Steps to the Cross

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the first Sunday in Lent, the 26th of February, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Family, today is the first Sunday in Lent, the time for fasting and contemplation.  Back in 1896, Charles Monroe Sheldon wrote and published a work of religious fiction titled, "In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?".  In the story, an out-of-work and homeless man confronts a church congregation about their apathetic lack of compassion, for not being more Christ-like in their mercy, their attitude, their actions.

This poor man dies a few days later.  Moved by the man’s words and death, the pastor challenges the congregation to not do anything before asking themselves, "What would Jesus do?"  Mr. Trevor Autton took Mr. Sheldon's book theme and created a series of sermon outlines to fit into the Lenten season.  I am going to share these themes with you as we continue our walk with Jesus that we began Wednesday afternoon, following along in His steps.

As we read our Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, we can see that not too far into His ministry, He began preparing His followers for what would happen in a few short years.  From our reading we get the sense that they didn’t quite grasp what He was telling them, that they couldn’t quite understand exactly who or what their Master was.

He was called Teacher, Rabbi, Prophet.  Yes, He could work miracles that they couldn’t, but still, wasn’t He just a man, like them?  They could see Him, touch Him, watch Him grow hungry and then eat and drink and do all the normal things we normal human beings do.  Trying to reconcile this man walking with them as God was, understandably, difficult for them.  So He used parables, word stories to try to get His point across in terms familiar to them.  He needed them to understand that their steps together were ultimately leading to the cross, where He would be sacrificed for us all, where He would give up His mortal life so that we might be forgiven of our sin against God.

Let me relate one instance where Jesus spoke with His disciples about going home.  Please listen and follow along to a brief conversation between our Lord and His followers, as recorded by the beloved Apostle John in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 6, and I’ll be reading this from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

--John 14:1-6 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to make the way for us to be reconciled to You.  And thank You for having mercy upon us and giving us this chance at salvation.  By our belief in Jesus and obedience to His commands, we are justified in Your sight.  Father, please forgive us when we don’t always walk with Jesus in our daily life.  Forgive us when we don’t follow along in His steps, striving to follow His example.  Please help us love as Jesus loved, and live as He would have us live.  

And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who are so willing to carry out his evil works.  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.  Help us take up our own cross daily and walk as Jesus walked.  This we pray in the glorious name of Christ Jesus, Your beloved Son.   Amen.

Scottish clergyman George MacLeod once noted that, "Jesus was crucified, not in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves."  We cannot simply sit in church, waiting for the lost to come find us, or even waiting for Jesus to return.  We must get out there among the sinners and thieves, bearing our cross, witnessing for Jesus.

This is what Jesus did.  He didn’t pull up a table and chair in the Temple and wait for the masses to come to Him.  He went out among the people, among the sick and the dying, the lame and the weak; He associated with sinners and tax collectors and thieves.  Jesus commanded us to go into the world making disciples.  This is what Jesus did, and this is what we must do if we are to follow in His steps.

It may be hard for us to understand and believe just how much Jesus accomplished in so short a time.  While there is some uncertainty about the timeline of Jesus’ life, His ministry did not begin until He was around 30 years old and then only lasted as much as three years.  Yet in those three short years, He amassed tens of thousands of followers, starting with four fishermen, and He did this without the benefit of mass media or the internet, no bus tours or jet airplanes.  And more astonishingly, He is remembered and revered today, 2000 years later.

Jesus walked everywhere throughout the area, He visited temples and synagogues, He taught in open fields and on mountainsides.  His twelve chosen disciples walked alongside Him, and the people walked from far and wide just to be near Him, to hear Him, to be healed by Him.  Why?  Maybe because God and His Holy Spirit put it on their hearts that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life.

The Apostle Luke saved for us a moment when Jesus asked His disciples who the others said He was.  They responded that the people thought Him to be John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the other prophets, risen from the dead.  Then He asked who do they, His closest friends and followers think Him to be.  And Peter said, “The Messiah, the Christ sent from God”.

Hear the rest of what Luke saved of this moment, from the 9th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 22 through 24...

22 “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” Jesus said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day He will be raised from the dead.”

23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.”

--Luke 9:22-24 (NLT)

Jesus suffered horribly, both physically and emotionally.  He was beaten and whipped and scourged and nailed to a cross, yes, but He was also rejected by the very people He came to rescue.  That had to have hurt the most.

But then He adds that if we want to be His follower, if we truly intend to walk in His steps, we must be prepared to suffer, too.  Hopefully not as much, nor as violently, as He, but it may happen and we should be prepared for it.  We may be persecuted, scorned by our peers, even physically harmed or put to death if we happen to be witnessing our faith in the wrong place.  But as long as our words and actions are for His sake, in Jesus’ name, then our everlasting life in heaven is assured.

So just as Jesus said, He was arrested by the Jewish leaders and turned over to the Romans where He suffered terrible things.  After a mockery of a trial, and with the Jews shouting for His death, Pilate handed Jesus over to his soldiers.  In chapter 19 of his Gospel account, the second part of verse 16 through the first part of verse 18, John tells us...

16b So they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying the cross by Himself, He went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). 18a There they nailed Him to the cross.

--John 19:16b-18a (NLT)

Are we ready and willing to go that far?  We call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ Jesus, but are we truly ready to follow Him that far, to pick up and carry our own cross, with the full understanding that we may be nailed to it?  If we accept and believe in everything He told us, then the answer should be, “Yes, I am ready.”  If we need a reminder, the Apostle Paul gives us one, in the 6th chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses 3 through 5...

3 Have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

5 Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was.

--Romans 6:3-5 (NLT)

Jesus doesn’t require that we give up our mortal life for Him, even though He gave up His for us.  We don’t have to be nailed to a cross to follow Him.  He would rather we continue to live in this life, to make of ourselves a living sacrifice, carrying on His work here on earth, being His hands and feet and voice.  He wants us to walk alongside Him, learning from Him, living by His example.  He wants us to show Him, to share His love with other people as we walk through this life.  He wants us to be with Him, for all eternity, in our next life.

Jesus’ steps on this earth as a mortal, as a flesh and blood man, ended at the cross on Calvary.  But His life did not end there, for on the third day He rose again from the dead and, after a brief time walking among us again, He ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God Almighty.  Someday our time on this earth will be finished, too.  We don’t know where our steps will end, but we do know that by our faith and belief, we too will join Jesus in the next life.

So until that day, let us follow in our Lord’s footsteps in our daily walk, doing as He commands, living in love as He loves.  Let our steps be always at His side.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, Your Spirit led Jesus into a deserted area where He fasted and prayed, and resisted the temptations of Satan.  We commemorate the 40 days He spent there in our season of Lent, when we look deep within ourselves to see if we are walking in our Lord’s footsteps.  Thank You, Father, for ensuring that we have a record of how Jesus carried out His ministry so that we can try to model our lives after His.  Forgive us, please Father, when we veer off the path Your Son laid for us.  Forgive us when our steps falter, when we trip and stumble.  Please, loving Father, help us stand again and walk as Jesus walked.  Help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things.

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 knew everything that would happen to You, how much You would have to suffer, and yet You went through it all just for us.  You obeyed Your Father’s will to carry out His great plan for our salvation.  You walked as one of us, knowing that Your earthly steps led to the cross.  Lord, please help us remember how You lived Your mortal life.  Remind us of how You loved, how You walked into the world helping all You encountered.  Help us to live as You lived, to love as You love.  Help us walk in Your steps, even if they lead us to our own cross.  And 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 anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Walk This Way

 

[The following is a manuscript of my meditation delivered Ash Wednesday, the 22nd of February, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Today we enter into the Lenten Season, which commemorates the 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, praying, and being tempted by Satan.  We are challenged to use this time for self-examination and introspection, to see if we are living as God would have us live.

It’s a great time to dig deeper into our Bibles, studying the Gospels, listening to Jesus, witnessing what He did while He walked among us.  For by watching Jesus, through the eyes of those who walked alongside Him, we can see how we, too, should live and act.  And while we may think we can’t do miracles like He did, and perhaps some are beyond our reach, what to us may seem a simple act of kindness may, to the recipient, be a miracle indeed.

Speaking of miracles, there’s one I mentioned this past Sunday and I’ll bring up again now.  Jesus fed well over 5000 people all they wanted from the provision of only five loaves of barley bread and two small fish, with twelve baskets of leftovers at the end.  A miracle, indeed.

His disciples might have been skeptical at first, with good reason, when they presented such a meager offering.  How could they possibly feed so many with so little?  Yet they trusted in Jesus because they had seen Him do miraculous acts before.

If we are to believe that we, too, might be able to do miracles, trust in our Lord is crucial.  Just as trust was crucial for His followers then.

I’d like to look at what happens next, because it centers on trust.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Matthew recorded for us in chapter 14 of his Gospel account, verses 22 through 33, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this afternoon.  And again, this comes right after the 5000 are fed…

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

--Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, one of the most useful features of our Bible is that it provides us with a wealth of examples of what to do and what not to do.  If we carefully follow these examples, we can be seen as righteous in Your eyes.  This is especially true if we try our best to do as Jesus did.  Father, please help us follow the examples Your Son set for us.  Help us remember all that He told us, including that we can do great things through the power of Your Holy Spirit within us.  Help us walk in His footsteps.  Forgive us when we have doubts, when we don’t fully trust in You and Your mighty Spirit within us.  This we pray in the name of Your Son Jesus.  Amen.

Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday.  Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration.  The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him.

Lent asks believers to set aside a time each year for similar fasting, marking an intentional season of focus on Christ’s life, His ministry, His sacrifice, and His resurrection.  And, of course, the best way to focus on Jesus’ life and ministry is to read and study our Bible.  Let’s look just a little closer at our scripture reading.

Here is Jesus, following up one miracle with another.  This time He takes a little stroll across the Sea of Galilee, during a wind storm with choppy waves.  His disciples on the boat see Him approaching and think they’re seeing a ghost!  Wouldn’t that be an understandable reaction?  We can’t walk on water!  Either our eyes are playing tricks on us or we’re seeing a spectre gliding across the waves.

So Jesus calls out a reassurance that it is indeed Him, so don’t be afraid and don’t worry.  Peter, always so excitable, wants to walk on water, too, and pleads with Jesus to order him to come out to Him, if what he’s seeing really is Jesus.  Jesus says, “Come”, Peter climbs out of the boat, and starts walking on water!

Wait!  Hold it right there a moment…

How!?!  We know Jesus could walk on water, or anything or anywhere else He wanted – He’s God; He can do anything.  But Peter is a mortal man, like us, and mortals need solid surfaces to walk on, unless the sea happened to have been frozen solid at the time, which it wasn’t.  So how could Peter walk on water?

Simply by faith, by trust.  Peter trusted Jesus and took Him at His word, and as long as he held that trust, as long as he kept his focus on Jesus, he could walk where Jesus walked.  But then, just as soon as he let his attention drift down to the waves and the wind, his trust faltered as doubt set in, and he began to sink beneath the waves.  Only by the outstretched hand of Jesus was He saved.  Walking with Jesus takes faith and trust in His word.

The Apostle Paul has something to tell us about walking with Jesus.  Listen to what he wrote in chapter 5 of his letter to the Ephesians, in verses 1 and 2, 8 through 10, and 15 through 17...

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

--Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-10, 15-17 (NKJV)

Walk in love.  Two people in love walk hand-in-hand, don’t they.  To walk hand-in-hand with Jesus, we need to love as He loves – unconditionally, sacrificially, forgivingly.  Walk as children of light, spreading the light of the Gospel, dispersing the darkness of sin.  Walk wisely, not acting like fools, but understanding the will of our Lord.

Walk in faith, trusting in the Lord.  As Jesus was pulling Peter up from the waves, He asked His disciple where was his faith, why did he let doubt creep in?

How great is our faith?  Paul says it is by faith that we are justified with God.  Hear his words from verses 1 and 2 of chapter 5 of his letter to the Romans...

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

--Romans 5:1-2 (NKJV)

By our faith in Jesus, we have peace with God.  We may stand in His grace, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God our Father.  We can follow in His steps.

Jesus sacrificed Himself for us - let us sacrifice ourselves to Him.  Let us walk as He walked.  We likely won't need to walk on water.  We just need to walk by faith.  Trust in the Lord, and walk this way.  Amen.

Today we begin our walk into the season of Lent.  The cross stands just ahead, a stark reminder that we have been forgiven and shown mercy by God, even though we’ve done nothing, nor can we ever do anything, to deserve it.  And our Father commands that we be forgiving and merciful, too, in our dealings with others.

The cross also serves as a sign of God’s love.  God made a covenant with us and signed it with the blood of His own Son.  We acknowledge our end of that covenant by our baptism and our service to our Lord Jesus.  Part of that service is to repent, to turn from our sin, for Jesus called us to repentance while announcing that the kingdom of God is at hand.  To help us resist the temptation to sin, we can spend more time with God, both in prayer and by studying His word.

In a moment we will receive a symbolic imposition of ashes that I hope will be useful for us in meeting both of those goals.  My prayer is that this will last far longer than ashes on the forehead, and have a greater effect on ourselves and others we encounter.

But first we will offer a confession of our sins and receive an assurance that we’ve been washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus.  In the name of our Redeemer, the Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Our prayer of confession releases us from the tremendous burden of self-importance.  In emptying ourselves, we make room for God’s presence to fill us.  Let us join now in the prayer of confession:

Merciful God, You have called us to be Your people.  You have sought to stimulate our growth with the nurturing of Your Word and the witness of the faithful through the ages.  Yet we have become arid and dry because we have not sought the regular refreshment of the Word and witness.  We have not stood firm in the cause of righteousness and justice because our roots have not sufficiently entwined themselves around the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ.  O God, wash us clean and water us again to new life by Your Spirit.  Amen.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  Amen.

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

God's Beloved Son

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Transfiguration Sunday, the 19th of February, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Family, the season of Lent begins this coming Wednesday, the 22nd.  As I’ve mentioned, it is a time for us to search deep within, to take a good, long, honest look at ourselves and how we live our daily life.  It’s a time for a gut check to see if we’re walking in the path of our Lord Jesus.  But before we get to that, we have another important day on our Christian calendar to remember and commemorate.

Today is Transfiguration Sunday, the day that celebrates Christ Jesus being revealed as God and His unmistakable role as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.  This is the day when God from heaven shouted, “This is My beloved Son”.

Just as a little background, remember the time when Jesus fed 5000 men – and we have no idea how many women and children – with no more on hand than five loaves of barley bread and two small fish.  And when all the people had eaten their fill, the disciples went among them and collected 12 baskets full of what was left over.  This was clearly a miracle, something no normal man could ever accomplish, a sure sign of divinity.

Not long after this, Jesus again found Himself with a crowd of people that needed to be fed, although now only numbering 4000 men, plus uncounted women and children.  And He had more to feed them with: seven loaves and a few small fishes.  Still, again, a miracle – a work of God.

Now, a short time after this second feeding of the masses, Jesus took a couple of His disciples aside and together they went up along a mountainside.  When suddenly, Jesus was dramatically changed right before their eyes.

Let’s listen and follow along as the Apostle Matthew tells us all that took place on that mountain, from the 17th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 13, and I’ll be reading from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother and brought them up to a high mountain alone, 2 and was transfigured before them. His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. 3 Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, let us make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were filled with awe. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 As they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

10 His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

11 Jesus answered, “Elijah truly does first come and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. Likewise, the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

--Matthew 17:1-13 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for openly declaring Jesus as Your Son.  And thank You for making sure that some of His disciples were there to witness His marvelous transfiguration and to save all this for us.  Father, please forgive us when we start to have doubts, when we begin to wonder whether you really love us and care about us.  You showed Your love for mankind by sacrificing You own Son so that His blood would wash away our sins.  Please forgive us, Father, when we are hesitant to share Your love with the world and those we meet.  Please show us how to better interact with others, how to witness Your love to them.  

And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who are so willing to carry out his evil works.  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.  Tell us how we can better relate to others that Jesus is God, Jesus is love, Jesus is Lord.  This we pray in the glorious name of Christ Jesus, Your beloved Son.   Amen.

How many of you have ever gone camping?  Columnist David Roher writes:

The motor home has allowed us to put all the conveniences of home on wheels.  A camper no longer needs to contend with sleeping in a sleeping bag, cooking over a fire, or hauling water from a stream.  Now he can park a fully equipped home on a cement slab in the midst of a few pine trees and hook up to a water line, a sewer line and electricity.  One motor home I saw recently had a satellite dish attached on top.  No more bother with dirt, no more smoke from the fire, no more drudgery of walking to the stream.  Now it is possible to go camping and never have to go outside.  We buy a motor home with the hope of seeing new places, of getting out into the world.  Yet we deck it out with the same furnishings as in our living room.  Thus nothing really changes.  We may drive to a new place, set ourselves in new surroundings, but the newness goes unnoticed, for we've only carried along our old setting.

The adventure of new life in Christ begins when the comfortable patterns of the old life are left behind.

It’s so easy to build in habits, to get comfortable doing the same thing the same way all the time.  It’s hard to break those habits, to get out of our comfort zone.  It’s just easier to not change our pattern of living, like taking our comfy home-style with us when we go somewhere.  We’ve gotten used to doing certain things certain ways and, well, it just takes too much effort to change.  And why change when we’re so comfortable.

That word “comfortable” could cause us problems, cause us to miss out on things, if we’re not careful.  Too many good Christian people have gotten too comfortable staying at home on Sunday mornings when they have no real reason to do so other than they’ve just gotten used to it.  How can we truly do what Jesus has commanded us if we don’t get out of our comfortable surroundings, away from people we’re comfortable being around, and step into a world that may be hostile to us, but that desperately needs to hear about Jesus?  Maybe it’s time to sell the motorhome and get back to sleeping in a tent.

By the time of our scripture reading, Jesus had already performed many miracles, at least 18 by one count, including the mass feedings I mentioned earlier.  They started with Him changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana and included many healings and driving out evil spirits, as well as helping Simon and Andrew and James and John catch some fish.  He had even already raised some people from the dead!

A normal, mortal man cannot do any of these things; it simply isn’t possible.  There should have been no doubt in the minds of anyone who had witnessed any of these acts that this Jesus was not a normal, mortal man.  He could only be a divine being, sent from God, sent of God.  His disciples, His followers, had witnessed each and every miracle as it happened.  They were slowly catching on.

So Peter and James and John didn’t seem all too surprised when Jesus suddenly shone as bright as the sun, His garments turning as white as the light.  Nor were they shocked when Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.  And oh, by the way, this is the part where Jesus shows His role as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, by being with and speaking with the one who brought God’s Law to the people and with one of God’s mighty prophets, the one who was carried off to heaven without having first died to this life.

So these three disciples were chosen by Jesus to go with Him up the mountain so they could witness this event, and later on share it with the rest so that we can read about it today.  And it was not until God spoke from heaven that the three showed any surprise.

“This is My beloved Son,” the voice from the clouds boomed, “with whom I am well pleased.”  And then the voice added a command, to them and to us: “Listen to Him.”  After the voice spoke, the disciples looked up, and they were all alone with Jesus.

Now Jesus instructed His three disciples not to speak a word of what they had observed until after He was raised from the dead.  They must have obeyed Him, for any records we have of the event were all written well after His death and resurrection.  All three of the Synoptic Gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – wrote of the event, but the Gospel accounts were not written until well after the resurrection.  The same goes for Peter’s letters to the early church.

Since Matthew, Mark, and Luke were not present that day, they must have gotten their accounts from listening to Peter and James and John.  Peter did bear witness to what he saw and heard as Jesus changed right before his eyes.  Listen to what the Apostle wrote in his 2nd letter to the far-flung church, in chapter 1, verses 16 through 21...

16 For we have not followed cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we ourselves heard this voice, which came from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19 And we have a more reliable word of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

--2 Peter 1:16-21 (MEV)

Jesus received honor and glory from none other than the great and almighty God of creation when that voice spoke from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  Peter acknowledged that he and the Sons of Zebedee all heard this voice when they were there with Jesus.  They were first-hand eyewitnesses of the full majesty of Jesus.

Peter reminds us that when God speaks, we would do well to pay attention.  Prophecy as recorded for us in our Bible comes from God speaking through certain people He has chosen.  Therefore it is not those people who are speaking, but God speaking to us through them.  That being the case, what is said in prophecy is not up to interpretation, because it did not come from man, but from God.

In this case, God spoke directly to men who recorded it for us to read.  What we read is prophecy, spoken through men by God.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke all three recorded God’s words from that day when Jesus was transfigured on that mountainside.  But all three also recorded God saying nearly the same words one other time.  At His baptism by John in the River Jordan, God spoke from heaven telling Jesus that, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Twice God announced that Jesus is His Son.  Jesus is God’s Son.  This is not subject to interpretation, nor to doubt.

If we look at the dictionary meaning of transfiguration, it’s the act of being changed in outward appearance so as to be glorified or exalted.  Jesus wasn’t really changed, except in His outward appearance, and that for only a short time; just long enough for His disciples to see Him being glorified and exalted by the presence of Moses and Elijah.  Nothing changed for Jesus – not His ministry nor His mission nor His interaction with the world.

Jesus is God; He didn’t need to change.  The transfiguration was for our benefit, not His, so that we could know without a doubt that He is God’s beloved Son.  We need to let His transfiguration change us, transform us closer to Jesus in spirit.

And an interesting thing is that when we accept Jesus as Lord, we too are transfigured, changed a little in outward appearance to go along with our inner change.  Haven’t you seen it in a new believer?  They just look different, happier, more at peace.  I’ve even heard of a new convert being described as “glowing”.  Transfigured by the transformation within.

But these new believers and we old-timers alike must all heed the second thing God said to us when He exalted His Son.  God clearly instructed us to, “Listen to Him.”  “Listen to Him, pay attention to His words, obey His voice, because He speaks for Me.”

This is not a suggestion.  It’s not open to interpretation.  If we truly intend to follow Jesus, it’s not something we can choose to do or not.  We must listen to Jesus, for He is God’s beloved Son.

Be transformed, be transfigured.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, You glorified Jesus and announced that He is indeed Your Son and that You are pleased with Him.  And You did this in front of human witnesses who could attest to it and save it for us so we can learn about it even in this age.  Thank You, Father, for proclaiming the divine nature of Jesus, for leaving no doubt that He is the Messiah You promised would come to save us.  Forgive us, please Father, when we don’t always listen to Jesus as You commanded us.  Forgive us when our own transformation doesn’t show.  Please, loving Father, help us be witnesses to Your Son’s majesty.  Help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things.

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 chose to take Peter, James, and John with You onto that mountainside, knowing what was about to happen.  You chose them to witness Your transfiguration, to see You shining in God’s light, to hear God’s proclamation.  You are God’s beloved Son.  Lord, please help us remember all that God said that day.  Remind us to not only listen to You, but to do what You command.  Help us be unafraid to witness You to others.  Help us share the Gospel message with them.  And 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 anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Let God's Spirit Work

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the sixth Sunday after Epiphany, the 12th of February, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Family, the season of Lent begins in 10 days, on Wednesday the 22nd, Ash Wednesday.  This is a time for fasting and contemplation.  A time for us to look deep within, to take a good, long, honest look at ourselves and how we live our daily life.

It’s great that we come in here and worship together for an hour or two on Sundays, but how do we spend the other six days of the week, the remaining 166 or so hours?  God knows how – He knows everything.  He just wants to make sure that we know, that we are aware of what we are doing, and how it may affect our future, our next life.

But it’s kind of important that we know what we are looking for as we do this introspection.  Other than through prayer, the best way to gain this knowledge is through reading our Bible.  This is God’s word, God’s teachings, saved for us.

Now as we read our Bible, we see men’s and women’s names shown as the authors of the various books, with a couple of exceptions for those names that have been lost to time.  And it is true that men and women, mortal human beings, actually penned these books, physically wrote down the words to save them for us.  But it was God who spoke to them and inspired them, giving them what to write.  Could a humble, uneducated fisherman have written the beautiful words we read in the letters of Peter to the far-flung church had God not spoken them to him?

God, through His Holy Spirit dwelling within these men and women, left us with a written record of His teachings so that we might learn right from wrong.  One of those authors gives us a lot to think about as we study his letters to the early churches.  Please listen and follow along to the instructions the Apostle Paul wrote in his 1st letter to the church in Corinth, in the 2nd chapter of 1st Corinthians verses 1 through 14, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Friends, when I came and told you the mystery that God had shared with us, I didn't use big words or try to sound wise. 2 In fact, while I was with you, I made up my mind to speak only about Jesus Christ, Who had been nailed to a cross.

3  At first, I was weak and trembling with fear. 4 When I talked with you or preached, I didn't try to prove anything by sounding wise. I simply let God's Spirit show His power. 5 That way you would have faith because of God's power and not because of human wisdom.

6 We do use wisdom when speaking to people who are mature in their faith. But it isn't the wisdom of this world or of its rulers, who will soon disappear. 7 We speak of God's hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. 8  The rulers of this world didn't know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross. 9  But it is just as the Scriptures say,

“What God has planned

for people who love Him

is more than eyes have seen

or ears have heard.

It has never even

entered our minds!”

10 God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. 11 You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind. 12 But God has given us His Spirit. This is why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. This is also why we can recognize the blessings God has given us.

13 Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people. 14 This is why only someone who has God's Spirit can understand spiritual blessings. Anyone who doesn't have God's Spirit thinks these blessings are foolish.

--1 Corinthians 2:1-14 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for speaking to all those men and women and inspiring them to save Your words for us to read and study.  And thank You for giving us Your Spirit to help us understand what we read, what You have said, and how it affects us.  Father, please forgive us when we get too busy and don’t make time to study or even read Your teachings.  May Your Holy Spirit continue to work in our hearts, whispering Your instructions there.

Please forgive those people, Father, who think Your teachings to be foolishness, who can’t or won’t understand the spiritual blessings You pour out over us.  Please show us how to witness to them of Your wonderful mercy, and help us as we try to do so.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who are so willing to carry out his evil works.  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.  Like the authors of our Bible, please give us insight into Your instructions and how we can present them to others.  This we pray in the wonderful name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

I believe I've used this illustration from James Packer before, explaining that the Holy Spirit's role in God's new covenant with us is to act as a floodlight on Jesus.  We can think of it as…

“if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder on to Jesus who stands facing us.  The Spirit's message to us is never, 'Look at Me; listen to Me; come to Me; get to know Me', but always, 'Look at Him, and see His glory; listen to Him and hear His word; go to Him and have life; get to know Him and taste His gift of joy and peace.' The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together.”

We need to emulate the Holy Spirit and act as a floodlight on Jesus, too.  Or maybe we can be a floodlight switch, making it possible for the Spirit to shine.  Can the Holy Spirit do His work without our help?  Sure – He’s God, He can do anything.  But if we open ourselves up to Him, if we let Him do His work within us, He will show us what wondrous works He can do through us, just as Jesus promised.

Looking again at our scripture reading, I think Paul gives us some insight into the Holy Spirit’s workings.  He also talks about the unimaginable wonders God has in store for us; information we can share with others.  But I believe that in this Paul gives us a good example of how to approach someone who may be interested in knowing more about Jesus, but has not accepted Him as Lord.  Someone who is lost, but may be crying out to be found.  Or someone who is just truly open to hearing more about Jesus and is willing to listen.

And what stands out to me is that we ourselves, by our own power or our words or our example, we cannot change someone into a believer.  Only God’s Holy Spirit can do that.  Paul uses himself as an example in this passage.

We might think that if anyone could cause a conversion on their own it would be Paul, or maybe Billy Graham.  But Paul, in effect, says that it wasn’t him.  “I didn’t use big words or try to sound wise; I only spoke about Jesus Christ, who had been nailed to a cross.”  “I didn’t try to prove anything; I simply let God’s Spirit show His power.  That way you would have faith because of God's power and not because of human wisdom.”

We need to do like Paul did and let the Holy Spirit do His job.  We need to let Him work through us to get to the lost.

Paul goes on to say that God's Spirit has shown us everything.  And he admits that every word that he and his brethren spoke was taught to them by the Spirit.  None other than Jesus Himself gives us a good explanation of this.  In the 16th chapter of his Gospel account, the Apostle John records Jesus in verses 8 through 14 saying...

8 "The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God's justice and the judgment. 9 The Spirit will show them that they are wrong about sin, because they didn't have faith in Me. 10 They are wrong about God's justice, because I am going to the Father, and you won't see Me again. 11 And they are wrong about the judgment, because God has already judged the ruler of this world.

12 "I have much more to say to you, but right now it would be more than you could understand. 13  The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on His own. He will tell you only what He has heard from Me, and He will let you know what is going to happen. 14 The Spirit will bring glory to Me by taking My message and telling it to you."

--John 16:8-14 (CEV)

God’s Spirit came to show us God’s truth.  And the truth is Jesus.  The Spirit came to all of us, but for some, the message He brings is foolishness.  But for we who believe, He guides us into the full truth.  And He brings glory to Jesus by taking our Lord’s message and telling it to us, and to any who will listen and believe.  This is God’s Spirit working in the hearts of men.  This is the Spirit shining a floodlight on Jesus.

Now when I think of a floodlight, I see an image of lighting up a whole area, a wide swath of ground, not overly bright at any one point and fading out at the edges of the field.  Sometimes, though, I want a little more focus on one specific place, one point in the landscape.  That’s when I need a spotlight.

I believe the Spirit can bring a person to Jesus when He acts as a spotlight, highlighting one individual lost soul, shining the blinding light of truth on him or her.  Which one?  Well, we might never know.  If we act as a floodlight for Jesus, we can light up a whole area, casting our beam for all to see.  We do this in how we live our life, showing the love of Jesus in our love, unconditional, forgiving love.  Or maybe we find ourselves led to one individual.  Then we can flip the switch on the spotlight and let the Spirit truly shine.

Just before returning to heaven, Jesus left us with some instructions.  In the 1st chapter of his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Luke tells us in verse 8 that Jesus says…

8 “[But] The Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”

--Acts 1:8 (CEV)

This is us, shining the floodlight, spreading the Good News about Jesus, telling others about Him and what He’s done for us, what He means to us.  The Spirit can look into their hearts to see if they can become followers of our Lord.  But we can help Him do His work by allowing Him to work within us and through us.

So take a deep breath, open up your heart, spend a little more time in the Bible, and in prayer.  And let God’s Spirit work.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, You spoke to Your prophets so they could speak for You.  Throughout our history, You have spoken to and through people You chose to carry Your word to mankind.  And You inspired them to record Your word, Your teachings, Your mighty acts so that we would have them even today.  Thank You, Father, for ensuring that we would have all this so that we too can know Your truth.  Forgive us, please Father, when we don’t spend enough time in Your word to really understand the instructions You have given us.  Forgive us when we fail to live as You would have us live, by the examples of Your teaching.  Please, loving Father, help us be more righteous in Your sight.  Help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things.

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 promised us that You would send God’s Holy Spirit to be our Guide and Companion, and You did, Lord.  You did.  He came into us to show us the truth, to guide us in how we should live, and to empower us to do great things in Your holy name.  Lord, please help us remember our part in this, to tell everyone about You.  Remind us to go into the world, broadcasting Your message, making disciples.  Help us truly love others, love them enough to want them to be saved.  Help us show them Your love that their hearts might be open to God’s Holy Spirit, to allow Him in so He can do His work.  And 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 anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Presenting Jesus

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the fifth Sunday after Epiphany, the 5th of February, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

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

This past Thursday, Feb. 2nd, was the day celebrated as the Feast of Presentation in parts of the Christian world, held 40 days after Christmas day.  It marks the day when Jesus was first presented to God at the Temple in Jerusalem.  He would still have been a baby, just 40 days old.

We know very little about Jesus as a youth.  We do know He was born as we are born, as one of us, and He lived and grew just like us.  But we only have a few accounts regarding His childhood.

And one of those has to do with the time when, still a small babe in arms, Jesus’ parents took Him to Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord in the Temple.  Please listen and follow along to how the Apostle Luke described the events of that day, in the 2nd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 22 through 40, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so His parents took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord — “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the Baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the Child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let Your servant die in peace,

as You have promised.

30 I have seen Your salvation,

31 which You have prepared for all people.

32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,

and He is the glory of Your people Israel!”

33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the Baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the Child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

39 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the Child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on Him. 

--Luke 2:22-40 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for allowing Simeon and Anna to see that the little Baby Jesus was indeed Your Messiah, sent to save us from eternal punishment.  Sadly, not everyone could recognize their Messiah, not in the little babe nor in the adult that walked among them.  Father, please forgive those who cannot see, or refuse to see.  May Your Holy Spirit work in their hearts.  Thank You, Father, for letting us know Your Son, for giving us the faith to believe in Him, for choosing us to follow Him.

Please forgive us, Father, when we shirk our mission from Jesus to make more disciples for Him, when we fail for whatever reason to get out of our comfort zone and go out to them, to where they are, just as Jesus did.  Please help us be unafraid to witness for our Lord.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who are so willing to carry out his evil works.  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.  Give us the insight into how we can present Jesus to others.  This we pray in the wonderful name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Columnist Cleveland Amory once told this little story about Judge John Lowell of Boston:

One morning the judge was at breakfast, his face hidden behind the morning paper.  A frightened maid tiptoed into the room and whispered something in Mrs. Lowell's ear.  The lady paled slightly, then squared her shoulders resolutely and said, "John, the cook has burned the oatmeal, and there is no more in the house.  I am afraid that this morning, for the first time in seventeen years, you will have to go without your oatmeal."

The judge, without putting down his paper, answered, "It's all right, my dear.  Frankly, I never cared much for it anyhow."

Just because we've been eating oatmeal for breakfast every day for 17 years doesn't mean we really like it.  Sometimes we just assume that something is a certain way because it has been that way for so long a time, at least in our minds.  We know that Jesus is God and we ascribe all godly things to Him, like the miracles He performed.  But sometimes we forget that Jesus was also a man, flesh and blood, just like us, born like us, lived like us, died to this life like we will, although our end will not be as horrible as was His.

He was also a little baby, innocent, vulnerable, smiling and giggling and pooping His diapers just like a normal baby.  God came down to us as one of us so that we could relate to Him.  He came to take away our sin and save us from eternal death.  This could only be done through the sacrifice of the Spotless Lamb.

Joseph and Mary were good devout Jews, and like good devout Jews they obeyed all the customs and the laws of the day.  So when their little Son was 40 days old, they took Him to Jerusalem to present Him in the Temple and dedicate Him to the Lord, making the appropriate offering on His behalf according to the Law.  There they came across Simeon, who was also a good devout Jew, and who had been led by the Holy Spirit to the Temple that very day.

Our scripture says that Simeon had been eagerly waiting for God’s Messiah to come and rescue His chosen people, even asking God not to let him die until he had seen the Christ with his own eyes.  When Joseph and Mary came in, Simeon instantly recognized the Baby in their arms as the long awaited and promised Messiah.  Simeon looked at Jesus and at Mary and pronounced that this Child would cause many in Israel to fall and many to rise, many will oppose Him, and Mary’s soul will be pierced as if by a sword.  Indeed, many did fall, and still fall, who did not accept Jesus as Lord, but many have risen, been lifted up by their belief.  And truly, Mary was pierced when she had to stand by and watch her Son die upon a cross.

Then a prophet named Anna, a very old widow who never left the Temple, also saw the Baby and knew Him to be the Christ.  She told everyone about the Child, everyone who had been waiting for God to rescue Jerusalem.  This is what we’re supposed to do: to tell everyone about Jesus, everyone who has been looking to God to rescue them, to fulfill then, to save them, whether they know it or not.

Jesus came to us as one of us, He was presented to us as any normal baby would be.  Why?  Why would God come down to earth in such a humble way, rather than in a blinding light with lightning in His hands and millions of angels behind Him?  Maybe because He didn’t want to scare us?  Maybe He wanted us to accept Him and love Him like we tend to do for any baby.  Does the all mighty, all powerful, all knowing God care for us so much that He wanted us to love Him as He loves us?

In the 2nd chapter of his book, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews quotes from the 8th Psalm when in verses 6 & 7 he asks God...

6b “What are mere mortals that You should think about them, or a son of man that You should care for him?

7 Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor."

--Hebrews 2:6b-7 (NLT)

That’s us – we were created, for a little while, to be a little lower than the angels.  That means that someday, we will be elevated up above the angels in stature.

And then the author continues in his own words, in verses 9-11 and 14-18 of chapter 2…

9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because He suffered death for us, He is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters.

14 Because God’s children are human beings — made of flesh and blood — the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; He came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since He himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.

--Hebrews 2:9-11, 14-18 (NLT)

This is Jesus – Almighty God and man like us at the same time.  Fully God and fully man.  For a short time, around 33 years, He was just like us – a little lower than the angels in the divine scheme of things.  He died for us so that God could bring us into His glory and lift Him far, far above the angels.

Jesus could not die unless He was also of flesh, and so He came in flesh.  We could not be saved and redeemed except by the cleansing power of His blood, so He came in blood.  He was tested and suffered so that we could be brought to salvation, and so He could help us when we suffer and are tested.  He is our faithful High Priest, our Intercessor before God.

All of us came into this world as little babies, completely vulnerable, innocent, blank slates just waiting to be written on.  As we grew, we learned because someone taught us things, showed us things, introduced us to things and ideas new to us.  Somewhere along the line, someone presented Jesus to us, and probably in a loving way.  It may have taken us some time to get to know Jesus, and especially to accept Him as our Lord, or our recognition may have been immediate, like Simeon and Anna.

But we who believe know Jesus not only as our Lord and Master, but also as our personal friend and Savior.  And we need to give other people the chance to get to know Him as well.  Like Anna, we need to tell everyone we come into contact with all about Jesus, so that He can be their friend, too.

After all, that’s the job He gave us when He returned to heaven, a job we should be happy to do.  So let’s introduce Jesus to other folk, and maybe they can be saved, too.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, You sent Your Messiah not as a conquering hero, as many expected, but as a tiny baby, as flesh and bone, as one of us to live among us, to die like us.  And You did it all just so that we might be able to be saved from our sinful lives and join You in paradise.  By the blood of Your Son, Father God, we are washed clean.  By our belief and acceptance of Him as our Lord, we are saved.  Thank You, Father, for loving us this much, for showing us such great mercy.  Forgive us, please Father, when we fail to live as You would have us live, when we don’t love others enough to try to help them be saved also.  Forgive us when we disobey You and think it’s all OK because we’re saved.  Please, loving Father, help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things.

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 bear many names: Lord, Master, Savior, Prince of Peace, King of kings, Intercessor, Messiah…  But Jesus, our favorite name is Friend.  You are our best friend.  Please help us remember all You did for us, all You went through for us.  Remind us often of Your commandment, our mission, to go into the world making disciples.  Help us love others as we love ourselves, as You love us.  Help us share with them the Good News of salvation through Your blood.  And 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 anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.