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.