparison.

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, and most widely known for his futuristic novel, 1984.  He was rather radical in his views so maybe we can’t really fault him for detailing so strange an occurrence in his life, nor his actions in cutting the wasp in half to see what would happen.

Just as that wasp kept on sucking up the sweet jam without realizing its doom was at hand, people who have rejected Jesus continue to take in all that this life has to offer without a care of what eternity holds in store.  They are lost, just as that wasp was lost, and the sad thing is that they don’t even know it.

As I mentioned at the start, all four Gospel writers included this miraculous meal in their accounts.  Matthew recorded it in his chapter 14, Mark in his chapter 6, and Luke in his chapter 9.  But only John caught something Jesus said.  Did you notice it?

After everyone finished eating, Jesus sent the disciples back around to gather up in baskets anything that wasn’t eaten.  Jesus told them to “gather up the fragments that remain”, or words to that effect.  But only John heard the Lord add, “so that nothing is lost”.  Go and gather up anything left over so that nothing is lost, nothing is left behind.

Yes, Jesus was speaking of the bits of fish and bread that had not been eaten by the throng.  But do you suppose that’s all Jesus meant?  Could He have also had something else in mind, knowing that we today would be reading of this account that His beloved disciple saved for us?

One more thing that John caught that the others may have missed is contained in the last verse of our passage.  Jesus perceived that the people were about ready to force Him to be their king.  Remember, there were over 5000 of them and He had just fed them all with what amounted to a rather modest lunch.  They were starting to realize this was indeed the promised Messiah, the Savior, the king come to save them all.

Yes, He was the Messiah, but an earthly king is not the role He came to serve.  His purpose here, given Him by our Father God, was much more humble, and far more important than that.

So that nothing is lost…

Jesus often spoke of sheep in His teachings, because the people understood sheep, and shepherd was a common occupation.  Sometimes He commented on people who acted like sheep without a shepherd, or like sheep who had gone astray.  Sheep are relatively dumb, and need someone to guide them or they’ll wander around eating grass without a care in the world.  Sort of like that wasp in Orwell’s essay.  They’ll stray from the flock and get lost.

And Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd at times.  He even told His disciple Peter to tend His sheep, feed His sheep.

Listen to what Matthew recorded Jesus saying to His disciples in chapter 18 of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 14…

11 ... “the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

--Matthew 18:11-14 (NKJV)

Jesus came to save the lost, so that nothing - no one - be lost.  The shepherd would certainly leave the 99 sheep behind to go look for the one that had gone astray.  And he would rejoice more for finding it than for the others who were safe in the fold.

Jesus and all the angels in heaven rejoice whenever one lost sheep, one strayed soul, is found and returns to the flock.  Why?  Because it is not God’s will that even one soul be lost.

Family, if Jesus rejoices over one lost sheep being found and returned to the fold, doesn’t it follow that He must weep over any sheep that go astray?  We should share in heaven’s sorrow when one of us wanders from the flock, taking in the pleasures of this life, content on grazing the meadows of this world with no concern for what lies ahead.  And we should rejoice when one who was lost is found.  After all, it is God’s will that none who have strayed should perish, but that they be found and saved.

Let us continue to pray for the lost, for those who have strayed from the straight and narrow path.  And if and when we get the opportunity to talk with one of them, let’s remind them of how good our Lord is and how much He loves them.  Let’s do all we can to help, so that nothing is lost.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for loving us so much that You want none of us to perish, to be separated from You for all eternity.  You sent Your Son Jesus to save us when we were lost, and He still seeks out the lost.  Thank You for working Your will through Him and through us.  Please, Father, help us carry out Your will.  Help us be better servants.  Sometimes, Father, we let the world get us down and we start to lose hope.  Sometimes we enjoy this life too much and begin to stray.  Please, Father, help us stay on the path to righteousness.  Please keep us strong in our spirit, in our faith, and in our service to You and Jesus.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You from our hearts through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You came to save the lost and You rejoice when one who was lost is found.  We were all lost in our sin when You came to save us.  Thank You, Jesus, for loving us this much.  Lord Jesus, we ask You to help us as we try to reach out to a disbelieving world with Your word and Your Good News.  Help us as we seek out the lost.  Strengthen our will to do what our Father God wills us to do.  Help us to be more loving, more understanding, kinder to all we encounter each day.  And please help us as we try to show Your love in a world where hatred and distrust seem to grow stronger each day.  All this we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Touched and Made Well

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 18th of July, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Jesus went to His hometown of Nazareth where He was mostly rejected, where everyone there knew Him as the son of a carpenter and not as God.  So He went into the surrounding towns and villages and sent His twelve disciples out, sent them out in pairs after giving them power over unclean spirits, sent them out to spread the Gospel and preach repentance.

Jesus warned them that some would not listen, would not hear the truth.  The disciples should just shake these non-believers off, for their fate will be terrible.  And they did as Jesus commanded, casting out many demons, anointing the sick with oil and healing them.

I imagine this would have been rather stressful work for the disciples, going out pretty much on their own without their Lord.  Please listen and follow along to how the Apostle Mark described their return and what happened next, as reported in chapter 6 of his Gospel account, verses 30 through 34 and verses 53 through 56, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. 34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. 56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

--Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving Your Son Jesus Your own Holy Spirit and the power to make us well.  We are frail in body, and often need healing, but we also often become weak in spirit and need to be made whole.  Thank You, God, for Your healing touch in our lives.  Please help us let others know that they too can be made whole through Jesus.  Help us show them how the touch of our Lord has healed our soul and can make them well too.  And Father, please guard us from Satan and those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and our service to Jesus.  Please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this morning.  Strengthen us and let us feel Your healing touch this day.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer.   Amen.

According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys.  He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity.  Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground.  Then he said to the critical Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle, if you can.  Tell us what the unstrung bow implies."  The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make.  Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it."

People are like that, too: we’ll eventually break if we’re always kept tense.  That's why we all need to take some time to rest.  In today's Scripture, Jesus prescribed time off for His wearied disciples after they had returned from a prolonged period of ministry.  And in Genesis 2:3 of the Old Testament, God set a pattern for us when He "rested from all His work".

When we relax a little, we can let God’s healing touch work its wonders.  So let’s take His example seriously and rest from all our work.  We can start by setting aside a special time to relax physically and so renew ourselves emotionally and spiritually.  We will be at our best for the Lord if we have taken time to loosen the bow.  

When the disciples returned from their assigned task, Jesus told them to rest for a spell.  They were likely tired and a little stressed out, and there was still a lot commotion around Jesus, with many folk coming and going just to see Him.  Mark noted that there was so much going on around them that they didn’t even have time to eat.  So Jesus said let’s just all get away to ourselves for a while and take a break.

They climbed aboard a boat and headed out to a deserted place, but the crowds saw them leave and followed on foot.  When Jesus and the disciples reached shore, the multitude was waiting for them.  So much for their break!

The part of the scripture that I left out, between verses 35 and 52, was when Jesus fed the 5000 men, and who knows how many women and children, making that huge meal from only five loaves of bread and two fishes.  That was certainly no time for rest for Jesus or the disciples.  They stayed constantly busy seeing to the needs of the people that flocked around this miraculous healer.  And it was like this everywhere Jesus went.  Once He was recognized, the people immediately flocked to Him.

Why?  Because they knew He could heal them.  Even if they could only touch the hem of His garment, Jesus could make them well.

Family, one thing we pray for every week is that God touch us and make us well, make us whole.  We’re not just asking for healing in our bodies alone, but in our minds, our hearts, and our spirits as well.  And not just for ourselves as individuals, but for our loved ones, for those we may not personally know, for our nation, and for society as a whole.  We also pray that God’s Holy Spirit would touch and soften the hearts of the lost and the non-believers, that they too might be saved.

We pray for that divine, miraculous touch because that is how Jesus healed folks when He walked this earth.  As we just read in Mark’s Gospel account, everywhere Jesus went, the sick and infirm - both in body and in spirit - came to Him or were brought to Him to be made well.  Jesus didn’t really need to touch them, and didn’t always do so, but so often He would simply reach out His hand, or take someone by the hand, to make them well, to make them whole again.

Please listen and follow along to three such occurrences that the Apostle Matthew reported for us in chapter 9 of his Gospel account, verses 18 through 31…

18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land.

27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” 31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.

--Matthew 9:18-31 (NKJV)

We know those stories; we’ve talked about them before.  They are a testament to faith, and to Jesus’ healing power, able even to raise the dead back to life, made well with just a touch, just a word.  By their faith and belief in Jesus’ authority and ability to heal them, these people we’ve heard about this morning were made well.

But family, it isn’t just physical bodies that Jesus can touch and heal.  By the touch of His blood we are healed of our sin and made right with God.  By His touch on our lives we are made whole, complete in Him, reunited through Him with our Father God.  When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Master, He touched us and made us well.

Now it’s our turn.  Jesus told the healed blind men not to tell anyone what had happened to them because it wasn’t quite yet time for His real purpose and identity to be made known.  But now He has commanded us to go out and tell everyone all about Him, tell the whole world what He has done for us.  Jesus wants everyone to reach out and touch Him so they can be made well.

Like those blind men, we need to spread the news about Him, the Good News, in all our country and in all the world.  We have been touched and made well!  Let everyone know!  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for the great compassionate love and mercy You show us.  Thank You for giving us faith in Your Son so that we are spared the eternal death and separation from You.  And thank You for showing us by Your own example that we need to take time to rest, to allow our bodies and our spirits a chance to regain strength.  Please, Father, help us as we strive to serve You and Jesus.  Sometimes we get too caught up in the busyness of this world and don’t stop long enough to eat of Your word of life.  Sometimes we forget what matters most.  Please, Father, catch us when we stumble, hold us up when our legs become weary, see us through another day.  Please keep us strong in our spirit, in our faith, and in our service.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You from our hearts through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, during Your short ministry on earth, You healed thousands of people, not only of physical illnesses and infirmities but also of spiritual weaknesses and failings.  You healed the lame, the blind, the deaf, even brought the dead back to life.  You cast out unclean spirits and renewed souls.  You touched the people or they touched You and were made whole again.  Thank You, Jesus, for touching us and making us well.  Lord Jesus, we ask You to help us show others how we have been healed by Your touch in our lives.  Strengthen our will to do what our Father God wills us to do.  Help us to be more loving, more understanding, kinder to all we encounter each day.  And please help us as we try to show Your love in a world where hatred and distrust seem to grow stronger each day.  All this we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Chosen

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 11th of July, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Saul was a good, devout Pharisee, a religious leader among the Jewish people.  He was dedicated to serving God and willingly did whatever task the synagogue ordered.  This included rounding up those who believed in Jesus as the Christ, and bringing them to trial.

All that was before Jesus struck him blind as he traveled to arrest believers in Damascus.  In that city, Jesus instructed a man named Ananias to go to Saul and restore his sight.  Ananias was hesitant to do so because of Saul’s reputation.  But Jesus told him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel."  A chosen vessel, chosen to do not as the synagogue or other people ordered but as Jesus commands.

Please listen and follow along to what that former Pharisee, now the Apostle Paul, wrote in the opening chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.

2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9 God has now revealed to us His mysterious will regarding Christ — which is to fulfill His own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ — everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.

12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called — His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else — not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.

--Ephesians 1 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for blessing us with spiritual blessings in heaven and physical blessings on earth.  Even before You made the world, You chose us to be one in Christ, to be holy and faultless in Your eyes.  Thank You, God, for so great a gift.  Please help us as we walk through this life.  Help us follow Jesus and do as He commands.  And Father, please keep us safe from Satan and those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and our service to Jesus.  Please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Reassure us that You chose us to serve Your Son.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus, your Son and our Redeemer.   Amen.

American clergyman Henry Ward Beecher once noted that, "You cannot teach a child to take care of himself unless you will let him take care of himself. He will make mistakes, and out of these mistakes will come his wisdom."  

We who believe in and have accepted Christ Jesus as our Lord are now children of God.  So great is God’s mercy that our freedom from eternal death has been purchased by the blood of His Son Jesus.  And so great is God’s love that our heavenly Father allows us to make mistakes as we try to take care of ourselves.  I only wonder if we are gaining any wisdom from the constant exercise.

Paul was indeed chosen.  Jesus Himself said so.  Paul was chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, chosen to be a servant, chosen to go out and tell everyone he encountered all about Jesus.

Looking at his prior life as a Pharisee, we can see that Saul did not choose to serve Jesus.  Just the opposite!  Saul did not choose Jesus; Jesus chose Saul.  And Paul assures us that we too have been chosen, we who believe in and follow Jesus.

Before He even created the world, God chose us in Christ, chose us to be adopted into His own family, chose us to be brought to Himself through Jesus.  He chose us to share in His eternal, heavenly inheritance with Jesus.  He chose us and showed us His plan of salvation through Christ Jesus, so that we can share that Good News with others.  We are the chosen of God.

Remember that Paul never really walked alongside Jesus.  He was given special insight by Jesus during the three days of his blindness, but he did not experience Jesus one-on-one when our Lord walked among us as a man.

The Apostle Peter, on the other hand, did.  Peter and his brother Andrew were the first two chosen by Jesus to be His disciples, His followers.  Chosen by Jesus.  They did not choose Him, He chose them.  So Peter knows what it means, what it feels like to be chosen by God.  Listen to what he wrote to the early church, from his 1st letter to the persecuted Christians in Asia Minor, chapter 2, verses 4 through 10…

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor.

5 And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,

chosen for great honor,

and anyone who trusts in Him

will never be disgraced.”

7 Yes, you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given Him. But for those who reject Him,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has now become the cornerstone.”

8 And,

“He is the stone that makes people stumble,

the rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;

now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy;

now you have received God’s mercy.”

--1 Peter 2:4-10 (NLT)

Peter says that even Jesus was chosen by God, chosen to carry out God’s plan, chosen for great honor.  And Peter concurs with Paul that we too are chosen.  We are chosen as living stones in God’s spiritual temple.  Not only are we a chosen people, we are also chosen as royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.  Chosen so we can show others the goodness of God.

I love how that passage ends, with Peter reminding us that once we had no identity, but now we are God’s people.  I think about the labels we place upon ourselves in an attempt to identify ourselves.  Asian-American, Mexican-American, African-American, Irish-American.  Working-class, middle-class, rich, poor, young, old, Baby Boomers, Millennials, Gen X, Y, or Z.  These are labels we chose, not what was chosen for us.

We are God’s people, chosen by Him to serve a better purpose, chosen to be a vessel for Christ Jesus, bearing His name to all the world.  Let us do what we were chosen to do.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for choosing us to follow Your Son.  Thank You for allowing us to bear His name to all the world.  And thank You for granting us eternal life for our belief in Jesus.  Please, Father, help us be better disciples.  Sometimes we are too timid or shy, too hesitant to tell others the Good News of salvation through Jesus.  Sometimes we worry about what others may think, we fear how they might react, or maybe we’re just afraid we won’t say the right words and will do more harm than good.  Please, Father, stand by our side as we try to share the Gospel.  Please keep us strong in our spirit, in our faith, and in our service.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You from our hearts through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You hand-picked men to be Your disciples while You walked this earth, to be Your followers, Your friends.  We were also chosen to follow You and serve You.  God chose us and we are His, so we are Yours.  Thank You, Jesus, for making the ultimate sacrifice for us, for taking all our sin upon Yourself so that we can be seen as holy and righteous before our Father God.  Lord Jesus, we ask You to help us be better followers, better servants.  Strengthen our will to do what our Father God wills us to do.  Help us to be more loving, more understanding, kinder to all we encounter each day.  And please help us as we try to show Your love in a world filled with so much hatred and distrust.  All this we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Independence

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Independence Day, Sunday morning, the 4th of July, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

On this very day in 1776, our nation’s founders gathered around a table and put their fortunes and lives on the line.  By signing the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to the British crown, but were now united, free, and independent states.  But even then we were not truly independent.  Each of these men, and especially one named George Washington, knew that without God’s intervention, this new nation would not survive its birthing pains.

Jesus understood both the independent nature of man as well as our need to depend on a higher source of strength and authority.  He knew all about choices, seeing so many who chose not to believe in Him even after witnessing His many miracles and mighty works.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Mark recorded for us in the 6th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 13, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Then Jesus went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff — no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts — 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.

10 Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

--Mark 6:1-13 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving us the faith to believe in Jesus as Your Son.  It is this belief, even without physical proof, that leads us to accept Him as our Lord.  Thank You, God, for allowing us the free will to choose dependence.  Please help us remember that everything we have and ever will have comes from Your hand.  Help us see that we are not really as independent as we’d like to think we are.  And Father, please shield us from Satan and those who so willingly do his evil bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and our service to Jesus.  Please keep us healthy and safe through these extraordinary times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Whisper into our hearts what true freedom really means.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus, your Son, who takes away our burdens.   Amen.

Edward Gibbon, author of the book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, attributed that fall to these five key points:

1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.
2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.
3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.
4. The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.
5. The decay of religion -- faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people.

The Roman Empire fell over 1600 years ago, but does any of that sound familiar?  History has a way of repeating itself if we don’t remember and learn from past mistakes.  We are seeing all five of those elements in our nation, our society, today.

But this is not what our Founding Fathers intended.  Patrick Henry noted that, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”  John Quincy Adams added, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: that it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”  In his farewell address, George Washington warned, “Do not let anyone claim the tribute of American patriotism if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics.”

And then we have Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed, “The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall; it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government.”  And yet, in the past year and a half, we have seen churches across the US forced by government to close their doors to worship, for the sake of health and safety.  There are even some at the highest levels of government in our land who would increase the hardship on Christians to gather and worship.  Our freedom of worship is at risk of being infringed.  The Founders would be heartbroken.

You may be wondering what our scripture reading has to do with independence.  Quite frankly, I did too, when the Spirit gave it to me.  Well, think about it a little.  What better exemplifies independence than free will?  God has given us the freedom to do as we please.

When Jesus went back to His home town of Nazareth, the people who had known Him all His life chose not to believe in Him as anything other than the son of a carpenter.  Even though He performed mighty works, they refused to accept Him as the Son of God, sent from heaven.  That was their choice and they were free to make it.

Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs into the surrounding villages and towns.  In His instructions to them, He made it clear that there would be some who would refuse to receive them or listen to what they had to say, while some would.  At this point in time, faith had little to do with it because Jesus was performing miracles right before their very eyes, and so did His disciples.  Each person had the independence to choose whether to believe or not.

Now we today can only read of the great works Jesus accomplished, so faith plays a major role in our choice.  We are still independent, we believers - we still have and exercise free will.  We choose to believe.  We choose to accept Jesus as the one true Son of God, as our Lord and Master.

In other words, by our independence, we choose to be totally dependent on our Father God and His Son Jesus.  When we accepted Jesus as Lord, we established our own, individual dependence day.  And that choice truly frees us.

The Apostle Paul clearly understood this dichotomy of being dependent and independent at the same time.  In chapter 12 of his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, the last part of verse 5 through verse 10, Paul proclaims…

5b ...of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. 6 For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

--2 Corinthians 12:5b-10 (NKJV)

We Americans are a fiercely independent lot.  In our early history we had to be, for there was often few others we could depend on.  Any sign of weakness was seen as an imperfection, a fault.

But once we have chosen to be dependent on God, we can see how truly weak we are, knowing that we need Him for everything in this life.  Our weakness highlights His strength in taking care of us and providing for our needs.  Our acknowledged weakness is our greatest strength in that we place all our trust in the powerful, strong hands of the Almighty.  And our true independence derives from our dependence on God.

Today we celebrate the birth of our nation, when we declared our independence from England’s kings.  And my prayer is that today we also celebrate our dependence on the King of all kings, our Lord Jesus and our heavenly Father God.  Our independence, our free will, allows us the choice: believe or not, accept Jesus or reject Him.  Let us choose to be dependent.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for allowing us to choose our destiny.  Thank You for providing for our needs.  And thank You for being strong in our weakness.  Please, Father, help us stay strong in our faith and our service.  Sometimes our independent nature gets in the way of our realization that we are fully dependent on You and Your mercy for all that we have and all that we will become.  Please, Father, keep us strong in our spirit, in our faith, and in our service.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You from our hearts through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You knew that many people would reject You and Your disciples, even as You did the impossible right before their eyes.  Even some of the folks in Your home town, including relatives and friends, refused to believe You were sent from God.  Thank You, Jesus, for all that You did so that we, who did not see, could believe.  Lord Jesus, we ask You to help us celebrate our independence by reminding us of our dependence on our Father God.  Strengthen our will to do what He wills us to do.  Help us to be more loving, more understanding, kinder to all we encounter each day.  And please help us as we try to show Your love in a world filled with so much hatred and distrust.  All this we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.