Of Faith and Duty

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 28th of October, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

During the three short years of His ministry on earth, Jesus tried so hard to get folks to understand the truth of our Father God and what He has planned for us.  He kept telling us what is truly important in our life, and too often that was not what we ourselves had made out to be important.  Simple faith is one of those things, and not only the importance of faith but what we should do with it.

Sometimes. it seems that His closest followers - His chosen disciples, His apostles - were the toughest to get the point across to.  Please listen and follow along to one such time when Jesus tried to teach His disciples about faith, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in chapter 17 of his Gospel account, verses 5 through 10, reading from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible…

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

6 The Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

7 “Which of you, having a servant plowing or herding sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come now and sit down for dinner’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare my supper, and dress yourself and serve me until I eat and drink. And afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? I think not. 10 So you also, when you have done everything commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done our duty.’?”

--Luke 17:5-10 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You give each of us a measure of faith, but it’s up to us to do something with that gift.  Speak to us this morning, Father, with Your message.  Give us clearer insight into the duty our faith requires, into how we might better serve You.  This we pray in the glorious name of Jesus.   Amen.


Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, in their book The Edge of Adventure, wrote this little story:

The following letter was found in a baking-power can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932.  I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years.  But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed.  Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up.  There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first.  Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather.  Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy.  You'll git water.  The well has never run dry.  Have faith.  When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller.  (signed) Desert Pete.  P.S.  Don't go drinking the water first.  Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold."


This little story speaks not only of faith, but of a duty required of that faith.  The person finding the pump and reading the note must have faith that drinking water is available.  And more importantly, they must have faith that the stored bottle of water, when used to prime the pump, will return as much water as they can need as long as they don’t drink any of it first.  The duty required of that faith is that they must do the same for the next person to come along.  They must fill the bottle, cork it and bury it, so that the next person may also drink of their fill.

Every aspect of that scenario would be tough.  Being thirsty, you’d have to exercise discipline and faith to not drink from the bottle, but to use all its precious water to prime the pump.  After slacking your thirst, you’d have to take the time and care to see that the next person can have plenty to drink.  Faith often requires of us some duty to fulfill.


Today is the Sunday before Reformation Day, which is always October 31st.  October 31st, All Hallows' Eve, is the day when Martin Luther effectively began the Great Reformation by nailing his "Ninety-five Theses", his list of grievances against the Catholic church, on the door of the All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Since this is Reformation Sunday, I thought it appropriate to hear what Luther said about a significant and often overlooked way that we serve God in our everyday tasks:

"The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays, not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors. The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship."

In our scripture reading, Jesus starts out talking about faith because His disciples asked for more.  He answered with one of a number of responses He gave, that even a little faith can do marvelous things.  But then He spoke of duty, and basically saying that we have a duty to serve because of our gift of faith.

The Apostle Paul understood what Jesus meant about faith and duty.  In his letter to the Romans, he noted how he was looking forward to coming to Rome to be with them.  In chapter 15 verses 25 through 27 Paul wrote……

25 But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. 26 For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. 27 They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially.

--Romans 15:25-27 (NLT)

Now, Macedonia and Achaia were the northern and southern regions of Greece.  So basically he’s saying that folks from all over Greece eagerly - not begrudgingly, but eagerly - took up an offering to help see to the needs of the poorer believers in Jerusalem.  These would have mostly been Jewish converts.  And the Greek Gentiles were glad to do it because they saw it as a way to acknowledge their debt to the believers who shared the Gospel with them.  They cheerfully performed a duty as a means of repaying a debt, and a debt that could actually never be repaid.


We can never repay the debt owed to Jesus for His sacrifice, nor to our heavenly Father for His mercy and grace, the God of our salvation.  But don’t we have a duty to acknowledge our debt?  Don’t we have a responsibility to at least try to repay even some small portion, as best we can?

King Solomon, in his Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 12 verse 13, summed up all his teachings by saying…

13 Now all has been heard.
Let us hear the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

--Ecclesiastes 12:13 (MEV)

Solomon says the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments.  Jesus is God the Son, and He commanded us to love God and to love one another.  He also commanded that we go into the world sharing the Gospel, the Good News, and making disciples.  By our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Master, we also accept that we are His servants.

In the very last of our scripture reading, Jesus speaks for servants in general when He says that, “we have done our duty”.  The New King James Versions translates that as, “we have done what was our duty to do”.  A servant should not expect to be praised or rewarded for simply doing their job, their duty, for fulfilling their responsibility.  But Paul certainly praised the Greek believers for helping the believers in Jerusalem.

And family, we will indeed be rewarded for doing our duty when we get to our true home in heaven.  From my own experience, we are rewarded here on earth when we do our duty by serving God, helping others, loving others.  Our reward isn’t monetary or even tangible.  It’s much greater, much more enjoyable than that.  Our earthly reward is in how doing our duty makes us feel inside.  Our reward is in seeing the smiles on the faces of those whose hearts we touch.  Our reward is in being able to pay forward what we have so generously received ourselves.

So let’s get out there and do our duty.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You provide for our needs here on earth and promise so much more when we come to live with You for all eternity.  All we have to do is believe in Your Son Jesus and make good use of the faith You give us.  Forgive us, Father, when we fail to recognize and acknowledge the great debt we owe You.  Forgive us when we won’t even try to repay You and Jesus for all You’ve done.  Please help us be good, faithful servants.  Help us more clearly understand what You expect of us and how we might better serve You.  Help us do our duty.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help by our faith to serve You in all we do…

Lord Jesus, the great prophet Isaiah described You as the Good Servant.  You did everything God asked of You here on earth, never once shirking Your duty.  Lord, may we as dutiful and responsible in our service to You.  Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your all for us.  Thank You for being such a good Servant.  Please help us be good servants, too.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.

Of Faith and Sacrifice

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 21st of October, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, according to the author of the book of Hebrews.  The Apostle Paul tells us that faith is a gift from God, with a measure given to each of us.  But it is a gift that comes with a certain degree of responsibility, at least to those who truly appreciate it.

Last week we mentioned that we should exercise our faith, to help it grow stronger.  So what are some of the ways we can do that?  Please listen and follow along to the exhortation the Apostle Paul gives us all through his letter to the Romans, chapter 12, verses 1 through 8, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

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

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

--Romans 12:1-8 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You give us so much, including our faith.  Speak to us this morning, Father, with Your message.  Show us how each of us might strengthen our faith and better serve You.  This we pray in the blessed name of Jesus.   Amen.


Dr. David Livingstone, the famous missionary to Africa, once wrote:

"People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa.  Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay?  Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny?  It is emphatically no sacrifice.  Rather it is a privilege.  Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life - these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment.  All these are nothing compared with the glory which shall later be revealed in and through us.  I never made a sacrifice.  Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."


John Henry Jowett, an influential British Protestant preacher at the turn of the 19th to 20th century adds:

“Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.”


To make a sacrifice is to give up something that is important to us, that is dear to us.  If it’s something we don’t care all that much about, then giving it up is no real sacrifice.  If it’s worthless to us, then giving it up costs us nothing.  If our ministry is based on that kind of “sacrifice”, then it accomplishes nothing, according to Rev. Jowett.

Contrast that to Dr. Livingstone’s attitude.  Although he gave up so much in service to our Lord, he himself did not consider it a sacrifice.  He thought of it as simply repaying a debt he owed to God.  He made of himself a living sacrifice to God.  So did Paul and the other Apostles.  They gave so much of themselves, of their resources, of their time, of their love.  The Apostles certainly gave far more than most Christians today ever give, or that many would even consider giving.

Our Bible is full of sacrifices, especially in the Old Testament, with blood sacrifices being necessary for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus sacrificed Himself for the forgiveness of sin of all who would believe.  His blood sacrifice was once, for all time - no more blood sacrifices are required.

So how much of a sacrifice are we called to give, and of what kind?  Paul says we are to make of ourselves a living sacrifice.  And he gives some examples, including speaking for God, ministering to His people, teaching them, encouraging them, leading them, showing them mercy, even with cheerfulness.  We don’t have to give up our lives to offer reasonable service to God, but we can live our lives for Him.

The author of the Book of Hebrews, in chapter 13 verses 15 and 16 tells us yet another sacrifice we can easily, freely make…

15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

--Hebrews 13:15-16 (NKJV)

Have you ever thought that our worship here on Sunday mornings is a form of sacrifice?  When we worship God, we are offering up a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips, especially when we give thanks for all He has done for us.

Of course, we’re also told not to forget to do good things and to share in the bounty God has given us.  Those sacrifices, of our time and our resources, also please God.  Our tithes and offerings are a sacrifice of our monetary resources, our working on church and community projects is a sacrifice of our time.

But not everyone can tithe; some struggle to give even a little back to the Lord due to financial constraints.  And many good folk simply cannot work at projects.  Paul says even they can still make of themselves a sacrifice, as he tells us in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5 verses 1 and 2…

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

--Ephesians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

Walk in love.  That doesn’t sound like too tough a sacrifice, does it?  Be imitators of God and walk in love.  Love others, as Jesus loves us, remembering the sacrifice He made for us.  Walk in love, loving all others, and God will receive and accept this as a sacrifice, a sweet-smelling aroma.

Yes, it is hard to love all others, especially those who wish us harm.  There are people that are just difficult to love.  But that’s what makes loving them a sacrifice.  And that’s what makes it pleasing to God.


No matter what method or means we choose to make of ourselves a sacrifice, no matter what we choose to do, Paul says we should do it for the eyes of God and not those of men.  We shouldn’t do anything just to get personal glory or recognition.  What we do, what we sacrifice, must be for the glory of God alone, otherwise it’s no sacrifice.

Preach, teach, minister, encourage, praise God, walk in love – do what we each do best.  Let’s just make of ourselves a living sacrifice, to the God of our salvation.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You blessed us all with a measure of faith.  Forgive us, Father, when we don’t take the time to exercise it and strengthen it by our service to You.  Forgive us when we ignore opportunities to offer living sacrifices of ourselves, of our time, energy, and resources.  Please help us to nourish and grow this wonderful gift.  Help us better understand Your ways and better serve You.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help by our faith to serve You in all we do…

Lord Jesus, Your faith and service to God never wavered.  Lord, may we be strong in our faith and willing to serve You as we are called.  Thank You, Jesus, for sacrificing so much for us.  Thank You for giving Your all.  Please help us put our faith to good use, to the purpose for which God calls us, in better service to You and Him.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.

Of Faith

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 14th of October, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today I’m going to begin a new little series that’s all about faith.  We use that word quite a bit, even in our normal day-to-day life.  We Christians express our faith in God, whether we actually act like we truly believe in what we’re saying we have faith in or not.

It’s easy to be faithful when everything is going good, isn’t it?  But what about when the world starts falling apart all around us?  The prophet Habakkuk understood faith, even without speaking the word.  Listen to his “Hymn of Faith”, from chapter 3, verses 17 and 18, reading from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible…

17 Though the fig tree does not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines;
though the yield of the olive fails,
and the fields produce no food;
though the flocks are cut off from the fold,
and there be no herd in the stalls—

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.

--Habakkuk 3:17-18 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, Habakkuk knew that anything and everything of this life is transient and temporary.  The bad things that happen to us will pass.  A better day awaits us in Your paradise.  And for that we can rejoice, for You are our only hope, our only salvation.  Speak to us this morning, Father, with the message You need us to hear.  Show us more of Your will and how each of us can carry out our part in it.  This we pray in the blessed name of Jesus.   Amen.


John Emmons of the Faith & Freedom Coalition writes:

The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet.  Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall.  The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.  Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.


With faith, we can put our trust in what we have no proof of, in that which we have no reason to trust, other than by faith.  Faith sets us free from what we let our fears close us off with.  Faith gives us the strength of conviction that God is alive and loves us, takes care of us, and wants us to be with Him forever.  Faith gives us wings to fly, and the courage to plod through this crazy life.


Like I mentioned at the start, we use the word “faith” quite often.  We say we have faith in someone doing something or being able to do it based on their past performances.  We might even express faith in things, like that our car will start when we get in it.  Or even something as nebulous as saying, “I have faith I can make my doctor’s appointment on time.”

But do any of those really depend on faith?  For that matter, what is faith?  Let’s go to our textbook for the answer.  And by textbook I mean our Holy Bible.  The author of the Book of Hebrews, in chapter 11 verses 1 and 3, tells us…

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

--Hebrews 11:1, 3 (NKJV)

Can we see God with our own eyes?  Does He look like the kindly wise old white-haired man we see painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?  We can’t even see Jesus in the flesh anymore, now that He has returned to heaven and the spiritual realm.

No, we accept our “proof” of God in the very world around us and how it functions.  Our “proof” of both God and Jesus is contained in the words of our Holy Bible.  Non-believers would tell you that’s all rubbish, that everything in this world can be explained by science.  There’s no need for faith.

If there is no need for faith, then what is there to hope for?  If there is no hope, what is the point of life?  Faith, as defined by the author of the Book of Hebrews, is what really separates us from the world.  Our Faith gives us hope, and our hope gives us a purpose to live.


So we Christians have faith and the rest of the world doesn’t, right?  Maybe, maybe not.  Where do we get this faith we have?  Where does it come from?  The Apostle Paul answers that one, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 12 verse 3…

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

--Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

Paul says there’s no reason for us to be thinking ourselves extra special because we have faith since God gave everyone faith.

Martin Luther, the man who basically started the Great Reformation, once said that “God our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.”  But Paul tells us that God has given each person a measure of faith.  Each of us, believer and non-believer alike, was bestowed some amount of faith as a gift from God.  So how could some come to have no faith, and thus have nothing as Martin Luther claims?

The answer is easy: we can lose our faith, lose that precious gift from God, especially if we refuse to believe in His Son Jesus.  Think of faith as a muscle.  If for whatever reason a muscle is never used, never receives any stimulation whatsoever, it will atrophy and die.  We have to actually use our faith, exercise it, to keep it healthy and alive, and to help it grow ever stronger.

And we have to be faithful to God not only in the good times, but the bad as well.  Like Habakkuk, we must rejoice in the Lord no matter what may happen around us.  We must exult in the God of our salvation because of our salvation!


And that points out one last aspect about faith in general I’d like to bring out.  It isn’t enough that we have faith in God, we must have faith in what He does.  We must have faith in what God does.

Have you ever heard someone say, or said yourself, “I don’t know how God could have allowed that to happen!”, when talking about some horrific event?  First off we need to understand that if God is indeed God, then He can do no evil – everything He does is righteous and holy.  Next we need to understand that if we are to have free will, then He must allow some of us to do bad things.  We also need to realize that bad things happening test us and help make us stronger, like when God allowed Satan to beat up on Job.

But most of all, we need to remember what Paul told us, that God works all things to the good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose.  These are all things we say we believe.  Faith and belief go hand in hand.  St. Augustine said, and I’m paraphrasing a little here, “Understanding is the reward of faith.  Therefore seek not to understand that we may believe, but believe that we may understand.”  Have faith in God and in what He does, so we might better understand why, so we might have hope, so we might see the purpose of our life.


And now that we hopefully have a little better understanding of faith itself, we’ll begin looking at how our faith relates to other aspects of the Christian life.  We’ll examine our duty resulting from our faith, including sacrifices that may be required.  Wealth and works and forgiveness, seemingly unconnected, all have a place in faith, as do healing and thankfulness and vision.

I have faith that God will strengthen and revitalize our faith during this series, as He shows us a greater purpose and renews our hope for a wonderful future.  For now, be of good cheer, for by our faith we know that Jesus washed us clean with His precious blood and our sins are forgiven.  Rejoice in the Lord, and exult in the God of our salvation.  For those who follow Christ, it’s all a matter of faith.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, our faith in You is based on Your word in our Holy Bible and on the things we see in Your creation all around us.  But still we need to be more like Habakkuk, rejoicing even in our trials.  Forgive us, Father, when we have our doubts.  Forgive us when we question what You do or have allowed to happen.  Please help us remember that You are God and that You are holy and righteous.  Help us exercise and strengthen our faith.  Help us grow ever closer to You and to Jesus.  Help us better understand Your ways.  Give us clearer vision into Your plan for each of us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help to remain faithful to You and to Jesus no matter what may happen…

Lord Jesus, as You walked this earth, You looked into the hearts of people and saw their faith.  For some, You commented on how little faith they had.  But for others, You saw the strength of their faith and answered their prayers, and forgave their sins.  Lord Jesus, may we be in that latter group, strong of faith and willing to serve You as we are called.  Thank You, Jesus, for washing us clean with Your blood.  Thank You for searching our hearts.  Please help us put our faith to good use, to the purpose for which God calls us.  And help us grow in our faith, and better understand God’s will for our lives.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.

Remember Me

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 7th of September, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our service today also included the observance of Holy Communion.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

There’s a tradition in our prison system where a condemned person gets whatever lavish dinner they want for their last meal before being put to death.  Our Lord’s last supper on this earth was a bit different.  He gathered His closest followers, His closest friends, together for a simple meal.

The menu may have been plain, but the ramifications of that supper and the events that followed still have great impact today.  For it was that night when Jesus told us of God’s new covenant with us sealed by Jesus’ blood.  And it was that night in which our Lord was betrayed by one of those eating at His table.

Though he was not present, the Apostle Paul accurately shares with us what Jesus said at supper.  Paul also includes a warning to us, about what must be in our hearts when we join Jesus at His table.  Please listen and follow along as I read from Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 23 through 32, from the New King James Version of God’s Bible…

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many are dead. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. 

--1 Corinthians 11:23-32 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, Your plan for our salvation came at a great cost, one we could never pay.  Only Your Son Jesus was spotless and free from sin.  Only His sacrifice could atone for our sin.  Only His blood could wash us clean in Your eyes.  Help us to always remember not only the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf, but also the example He set for how we should live our own lives.  Help us to never forget.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


I wish I could tell you who wrote this, but some now unknown person left us with these poetic instructions:

Forget each kindness that you do as soon as you have done it. Forget the praise that falls to you the moment you have won it. Forget the slander that you hear before you can repeat it. Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer, whenever you may meet it. Remember every promise made and keep it to the letter. Remember those who lend you aid and be a grateful debtor. Remember all the happiness that comes your way in living. Forget each worry and distress; be hopeful and forgiving. Remember good, remember truth, remember heaven is above you. And you will find, through age and youth, that many will love you.


Doesn’t that sound a lot like how we, as Christians, should live our life?  It pretty well describes the humble life Jesus lived.  Some of the lessons He taught are included there.  Forget the worries, show love and be loved.

Sadly, though, when things get really tough, many of us tend to forget that God is always good and faithful.  We see only the hard road ahead, and fail to remember how He got us through all the bad times in the past.  God never leaves us, never forsakes us, never forgets us.


I did a quick count and found 262 instances of the words “remember” and “remembrance” in the New King James Version of our Holy Bible.  The phrase “remember me” can be found 15 times.  Almost every one of those instances is mankind asking God to remember us, primarily in our times of need.

But God Himself used the word “remember” when talking about something we often see: a rainbow.  In chapter 9 of Genesis, God says He will place a rainbow in the sky after each rain so that He will remember not to destroy the earth by flood ever again.  Do you think maybe God has a memory like mine and has to constantly be reminded of things?  Isn’t it more likely that the rainbow appears so that we will remember the covenant He made with mankind and with the earth?  This is our little reminder, not His.


But usually when we see “remember” or “remember me” in the Bible, it is man asking God to remember us, to not forget about us, to help us.  A good example can be found as Jesus hung on that cruel cross, from the Gospel account of the Apostle Luke, chapter 23, verses 32, 33, and 39 through 43…

32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

--Luke 23:32-33, 39-43 (NKJV)

“Lord, remember me.”  Was this just the plea of a criminal seeking mercy, or a man humbled in the presence of the One he now recognized as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God?

“Lord, remember me.”  Jesus saw the man’s heart, his faith, and promised him a home in heaven.


“Remember me.”  We don’t want to be forgotten, do we?  We’d like to think that we’ve done something important enough, that someone loved us enough, that we will be remembered after we’ve left this earth.  Jesus, while fully God, was also fully man, so maybe He felt this way too, that He wanted to be remembered after He returned to heaven.  When He passed around the bread and the wine and said to His friends, “Remember Me”, couldn’t He have been trying to sear His image in their memory?  We know, though, that His words were not only for the benefit of those present that night, but for all mankind down through the ages.  He said “Remember Me” to anyone who will pick up this book and read it.

I think the whole point is that Jesus didn’t want us so much to remember Him, as to remember what He did, what He told us, what He showed us.  By the very example of how He lived, He showed us how we, as Christians, should live.  We should love everyone, as He loved everyone.  We should carry out God’s will, no matter the personal cost.  Just as He sacrificed in service to God, we should be willing to sacrifice, too.  Jesus told us how to live, in words and in deeds.  We just need to follow His example.


The second part of our scripture passage contains the warning Paul leaves us, that we must be right with God before coming to our Lord’s table.  This is how we are worthy to commune with Jesus, by being righteous in God’s eyes.  We need to look deep inside and judge ourselves, knowing what is expected of us, and repent of any sin we find.

Look closely at what’s in our heart, in how we live.  Repent, and be worthy to come to the Lord’s table.  Remember Jesus – all that He did, all that He taught and showed, and all that He wants us to do.  Do this, in remembrance of Him.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You want all of us to be reunited with You and live with You forever in heaven.  So You sent Your own Son to take on our sin, to take our punishment.  And all we have to do to be given that great gift of salvation is to believe in Jesus and follow His voice.  Forgive us, Father, when we have trouble doing something so simple.  Please help us be worthy in Your sight to come to Jesus’ table today.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help so that You might see us as worthy…

Lord Jesus, You gave it all up for us.  Thank You, Jesus, for redeeming us with Your blood sacrifice so that we can be with You and our Father God forever!  Please help us never forget what You did for us.  And help us remember and learn from the example You set.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.

Sadness Will Turn to Joy

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 30th of September, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today I am going to conclude our little series based on statements Jesus made which He prefaced by saying, “I tell you the solemn truth”.  I chose 12 separate scripture passages, a few of which contained more than one “solemn truth”.  I could have chosen many more, for Jesus repeated that phrase often when He had something truly important to tell us.  And really, I could have just worked from everything He is quoted as saying in the four Gospel accounts and in Revelation, because everything is indeed the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

For today, though, please listen and follow along as I read this last truth I had chosen, from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 16, verses 16 through 22, again from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible.  Jesus is speaking to His disciples when He says…

16 "In a little while you will see Me no longer; again after a little while, you will see Me.”

17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is the meaning of what He is saying, ‘In a little while you will not see Me; again after a little while, you will see Me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they kept on repeating, “What is the meaning of what He says, ‘In a little while’? We do not understand what He is talking about.”

19 Jesus could see that they wanted to ask Him about these things, so He said to them, “Are you asking each other about this — that I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me; again after a little while, you will see Me’? 20 I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. 21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you."

--John 16:16-22 (NET)

Let us pray…  Father God, when we are hurting and sad, it’s hard for us to imagine ever feeling joyous again.  We think that nothing could lift us out of the gloom, nothing could stop the flow of tears.  But Your Son Jesus assures us that when He returns, any sadness we may be feeling will instantly turn to joy.  There’ll be no more sorrow, no more hurting, only happiness and joy.  Speak to us this morning, Father, and give us the message You need us to hear.  Help us understand what You have in store for us.  Help us trust in Your great plan for those who love You.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


Christian author J. R. Miller once wrote:

"A saintly woman suffering for weary months in painful illness said to her pastor:  'I have such a lovely robin that sings outside my window.  In the early morning, as I lie here, he serenades me.'  Then, as a smile brightened her thin features, she added, 'I love him, because he sings in the rain.'  That is the most beautiful thing about the robin.  When the storm has silenced almost every other songbird, the robin sings on — sings in the rain.  That is the way the Christian who is with Christ may do.  Anybody can sing in the sunshine; you and I should sing on when clouds pour out their rains, for Christ is with us.  We should sing in the rain."


We should sing even in the rain.  With God’s very own Holy Spirit living within us, we should sing our Lord’s praises no matter what situation we may find ourselves in.  For we believers know something the world hasn’t figured out yet.  We know that some sweet day, all our sadness will turn to joy.  And that’s something to sing about, even in the rain.


God works in mysterious ways...  As I mentioned, this is the last message in the series I began many weeks ago based on the "solemn truth" statements Jesus made.  I've had this scripture pulled out and the message formulating in my head for a couple of months.  And then hurricane Florence hit the coast of North Carolina and ground out a wide swath of destruction all across our state, and especially down east.

There are many, probably millions, who have suffered from the effects of this storm, even here in our own small church family.  How joyful do you think they felt as Florence crept through, or even today as the flood waters slowly recede?

Jesus assures us that the sadness we may feel right now will one day turn to joy.  We read it in our responsive reading a few minutes ago where the Apostle James, in chapter 1 verses 2 and 3 of his letter to the early church tells us...

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

--James 1:2-3 (NKJV)

James says we should be joyful even when we are going through some sort of trial, if for no other reason than because being tested can make us more patient.  How many of us have asked, “Lord, please give me patience.”?  Well, if we’re more joyful when things go bad, He will give us more patience, so we can get through them.

Now James is basically just expounding a little on what Jesus said earlier, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Gospel account, chapter 6 verses 22 and 23, in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain”…

22 "Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."

--Luke 6:22-23 (NKJV)

We should consider ourselves blessed, even rejoice and leap for joy, when everything turns sour in this life, because we have such a great reward awaiting us in heaven, there for when Jesus takes us home.


In our scripture reading, Jesus confused His disciples by saying that “in a little while you will not see Me” but then again “after a little while you will see Me.”  And we know He was talking about leaving this mortal life and going to heaven, then returning someday to set things aright.  In his 1st letter to the early church, chapter 1 verse 8 and chapter 4 verse 13, the Apostle Peter talks to those who never saw Jesus, not with our eyes…

8 Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory...

13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

--1 Peter 1:8b; 4:13 (NKJV)

We do not see Jesus – we’ve never seen Him physically – yet we rejoice with a joy that cannot be expressed, a glorious joy, because we believe in Him!  We rejoice because of what He has done for us!

But notice Peter adds that we rejoice to the extent that we share in Christ’s suffering.  Just as Jesus suffered trials and persecution on earth without ever losing His love and faith in our Father God, so must we.  Then, when Jesus’ glory is fully revealed at His return, we will also share in the great joy our Father will give.


The author of the Book of Hebrews also addressed this concept of being joyful even in trials and suffering.  We know that the early church experienced much hardship and persecution at the hands of those who sought to destroy what Jesus began.  In chapter 10, the author spoke to those who had suffered, and I think he speaks to us as well.  Listen to what he wrote in verses 32 through 34…

32 But recall the former days in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.

--Hebrews 10:32-34 (NKJV)

Many in the early church were thrown into prison for their belief.  Many had their possessions taken from them just for trying to follow Jesus.  We today, here in the United States especially, do not so much have to fear being arrested or having our possessions taken because we are Christians.  Of course, there’s the troubling question that if we were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence against us to convict us?

We might not have to worry about that just yet, but I know that we all have endured some “great struggle with sufferings”, as the author of Hebrews put it.  We’ve gone through trials and tribulations aplenty.  And while our possessions may not have been forcefully taken from us, I know many have freely given away much in service to our Lord.  But we do so joyfully - we give and we suffer - knowing that we have a “better and enduring possession” in heaven awaiting us.


This is what Jesus was talking about in our solemn truth this morning.  As we go through this life we will weep and wail, and the world may rejoice in our suffering.  We will be sad, and I would add that we will suffer great sadness.

But when Jesus returns and calls His church home, all that sadness, all the hurt and pain, all the suffering will turn into pure and everlasting joy!  And like the woman suffering the pains of childbirth no longer remembers any of that once she holds her child in her arms, we will forget all about any suffering we endured during this life, once our eternal life with our Lord begins.  So we do have sorrow and suffering and pain and sadness now, but when, after a little while we see Jesus again, our hearts will rejoice and no one, no one can ever take our joy away from us.

All our sadness will turn to joy.  This is the promise our Lord made.  This is the solemn truth Jesus spoke.  This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You give us so much.  You provide for our needs and You give us even more.  And You help us through the tough times.  Forgive us, Father, when we dwell on the hardships, on the negatives of life.  Forgive us when we fail to feel joyful in our hearts even in the bad times.  Please help us rejoice even now during our sorrows, knowing what You have in store for us in heaven.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You promised to return for us, Your church, to take us home.  And You assure us that on that day, all our sorrows and sadness will turn into pure joy.  Thank You, Jesus, for redeeming us with Your blood sacrifice so that we can be with You and our Father God forever!  Please help us find joy in all our circumstances, the good as well as the bad.  Help us rejoice in our trials and sufferings, knowing what awaits us when You return.  Help us remain faithful no matter what befalls us.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior.  Amen.

Make Miracles Happen

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 23rd of September, 2018 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Please note there was no service on Sunday the 16th due to Hurricane Florence's passage.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

It’s been a few weeks since we last looked at our series concerning statements Jesus made where He prefaced each by assuring us, “I tell you the solemn truth”.  I want to return to that this morning, and specifically to where Jesus commented directly on the miracles He had been performing.  He did so many while He walked the earth, and all without great fanfare – He was not looking for praise.  But He made a very profound statement regarding miracles that we need to keep in mind.

Please listen and follow along as I read from the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 14, verses 8 through 14, and I’ll be returning to the New English Translation of our Holy Bible for this reading…

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.” 9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known Me, Philip? The person who has seen Me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father residing in Me performs His miraculous deeds. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me, but if you do not believe Me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves. 12 I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in Me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."

--John 14:8-14 (NET)

Let us pray…  Father God, it is only human nature to think there are some things we simply cannot do.  We think that performing miracles is above our paygrade, outside our wheelhouse, not within our realm of capability.  Your Son Jesus tried to tell us otherwise.  Speak to us this morning, Father, with the message You need us to hear.  Help us understand what You would have us do.  Help us trust in Your power and strength.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


David Yarbrough of Sermon Central once contributed this little story:  A man was putting a tin roof on his barn when all a sudden he slipped and began to slide down the roof.  He cried out to God to save him.  No sooner had he got the words out of his mouth when a nail caught his pants and stopped his fall.  When he had caught his breath, the man said, “Never mind, God.  I took care of it”.

Mr. Yarbrough noted that, "The problem isn’t that God doesn’t perform miracles anymore.  The problem is we’re not looking for God to perform miracles."


Theologian and author C.S. Lewis had such a wonderful insight into the workings of God.  In his book, Studies in Theology, Mr. Lewis wrote:  "God seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures.  He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye."


We know that God can do anything, and in the twinkling of an eye, if it so pleases Him, if it is in His will and in His time.  But if we stop to think about it, we might see where He performs a lot of His miracles through us.  Yes, we go about it slowly and blunderingly, as Mr. Lewis said, making errors and missteps along the way.  But aren’t we sometimes the tool God uses to accomplish His mighty works?

Maybe we just don’t see them because, like the man sliding down the roof, we just aren’t looking for God to do a miracle.  Maybe we just don’t believe He still performs them.  But family, every time a child is born, every time a doctor diagnoses a problem and fixes it, every time the raging storm passes and we suffer no damages from it, God has performed a miracle.


During His short ministry on earth, Jesus performed many miracles.  He healed the sick and cast out evil spirits.  He made the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak.  He even brought the dead back to life.  So why did people have so much trouble believing that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, sent from God?  In our scripture reading, He implored even His disciples to believe in Him, if not for the words He spoke then for the miracles He was able to perform, miracles that only God could do.

But the most amazing part of that reading is in verse 12, the solemn truth He leaves us with.  Those who believe in Jesus will be able to not only perform miraculous deeds just like Jesus did, but even greater deeds than those!  We believers can perform miracles, even greater ones than Jesus Himself did!  All we have to do us ask in His name and He’ll make it happen so that His Father God will be glorified!  But do we believe it?  If we have trouble believing that God still does miracles, how in the world are we going to believe that we can do them, too?!?


I want you to think for a moment about a miracle that a believer might have performed.  One that quickly came to my mind was when Peter walked on the water.  He saw Jesus doing it and wanted to do it too, so Jesus told him to step out of the boat and walk to Him.  And sure enough, Peter climbed out of the boat and started walking across the surface of the sea toward Jesus.

But Peter lost his focus and started doubting that he could actually do what he was in fact doing, and he started to sink beneath the waves.  Jesus had to save him.  Peter doubted he could do a miracle.  Don’t we doubt it too?


Peter’s doubt soon vanished, though, after Jesus had returned to heaven.  Maybe he remembered the words Jesus spoke in our scripture reading, for he and John healed a man who had been lame from birth and let him walk for the very first time in his life.  The people saw it and were amazed.  The Jewish leaders saw it, and had Peter and John arrested.  Listen as they admit what these two believers had done, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 4, verses 13 through 16…

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it."

--Acts 4:13-16 (NKJV)

Believers, mortal men, performing miracles, just like Jesus said.  And that wasn’t the only incident of such that Luke shares with us.  Hear what he recorded about Philip, who fled Jerusalem shortly after Jesus’ crucifixion, from Acts chapter 8 verses 5 through 7…

5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

--Acts 8:5-7 (NKJV)

A believer, performing miracles on his own.  And let me give you one more instance of Luke verifying that believers can indeed perform God-like miracles, from Acts chapter 15 verse 12…

12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

--Acts 15:12 (NKJV)

I could go on, but here’s just one more example of what we can accomplish when we ask in Jesus’ name.  This one occurred while Jesus still walked the earth, and was saved for us by the Apostle Mark in his Gospel account, chapter 9 verses 38 and 39…

38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”

39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me."

--Mark 9:38-39 (NKJV)

We know nothing about this man, other than he was not one of those who walked with Jesus.  Perhaps he heard Jesus preaching, or saw Him perform a miracle, or was healed himself.  All we know is that he believed in Jesus and in what He could do.  He believed enough to be able to do mighty works in the name of Jesus.


How strong is our belief?  We’re believers in Jesus.  If we ask for something in Jesus’ name, do we really, deep down in our hearts, believe that He will do it for us?  Or do nagging doubts linger and lie hidden just beneath the surface, pulling us under the waves?

A couple of weeks ago I prayed for God to turn Florence back out to sea.  For His own reasons He did not do so.  But weren’t we, this Pilgrim family, spared from major damage from the storm?  To my knowledge, none of us lost a loved one to the storm.  Things can be replaced, but life is precious and ours were spared.  Was this not a miracle?


“I believe in miracles.  I’ve seen a soul set free.  Miraculous the change in one redeemed through Calvary.  I’ve seen the lily push its way up through the stubborn sod.  Yes, I believe in miracles.  For I believe in God.”  [From the hymn, “I Believe In Miracles”.]

God still works miracles, and so can we.  Cast out all doubt.  Make a miracle happen.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, we know You still work miracles, even though we don’t always see them.  Forgive us, Father, when we think the miracle You just performed is something we did.  Forgive us when we fail to recognize and acknowledge Your mighty hand at work.  Please help us see the miracles in our lives each and every day.  May You received all the glory.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You did so many great and wonderful things while You walked among us.  The signs You showed of Your divine nature should have been obvious to everyone, not just the few who would believe.  Thank You, Jesus, for letting us be counted as Your believers.  Please help us, Lord, to call upon Your sweet name and make miracles happen through the power of God’s Holy Spirit living within us.  Help us to push even the little doubts out of our hearts so we can do great things in Your name and in Your service.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, our only hope.  Amen.

Coming Together

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 9th of September, 2018, Homecoming Sunday at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Church homecoming – a day set aside each year for folks to come back to what once was their home church, usually accompanied by a luncheon afterwards.  Here at Pilgrim, we also take a moment on this day to remember those who have passed since this time last year.  They enjoyed a different kind of homecoming, one we all look forward to.

I’ll look at that homecoming in a minute, but there’s another I’d like to address first, and that is coming home to God.  Our heavenly Father spoke through His prophet Ezekiel and promises us new life when we come home to Him.  Please listen and follow along as I read what Ezekiel recorded for us in the 37th chapter of his book, verses 1 through 14, from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Some time later, I felt the Lord’s power take control of me, and His Spirit carried me to a valley full of bones. 2 The Lord showed me all around, and everywhere I looked I saw bones that were dried out. 3 He said, “Ezekiel, son of man, can these bones come back to life?”

I replied, “Lord God, only you can answer that.”

4 He then told me to say:

Dry bones, listen to what the Lord is saying to you, 5 “I, the Lord God, will put breath in you, and once again you will live. 6 I will wrap you with muscles and skin and breathe life into you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

7 I did what the Lord said, but before I finished speaking, I heard a rattling noise. The bones were coming together! 8 I saw muscles and skin cover the bones, but they had no life in them.

9 The Lord said:

Ezekiel, now say to the wind, “The Lord God commands you to blow from every direction and to breathe life into these dead bodies, so they can live again.”

10 As soon as I said this, the wind blew among the bodies, and they came back to life! They all stood up, and there were enough to make a large army.

11 The Lord said:

Ezekiel, the people of Israel are like dead bones. They complain that they are dried up and that they have no hope for the future. 12 So tell them, “I, the Lord God, promise to open your graves and set you free. I will bring you back to Israel, 13 and when that happens, you will realize that I am the Lord. 14 My Spirit will give you breath, and you will live again. I will bring you home, and you will know that I have kept My promise. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

--Ezekiel 37:1-14 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, sometimes we feel and act like nothing but a pile of old dry bones, just laying around with no life in us.  Revive us, please Father.  Help us hear Your voice, feel Your Spirit moving inside us.  Speak to us now with the message You need us to hear this day..  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


A lady once asked evangelist Billy Sunday, "Why do you keep having revivals when it doesn't last?"  Billy answered with a question of his own: "Why do you keep taking baths?"


Welsh author Howard Spring noted that, "The kingdom of God is not going to advance by our churches becoming filled with men, but by men in our churches becoming filled with God."


North Carolina native and American evangelist Vance Havner put it like this:  "Revival is the church falling in love with Jesus all over again."


There are some things we have to keep doing over and over because they need doing over and over, like bathing and washing clothes and mowing the grass.  Billy Sunday understood that we Christians need to be constantly revived, we need those reminders of who and what we are.  Howard Spring recognized that numbers in and of themselves don’t matter; that how many people we have filling the pews isn’t as important as how filled with God and His Holy Spirit we are.  And our native son Vance Havner summed it up best by saying that church revival is simply the family of Jesus falling in love with our Lord all over again.

Revival is all about coming back home to God, refreshing our hearts with His Holy Spirit, renewing our love for His Son Jesus.  Our revival services start tonight, but revival should be an ongoing practice for us.


God showed Ezekiel a field of dry, lifeless bones.  And then He gave them flesh and breathed life into them.  Then God explained what the vision is all about, that the dry bones represent the people of Israel, His chosen people.  Now since this is all recorded in our Bible for us all, and God speaks to us all, Gentiles and Jews alike, then we need to understand that we also are these dry bones.

And don’t we get to the point just like God is talking about, where we complain about being all dried up but don’t do anything about it.  We lose all hope for any kind of decent future.  We turn to drugs, both legal and illegal.  We seek help from doctors who give us drugs to suppress our depression, but that really only make us more depressed.  Human life becomes more and more worthless, as violence, murder, and suicides increase.

If we would only come home to God, He will pry open our self-dug graves and set us free!  He will give flesh to our bones and breathe new life into us!  He will bring us home!  This our Lord has promised!  This God has spoken!


And that brings us to the other homecoming, the one where the entire family of Jesus comes together.  For although this facility is beautiful, and we come here to our home church, this is not our home.  Indeed, no place in this world is our home, as the author of the Book of Hebrews clearly states in chapter 13 verse 14 when he states…

14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

--Hebrews 13:14 (NLT)

Nothing in this world is permanent, not in God’s great scheme.  Everything of this world will eventually pass away, so it can certainly not be a permanent home for anyone.  We are all pilgrims here, and not just in Pilgrim Church.  As the old song “Wayfaring Stranger” says, we’re just traveling through this world below.

The Apostle Peter echoes this sentiment in his 1st letter to the early church, chapter 2, verses 11 and 12 when he writes…

11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

--1 Peter 2:11-12 (NLT)

We’re only temporary residents, but as such we should be careful to live proper lives so that the unbelieving around us see us as honorable and may come to know Jesus themselves.  For Jesus will return someday, and then God will judge the world.

In chapter 4, verses 16 and 17 of his 1st letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul tells us what to expect on that day…

16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

--1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NLT)

This will be our true and final homecoming!  This will be the time when all believers in Jesus, those who have died and those still alive on that glorious day, will be reunited as one family, the full body of Jesus.  This is the great reunion with our Lord in the sky, and what a grand homecoming that will be!

But there’s a kicker, a requisite condition – did you notice?  This homecoming is for those who believed in and accepted Jesus during their life on earth.  Our homecoming service and lunch today is open to anyone who wishes to come.  But this homecoming with Jesus is strictly for believers - no one else will be invited, or allowed to attend.

This is what we need to remember.  This is why we come together every Sunday.  This is why we need constant revival.  This is why we need all our family to be filled with God and His Holy Spirit.  This is why we need to fall in love with Jesus all over again.


Someday, if we believe, we’ll be a part of that great homecoming in the clouds.  Starting this evening, we’ll come together for our three revival services.  But let’s make it a point to seek revival each and every day.  Let’s fall in love with Jesus, all over again.

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


Let us pray…  Father God, You see the hearts of Your people and You know our condition.  Too often, believers look just like non-believers in our day to day actions.  Too many of us are nothing but dry bones, having lost all hope, having forgotten our first love of Jesus.  Please help us, Father.  Return to our bones muscle, sinew, and flesh.  Breathe life back into us by filling us anew with Your Holy Spirit.  Renew our love for Your Son Jesus.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You promised to return some day to call Your church home.  Please help us, Lord, to be ready for that day so we can be a part of that great reunion in the sky.  Help us regain the love we felt for You when we first came to You.  Revive us, Lord.  Lead us back to our Father God.  Lead us home.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, our only hope.  Amen.

We Are All Teachers

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 26th of August, 2018, our Back-to-School service.  This service also included our annual Blessing of the Backpacks.  Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Paul was in prison yet again, but this time he was pretty sure his end was near.  So he sat down to write off a note to his young protégé, the one he called “son”: Timothy.  This was Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy saved for us in the New Testament of our Holy Bible.  And to our knowledge, this was Paul’s last letter, written a few weeks before his execution.

In this epistle, Paul instructs Timothy on how a Christian should walk, should behave: in love, with all others, in unity with other believers, in humility.  It is a lesson we should all heed.

Please listen and follow along as I read from the Apostle Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy, chapter 3, verses 10 through 17, as translated by the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

10 Timothy, you know what I teach and how I live. You know what I want to do and what I believe. You have seen how patient and loving I am, and how in the past I put up with 11 trouble and suffering in the cities of Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. Yet the Lord rescued me from all those terrible troubles. 12 Anyone who belongs to Christ Jesus and wants to live right will have trouble from others. 13 But evil people who pretend to be what they are not will become worse than ever, as they fool others and are fooled themselves.

14 Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know who taught you these things. 15 Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. 16 Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. 17 The Scriptures train God’s servants to do all kinds of good deeds.

--2 Timothy 3:10-17 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we know that everything in the scriptures, everything in our Bible, is Your word and the truth.  Your Son Jesus gave Paul an incredible insight into Your truth and into the true mission Christ came to carry out.  Please help us to listen to Paul’s message, Father – to Your message.  Help us to hear and understand what You would teach us this day.  In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.   Amen.


Author Judith Swanson once wrote in Reader's Digest:

From the day we entered the ninth-grade health class, one blackboard was covered with the names and locations of the major bones and muscles of the human body.  The diagram stayed on the board throughout the term, although the teacher never referred to it.  The day of the final exam, we came to class to find the board wiped clean.  The sole test question was: "Name and locate every major bone and muscle in the human body."  The class protested in unison: "We never studied that!"  "That's no excuse," said the teacher.  "The information was there for months."  After we struggled with the test for a while, he collected the papers and tore them up.  "Always remember," he told us, "that education is more than just learning what you are told."


Last week I mentioned how messages are not always contained in words.  This little story illustrates that some of the lessons we are taught are not necessarily presented in a direct manner.

I think Paul may have been trying to point out a few of these, in his 2nd letter to Timothy.  In our scripture reading, Paul talks about how much he suffered and all he had to deal with, yet his faith never wavered and he gave all credit to Jesus for seeing him through those troubled times.  Isn’t that trying to teach us to be patient, to have faith in the Lord, to not give up even when it all seems hopeless?  Keep on being faithful, Paul instructs.  Be faithful to what we’ve been taught, to what we believe.  The Holy Scriptures, God’s word, have everything we need for wisdom, and to know the truth of salvation through Christ Jesus.

And then comes another indirect point.  All of God’s word is useful for teaching and helping people, for correcting them and showing them how to live.  The scriptures can be used to train God’s servants.  But people must be taught, they must be shown, they must be trained, otherwise it is all for naught.

So who is to do the teaching?  We are.  If nothing else, we need to be the blackboard on which God’s word can be seen, even if not spoken aloud.


I’ve mentioned before that we don’t have to feel like we’re going this alone, that Jesus assures us He will be with us always, no matter what we’re doing.  Jesus also promises additional help.  In the Gospel account of the Apostle John, chapter 14, verses 25 and 26, Jesus reassures us…

25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

--John 14:25-26 (NKJV)

God’s Holy Spirit will help us, teaching us what we need to be able to teach others, reminding us of everything Jesus said.  But it’s kind of a scary thought for most of us, isn’t it, that we might be called on to teach?  Do we even know enough to teach?  I’ve always heard it said that the best way to learn any subject is to teach it, and that is certainly true when it comes to God’s word.  But again, there’s more to teaching than speaking words of instruction.

Basketball superstar Charles Barkley was once asked about his bad behavior on-court, and sometimes off.  The interviewer questioned whether this was setting a good example for children watching the game.  Barkley responded, “I am no role model.”

Well, Charles was wrong.  He was indeed a role model, just not a very good one.  For you see, people watch us.  They watch what we are doing.  If they admire or can relate to what we are doing, they just very well may adopt our practices and behavior as their own.  And this goes for bad behavior, as in the case of Charles Barkley, as well as for good.  This is especially true for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, who call ourselves Christians.  The world is watching us closely, waiting for us to slip up and do something we shouldn’t.

We are all teachers, whether we want to be or not.  If we do it right, if we live as we’re supposed to live, if we walk as Paul instructs us in his 2nd letter to Timothy, then some in the world may want to know more about our faith, giving us an opportunity to help bring them to Christ.


It isn’t an easy thing, being a Christian, walking the Christian walk, living as Christ would have us live.  It isn’t easy loving all others, especially those who would do us harm.  It isn’t easy trying to teach an uncaring world about Jesus, about His love, about His offer of salvation.  But as I said, we are all teachers.

In this same letter, in chapter 2 verses 1 through 3, Paul confirms to Timothy what I just said…

1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

--2 Timothy 2:1-3 (NKJV)

This won’t be easy.  We must be prepared to face hardship as good soldiers for Jesus.  But we can take strength in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Like Paul, Timothy was a preacher, an evangelist.  Paul instructs him to commit everything he has been taught to other faithful people so that they too can in turn teach others.  We are faithful people – we are to teach others.

We are all students, still learning.  But we are also all teachers, instructing others by the example of our own lives.  Let us teach others how to live as Christ Jesus wants us to live.  And one by one, we can help save the world.

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


Let us pray…  Father God, You inspired certain men and women to record for us the lessons You need us to learn.  And then You breathed life into them, making the scriptures Your word.  Your word has all we need to live a faithful and righteous life.  It is up to us to share Your word, if by no other means than by how we live our lives.  Please help us walk the true Christian walk.  Help us to love others as we love ourselves, and to show them Your love.  Forgive us when we let our fears or life itself distract us from teaching Your word.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, promising to turn from our sin, and asking for Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You showed Your servant Paul how a true follower should live, and he in turn shared that insight with all of us.  Please help us to be true to that life, Lord Jesus.  Help us walk always in Your light, that we might be able to shine the truth among mankind.  Help us to be good and proper teachers, instructing others in how You would have us all live.  Help us to be better examples, better servants.

This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, our only hope.  Amen.