Walking with Others

 

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

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

Family, today is the fifth Sunday in Lent.  As I said, it is our time to look deep within ourselves, to examine and test ourselves, to see if we are walking through this life in a way that pleases God.  And while the Lenten season represents the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, praying, and being tempted by Satan, we’ll be using this time to walk with Jesus all the way to Jerusalem and on to the cross where He gave up His mortal life for us.

In our walk with Jesus, we’ll be following in His steps.  And today we’ll be looking at how we should interact with others along the way.

In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul warns us to not be conformed to the world.  Another way to put this is that we should not adopt the behaviors and customs of this world, to not be like the rest of the people in the world.  Even though we have no choice but to live in the world and among its people, we are supposed to be different, new creations, children of God.  And if we are different, we need to act differently.

I feel this is especially true when it comes to how we interact with other people we encounter each day.  We can watch the nightly news to see how the world behaves when faced with difficult situations.  Every now and then, though not nearly as often, we can even see how a Christian behaves in similar circumstances.  The news does seem to focus more on the bad, the spectacular, rather than the good that occurs.  But we need to keep our focus on the good, on good behavior, especially our own.

Paul can help us with this if we pay attention to his teachings.  Please listen and follow along to what he tells us and the church in Ephesus through the 5th chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, verses 1 through 20.  And I’ll be reading this from the Easy-to-Read Version of our Holy Bible, which I may not have used before…

1 You are God’s dear children, so try to be like Him. 2 Live a life of love. Love others just as Christ loved us. He gave Himself for us — a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But there must be no sexual sin among you. There must not be any kind of evil or selfishly wanting more and more, because such things are not right for God’s holy people. 4 Also, there must be no evil talk among you. Don’t say things that are foolish or filthy. These are not for you. But you should be giving thanks to God. 5 You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God if that person commits sexual sins, or does evil things, or is a person who selfishly wants more and more. A greedy person like that is serving a false god.

6 Don’t let anyone fool you with words that are not true. God gets very angry when people who don’t obey Him talk like that. 7 So don’t have anything to do with them. 8 In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. 9 This light produces every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. 10 Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11 Have no part in the things that people in darkness do, which produce nothing good. Instead, tell everyone how wrong those things are. 12 Actually, it is shameful to even talk about the things those people do in secret. 13 But the light makes clear how wrong those things are. 14 Yes, everything is made clear by the light. This is why we say,

“Wake up, you who are sleeping!

Rise from death,

and Christ will shine on you.”

15 So be very careful how you live. Live wisely, not like fools. 16 I mean that you should use every opportunity you have for doing good, because these are evil times. 17 So don’t be foolish with your lives, but learn what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, which will ruin your life, but be filled with the Spirit. 19 Encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. 20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

--Ephesians 5:1-20 (ERV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for all the great lessons our Bible provides.  These help us not only get through this life and its really tough days, but also help us live in a way that is right in Your eyes.  Father, please forgive us when we forget that we are new creations and we lapse back into our old ways.  Forgive us when we fail to live wisely and do good at every opportunity.  Please help us set a good example of Christian living and be an encouragement to others.

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 to serve You and Jesus in all we do.  This we pray in the glorious name of Christ Jesus, our Lord.   Amen.

A telemarketer called a home one day, and a small voice whispered, "Hello?"

"Hello! What's your name?"

Still whispering, the voice said, "Jimmy."

"How old are you, Jimmy?"

"I'm four."

"Good, Is your mother home?"

"Yes, but she's busy."

"Okay, is your father home?"

"He's busy too."

"I see, who else is there?"

"The police."

"The police? May I speak with one of them?"

"They're busy."

"Any other grown-ups there?"

"The firemen."

"May I speak with a fireman, please?"

"They're all busy."

"Jimmy, all those people in your house, and I can't talk with any of them? What are they doing?"

"Looking for me," whispered Jimmy.

Little Jimmy was hiding all by himself, while others were looking for him.  He was probably going to get in trouble – a lot of trouble - once they found him.

Don't we all try to hide sometimes?  Hide from something we don't want to face?  Try to get away, get alone, and hide from our troubles?  Well, we can only hide for so long until eventually we have to face whatever it is that troubles us.

And really, we're never all alone.  God is always with us, watching over us, looking to see how we react to whatever it is we’re going through, seeing how we interact with others during our trials.  When we put all our trust in Him, He upholds us with His strong right hand.

In our scripture reading, Paul gives us instruction on how to live so as to be right in God's eyes, and to help us live with others, to get along with others.  We must avoid the many sins that the world thinks is OK, and here Paul emphasizes immorality, greed, and gossiping.  We must be careful to keep from being deceived.  We are children of the light and we should share that light, shining it in all the dark places, and on the deeds done in the dark, telling all how wrong those deed are.

And then Paul warns that we must be very careful how we live, living wisely and not like fools, doing good at every opportunity afforded us because these are evil times.  We don’t have to look very far or hard to see the evilness of much in this world.  So we Christians need to encourage each other, uphold one another, be kind and respectful and merciful and forgiving of one another.  And this needs to carry forward with our interactions will all others we encounter in our daily walk.  How else can we show the love of Jesus other than by showing our love?

Many people in this world have a bad impression of “Christians” because of the things some have said and done.  Too many see these self-proclaimed Christians as no different from anyone else in the world.  But family, if they don’t have love in them, if they don’t act out of love, with love in their hearts and in their methods, if they don’t show the love of Jesus in what they do, then they are “Christians” in name only, for the Spirit is not in them.  If we show the love of Jesus in all we do, then maybe some of the doubters and haters will see the light and be more open to accepting the Gospel Jesus brings.

Like I said earlier, we’re never really alone.  God is always with us, and unless we go off on our own and live as hermits, we are pretty much surrounded by other people.  And the thing is, God did not intend for us to go it alone, to live this life alone.  From the very beginning of human life, God had it all set for us to share our world with others.

Hear the words God spoke through Moses at the dawn of human history, from the 2nd chapter of the Genesis, verse 18…

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

--Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)

Now, while this specifically relates to God’s creation of Eve, a wife for Adam and the mother of us all, the implication for us is greater.  It is not good that we should be alone.  For one thing, if we’re alone too much, we tend to brood too much, thinking about what used to be or what might have been, sinking deeper into our own little world.  So God made sure that we would have “helpers” that are “comparable” to us.

These are our contemporaries, our peers, our equals in God’s eyes.  They are our family, our friends, and our circle of acquaintances – maybe someone we’ve known all our life, maybe someone we just met.  They are all the people that help us get through each day.  They are a gift from God, just for us.  And that means that we are a gift to someone else.  So we should do as Paul says and love each other and hold each other up.  We should encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in our hearts to the Lord.

That sounds like a worship service, doesn’t it?  Well, in chapter 10 verses 24 and 25, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews echoes Paul’s sentiment when he writes…

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

--Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV)

We gather here each Sunday morning, and for special occasions, to worship our Father God.  And we come during the week sometimes to plan or discuss or carry out the mission of this church.  But in all this, each time we come together as a family, we are supporting each other, upholding each other, helping each other in some way.  This is what fellowship is all about.  Oh, and as an added side benefit, when we gather together, we help hold each other accountable as Christians.

Paul tells us we are God’s children, full of light in the Lord, children who belong to the light.  He encourages us to walk in the light and to help each other stay in the light.  The Apostle John says that in Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men.  Hear what Jesus tells us about light, from a few selected verses in chapters 8, 11, and 12 of the Gospel account of His beloved disciple John...

8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

12:35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

--John 8:12; 11:9-10; 12:35-36 (NKJV)

How many times have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night and found a piece of furniture with your toe or your knee?  Or maybe you discovered a pair of shoes out of place by tripping over them?

If it’s dark, we can’t see.  We trip and stumble and bump our shins in the dark, even in a place that we’re very familiar with, like our living room.  We need the light to see our way clear of obstacles.

And you know I mean this metaphorically as well as literally.  We need the light that is Jesus to keep from stumbling over the obstacles Satan moves into our path.  We need to be able to see the truth so as not to fall prey to the devil’s traps and snares.  We need to see past all the bright and shiny temptations of the world and focus only on the things of heaven and what is right with God.

And family, all of us need the light.  All of us, and especially those walking in darkness right now.  The lost need the light most of all.  As we walk along with Jesus, following in His footsteps, let us share the light of truth with any and all others we happen to find ourselves walking with.  We may just come across someone who really needs the truth explained to them, who may be willing to listen.  If we strive to do good at every opportunity, we may be able to help lead some lost soul to salvation.

In the name of our Lord, Christ Jesus, let us share the light.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for sending Your Son to bring light to the world.  Too many people prefer the darkness, so they can do whatever they want thinking they’ll get away with it.  But we who believe welcome the light and cherish it for the truth it reveals.  Thank You, Father God, for showing us the truth by the words You inspired.  Thank You for the guidance given in our Bible.  Forgive us, please Father, when we hesitate to spread the light, when we fail to share the truth with others.  Forgive us when we slip backwards, when we allow ourselves to return to some part of a sinful life.  Please, loving Father, help us let go of the world and ignore all its charms.  Help us remember to do good every chance we get.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what we face.

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 are the Light, the Truth, and the Way.  As children of God, You are our heavenly Brother, and You are our very best role model.  Lord, please help us model our own behavior after how You lived Your mortal life.  Remind us of how we should love others: unconditionally, sacrificially giving of ourselves, just as You loved, just as You gave.  Help us continue to walk in Your footsteps, and especially as we walk along this earth with other people, with both believers and the lost.  Please show us how to interact with them all in a way that is pleasing to God our Father.  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.

Blessings Along the Way

 

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

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

Family, today is the fourth Sunday in Lent, our time to look deep within ourselves to see if we are walking through this life in a way that is right with God.  And while the Lenten season represents the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, praying, and being tempted by Satan, we’ll be using this time to walk alongside Jesus, with Jerusalem and the cross as our final stop on this trek.

To walk with Jesus is to follow in His steps, so I’ll be continuing our series focused on just that - walking in Jesus’ steps.  And today as we walk with Jesus, we’ll be looking at all the blessings God gives us along the way.

I don’t think there’s anyone here this morning that doesn’t recognize how richly blessed we are, as individuals and as a people.  But sometimes those blessings come in disguise.  Sometimes they look like something else entirely.  And sometimes when we’re reading through God’s word, a blessing we’re being told of might just slip by unnoticed.

I’d like to share a passage with you this morning that I think fits in that last category.  It definitely speaks of God’s blessings, but it usually is read to convey a slightly different meaning.  Or maybe we see one or two blessings when we read it, but miss another that lies somewhere between the lines.

Please listen and follow along to how Jesus explains His relationship to His followers by using language that the people of His time would have been very familiar with.  This comes from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, from chapter 10 verses 1 through 18, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hired man, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hired man flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

--John 10:1-18 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to be our Good Shepherd, to lay down His life for us.  You knew that we are like sheep who easily go astray without a shepherd to guide us, so You charged Your own Son with the task of leading us in the way we should go.  This shows the depth and generosity of Your love.  Father, please forgive us when we don’t realize how richly You bless us.  Forgive us when we fail to consider how much You give us, and when we don’t give a generous share in our service to You and Jesus.  Please help us better appreciate Your goodness and mercy and to put the resources You have given us to better use in Your name.

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 to better see the fullness of Your blessings.  This we pray in the glorious name of Christ Jesus, our Lord.   Amen.

One morning R. C. Chapman, a devout Christian pastor, teacher, and evangelist, was asked how he was feeling.  "I'm burdened this morning!", was his reply.  But his happy countenance contradicted his words.  So the questioner exclaimed in surprise, "Are you really burdened, Mr. Chapman?"  "Yes, but it's a wonderful burden -- it's an overabundance of blessings for which I cannot find enough time or words to express my gratitude!"  Seeing the puzzled look on the face of his friend, Chapman added with a smile, "I am referring to Psalm 68:19, which fully describes my condition.  In that verse, King David reminds us that our Lord 'daily loads us with benefits.'"

Isn’t that a beautiful way to express God’s goodness, as a wonderful burden from an overabundance of blessings.  Every now and then there will be a scene in a movie where someone comes across a huge treasure, an immense wealth, whether a pile of jewels or gold or cash.  They start stuffing their pockets and anything else they can put the loot in, to carry as much as possible.  And then something happens simply because they’re trying to carry more than they really can, and they end up losing all the booty, or even their life.

Well, this ain’t like that.  It is true that God gives us far more treasure than we could ever carry.  But God’s blessings are often not something that we can carry, but instead something that carries us.  It’s something that gets us through a tough time, that keeps us from drowning in a sea of troubles, that holds us up when we’re pulled down by the weight of the world.

I wonder if at least part of the reason Mr. Chapman described the overabundance of blessings he had received as a burden was maybe because he felt a little guilty for being given so much.  Yes, God does “daily load us with benefits”, as King David proclaimed, but I’ve never considered that load a burden.  Rather, it is a delight, a joy that brightens each day and makes life in this harsh world worth living.

Our scripture passage today is quite familiar to most as being when Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd who knows and watches over His sheep, even to the point of giving His life for them.  This harkens back to prophecy of Isaiah when he foretold of the coming of God’s Christ in chapter 40, saying that, “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.”

As I mentioned, Jesus used terms and images that the people of that day would understand.  The people in His and Isaiah’s day knew what a shepherd did and would do in any situation.  Most folks today aren’t all that up on what is involved with keeping sheep, but we can still learn from what Jesus said.  We can relate to how a thief or a robber will avoid entering a building through an easily observed means or when anyone is watching.  A thief comes and takes what he can, but Jesus gives, and gives freely to anyone who calls on Him.

And we should be able to relate to how a door works, letting us come in or go out through it.  Well, Jesus says we can think of Him as a door, a door to salvation.  Through Him and only through Him may we enter into the presence of God and His kingdom, and once there, we will have all we ever need, just as sheep in a rich, fertile pasture.

And then we get to the part about sacrifice.  Someone who is just being paid to do a job, who doesn’t care about anything but the money, will not sacrifice themselves in the line of duty.  Listen to what Jesus said as His time on earth neared its end, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in chapter 26, verse 39 of his Gospel account…

39b “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

--Matthew 26:39b (NKJV)

Would a hired hand, someone only interested in personal gain, say something like that?  When facing sure death, would they say, “Hey, if this is what You want, God, then go ahead and make it happen.”?  No!  They’d be screaming for mercy, begging God to stop it.

Only those folk who see their “job” as a calling, as something far beyond what mere money can pay, only they are willing to sacrifice everything if need be.  This is Jesus, who did indeed give His all for us.  And then He blessed us.

In chapter 23 verse 34 of his Gospel account, the Apostle Luke saved for us the last words Jesus gasped while hanging from that cruel cross…

34b “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

--Luke 23:34b (NKJV)

Jesus bore our punishment, took a horrible beating for us, and gave up His last breath asking God to forgive us of our deeds done in ignorance.  Make a note that all who have heard the Gospel are no longer ignorant, no longer have that as an excuse.  Now, notice that Jesus said He sacrificed Himself – no one took His life from Him, He laid it down so that He could take it up again, which He did on the third day.

This is how Jesus described Himself, and also His purpose, His mission.  He tells us He came to watch over us, to help us keep in line, to show us the correct way to go so that we can enter into those green pastures.  And He tells us how richly blessed we are.

You noticed that, right, where Jesus says we are blessed?  It’s right there, every time He mentions the sheep and His role in protecting them, guiding them, leading them, giving of His life for them.  We are the sheep.  We are the beneficiaries of all that He did and still does.  God has blessed us with the means of salvation through His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, the Good Shepherd.

King David knew all about God’s blessings, and about the role of a shepherd.  After all, he was one when he was a youth, when he took on a giant named Goliath.  Just like Jesus, David uses terms describing a shepherd and his charge when telling us how God watches over us, how He blesses us.

I’m sure you’re familiar with his 23rd Psalm, I’ve been reading it a lot lately – you can join me if you’d like...

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

--Psalm 23 (KJV)

Following Jesus – God’s Son - brings us blessings from God, the Father.  As we walk with Jesus, in His steps, following Him, we receive many blessings along the way.  God is good – All the time.  He blessed us with the faith to believe in Jesus as His Son.  And He blesses us that we can hear Jesus’ voice as He leads us.

Now I know that sometimes it is hard to see God’s blessings, especially when we’re blinded and numbed by the world’s constant assault on our sensibilities.  But please remember that not all blessings are huge.  Many are so small, and so common, that we might overlook them.

Miss Jane Hege wrote this beautiful book that I was blessed to be allowed to read.  It mostly centered on her early family life, up to the time she was a young adult.  I could spend hours telling you all the neat, insightful observations she made, but let me relate just one comment, one praise.

Now understand that Jane and her siblings grew up during the depression, when times were far, far tougher than anything most of us have gone through.  About that period, Miss Jane said, “Yes, times were hard, but we children didn’t realize this.  We had a loving father, a great Uncle, food for the table and dad’s old T model Ford.”  God blessed that family with a loving, hard-working father, a great uncle, food on the table, and an old car to get them back and forth to church.

Family, we are all blessed, every single day.  Please never forget how good God is to us, nor take His gifts for granted.  Some may seem more blessed because they have a lot of stuff and what appears to be a great life, but that may all be part of God’s plan.  We are blessed if we have a roof over our head and enough to eat.  We are blessed with birdsong and the beauty of spring.  We are blessed as we walk along with our Lord.

Let us continue that walk.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Shepherd.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for blessing us every day in so many ways.  You give us all we need and then even more so that we in turn can be a blessing to others.  Thank You, Father God, for the food on our table, the roof over our head, good friends to see us through tough times, our families that love and care.  We greatly appreciate all You do for us, Father, but sometimes we don’t stop long enough to notice all You give, or even to just say “Thank You”.  Forgive us those times, please Father.  Forgive us when we begin to take Your many blessings for granted.  Forgive us when we look to the world to fulfill us, forgetting that You already fill our lives.  Please, loving Father, help us to see and remember all You have done and continue to do just for us.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what we face.

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 are our Good Shepherd.  You watch over us and protect us.  You lead us along the path of righteousness.  You open the door to heaven for us.  You gave Your all for us.  Lord, please help us live as You lived.  Remind us of how we should love others: unconditionally, sacrificially giving of ourselves.  Help us continue to walk with You in our daily journey on this earth.  Help us follow in Your footsteps.  Help us to seek out the lost in Your name and introduce them to You.  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 with the Lord

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the third Sunday in Lent, the 12th of March, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

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

Family, today is the third Sunday in Lent, our time for prayer and contemplation, and to look deep within ourselves to see if we are walking through this life in a way that is right with God.  And while the Lenten season represents the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, praying, and being tempted by Satan, we’ll be using this time to walk alongside Jesus, with the cross as our final stop on this journey.  To walk with Jesus is to follow in His steps, so I’ll be continuing our series focused on just that - walking in Jesus’ steps.

Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were the first two disciples personally chosen by Jesus, hand-picked to follow Him.  And follow their Master they did, throughout His ministry on earth.

Before Jesus issued that invitation, Peter and Andrew were simple fishermen.  Based on the times and their occupation, they would have received only a basic education.  And Peter was quite often very emotional in his response to things that happened or the words that  someone said.  His tongue got him into trouble more than once, and even with Jesus, who rebuked his disciple on occasion.

All this changed, though, once he witnessed the risen Jesus, once he finally understood the words his Lord had so often spoken.  As he settled into a leadership role, Peter’s emotional responses became more thoughtful and reasoned, as if he were saying to himself, “What would Jesus do here?”, before making any decision.  And his speeches, his sermons, even his writings become more eloquent and purposeful.  Like Paul a little later, Peter indeed became a new creation, a new man in Christ.

What we have of Peter’s writings in our Bible are two letters he either penned or dictated (which is more likely), both written within about three years before his execution by Rome under Nero.  He addressed his first letter to “the pilgrims of the Dispersion”, or as another version put it, to “God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners”.  After Jesus was arrested and crucified, His believers began to scatter, fearing for their own lives.  Peter and a few other of the apostles wrote letters to be passed from city to city, from church to church, to where these early Christians had fled.  These believers did not have it easy in their new lives, and many found themselves in servitude to new masters.  Please listen and follow along to the message that the Apostle Peter shared with them, in the 2nd chapter of his 1st letter, verses 18 through 25, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you — not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 19 For God is pleased when, conscious of His will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.

22 He never sinned,

nor ever deceived anyone.

23 He did not retaliate when He was insulted,

nor threaten revenge when He suffered.

He left his case in the hands of God,

who always judges fairly.

24 He personally carried our sins

in His body on the cross

so that we can be dead to sin

and live for what is right.

By His wounds

you are healed.

25 Once you were like sheep

who wandered away.

But now you have turned to your Shepherd,

the Guardian of your souls.

--1 Peter 2:18-25 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to free us from the bonds of death.  Thank You for the instructions and encouragements we find saved in our Bible.  This shows the great love and mercy You have for us.  Father, please forgive us when we just don’t spend enough time reading our Bible to better understand Your word and Your will for us.  Forgive us when we fail to please You by our actions and interactions with others.  Please help us do good, even if it brings us suffering.  

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.  Show us how to be completely free from the world even as we live within it.  This we pray in the glorious name of Christ Jesus, our Lord.   Amen.

During the 2021 Boston Marathon, that grueling 26.2 miles endurance race, a runner stumbled and fell near the finish line.  This is a rather common and ordinary occurrence at a marathon - many runners fall from fatigue and dehydration.  But what happened when this runner fell was extraordinary, and newsworthy.  Three other runners stopped beside the fallen one, lifted her up in their arms, and carried her on to the finish line.  She was utterly exhausted and unable to get off the ground on her own, so they picked her up and upheld her with their strength.

Sometimes we are like that runner.  We've fallen, stumbled, gone as far as we can go.  The three persons of God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - find us there in our fallen state, unable to stand on our own.  They lift us up, uphold us in Their strength and mercy, and carry us on to the finish.

God sent His Son to run the race of faith for us.  From the manger to the cross, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, from death on the cross to new life eternal on that third day - Jesus has finished the course of salvation for us.  By God's grace we are saved through faith in Christ Jesus.  Though we are unable to pick ourselves up, dust off our sin, and cross the finish line of salvation on our own, God is more than able.  Upheld by the promises of the Father, carried in the nail-scarred hands of the Son, and revived by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, we are brought to the finish line of salvation and carried into everlasting life.  Praise be to God!

As I mentioned, these early Christians fled home to new lands, to live among new people and their gods.  Sometimes they found themselves in servitude to these people, these new masters.  Our passage opens with Peter speaking specifically to these good folk who are now serving others, telling them to be obedient and patient, and to endure whatever befalls them.  Just as Christ suffered for us, we must continue to do good even if it causes us to suffer.

Now we seldom think of ourselves as slaves of some master, and indeed those terms are not looked upon kindly by most folk today.  But not all masters are human, and not all slavery is forced.  Sometimes even the best of us allow ourselves to become slaves of the world.  We try to conform to the world and its ways so as not to appear different, to be laughed at or scorned, or worse.  We start serving public opinion and the worldly viewpoint rather than sticking to biblical instruction.  The chains of our slavery rub us raw, causing us to hate one another, to desire what others have, to lust after what the world says will set us free.

Jesus freed us from the bonds of our sin, He broke our chains with His sacrifice, but too often we gladly, willingly take them back up and shackle ourselves back to our old, sinful nature.  We forget that when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Master, we became His slaves.  We intentionally chose to be in servitude to Him.  So it behooves us to walk in His steps, following His example, living as He lived.

And Peter gives us a great example of how Jesus lived so that we can follow in His steps.  Jesus never sinned, nor deceived anyone.  He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered.  Instead, He left everything to God.  And most importantly, He sacrificed His life, just for us.  We don’t need to sacrifice our physical body for Christ, but we can make of ourselves a living sacrifice, serving our Lord and doing good in all things.

Jesus leads - it's up to us to follow His lead.  Peter emphasizes that part about doing good.  He points out that not only may the position we find ourselves in life cause us to suffer, but doing good may also bring us suffering.  Jesus was very familiar with this.

I’ve repeated this a lot lately, but please listen to what Jesus told us, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in the 9th chapter and 23rd verse of his Gospel account...

23 Then Jesus 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.”

--Luke 9:23 (NLT)

To follow Jesus we must be willing to deny ourselves, give up our own ways, and take on the attitude and example of Jesus – do things His way.  Off with the old; on with the new.  Sounds easy, but we all know it is far from it.

Fortunately, we don’t have to do all this on our own.  For one thing, we have each other to lean on.  We can look to one another for help and encouragement, for love and support and prayers.  In chapter 4 verses 9 and 10 of his Book of Ecclesiastes, wise King Solomon reminds us that...

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

--Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)

Jesus is our best friend.  He is always there, ready to help.  Those folks who don’t know Him, who try to go through life without Him, they are in real trouble.

And as we believers know, Jesus is God.  King David, Solomon’s father, knew all about suffering, and also about depending on God for help.  In verse 4 of his 23rd Psalm, David acknowledges God’s help when he encourages us with the words...

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

--Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

As believers, no matter what we go through, no matter what we may have to face in this life, God is always with us.  Jesus promised to never leave our side, to be with us even to the end of the age.  We just need to put aside any fears, not worry about what this world might think of us or do to us, and trust in God as we strive to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.  We need to keep doing good and patiently endure any suffering that may result from it.

This is what God called us to do, just as He called His own Son Jesus to suffer for us.  Jesus is our example.  Let us walk with the Lord.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus, our personal Friend and Redeemer, our very best role model.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for always being with us.  You help us and reach out for us when we stumble and fall.  Thank You, Father God, for upholding us in Your strength.  We know it pleases You when we do good, Father, even if it causes us to suffer.  But sometimes we just can’t force ourselves to patiently endure and keep doing what is right when the whole world seems against us.  Forgive us, please Father, when we falter, when we hesitate out of fear of disapproval.  Forgive us when we allow the world to creep in and take over our lives again.  Please, loving Father, help us endure, trusting always in You.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what we face.

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 are our example.  You show us how to live by how You lived.  You never tried to deceive anyone.  You didn’t retaliate when someone did or said something to hurt You, nor did You threaten them in return.  You put everything in God’s hands and willingly carried out His will.  Lord, please help us live as You lived.  Remind us of Your own unconditional, sacrificial love for others.  Help us walk with You through our days on this earth.  Help us follow in Your footsteps.  Help us to seek out the lost in Your name and introduce them to You.  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.

Steps to New Life

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the second Sunday in Lent, the 5th of March, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

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

Family, today is the second Sunday in Lent, our time for intentional prayer and to look within ourselves to see if we are living the new life we have been given, or if we’re still stuck in our old ways.  And while the Lenten season represents the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, praying, and being tempted by Satan, we’ll be using this time to walk alongside Jesus, with the cross as our final stop on this journey.  To walk with Jesus is to follow in His steps, so I’ll be continuing our series focused on just that - walking in Jesus’ steps.

The Apostle Paul did not walk with Jesus during His ministry on earth.  At the time, he was a good Pharisee, doing the bidding of the Temple, persecuting the early church, bringing believers in for trial.  He did not become a believer himself until the resurrected and risen Jesus came to him on the road to Damascus, where he was headed to arrest Christians.  He was struck blind by the Lord, unable to see for three days.  During that time, Jesus gave him special insight into the divine, filling him with knowledge that rivaled that of the men, and women, who had been with Jesus from the start.  And Paul became arguably the greatest advocate for Jesus, for Christianity, and for righteous living.

He may not have walked alongside Jesus, but he certainly followed the Lord’s example, especially when it came to making disciples and to challenging the religious status quo.  He founded or visited churches all around the Mediterranean Sea, often leaving a brother of the faith in charge when he left there.

One such man was Titus, a Greek apparently from the Isle of Crete, a Gentile converted to Christianity by Paul’s ministry.  He had served under Paul in a number of roles, including as his secretary.  During one of his many travels, Paul left Titus in Crete to make use of his administrative abilities and gifts and get everything in order in the churches there, to supervise them and appoint elders throughout the island.  For this reason Titus is sometimes referred to as the first Bishop of Crete.

Paul once wrote a letter to Titus, in which he encouraged his friend to constantly instruct the believers under his care to continue doing good works as part of their new life from God.  Please listen and follow along to the instructions that Paul gave his brother in the ministry, in the 3rd chapter of his letter to Titus, verses 1 through 8, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Teach your people to obey the leaders of their country. They should be ready to do any good work. 2 They must not speak bad of anyone, and they must not argue. They should be gentle and kind to all people.

3 There was a time when we were foolish and did not obey. We were fooled in many ways. Strong desires held us in their power. We wanted only to please ourselves. We wanted what others had and were angry when we could not have them. We hated others and they hated us.

4 But God, the One Who saves, showed how kind He was and how He loved us 5 by saving us from the punishment of sin. It was not because we worked to be right with God. It was because of His loving-kindness that He washed our sins away. At the same time He gave us new life when the Holy Spirit came into our lives. 6 God gave the Holy Spirit to fill our lives through Jesus Christ, the One Who saves. 7 Because of this, we are made right with God by His loving-favor. Now we can have life that lasts forever as He has promised.

8 What I have told you is true. Teach these things all the time so those who have put their trust in God will be careful to do good things. These things are good and will help all men.

--Titus 3:1-8 (NLV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for second chances, for a clean heart and a renewed spirit.  And thank You for giving us a new life.  By our belief in Jesus as Your Son and our acceptance of Him as our Lord, You have forgiven our sin and made of us new creations.  Father, please forgive us when we stray from the path Jesus walked.  Forgive us when we fail to live by His example.  Please help us release our grasp on the world and live this new life as Jesus would have us live it.  

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.  Point out each footstep Jesus took, each example He set, so that we might more closely walk with Him.  This we pray in the glorious name of Christ Jesus, Your beloved Son.   Amen.

Are you familiar with the Swedish company Ikea?  They make furniture products that folks buy and then assemble in their homes.  When customers shop online or go into one of the Ikea stores, they see all these wonderful items, all put together and looking so nice and neat.  But when they purchase one of those lovely items, it comes in a box, ready to be completely assembled by the happy shoppers.  Frustration quickly sets in, though, when they realize assembly isn't quite as smooth and easy as they may have been led to believe.  For one thing, these items usually arrive in hundreds of pieces that have to be put together precisely and in a specific order.  To make matters worse, the instructions manuals are less than helpful.  Because Ikea sells their wares all over the world, to keep things simple on their end, the assembly instructions have few or no words, only pictures attempting to show you what to do when.  And don't expect to get any help putting this thing together.  You're pretty much on your own.  And 

I'm just using Ikea as an example.  Many companies and manufacturers of various products are doing this today.

God does things very differently when He gives us a new life in Jesus.  For one thing, He does the assembly.  The steps to building our new life are not ones we have to take.  God has completed these steps for us in Christ Jesus.  One version of verse 5 of our scripture reading is that, "God saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy."  Putting together a new bookshelf is something we do, under our own effort, following the steps in the provided sheet of instructions.  Putting together eternal salvation is beyond our capabilities; it's something we cannot do.  But God did not leave us in a mess of parts and pieces to salvation with no way to put it all together.  Instead, in Christ Jesus, our heavenly Father has taken the steps of new life for us.  In Jesus, God has completed all the steps that are needed for new life.  All that's left for us to do is to follow Jesus and obey His voice.

If you’ve ever tried to put together a boxed kit piece of furniture, you know how frustrating and time consuming it can be.  Since the instructions are almost useless, a lot of it is by trial and error, of putting parts together one way, then taking them apart when it doesn’t work and trying another way.  If it weren’t for the picture of the finished item on the box, we’d be lost - kind of like working a jigsaw puzzle.

Now imagine trying to put that kit together without instructions of any kind, not even a picture on the box.  Oh, and you’re deaf and blind, and you have no hands or feet, and it’s not just one piece but a whole houseful of furniture.  Pretty much impossible, right?

But family, that task would be a piece of cake compared with us trying to put together our own salvation.  We can’t do it.  There is simply no way.  Not only does our Bible tells us we cannot save ourselves on our own, but just think for a moment about how it is impossible for us humans to even follow the roadmap God gave us, those simple rules we call the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments.

So it’s a good thing for us that we don’t have to put our own salvation together; God has already done it for us.  By the shed blood of His Son Jesus we are washed clean of our sin, and by our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord, we are saved.  All we have to do is walk with Jesus.

Of course, we all know that isn’t as easy as it sounds.  Being human, we get distracted and stray off the path to look at all the pretty things of the world, taking our eyes off the eternal prize.  Paul will help us get back on track if we heed the advice he gave Titus.

Some steps for living this new life aren’t all that hard.  Step one is to obey our leaders.  OK, so that one may not be quite so easy; maybe we can at least obey the law.  Step two is to be ready, and I would add willing, to do any good work.  Any good work, no matter how dirty we might get, no matter what the world might think of us for doing it, no matter if we’re laughed at or cussed.  Next: don’t speak bad of anyone, no gossiping or spreading rumors, and don’t get into arguments.  There is usually no profit whatsoever in arguing.  And the final step in this set of instructions is to be gentle and kind to all people – all people.

God showed us just how kind and loving He is by forgiving us of our sin and saving us from the punishment we so rightly deserve for our disobedience.  He even gave us His Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us and be our constant Companion.  And this is not because we worked at being righteous, not because we put all the pieces of salvation together in the right order, not because we earned it in some way.  No, it was solely out of His love for us, and His desire for us to live with Him forever.  We are made right with God only by His loving favor, so that now we can have life that lasts for all eternity.

Those steps for Christian living that Paul gave us are not always going to be easy for us to follow.  Walking with Jesus is not easy, and He knew it.  He warned His disciples that following Him would be ultimately rewarding, but dangerous in this life.  And dangerous it was – only John died of natural causes, and that was while he was in forced exile, on the prison island of Patmos.

Jesus tells us that the only way to truly follow Him is to go all in, to go all the way, to not hold back.  I mentioned this conversation and read part of it in last week’s message, but it bears repeating.  Hear what the Apostle Luke saved for us in the 9th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 18 through 25...

18 While Jesus was praying alone, His followers were with Him. Jesus asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” 19 They said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah. Others say that one of the early preachers has been raised from the dead.” 20 Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ of God.”

21 Then Jesus spoke to them and told them to tell no one. 22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. The leaders and the religious leaders and the teachers of the Law will have nothing to do with Him. He must be killed and be raised from the dead three days later.”

23 Then Jesus said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow Me, he must give up himself and his own desires. He must take up his cross every day and follow Me. 24 If anyone wants to keep his own life safe, he must lose it. If anyone gives up his life because of Me, he will save it. 25 For what does a man have if he gets all the world and loses or gives up his life?”

--Luke 9:18-25 (NLV)

We acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the most high God, sent to offer us salvation, but are we ready and willing to take up our cross daily – every day – to follow Him?  Do we value this life so much that we lose sight of the greater goal, the ultimate prize, the beautiful life that awaits us when our time on this earth comes to an end?

This is the greater new life that we have been promised.  And our Bible – our basic instructions before leaving earth – gives us the steps to this new life.  But we have also been given a new life now, here on earth, by our faith.

We are new creations.  Let’s act like it by doing as Paul instructs.  Let’s keep doing good works, quit talking about other folks, stop arguing over petty things, and be more gentle and kind to all we encounter as we carry our cross daily in our walk through this life.  For, as Paul says, these things are good, and will help us all.

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

Let us pray…  Almighty God, since our original sin, our first act of disobeying You, we have been a fallen people.  We have all sinned, all of us fall short of Your glory.  On our own, we have no hope.  Thank You, Father God, for loving us so much that You give us second chances.  By Your loving kindness, You save us, You put all the pieces together for our salvation.  Forgive us, please Father, when we disobey You.  Forgive us when we can’t shake loose of the world and instead carry on our old lifestyle, forgetting that You made of us a new creation, gave us new life.  Please, loving Father, help us be better servants.  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, Your life on this earth was completely planned by our Father God to put together our salvation.  And You followed each step to the letter, giving Your all for us.  Lord, please help us in our efforts to give our all for You.  Remind us to make of ourselves a living sacrifice, always ready and willing to do any good work.  Help us to follow the steps You showed us that lead to a new life.  Help us to live as You lived, to love as You love.  Help us to seek out the lost in Your name and introduce them to You.  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.