The Good Part

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 24th of July, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

Every now and then in our Bible’s Gospel accounts, we’ll come across a person that is described as one whom Jesus loved.  Lazarus was such person.  We are told in the Apostle John’s account that Jesus wept while walking to the tomb where the body of Lazarus had been laid.

But John also tells us that Jesus loved not only Lazarus, but his sisters as well.  Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in the town of Bethany, within easy walking distance of Jerusalem.  Jesus and His disciples stopped there at times to visit and eat.  They are mentioned three times in the Gospels, which is enough to tell us that they were special to Jesus, and so should be special to us as well, that we pay attention to what they might tell us.

Probably the incident that most folks remember of these three was when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  Another was when Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly oil right before His arrest and crucifixion.  But I’d like to look at the first time we meet the sisters, even though Lazarus isn’t mentioned.  This comes from the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account, shortly after Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Now it’s important to remember that even though this story follows on the heels of a parable, Martha and Mary were real women, and their stories are true.

Please listen and follow along to the record Luke saved for us in the 10th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 38 through 42, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

38 Now it happened as they went that Jesus entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

--Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for introducing us to Martha and Mary, and Lazarus, too.  These were people Your Son Jesus loved.  They were special to Him and they have something to tell us.  Thank You for ensuring we would have their stories to study even to this day.  Forgive us, please Father, when we get too distracted with the routine, mundane activities of this life.  Forgive us when we don’t spend enough time with You and in Your word.  Please help us recognize the thing that is needed.  Remind us that we must not miss out on the good part.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his bidding, trying to divide us one from another.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  May we be as devoted to Jesus as were these two sisters.  Show us how to choose best to serve our Lord.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Redeemer.   Amen.

George C. Marshall, army general, statesman, and US Chief of Staff under presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, provided us with this formula for working with other people:

Listen to the other person’s story.

Listen to the other person’s full story.

Listen to the other person’s full story first.

What is the key in all this?  To listen.  Listen to the other person.  Really listen – don’t pretend, don’t feign interest.  Pay attention to what they are trying to relate to us so that we can better understand what they are going through, which just might give us a better chance of helping them.

Sometimes we tend to jump ahead a little.  We’ll hear part of the story and start formulating a response before they’re through.  We figure we already know what to say.  And we can so easily be wrong, wrong, wrong.

I think this might be the case when we first meet Martha and Mary.  We might not listen to the full story before deciding what is going on.  If we quickly read through this we might surmise that Martha is more pragmatic, more practical than her sister Mary, and that Mary is more spiritual than Martha.  Some might think that Mary is being lazy, sitting around listening to their guests while Martha does all the work of preparing a meal for a bunch of guys who just happened to drop in.  And there may be a bit of truth in all this.  But let’s take a closer look.

Luke first introduces us to Martha who welcomed Jesus into their home.  And then in verse 39, Luke tells us, “And she” – Martha – “had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.”

There’s one word in there that’s easy to miss: “also”.  At one point or another, both sisters sat at Jesus’ feet and listened as He spoke the word.  This tells us that Martha was just as spiritual as Mary, in the sense that they both were followers of Jesus and cherished hearing Him speak.

But then, everyone started getting a little hungry so Martha, being the good hostess, got up to prepare a meal for them all.  Maybe she was going a bit overboard, trying to serve a little more elaborate meal than necessary.  But she needed an assist and noticed her sister just sitting there, doing nothing to help.

Isn’t this kind of just human nature?  Put yourself in Martha’s position.  You’re trying to put the big holiday feast together and on the table, while the person who should be helping you is out socializing with the guests.  Wouldn’t you go out and say, “Excuse me, but I could really use some help in the kitchen!”?  That’s pretty much what Martha did, except she asked Jesus to intercede for her.  I can only imagine she was surprised by Jesus’ response.

What is the difference between hearing and listening?  We can hear without listening.  If we’re driving along listening to the radio, we might not be listening for a police siren or a car horn honking, but we can hear them if they blare out.

Listening takes hearing to another level by us paying more attention to what we’re hearing.  If we don’t listen, if we don’t pay attention, we may miss the good part.  It’s like trying to watch a movie and someone keeps chattering away so that you miss an important part of the show.

Martha became distracted trying to get a meal ready for her guests and was no longer listening to Jesus.  Mary chose the good part.  She chose to stay and listen to the word.

Listen to the word - not only hear what is spoken, but listen; be still and pay attention.  The Psalmist tells us that God says to, “Be still, and know that I am God”.

Our Gospel accounts are filled with the many times our Lord Jesus spoke, God in the flesh speaking for our benefit.  Hear and listen to the words Jesus spoke as saved for us by the Apostle John in the 5th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 24 through 30…

24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."

--John 5:24-30 (NKJV)

Notice that it’s not enough to hear the word, but to believe, to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and to believe in God, who sent His Son to redeem us.  The time is coming when even the dead will hear His voice, they will be called forth from the grave by His voice, and they will all live again.

But not all will be spared eternal punishment.  Those who refused to believe, those who have done evil, will be resurrected to condemnation and everlasting separation from God.  The believers, the righteous, will live forever with God in His heaven.  And in all this, Jesus will be carrying out His Father’s will.  As He hears from God, He will judge, and His judgment will be righteous.

So family, if we don’t want to miss the good part, we need to be still and listen.  We need to quit letting the things of this world distract us so that we can hear and pay attention.

For most of us, I think the scales are tipped a goodly bit toward Martha.  We need to strike a closer balance with Mary.  Yes, we can be dutiful like Martha, seeing to our needs and especially to the needs of others.  But we should also be more like Mary, choosing to pause and pay attention, not letting our mundane routine keep us from listening to God’s voice as He speaks to us through His words in our Bible, as He speaks to our hearts through His Holy Spirit within us.

Be still and listen.  And don’t miss the good part.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for ensuring that we would have Your word to study and live by.  Over the thousands of years of human history, so many things might have happened to where all of the books of our Bible would have been lost and never again seen.  Thank You for making sure this did not happen so that we can see all You have to show us.  Father, sometimes we get too busy to spend more time with Your word.  Sometimes we let our normal routines take priority over anything else.  Sometimes we let the charms of this world distract us from choosing the good part.  Forgive us, Father, when we become more like Martha, less like Mary.  Forgive us when we either don’t learn from or outright ignore the lessons saved in our Bible.  Please, loving Father, help us pay better attention to what You tell us.  Keep reminding us of how important it is for us to not only hear, but to stop and listen.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You loved Martha and Mary both, and we know that You love us, too.  And out of Your love, You reminded Martha of what is truly important.  Please, Lord, every now and then, remind us, too.  Please, help us ignore the busyness all around us so that we can better listen for Your voice.  Forgive us when we lose focus on You and stray from the path You set before us.  Remind us that we are Yours, bought through the sacrifice of Your own blood.  And Lord Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our sight set on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Rescued from Darkness

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 17th of July, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

Darkness has always caused a certain amount of fear and trepidation, and not just for humans.  Some predators hunt only at night, hoping to catch their prey unawares, maybe asleep, easy pickings.  Of course, that concept works for human predators as well as those in the animal kingdom.  Most of us sleep at night, and want the house to be as dark as possible.  Many activities highly visible in the daylight slow down or cease in the dark of night.

But those who would do wrong or cause harm, those with evil intent, those looking for a more vulnerable victim seek the darkness to cover their acts.  These who hunt their prey under the cover of night fear the light most of all.  The light not only reveals their acts, but also their identities.

And the simple fact is that when something happens at night, we are less able to react to it if we can’t see what is going on.  Think of a tornado or a bad storm that strikes in the dark of night, and the power goes out with it.  We grope for a flashlight or light a candle – something, anything to provide even a little bit of illumination.  The light allows us to see, to recognize, to better prepare and respond.

Our Bible often speaks of darkness and light.  Even Jesus, in a few of His parables, mentioned how some things occur in the dark of night.  His own return, He said, would be unexpected, like a thief coming in the night.

The Apostle Paul also contrasted darkness and light, while instructing us on the importance of carrying out the mission our Lord Jesus gave us.  Please listen and follow along to the words Paul wrote in the 1st chapter of his letter to the Colossians, verses 13 through 29, and I’ll be reading this from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

13 For God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son Jesus, 14 who purchased our freedom with His blood and forgave our sins.

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

He existed before anything was created and He is the firstborn of all creation,

16 for through Him God created everything

in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see

and the things we can’t see — 

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through Him and for Him.

17 He existed before anything else,

and He holds all creation together.

18 Christ is also the head of the church,

which is His body.

He is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead.

So He is first in everything.

19 For God in all His fullness

was pleased to live in Christ,

20 and through Him God reconciled

everything to Himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for His body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving His church by proclaiming His entire message to you. 26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory.

28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

--Colossians 1:13-29 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son into the world, for shining Your light to dispel the darkness.  Just as our sun rises to light the earth and start a new day, Your Son rose from the dead to bring new life to all believers.  Thank You for Your Truth, Your Light, Your Son.  Forgive us, please Father, when we shun or ignore those truths we just don’t like to hear.  Forgive us when we won’t shine a light on our own failings.  Please help us find the truth in all things.  Help us reveal what is wrong around us so that it can be corrected or prevented.  Remind us that we are to show others the Light that is Jesus.  May He light their path and ours.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his bidding, trying to divide us one from another.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  You have rescued us from the grasp of darkness and given us to Your Son.  May we bring glory and honor to Your names.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Sometimes great things are said by people who are no longer known to us.  Like this:

Making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences.  Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl.  "Why," he exclaimed, "when I went a-courtin', I never carried one of them things.  I always went in the dark."  "Yes," the hired man said wryly, "and look what you got!"

Truly there indeed are times when we need to shed a little light on the subject at hand, lest we end up with “a pig in a poke”.

Another unknown wit once noted that, “Some people change their ways when they see the light, others only when they feel the heat.”  One of my favorite activities as a Gideon before being ordained was our jail ministry.  We would go into our county jail and read a little scripture and tell anyone who would listen how important it is to have a solid relationship with Jesus.

Now these were always male inmates, and many of them that would listen to us were there because of stupid things they did while intoxicated, either on alcohol or drugs.  Some, when we could talk one on one, would seem truly contrite and repentant for what they did.  They would pray the sinners prayer and ask for forgiveness, but I often wondered if they had truly seen the light, or were just feeling a little heat.

I can’t remember the characters or the circumstances, but there was a criminal on trial once and he spoke of how sorry he was for his crime.  The judge looked at him and pointedly asked, “Are you sorry for what you did, or sorry that you were caught?”  

Whether from seeing the light or feeling the heat, we are changed when we accept Jesus as Lord.

Right at the very start of our scripture reading, Paul proclaims that, “God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son Jesus”.  It’s like Jesus saved us from default by paying for our freedom with His own precious blood.

While those two words may often be used interchangeably, to me "rescued" conveys so much more of a sense of urgency than just "saved".  We may have a few dollars set aside and saved for a rainy day, for an emergency, or to purchase something we’ve wanted for a long time.  But to be rescued implies we were in dire straits, about to die, or worse.  Think about being rescued from flood waters versus being saved from having to attend a boring meeting.

God rescued us from darkness.  Thanks to Him, we no longer have to risk stumbling around in the darkness of our sin.  In Jesus we have a light that always shines, that cannot be extinguished, that darkness can never dim.   He is the visible image of God, God in the flesh, fully Man and fully God.  He was, He is, and He always will be.  And through Him God reconciled everything in heaven and on earth to Himself, including us - reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus.

Much of this passage harkens back to the writings of the Apostle John in his account of the life of Jesus.  Listen to how John opened the 1st chapter of his Gospel account, in verses 1 through 4…

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

--John 1:1-4 (NKJV)

In Jesus was life, the life that is the light of men.  Jesus is the Light, the light that dispels all darkness.  The problem is, though, that not all men seek the light.  A little later on in his Gospel account, in chapter 3, verses 16 through 21, John recorded Jesus when He said…

16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

--John 3:16-21 (NKJV)

Jesus wasn’t sent to condemn the world, but rather to rescue those who would believe in Him as God’s Son and accept Him as Lord.  When He came into our world, He shown the light of God’s truth that all the world might see.

But like I said, not everyone seeks the light.  Some prefer the darkness, love the darkness, because it hides their evil deeds, or so they think.  The darkness may hide their actions from man’s eyes, but not from God’s.  They may get away with their wicked behavior now, but some day they will most definitely feel the heat.

Family, here’s the point I believe God and Paul are trying to impart in our scripture reading.  Yes, we have been rescued by God.  We have been saved by the blood of Jesus from eternal damnation.  But what about all the others out there?  What about all the non-believers?  As far as that goes, I’m not even sure that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is actually saved because they haven’t truly and fully accepted Jesus as Lord.

Our rescue was not an easy affair.  Christ suffered for us so that we could be redeemed.  How much are we willing to suffer that the church, the body of Christ, might continue?  Paul suffered a lot so that the word of God might be shared and spread.  How much are we willing to give and take so that others can hear the word and might also be rescued?

It seems that darkness threatens to overcome the world again.  Violence, bloodshed, warfare all around us…  Famine, flood, global diseases plaguing all life…

Perhaps Jesus is coming soon, to once more shed the light of God on the earth, but this time the light that will shine forever without ceasing.  Let us prepare for His return, not only for ourselves, but for our neighbors as well.  Like Paul, let us work and struggle getting the Gospel message out, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within us.

One of my favorite hymns tells us to rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave.  Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen – tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.  Rescue the perishing – duty demands it!  Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide.  Rescue the perishing, care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

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

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for shining Your light into our darkness.  When we were lost in the dark of our sin, You sent the Light of truth to show us the way.  Thank You for rescuing us.  Father, sometimes we still try to hide our failings from You and from others.  Sometimes we still shun the light, preferring the darkness.  Forgive us, Father, when we are not truthful, even with ourselves.  Forgive us when fail to live and act as our Lord commands us.  Please, loving Father, help us to be better servants.  Keep reminding us that we belong to Your Son, bought and paid for by His blood.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, our heavenly Father sent You to earth on the greatest rescue mission of all, and You did not fail Him.  You rescued us from the darkness we created of our own sin.  Thank You, Jesus, for saving us, for redeeming us.  We know that there are still far too many who love the darkness and hate the light.  Please, Lord, help us reach at least a few of these people.  Please strengthen us and steel our will to carry out Your commands.  Forgive us when we hesitate out of fear.  Nudge us when we become too complacent in our own salvation.  Remind us that there are yet many to be saved.  And Lord Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Showing Mercy

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 10th of July, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

It seems to be a part of our nature, a not so pretty part, that we human beings need to justify our actions that may be less than honorable or righteous.  We see a crime being committed but we do nothing because we don’t want to get involved and possibly face retribution from the guilty party.  We would stop to help that motorist with a flat tire but we’re in a hurry to get somewhere or we’re afraid they might try to rob us.  We would give more to the needy but times are tight and we can barely pay the bills as it is.

I believe in Jesus and try to be a good person doing good deeds, but I just can’t do everything He says, or give up all my little pleasures.  I mean, loving everyone is hard!  How am I supposed to love someone who is trying to steal from me, or who wants nothing more than to see me dead?  How do I love someone who would persecute or kill me for no other reason than that I am a Christian?  That just defies common sense, doesn’t it?

Jesus once came across someone who wanted to justify his own actions, or inactions as is most likely the case.  This was a supposed expert in the law, but Jesus saw that he needed a little better understanding of the law, so He took the opportunity for a teaching moment.  Please listen and follow along to the exchange between the two as recorded by the Apostle Luke in chapter 10 of his Gospel account, verses 25 through 37, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

25 And behold, a certain expert in the law stood up and tested Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” 

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

--Luke 10:25-37 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for saving Your word and Jesus’ teaching moments for us to learn from.  Thank You for showing us our own faults and misunderstandings by these examples.  And thank You for gently instructing us how we should live and act as Christians.  Forgive us, please Father, when we act more like that scribe than one who claims to follow Your Son Jesus.  Forgive us when we just can’t let go of the world and all its pleasures, when we can’t turn away from our own personal favorite sin.  Please help us repent.  Help us show all the world that we are different, that we do follow our Savior’s commands.  Remind us that we should be as merciful to others as You are to us.  Show us how to love as You love.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Show us those areas in our lives where we are failing You without even realizing it.  Write upon our hearts and our spirits the words, “Show mercy”.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Years after the death of President Calvin Coolidge, this little story came to light:

In the early days of his presidency, Coolidge awoke one morning in his hotel room to find a cat burglar going through his pockets.  Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep.  Coolidge then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered he was a college student who had no money to pay his hotel bill or buy a ticket back to campus.   Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet -- which he had also persuaded the dazed young man to give back! -- declared it to be a loan, and then advised the young man to leave the way he had come in so as to avoid the Secret Service!  And yes, the loan was paid back.

I am pretty sure that had I found myself in President Coolidge’s position, my reaction would have been quite different.  Even if the President himself didn’t have a pistol or a knife close at hand, one shout would have immediately brought in heavily armed Secret Service agents.  The young thief would certainly have been arrested, or worse, shot and killed.

But instead, Coolidge engaged the lad in quiet conversation, eventually retaining all that the thief had intended to take, even loaning him enough to pay his hotel bill and get back to his college campus.  Coolidge chose to follow the lead of the Samaritan and showed mercy rather than demand retribution.  As Jesus pointed out, we should do likewise.

We know very little about the man who approached Jesus in our scripture reading other than he was an “expert in the law”, which would make him a scribe.  We can fairly safely surmise that he was not the most gracious or charitable individual since Luke tells us that he wanted to justify himself, perhaps among any of his peers present with him that day or maybe just to himself, to ease his own conscience.  One thing we can be sure of is that Jesus saw right through him, straight to his core.  Jesus knew what was in this man’s heart, and what he really needed to hear, whether he wanted to hear it or not.

We don’t know if the man changed his ways and became more merciful, more loving to his neighbors.  Jesus certainly knew what the outcome would be, so that was not the only reason He engaged the man in conversation.  He took this as a teaching opportunity, for the man, for the others gathered there, and for us.  We may be experts in the law, fully knowledgeable of what our Bible says.  But unless we truly love our neighbors and show them mercy, we’re missing the point.

One important aspect of the story involved the characters themselves, and this should have weighed heavily on the hearts of the Jews present.  The two who passed by the injured man, not even looking to see if he was still alive, not wanting to get involved, were both religious men.  The first was a priest, a speaker and minister in the temple and synagogues.  The second was a Levite, of the house of those historically assigned the role of priests and given authority over the temple.  Religious men, who would not stop to help.

The third man, the one who did stop, was a Samaritan.  Samaria was populated by the descendants of those Jews who married outside their race.  They were mostly despised by the pureblood Jews and considered far inferior.  And yet this Samaritan stopped to render aid and assistance to an injured Jew.

Who do you suppose truly understood God’s law?  Who showed mercy?

The man in our scripture, being an expert in the law, would have been a religious man.  The “law” that Luke refers to is the Law of Moses, the backbone of the Jewish religion.  The scribes mostly worked with the Pharisees as their experts in the law, advising them on the nuances of the law, explaining some of the finer details.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that any of them fully grasped what God was saying through His law.  Sometimes we just let religion get in the way of serving God and Jesus.  The Apostle Paul admitted that before he came to know Jesus as his Lord, he was faithful in his religion as a good Pharisee, doing what God wanted him to do, or so he thought.  It took a while, but Paul finally got it.  We often focus too much on the letter of the law – human or divine law – rather than on its intent.

Hear the words of God, speaking through His prophet Hosea in chapter 6 verse 6 of the book bearing his name…

6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

--Hosea 6:6 (NKJV)

The Jews were big on making the proper sacrifices for all the varied sins man might commit.  Many of their rules centered on all the different types of offerings, burnt and otherwise.  With help from their scribes, they had the letter of the law down pat.  But they missed the intent.  They failed to grasp what God was telling them through His law.  They got parts of it very well, but completely missed the target on the rest.

When speaking to the multitudes one day, whose number included scribes and Pharisees and His disciples, Jesus had this to say, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in chapter 23 verse 23 of his Gospel account…

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

--Matthew 23:23 (NKJV)

These religious leaders of the Jewish people did a great job with tithes and sacrifices and the little things of the law, but they missed out on the weightier matters that God demands.  Their actions and words and deeds too often lacked justice and mercy and even faith.  Yes, these religious men were not very faithful in following the law themselves.  They held those under them to a higher standard than they expected of themselves, showing little or no mercy to the common man.  Their sense of justice was warped by their focus on the letter of the law while ignoring its intent.

God gave us His law so that we can know when we have sinned, both in the lighter matters and in the weightier matters of life.  So it is important that we keep sight of both the law’s letter and its intent, for it is the letter and the intent of God.

Family, we have been shown mercy for our flaws and failings.  We were blind to the law and lost in our sin.  God sent His Son to become the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sin.  We have been shown great, undeserved mercy.  We should be slower to pass judgment and quicker to show mercy to others for their flaws and failings.

We're all human, but we Christians should behave more like Christ.  Let’s not allow our religion to keep us from serving Jesus and doing as He commands.  As the Samaritan did for a stranger whom he treated as his neighbor, let us go and do likewise.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for giving us a clear guide to show us when we have done something displeasing in Your eyes.  And thank You for helping us better understand Your law and Your word by all the examples and clarifications You have provided in our Bible.  Father, sometimes we don’t really understand what we’ve done wrong.  Sometimes we don’t focus on the right things, letting our religion keep us from truly serving You.  Forgive us, Father, when we lose sight of what You have told us to do.  Forgive us when we hold others in lower regard than ourselves, when we don’t show mercy to others, when we can’t forgive them their wrongs.  Please, loving Father, continue to be merciful with us.  Keep reminding us that showing love and mercy are just as important as not lying or stealing or murdering.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, time and again You tried to tell us all how important it is to understand God’s intent, His will, what He truly wants and expects of us.  And just as often we choose to take the easier approach, tackling the lighter tasks while setting the weightier matters aside.  Thank You, Jesus, for having mercy on us and giving us yet another chance to get things right.  Thank You for giving us understandable lessons into the will of God and His plan for us.  Please, Lord, help us be quicker to show mercy and slower to jump to judgment.  Forgive us when we lose sight of God’s intent for mankind.  Help us remember the mission You assigned us.  Remind us that we are to love all our neighbors, even those who aren’t like us and those who hate us, and by loving, to show mercy and forgiveness.  And Lord Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Free Indeed

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered Independence Day weekend, on Sunday, the 3rd of July, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

A young shepherd boy stood ready to do battle with the enemy’s greatest warrior.  The giant Goliath, armed with shield and sword, laughed as he faced David, carrying only a sling and a few smooth stones.  David had no chance in this world against Goliath, but by the hand of God he prevailed and triumphed.

I’d bet that King George III laughed as his mighty army and navy, the most powerful in the world at the time, faced off against a poorly organized and more poorly equipped band of shopkeepers and farmers.  These colonists had no chance in this world against the British crown, but by the hand of God they prevailed and triumphed.  These people put all their faith in the Lord and refused to listen to “popular wisdom” of the day.  Perhaps they had read, understood, and heeded the words of an unknown psalmist.

Please listen and follow along to what was written by one whose name has been lost to time, this song of praise, the 146th Psalm, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2 While I live I will praise the Lord;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,

Nor in a human being, in whom there is no salvation.

4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;

In that very day his plans perish.

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,

Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all that is in them;

Who keeps truth forever,

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,

Who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

The Lord raises those who are bowed down;

The Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the strangers;

He relieves the fatherless and widow;

But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

10 The Lord shall reign forever—

Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!

--Psalm 146 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for standing with us as we sought the freedom to govern ourselves.  Thank You for being with us through so many struggles we have endured as a nation, as a people, and as individuals.  And thank You for blessing this great land and placing us here.  Forgive us, please Father, when we forget that we can accomplish little or nothing on our own.  Forgive us when we don’t recognize Your hand at work in our lives.  Please help us ignore what the world would pass off as wisdom, seeking only Your great and righteous truth.  Help us put all our trust in You and not in princes or any human being.  Remind us that salvation comes only from You through the blood of Your Son Jesus.  Remind us to be happy, for all our hope is in You.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who carry out his evil deeds.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Teach us the true meaning of freedom.  Show us the path that keeps us free.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

On the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor is a bronze plaque on which is inscribed a poem by Emma Lazarus.  The poem reads, in part:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Lady Liberty holds a torch lighting the way to a land where people can be free.  Of course, it took too many years for all people to be able to realize freedom, or even self-governance.  And there are many in these United States who will say we still aren’t all free.  But it’s that promise of freedom that people yearn for, in a nation unlike any on earth.

And don’t you think that “Lazarus” is an appropriate name for the author of this poem that offers new life to the oppressed of the world, given by the hand of God, just as her namesake was given life anew by the hand of God’s Son?

Our Founding Fathers were very much aware of God’s hand at work.  As did the psalmist, they praised the Lord, knowing that He executed justice for the oppressed, gave freedom to the prisoners – prisoners of tyranny, and prisoners to sin.  These were Christian men, believers in the one true God and in His Son Jesus.  They felt the Holy Spirit actively working within them, guiding them, helping them.

The great patriot Patrick Henry, who once stood up in the Second Virginia Convention and shouted, “Give me liberty or give me death!”, also 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!”

There are many in this great land who would beg to differ.  They say that Jesus was just a man, that there is no God, and even if there is then He loves everyone the same.  They say that religion has no place in government, that the church has no place in politics.  President Thomas Jefferson, in an 1802 New Year’s Day speech to the Danbury Baptists, corrected this wayward thinking by explaining that, “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 our first president, George Washington, in his farewell address to the nation added: “Do not let anyone claim the tribute of American patriotism if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics.”

Sadly, we have shifted far from these ideals over the last decades.  Maybe we’ve just forgotten that we have not always been free - neither free from tyranny nor free from the bonds of sin.  We know that not everyone believes in Jesus, not everyone accepts Him as Lord.  But even among those who do, so many have accepted the world’s wisdom, what the world passes on for truth, disregarding the words of Jesus.

Listen to an exchange between Jesus and some Jewish believers as recorded by the Apostle John in the 8th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 31 through 36…

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

--John 8:31-36 (NKJV)

The truth of God makes us free, truly free.  We can wage wars and pay terrible costs in lives and materials to gain freedom from man’s tyranny and evilness.  But we can only truly be set free from sin and from death by God’s Truth, God’s Son: Jesus.

And the only thing we have to do to gain this freedom is believe in the Son and accept Him as our Lord and Master.  Jesus has already fought the greatest war and won.  We may have to still do battle with Satan in this life, but the war is won and we will share in the victory.  Victory over sin, freedom from death, salvation from everlasting punishment and pain.  The Son makes us free.  And we are free indeed!

Our nation’s Founders knew that it was only by God's hand that we won our fight for freedom from tyranny and the right to govern ourselves.  But there is so much more to freedom than this.

The psalmist proclaimed that it is only by God's hand that we are saved and sustained.  God gives freedom to the prisoners, no matter what the prison might be.  Freedom from enemies, freedom from tyranny, freedom from the chains of sin.  And to paraphrase poet Emma Lazarus, it is Jesus who stands by the golden door, holding high the torch of truth, welcoming the tired and poor, the wretched refuse, the homeless and tempest-tossed, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Our Lord loves the righteous.  He opens the eyes of the blind to the truth.  He lifts up those who are bowed down and oppressed.  He watches over us all.  And while nations rise and fall and crumble in time, our Lord shall reign for ever and ever.

Through Christ Jesus and Jesus alone, we are free indeed.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for blessing us with the freedom from tyranny so that we can govern ourselves.  And thank You for giving of Your Son, who freed us from the chains of sin and death.  All You ask is that we believe in Him as Your Christ, sent to redeem us, and that we accept Him as our Lord.  And thanks to You, we are free to make that choice.  Thank You, God, for blessing us so much.  Father, sometimes we seem to forget what freedom really means.  Sometimes we think it is by our own efforts that we are a free people.  Forgive us, Father, when we fail to recognize Your hand at work in our lives.  Forgive us when we listen to the so-called wisdom of others rather than turning to Your word for guidance.  Please, loving Father, continue to smile upon us as a people.  Remind us that You are still sovereign, no matter what the non-believing world proclaims.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, as the Son, You abide forever in our Father’s house.  And You promise that we too can live there forever if we just believe in You and accept You as our Lord.  By Your blood You washed us clean and freed us from the chains of sin.  Thank You, Jesus, for freeing us.  Because of You, we are free indeed.  Thank You for loving us so much.  Please, Lord, help us stay on the path of righteousness so we do not return to slavery to sin.  Forgive us when we allow the world to sway our thinking and lead us back to the ways of wickedness.  Help us remember our true freedom comes only through You by our faith and belief.  Remind us that God is still sovereign over all.  And Lord Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on what this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.