Pay Heed Now

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 28th of September, 2025.  A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

The Apostle Paul gave us a bible verse that is familiar to almost as many people as is John 3:16.  In his 1st letter to his young protégé Timothy, Paul declares that, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”.  Paul goes on to say that, “some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows”.  Study after study and experience after experience have shown that money does not bring lasting happiness, nor even contentment; usually just the opposite.

Now Paul didn’t say that money itself is evil.  It can’t be.  Money is an inanimate object incapable of being good or evil, just like any other inanimate object.  It’s how we use money, how we treat it, that can be for good or for evil.  Having money in and of itself is not evil, nor is acquiring wealth.  It’s what we do with that money, that wealth, that makes all the difference.  Paul warned us about the love of money, and the possible repercussions of that love affair.  When acquiring wealth becomes a hunger, when it no longer matters how that wealth is gained, then money becomes our idol replacing God.

The world sees money as an indicator of success, of power, of influence, with more being better.  I think this is what drives some to seek ever greater wealth: a desire to hold greater power and influence over others.  British historian and politician Lord Acton wrote a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887 in which he said that, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  Lord Acton believed that power is dangerous and can degrade even the best of people.  The desire to build greater wealth underlies the desire for greater power, and blocks out any thoughts of future consequences that may arise.

I take my cue in this belief from none other than Jesus.  There was a day when He had been teaching His disciples about the perils of being obsessed with wealth and earthly riches.  Please listen and follow along to how the Apostle Luke related a stern lesson Jesus gave to His disciples and the Pharisees who had gathered to hear Him that day, as recorded in the 16th chapter of Luke’s Gospel account, verses 14 and 15 and verses 19 through 31, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at Him. 15 Then He said to them, "You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God."

19 Jesus said, "There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

22 "Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to Hades, the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

24 "The rich man shouted, 'Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.'

25 "But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.'

27 "Then the rich man said, 'Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.'

29 "But Abraham said, 'Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.'

30 "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.'

31 "But Abraham said, 'If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"

--Luke 16:14-15, 19-31 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, we thank You for the warnings You’ve given us as to how our behavior, our sin, will impact our future life after this life has ended for us.  Through Your inspired word in our bible, we know what sin is and how it not only displeases and disappoints You, it also stains us and paints our world with horrible, ugly strokes.  Father, we thank You for showing us how our lives, in eternity and even still now in this life, are affected by our obedience or disobedience to You and Jesus.  But, Father, we live in this world and can’t escape what it holds as important.  We are surrounded by evil, by greed, by selfishness and self-centeredness.  We’re inundated by visions of how great our life can be if we only do this or buy that.  Everywhere we look are people hating each other, hurting each other.  It is becoming more and more difficult to love others, to reach out and share the Gospel with them.  Loving Father, please forgive us our failures.  Help us be more obedient to Your will, more open and caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, our worship, and our service.  And please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Back in 1992, the Moody Institute's little "Today in the Word" devotional reported that during the 1982 war in the Falkland Islands between England and Argentina, the Royal Navy's 3,500-ton destroyer, HMS Sheffield, was sunk by a single missile fired from an Argentine fighter jet.  It caused some people to wonder if modern surface warships were obsolete, sitting ducks for today's sophisticated missiles.  But a later check revealed that the Sheffield's defenses did pick up the incoming missile, and the ship's computer correctly identified it as a French-made Exocet.  But the computer was programmed to ignore Exocets as "friendly."  The Sheffield was sunk by a missile it saw coming and could have evaded.

The crew of the Sheffield surely knew what would happen if an enemy missile hit their ship.  They knew what to look for and how to defend against it to prevent their destruction.  But they misread the information presented to them.

We have been told what will happen.  We've been told what to look out for.  The end of the age is coming.  We don't know exactly when, but we have been told what signs to watch for.  Will we recognize those signs in time?

So Jesus gave us a pretty good lesson on the perils of choosing wealth over compassion, of gaining power without mercy.  The rich man had everything; Lazarus had nothing.  But then they both died to this life and the tables were suddenly turned.

This parable also make the very strong and clear point that once we are dead to this life, once we have drawn our last breath, it is too late to have any effect or influence over our next life.  We’ve been warned, often and in numerous passages, all in our bible, throughout both the Old and New Testaments.  We need to pay heed to these warnings now, while there is still time.

Our scripture reading this morning contained just one of the many parables Jesus used to instruct us, to teach us, and to warn us.  One of those parables taught about the word of God and centered on a sower spreading his seed.  The disciples had a little trouble understanding the meaning behind this parable, as many people have since that day.  So for our benefit, Jesus explained it in detail.  After that explanation, the disciples were still a bit perplexed.  The Apostle Matthew recorded what followed in the 13th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 10 through 16, when Jesus gave us greater insight…

10 His disciples came and asked Him, "Why do You use parables when You talk to the people?"

11 He replied, "You are permitted to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.

They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

'When you hear what I say,

you will not understand.

When you see what I do,

you will not comprehend.

15 For the hearts of these people are hardened,

and their ears cannot hear,

and they have closed their eyes—

so their eyes cannot see,

and their ears cannot hear,

and their hearts cannot understand,

and they cannot turn to me

and let me heal them.'

16 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear."

--Matthew 13:10-16 (NLT)

Right there Jesus backs up the prophecy of Isaiah that says there are people who just will not listen.  Their eyes and ears are closed to the truth.  They’ll never listen, they’ll never believe that they’ve been told, even when the world comes crashing down around them.  Just like the rich man never listened, and feared his brothers would never listen.  But our eyes are open, our ears are open, and we have been shown and told the truth.  It’s up to us to pay heed now.

Power corrupts.  Family, many today are worried about the rapidly increasing incidents of violence in our society.  We’re seeing more and deadlier persecution against all religions, including Christianity.  Some call it “political violence” but I think a more proper term would be violence born of ideological differences.

How do we react to all the hatred?  Do we fight fire with fire, an eye for an eye?  No – we combat hatred with love, with compassion, with forgiveness, with mercy.  Just as Jesus did, on the cross, when He asked our heavenly Father to forgive those who put Him there.

Let’s pay heed to all Jesus said and did, so that when our time comes, we can join Abraham and Lazarus at that grand feast.  Let’s keep doing the work our Lord assigned us, trying to save non-believers from the horrible fate that awaits them, sharing the Gospel with anyone who will listen.  For this is God’s will for us, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the blessed name of Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for showing us how we should live each day, and then giving us so many chances to behave in a righteous way.  We know that too often we displease and disobey You, but we are trying hard to do what is right.  Thank You for hearing us, forgiving us, and helping us.  And thank You for giving us the faith to believe in and follow Your Son Jesus.  Please help us follow Him and His teachings more closely, something we admit we don’t always do.  We try to not desire the things the world sees as important, but it’s difficult because everyone around us has the same desires.  We need Your help, Father.  Please keep reminding us of our fate if we continue to disobey and displease You.  Keep reassuring us of our reward for following Your commands.  And please remove all distractions that pull us away from spending more time with You and Jesus.  Please help us reach out to others and share with them all You teach us through Your word. 

Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith, trying to make us his own.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what comes our way.

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, thank You for standing with us in our daily life.  Yes, we worry about our safety and the safety of our loved ones, but we do not fear death because we know that You have already fought and conquered the grave.  The world may take our mortal life, but our eternal life is secured by our faith in You.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  We just ask that you please keep blessing us, keep helping us through these scary times.  And please forgive us, Lord, when we struggle to love others like You want us to.  We know it disappoints You when we let our fear keep us from approaching others and showing Your love as we walk through each day.  Please help us be more like You in how we live and behave.  Help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.  Give us the words to say, show us the deeds to do to lead the lost to You.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.