Be Reformed

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 27th of October, 2024 - Reformation Sunday.  A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

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

Family, do you know what October the 31st is?  Yes, we celebrate Halloween on the last day of October every year, although Trick or Treating is often moved to a weekend day.  But October the 31st is also Reformation Day, marking the day in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his “95 theses” on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, in protest of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church of the time.

This is considered the beginning of the Reformation movement, and it is especially significant to Lutheran and Reformed churches, like us.  For Pilgrim Reformed Church has its roots in the old German Reformed Church.  We celebrate the Reformation on the last Sunday in October each year, which is today.

Our dictionary defines “reformed” as having been amended by the removal of faults or abuses, being improved in conduct and morals.  Back in the 1800’s, “reform schools” and “reformatories” were established as penal institutions for children and teens who had been convicted of crimes, as a somewhat more humane alternative to adult prison.  The hope and intent was that these juvenile delinquents – as we would call them today – could be reformed into good upright citizens by removing their faults and improving their conduct and morals.  Similar facilities today are called “youth correctional institutions”, but the goal is pretty much the same.

The idea of removing faults and abuses and improving conduct and morals has been around for a long time.  One instance in particular was when Jesus talked about our need of being reborn of the Spirit.  In effect He was telling us we must be re-formed by God’s Holy Spirit.

This is a theme repeated by a couple of His Apostles in their writings.  Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Peter tells us of some of the benefits and signs of being reborn, re-formed, as he wrote in the 1st chapter his 1st letter to the early church, verses 3 through 9 and verses 13 through 25, and I’ll be reading from the New American Standard Bible again this morning…

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Since you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,

“All flesh is like grass,

And all its glory is like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

And the flower falls off,

25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

--1 Peter 1:3-9; 13-25 (NASB)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your word.  Your word will last forever, it endures all things, it stands through all eternity and beyond.  Your word is our guidepost, our strength, our reassurance and encouragement.  Sadly though, Father, we don’t always take the time to really dig into Your word and seek a higher meaning.  We let the world interfere.  We are just too often beaten down and wearied by all the lies and evilness filling our days and our views.  Forgive us these times, Father.  Please help us not only spend more time in Your word, but also share it with others.  Help us be more obedient to You and Your Son’s command to spread Your word and the Good News it bears.  Give us the courage and the will to step out into the world witnessing to the non-believers, sharing the Gospel and showing Your love.  Please forgive us when we hesitate to speak and act on behalf of You and our Lord Jesus out of fear or anxiety.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand Your message today.  Help us share the Good News of forgiveness and everlasting life in our daily walk.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Pastor Robert Schmidgall once noted that, “Living without Christ is like driving a car with its front end out of line.  You can stay on the road IF you grip the steering wheel with both hands and hang on tightly.  Any lapse of attention, however, and you head straight for the ditch.  Society in general - educators, political leaders, parents - exhorts us to drive straight and curb our destructive tendencies.  But it is a ceaseless struggle.  Coming to Christ is a little like getting a front-end alignment.  The pull toward the ditch is corrected from the inside.  Not to say there won't be bumps and potholes ahead that will still try to jar us off the road.  Temptations and challenges will always test our alertness to steer a straight course.  We can hardly afford to fall asleep at the wheel.  But the basic skew in the moral mechanism has been repaired.”

That’s a pretty good analogy, isn’t it?  And one I bet most of us have experienced.  It’s easy to tell when your vehicle needs a front-end alignment: it will start pulling to one side or the other.  The worse it gets, the more difficult it is to hold it on the road.

It’s just like trying to live without Christ.  The further we drift away from Him, the greater the pull from the world becomes.  We need to be very careful, very alert to our own internal alignment that our Christ made for us.  We must keep our focus straight ahead, on Jesus.

Peter tells us that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, the Spotless Lamb.  We have been born again, through the imperishable, enduring, living word of God.

Redeemed, reborn, reformed…  This pattern appears in our bible on purpose.  The three events are interrelated.  By the sacrifice of the Spotless Lamb, by the blood of Christ Jesus shed on our behalf, we are redeemed, forgiven of our sins.  By our acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God and our Lord, we are reborn of the Spirit of God.  And by the effects of the Spirit within us, we are reformed into new creations.

So to be re-formed we first start all over again, by being re-born.  Please listen to what the Apostle John saved for us in the first eight verses of the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account…

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

--John 3:1-8 (NASB)

And of course you know that this is followed shortly by the most well-known verse in our Bible: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”  God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus into the world to redeem us of our sin.  And once redeemed, we have the opportunity to be born again.  By our faith we are reborn of the Spirit, that we might worship God in spirit and be granted entry into His kingdom.

But I did mention that being reformed is the third leg of this triangle.  Once we have been redeemed and then reborn of the Spirit, God’s Spirit takes up residence within us.  He is always here, our constant Companion, encouraging us, nudging us to go in the right direction, guiding us along the straight and narrow.

But only if we listen to Him and follow His lead.  If we let Him, the Spirit will change us, reform us.  Hear the words the Apostle Paul wrote in the 12th chapter of his Letter to the Romans, verses 1 & 2 and 9 through 21…

1 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

9 Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor, 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

--Romans 12:1-2; 9-21 (NASB)

None of that stuff comes easy.  Most runs counter to basic human nature.  This is behavior that, sadly, most folks do not exhibit.  Even good solid Christians have trouble with some of it, especially when it comes to loving the unlovable and seeing to the needs of our enemies. 

But this is how God wants us to act, how He wants us to be and live.  By setting aside the ways of the world and letting His Holy Spirit lead us, we are showing God’s love to people who need it the most.  With the Spirit’s help and guidance, we can overcome evil with good.

This is God’s goal for us, that once redeemed, we can be reborn, and once reborn, that we be reformed into a closer likeness of Jesus.  Let’s celebrate this upcoming Reformation Day by allowing God’s Holy Spirit to reform us, removing our worldview and transforming our minds to more perfect service to God.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for another trinity to enrich our souls and our lives.  First there is Your three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  And now You give us redemption, rebirth, and reformation, that we might more closely act as Your Son Jesus acted when He walked this earth.  But sometimes, Father, we still struggle with a worldview.  We are bombarded with images of damage and desolation from storms and from wars, we see all the cruelty and corruption, all the evil in the world, and it scares us and fills us with dread.  Sometimes we just have trouble letting go of the world and worldly things.  Please forgive us these times, Father.  Forgive us when we let the world tells us what to do and how to act.  Please help us reach out more into the world, serving You by serving others.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus, being more forgiving and merciful in our dealings with others.  Please strengthen our spirits to do Your will and help us do a better job of sharing Jesus with others so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and His sacrifice.  

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 gave of Yourself to redeem us of our sin.  And then You had Your Father God send His Holy Spirit to live within us when we accepted You as our Master.  Now, Lord, please help us be reformed by the Spirit into a new and better creation.  Please help us be more like You, more considerate and caring of others, more understanding, more merciful, more giving and forgiving.  And heal the hurts that still separate and divide us one from another.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.