Fulfilling the Law

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 20th of September, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the 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.]

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome lately, for a number of reason.  First and foremost, it’s what the Spirit has led me to.  Which probably resulted in the other reasons.

I’ve mentioned before that Paul wrote this letter in part as an introduction of himself to a church he hoped to visit, but had not yet had the chance to.  So reading this letter lets us know the great evangelist a little better.  Paul uses this opportunity to give clarity to the Gospel message, as well as to address and heal the cultural and religious tensions between Jewish converts and Gentile believers.  And let’s face it…  we have some cultural and religious tensions right here in the United States, don’t we, and between our various Christian denominations at times.  So we could use a little of that healing, too.

But an even greater reason for spending a little extra time in this letter is that Paul instructs us in how the Gospel message should change our everyday behavior.  In other words, he tells us believers - we Christians - how we should live and act each day we walk this earth, especially as relates to interacting with others.

Remember that before his conversion, Paul was a devout and devoted Pharisee.  He was very familiar with God’s Law as handed down by Moses, so familiar that he saw this Jesus movement, this New Way, as a violation of that law.  You might say that Paul was an enforcer of the law.  That all changed when Jesus came to him on the road to Damascus.

Please listen and follow along as Paul tells us how to fulfill all of God’s law, and why, in verses 8 through 14 of the 13th chapter of the Apostle’s Letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading this from The Living Bible version of our Holy Bible this morning…

8 Pay all your debts except the debt of love for others — never finish paying that! For if you love them, you will be obeying all of God’s laws, fulfilling all His requirements. 9 If you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him. And you won’t sin with his wife or want what is his, or do anything else the Ten Commandments say is wrong. All ten are wrapped up in this one, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.

11 Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed. 12-13 The night is far gone, the day of His return will soon be here. So quit the evil deeds of darkness and put on the armor of right living, as we who live in the daylight should! Be decent and true in everything you do so that all can approve your behavior. Don’t spend your time in wild parties and getting drunk or in adultery and lust or fighting or jealousy. 14 But ask the Lord Jesus Christ to help you live as you should, and don’t make plans to enjoy evil.

--Romans 13:8-14 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for changing Paul’s heart and making of him a great missionary and evangelist.  Through his efforts, and in spite of the tribulations and suffering he endured, many churches were formed and people throughout the known world came to Jesus.  And through his writings and correspondence, we today can gain greater insight into Your law and what You expect of us.  Thank You, Father, for giving the Apostle that words to share with us that helps explain what Your law boils down to, and why we should follow it.  And now, Father, please open our hearts to receive Your message this morning.  Touch each of us with Your most Holy Spirit that we might be moved to more closely follow Your law.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

This is going to be a rather long story, but please bear with me.  I think you’ll appreciate it.  It was told by Brennan Manning in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel.

A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII, was called by adoring New Yorkers ‘the Little Flower’ because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel.  He was a colorful character who used to ride the New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids. 

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city.  LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself.  Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread.  She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving.  But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges.  “It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor.”, the man told the mayor.  “She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.”  LaGuardia sighed.  He turned to the woman and said “I've got to punish you.  The law makes no exceptions -- ten dollars or ten days in jail.”

But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket.  He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: “Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat.  Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”  So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

The law makes no exceptions – it must be fulfilled.  But sometimes the Judge forces us to truly understand the law as He sees it.  And then makes sure we fulfill it the way He wants.

Our passage opens with Paul telling us to pay all our debts except for the debt of loving others, which we should never “pay off”.  It can be easy to overlook the first part of that because of the impact of the second part.  As Christians, we should pay off all our debt, owing no one except for owing them our love.  Admittedly, that is nearly impossible in our times, with exorbitantly high prices and costs of everything, not to mention relatively easy credit.

Then Paul gets into the meat of the message.  All of God’s commandments – do not murder or steal, do not lie or covet others or commit adultery – all of them are summed up in the one rule to love our neighbor as we love ourself.  When we practice love, we will be purposeful in doing no harm, for loves does no wrong to others, fulfilling God’s moral law by not murdering them or lying to them or any of the rest of the commands.

Paul tells us that the time is growing short, that we need to wake from our spiritual sleep, which also means that we need to double-down on our efforts to help others come to Jesus – in itself an act of love.  Finally, the Apostle warns us to cast off our sinful behaviors and live more honorably, more righteously, focusing on Jesus rather than on living to enjoy what this life offers.

Earlier, right before our responsive reading, I said that loving others can be tough.  Well, trying to keep the Ten Commandments can be tough, too.  If that were easy, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to come into this world and die for us to be redeemed.  But what if we could condense all those ten into one?  Wouldn’t that make it easier?

When Paul claims that all ten of God's commandments are wrapped up in the one that says to love your neighbor as you love yourself, he is echoing the words of Jesus to the scribe as reported by the Apostle Mark in the New King James Version of chapter 12 verses 29 through 31 of his Gospel account, when Jesus said…

29 “The foremost of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

--Mark 12:29b-31 (NKJV)

Now, remember that Paul never knew Jesus before Jesus blinded him on the road to Damascus.  He didn't walk with Jesus during His ministry.  He didn't hear Him speak to the scribe or the Sadducees or the crowds.  So how could he know what Jesus said?  Because during his three days of blindness, Jesus told him everything so that he could carry out the mission the Lord was about to give him.

Paul also says the time is running short, that we should live righteously while we can, for Jesus will return when we least expect it.  The Apostle John is shown what will happen on that day, as he recorded for us in the 7th verse of the 1st chapter of his Book of Revelation when he wrote…

7 See! He is arriving, surrounded by clouds; and every eye shall see Him — yes, and those who pierced Him. And the nations will weep in sorrow and in terror when He comes. Yes! Amen! Let it be so!

--Revelation 1:7 (TLB)

All of the earth will see Him and know He has returned.  But most of the population will cringe in terror, finally understanding the truth.  Jesus said it first, though, when He warned His disciples as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in verse 30 of the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, by saying…

30 “And then at last the signal of My coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all around the earth. And the nations of the world will see Me arrive in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”

--Matthew 24:30 (TLB)

And for most, it will be too late.  Paul warns us to not be in that doomed group.

Family, we have been chosen to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ, our Redeemer and Savior.  We have been given the faith to believe, and to know Jesus as our Friend.  We put our faith and belief into practice by fulfilling God’s law, by loving others.

Let us ignore differences, put aside prejudices, forgive past wrongs, and love one another.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who showed us what love is all about.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You again for inspiring Paul to be so prolific in his writings to instruct us and tireless in his efforts to expand Your Son’s church and Your kingdom.  When we study his letters and his life, we gain greater insight into righteous living and what pleases You.  Please help us follow his example of faith and dedication.  Help us in our efforts to truly love our neighbor.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your law and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for emphasizing that loving God and loving others are the greatest of the commandments.  So many times during Your short ministry on earth, You spoke of the importance of loving others.  And You lived Your life that way, loving all by offering them salvation, coming to us so that all might be saved.  Thank You, Lord, for showing us what love means.  Please help us obey that command to love others.  Help us put aside all preconceived notions and show Your love through our love.  And in showing our love, help us seek the lost and lead them 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.

Our Citizenship

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 13th of September, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the 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.]

When I’m doing a memorial service for a dearly departed, I like to mention that the date of birth and the date of death are separated by only a little dash.  But that short dash represents every breath we took on this earth, every second of our life here, every beat of our heart.  I also feel that the dash is representative of our life span, for our life here on earth is very short when compared to our next life, which will last forever.

For those of us who follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord, that everlasting life will be in heaven - our true home.  We’re just passing through here, pilgrims wandering through this wilderness, so to speak, seeking a new land to migrate to.  Our permanent address lies elsewhere.

There's been a lot of talk about citizenship in recent years, stirred mostly by illegal immigration.  Now we're seeing a debate over ending what has been called "birthright citizenship".  When we look at how poorly some people fare in other parts of the world, we can understand why they would want to become US citizens.  While our country certainly isn't perfect, it is far better than many and opportunities for self-improvement still abound here.

Personally, I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America.  I love our country, and especially our Constitution, and I defend both when the need arises.  But honestly, I know that this is not my home.  Yes, I was born here, and yes, I'll likely die here.  But that's when I'll truly go home.

The Apostle Paul knew what I'm talking about.  He felt what I feel.  Please listen and follow along to what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi in Macedonia, as I read from chapter 3 verse 1 and verses 17 through 21 and the 1st verse of chapter 4 of the Apostle’s Letter to the Philippians, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

3:1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under his control.

4:1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.

--Philippians 3:1,17-21;4:1 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for adopting us as Your children so that we have a home to come to when this life is over.  By our belief in and acceptance of Your Son Jesus, You allow us to come home to live with You and Him forever.  We thank You, Father, for loving us so much and giving us such a great gift.  So Father, please open our hearts to receive Your message this morning.  Touch each of us with Your most Holy Spirit that we might be moved to help others find their way home to You, too.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

James Packer, English-born Canadian evangelical theologian and author, in his book Your Father Loves You, wrote:

“We know very little about heaven, but I once heard a theologian describe it as ‘an unknown region with a well-know inhabitant’, and there is not a better way to think of it than that.

Richard Baxter expresses the thought in these lines:

‘My knowledge of that life is small,

The eye of faith is dim,

But it's enough that Christ knows all,

And I shall be with Him.’

To those who have learned to love and trust Jesus, the prospect of meeting Him face to face and being with Him forever is the hope that keeps us going, no matter what life may throw at us.”

One of the benefits of any homecoming, any time we come home, is to see familiar faces again.  When we do finally go home, we will see a face we’ve never seen before.  We’ve see it depicted in paintings and movies and TV shows, but we have never laid eyes on the actual face, the face of our Lord Jesus.

It’s that face we long to see, and that longing that gives us hope and keeps us going.  Some day, when we close our eyes for the last time on this earth, we will open them again and see that glorious face.  For those who believed, the face will be smiling.  And Jesus will say, “Welcome home.”

In our passage this morning of his letter to the Philippians, Paul states that we are citizens of heaven.  We’re not citizens of Israel or Greece or really even the United States.  We are citizens of heaven.  Heaven is our homeland.  So we should act like it.

Now, our bible, and especially the writings of Paul, has many examples and instructions as to just how we Christians should behave, so Paul doesn’t need to elaborate here.  But he pretty much sums it up when he encourages us to “stay true to the Lord”.  Stay true to the Lord, and focus on the things of heaven.  Keep our eyes on Jesus and focus on the things of home.

Jesus clearly knew where His home was.  During our Lord's farce of a trial, Pontius Pilate asked, "Are you the king of the Jews?"…

36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, My followers would fight to keep Me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But My Kingdom is not of this world.”

37 Pilate said, “So You are a king?”

Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked.

--John 18:36-38a (NLT)

That comes from verse 23 through the first part of verse 38 of the 18th chapter of the Apostle John’s Gospel account.

I don’t think Pilate understood.  Jesus is our King, the One we worship and serve.  His kingdom, His home, is not of this world.  So our kingdom, our home, is not of this world.

Like so many others today, Pilate couldn't accept that there is absolute truth, even when it was staring him in the face.  An earthly authority, bound up by worldly concerns, could not see the truth of God's kingdom.

Reaffirming that this world is not our home, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote in the 11th chapter and 13th verse that we are "foreigners and nomads here on earth".  (Hebrews 11:13c (NLT))  He followed that up in verses 11 through 17 of his 13th chapter when he wrote…

11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make His people holy by means of His own blood. 13 So let us go out to Him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace He bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

--Hebrews 13:11-17 (NLT)

This world is not our permanent home.  We are looking forward to a home yet to come.  There's our challenge.  Let us offer ourselves - our time, our resources - in service to Jesus.  And let us go outside the camp, out into the greater community, to share our witness.

In a little while we’ll all go back home and maybe kick off our shoes and relax a bit.  And then, in a little while, we’ll go to our true, permanent home.  That is where all our treasure is laid up, waiting for us, where thieves can’t take it, moths can’t eat it, and rust can’t ruin it.  We’ll be home forever with our Lord and Savior.

Oh what a glorious day that will be.  But until that time, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and on service to our Lord.  And let’s act like Christians are supposed to act.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who has our home all prepared for us.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for creating us in Your image, and having pity on us even when we sinned.  You made a way for us to be able to come back to our true home, even though we don’t deserve it.  Please help us keep our faith in our Lord, Your Son, strong.  Help us show the world Your love by sharing Jesus with all we encounter during our walk through this life.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, before You left us to go home to heaven, You promised that You would prepare a place for us there, for when we, too, come home.  Thank You for the promise that fuels our hope, knowing that we will live for all eternity with You and our Father God in heaven.  But until that time comes, Lord, please help carry out the mission You gave us.  Help us show our love for others by sharing the Good News of an everlasting home in heaven that awaits all who come to You.  Help us seek the lost and lead them 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.

Real Love

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 6th of September, 2026.  We have air conditioning again, so if all went well, a recording of the 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.]

Over and over in our bible, we are told to love one another, and how important love is.  Jesus says to love God is the greatest commandment, and to love others is the second most important.  But how do we love?  What does truly loving others entail?  Must we also love the unlovable?

I want to pick up where we left off last week while working through the Apostle Paul's Letter to the Romans.  He had just finished encouraging us to make of ourselves a living sacrifice in service to God and Jesus - to give of ourselves, our time, our resources - since Jesus sacrificed His own mortal life for us.  Today, he continues with ways we can show our love.

Please listen and follow along as Paul answers those questions about truly loving others, as I read verses 9 through 21 of the 12th chapter of the Apostle’s Letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;

I will pay them back,”

says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.

If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap

burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

--Romans 12:9-21 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, You know that way too often we have trouble loving all others.  Even within our own circles of friends and acquaintances, there are some we simply cannot force ourselves to truly love as Paul says we should.  Thank You, Father, for inspiring the Apostle to give us clarity on how we should love, and to love all people, not just those we find loveable.  So Father, please open our hearts to receive Your message this morning.  Touch each of us with Your most Holy Spirit that we might be moved to love others as You love us.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

Each Sunday I like to include a little illustration to sort of set the stage for the message.  Today's illustration is short, but powerful.

Today in the Word magazine once noted where British Protestant minister and preacher John Henry Jowett proclaimed that, “Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.”

“Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.”  Sadly, folks that receive something of value for free, something they didn’t earn or work for, they don’t treat it very well and it doesn’t hold up or last.  If it costs nothing, it is often seen as worthless.  Jowett is saying the same holds true for ministries.

Think for a moment about some of our ministries here at Pilgrim, with the most obvious being our services every Sunday morning.  If I stood up here and just looked at you, and the choir and Mary Ann sat there silently, and we all spent an hour here just looking at each other, our gathering would accomplish nothing.  If we don’t make the effort to help out in the greater community, and maybe bring a few lost souls to Christ, would we really have accomplished anything as the church, the body of Christ left on earth to carry on His work?  We've got to be willing to work at our service for Jesus, to give of ourselves helping others, in order to truly accomplish something worthwhile.

In verse 11 of our scripture reading, where Paul says, “work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically”, one version puts it, “let the Spirit excite you as you serve the Lord”.  Now, working hard is a relative term.  Some of us are no longer capable of hard labor, but that doesn’t mean we can’t strive diligently to serve our Lord by showing our love to others.

Not only that, but we can also be enthusiastic in our service, can’t we?  We can let God’s Holy Spirit living within us excite us into even greater enthusiasm, and greater joy, in our service.  We can “work hard” at whatever level of service we can provide, even if it’s just being nice to people.

Paul goes on to give us some good advice when he says we should be patient in times of trouble, and to keep praying.  We know those times will come.  Jesus Himself warned us they would.  But they will also pass, so we just need to be patient and let things play out in God’s great plan.  And in good times and bad, we should be ready to help God’s people when they are in need.

Who are “God’s people”?  All of us, all of mankind.  God created us all in His image, so we are all His.  Rather than cursing those who harm us or make us mad, we should pray for them and bless them.  Treat an enemy with love and kindness and turn them into a friend.  And we shouldn’t seek revenge for any mistreatment.  That’s above our pay grade, for God says “Vengeance is Mine”, not ours to exact.  Oh, and we must not be too proud of ourselves, thinking ourselves better than others, smarter than others.  All of this is how we can show true love to others, how we can really love them and not just pretend to.

Loving all others is tough.  I mean let’s face it…  how many of us could truly love the likes of Adolph Hitler, or your regular garden-variety terrorist?  Too often we let hatred rule us rather than love.  Please listen as wise King Solomon fills us in on the results of our usual treatment of others, in verses 18, 20, and 23 of the 25th chapter of his Book of Proverbs…

18 Telling lies about others

is as harmful as hitting them with an ax,

wounding them with a sword,

or shooting them with a sharp arrow.

20 Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart

is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather

or pouring vinegar in a wound.

23 As surely as a north wind brings rain,

so a gossiping tongue causes anger!

--Proverbs 25:18,20,23 (NLT)

Add to this list what Jesus said, when He told us that hating someone is the same as murdering them.  This shows a vindictive nature, not a loving one.  We may smile and be nice to their face, but if we’re holding onto anger toward them in our hearts, we are not loving as God and Jesus command us to love.

In our scripture reading, Paul directly quotes two passages from what we now call the Old Testament.  The first is from the Book of Deuteronomy when Moses speaks for God saying, “I will take revenge, I will pay them back”.  This is what I referred to as, “Vengeance is Mine”, as some bible versions put it.  God will take care of distributing rewards and punishments, as He sees fit.  He doesn’t need our help.

Paul also quotes what King Solomon says in verses 21 and 22 of the 25 chapter of his Book of Proverbs, in between the verses of what I read a moment ago, as the king tells us how we should act towards those we see as our enemies…

21 If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.

If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.

22 You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads,

and the Lord will reward you.

--Proverbs 25:21-22 (NLT)

Now, our goal in treating our enemies with kindness should not be to cause them shame, but to show them love as part of God’s creation and as God commands us.  So yes, we should show real love and mercy even to our enemies.  And the Lord will reward us for our acts of kindness.

To really love all others, we must always strive to live in harmony with each other.  This means our relatives and friends, our fellow worshipers, our brothers and sisters in Christ, the non-believers in our community and across the globe, and even those who hate us.

We must do all we can to live in peace with everyone.  Even in our overly-contentious world, we can make it a purpose to not engage others in hostility, even when they are acting in a hostile manner toward us.  This is what Jesus meant in His Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”

Let us be purposeful in loving others – all others.  And let us truly love them, not just pretend to.  Let us love them as Jesus loved us.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who showed us what love is all about.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for giving us so many instructions in our bible about loving others, and especially how to love them.  By Your gracious love of us and the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf, we are granted eternal life with You in heaven.  Please help us share that wonderful gift with others, showing them the way to Jesus, so they too might be saved.  Help us show them our love.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us how to love.  Thank You for giving Paul so much insight into Yourself and Your teachings that he was able to share it will all the known world, and even us today.  Please help us love in the same way that You love: selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show that love by sharing the glorious Gospel message with others.  Help us seek the lost and lead them 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.

Sacrificial Love

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 30th of August, 2026.  Our air conditioning has been out for two weeks now, forcing us to cancel last Sunday's service as the sanctuary temperature exceeded 92 degrees.  This Sunday we met in our Fellowship Hall, with windows open and fans buzzing, just like in days long past.  There is no recording of this service.]

I often speak of how we should love as Jesus loved - selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Jesus showed His love for us by allowing Himself to be sacrificed on the cross to redeem us of our sin.  Must we also give up our mortal lives in service to others?  Let Paul answer this.

I've mentioned before that Paul's Letter to the Romans can be a little difficult to fully understand in places.  Sometimes his words need to be taken metaphorically rather than literally.  For instance, doesn’t it sound a little bit of an oxymoron when he writes of being a living sacrifice.  Doesn’t something usually have to die to be a sacrifice?

Paul had just finished writing about how God has not forgotten His chosen people, but because many Jews refused to believe in Jesus, it made it possible for the Gentiles to be children of God along with Jewish converts.  If for no other reason than this, we should praise God, for this is a great gift to us non-Jews.

Please listen as Paul tells us how we should react to God’s great and undeserved mercy toward us, as I read the first 10 verses of the 12th chapter of the Apostle’s Letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading from the Easy-to-Read version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him — an offering that is only for God and pleasing to Him. Considering what He has done, it is only right that you should worship Him in this way. 2 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect.

3 God has given me a special gift, and that is why I have something to say to each one of you. Don’t think that you are better than you really are. You must see yourself just as you are. Decide what you are by the faith God has given each of us. 4 Each one of us has one body, and that body has many parts. These parts don’t all do the same thing. 5 In the same way, we are many people, but in Christ we are all one body. We are the parts of that body, and each part belongs to all the others.

6 We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace God gave us. Whoever has the gift of prophecy should use that gift in a way that fits the kind of faith they have. 7 Whoever has the gift of serving should serve. Whoever has the gift of teaching should teach. 8 Whoever has the gift of comforting others should do that. Whoever has the gift of giving to help others should give generously. Whoever has the gift of leading should work hard at it. Whoever has the gift of showing kindness to others should do it gladly.

9 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Do only what is good. 10 Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself.

--Romans 12:1-10 (ERV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for showing such great mercy on us even though we are not part of Your chosen people, the children of Israel.  You have opened the beautiful Gospel message to us and Your Son Jesus has wrapped us in His loving arms.  Thank You, Father, for loving us this much.  And now, Father, please open our hearts to receive Your message this morning.  Touch each of us with Your most Holy Spirit that we might be moved to love others as You love us.  To God be the glory!  In the precious name of Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

I've used this quote before, and I will again, because it speaks so clearly to the idea some have about sacrifice.  This comes from Soren Kierkegaard in his writing, And I looked Around and Nobody was Laughing:

“I went into church and sat on the velvet pew. I watched as the sun came shining through the stained glass windows. The minister dressed in a velvet robe opened the golden gilded Bible, marked it with a silk bookmark and said, ‘If any man will be My disciple,’ said Jesus, ‘let him deny himself, take up his cross, sell what he has, give it to the poor, and follow Me.’”

I'm reminded of a certain denomination, and of some churches, that have a great amount of financial resources tied up in the trappings of the church facilities.  Fancy buildings, expensive windows and paintings, costly ornamentation, elaborate dress for the pastors, priests, and officials.  A lot of money tied up in show, and not being used to relieve suffering.

Now don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with wealth, or even the accumulation of wealth.  It’s what we do with that wealth that matters.  How can we follow Jesus if we aren't willing to do what He says?

In our scripture reading, Paul is using the language of Old Testament animal sacrifice to express the idea of completely giving of oneself to God.  He isn’t saying that we should give of our mortal lives as a sacrifice to God – Jesus already did that for us – but to give of ourselves in service to God.  And how do we give of ourselves to God?  By using the gifts that God gave us, and using them to help others, and especially to help others come to Christ Jesus.

Each of us has been given some kind of gift, and some of us were blessed with many gifts.  Paul mentions a few of the possibilities:  speaking for God, serving others, teaching, providing comfort, giving to help others, leading, showing kindness.  If you’re not sure what gift you have been given, a standard Myers-Briggs test could help.  But the thing is to use your gift in love, out of love for others.  And that love must be true, your love must be real.

And folks, this is what God wants of us.  He wants us to show our love.  Please listen as God speaks through His prophet Hosea in verse 6 of the 6th chapter of the book bearing his name, telling us…

6 I want faithful love,

not sacrifice.

I want people to know God,

not to bring burnt offerings.

--Hosea 6:6 (ERV)

The New King James Version translates this as, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”.  If we are faithful in our love, our love to God and to others, we will show mercy, and mercy will be extended to us.

There was a moment when some Sadducees, who did not believe in resurrection, came to Jesus and tried to trap Him.  They described the hypothetical case of a woman eventually becoming the wife of seven brothers, who all died one after the other.  “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?”, they asked.  Jesus set them straight using their own scripture.  A scribe who had been closely following this discussion had a question of his own.  Please hear how the Apostle Mark reported the scribe’s conversation with Jesus, in verses 28 through 34 of the 12th chapter of his Gospel account…

28 One of the teachers of the law came to Jesus. He heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. He saw that Jesus gave good answers to their questions. So he asked Him, “Which of the commands is the most important?”

29 Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important.”

32 The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You are right in saying that God is the only Lord and that there is no other God. 33 And you must love God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength. And you must love others the same as you love yourself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.”

34 Jesus saw that the man answered Him wisely. So He said to him, “You are close to God’s kingdom.” And after that time, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions.

--Mark 12:28-34 (ERV)

In verse 31, when Jesus says “Love your neighbor”, His teachings make it clear that this means “love all others”, as the scribe correctly noted in verse 33.  The scribe echoed Hosea when he added, “These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.”

God doesn’t want us to sacrifice animals as a way to please Him.  He doesn’t even want us to take grain or food that we would normally eat and leave it on an altar somewhere to spoil and rot.  The only sacrifice He wants us to make is of ourselves, of our time and resources - a living sacrifice.  He just wants us to love, and to love sacrificially.

So let’s do what God wants, what truly pleases Him.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who showed us how to love.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for showing mercy to the Gentiles, because that is us.  By Your gracious love, we get to share in the victory Your Son won over death.  Thank You for giving us gifts that we can use to serve You, to use in sacrificial love.  Help us please You, Father.  Encourage us to give of ourselves in Your service to others.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us how to love.  Thank You for telling us what is truly important, and setting the example for us to follow.  Please help us love in the same way that You love: selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us share the wonderful Gospel message and carry out the mission You gave us, seeking the lost sheep and leading them 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.

Persistence from Faith

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 16th of August, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the 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.]

I bet somewhere along the line you’ve heard the expression, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”  It’s usually applied to mean that the people who complain the loudest or make the most noise are the ones who get what they want, while the quiet people, those that don’t make a fuss, are usually ignored.  The quiet person may have just as great or greater need than the louder person, everyone may think they’re OK since they’re not complaining.  There’s another expression, that, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  Well, if we don’t know it’s broken, we can’t fix it.

Now, the complainer usually gets on our nerves after a while, but it can be an effective tool for them.  So while it may be an irritating practice, constant, loud complaining can be a way to get what you want or need.

After feeding the five thousand, and Jesus walking on the water and Peter trying to, Jesus and His disciples sailed back across the sea to the town of Gennesaret, on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  This town was not far from Capernaum, kind of the homebase for Jesus during His ministry.

I imagine they were all pretty exhausted – physically and emotionally – after that night on the stormy sea and what transpired between Jesus and Peter.  And then here come some Pharisees, all the way from Jerusalem, just to harass Jesus, berating Him about His disciples not following the Jewish tradition of ceremonial hand washing before eating, of all things.  Jesus told the gathered crowd that it is not what goes into the mouth – food and drink - that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth - words.  For what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and from the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.  He referred to the Pharisees as the blind leading the blind, causing others to follow them on the road to perdition.

All of that is just to set the stage for what came next.  Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Matthew reports what came afterwards, in verses 21 through 31 of the 15th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then His disciples urged Him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep — the people of Israel.”

25 But she came and worshiped Him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

26 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

27 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

29 Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. 30 A vast crowd brought to Him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and He healed them all. 31 The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.

--Matthew 15:21-31 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for letting us know that it’s OK to be persistent when asking You for something we need.  Through our faith, we know that You can take care of any need we may have, and we know that You know what our needs are before asking.  But You do so love to hear from us, Father, when we come to You in prayer, even if we come begging all the time.  Father, please open our hearts to receive Your message, Your word, this morning.  Touch each of us with Your most Holy Spirit that we might be moved to better serve You.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

The little Today in the Word magazine once noted that, “Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions.  Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God.  Over time the paths to these places became well worn.  As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others.  They would kindly remind the negligent one, ‘Brother, the grass grows on your path.’”

I think that a good prayer life is very important to our spiritual health, but sometimes it can be easy to tell when someone hasn't spent as much time with God as they should.  Their path has become obscured, overgrown.  They may not even be able to find their way anymore.  We could all stand to check our own path, to see how high the grass has grown.

The woman in our scripture reading knew that Jesus could do what she asked, if He were only willing.  Although she was a Gentile, she recognized Him as Lord, even as her Lord, and used the Jewish expression “Son of David”.  Her faith gave her the strength and courage to be persistent, even when facing the Lord.

She must have been seeking help for her daughter very persistently, maybe even annoyingly, for the disciples said that, “She is bothering us with all her begging.”  Still she persisted.  Jesus tried to ignore her, not responding to her pleas.  Still she persevered.  And her faith and persistence were rewarded.

I mentioned the importance of a good prayer life.  Our prayer life is strengthened when it is consistent.  In his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul told them – and us – to “never stop praying”.

Paul knew the importance of consistent, persistent prayer.  And so did Jesus.  Of all the people written of in our bible, none prayed more than Jesus.  Did you get that?  The Son of God prayed to our Father God more than anyone else recorded in our bible.  If that doesn’t show how important a good prayer life is, I don’t know what could.

We can read where Jesus often went off by Himself to pray.  He wanted to get away from the crowds, from His disciples, from the noise and distractions of the day so He could spend some good, quality time with His Father.  We saw that when, after feeding the five thousand and as His disciples struggled against the storm on the sea, Jesus went up on the mountain, by Himself, to pray.

Yes, Jesus knew the importance of prayer.  Please listen as Jesus tells a story about persistence and the power of prayer, as reported by the Apostle Luke in the first 8 verses of the 18th chapter of his Gospel account…

1 One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” He said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”

--Luke 18:1-8 (NLT)

That last question is scary, isn’t it?  When Jesus returns, who many people will He find on this earth who still have faith?

But again, the point is that persistence pays off.  Jesus is telling us to be persistent in our prayer, to let our faith drive our prayer life.  Persistent prayer strengthens our faith, just as daily exercise strengthens our muscles.

I don’t think a person would have to spend very much time here in our services at Pilgrim to realize that prayer is important to me.  After giving the opening prayer at a recent club membership meeting, a gentleman who knows me and my calling came up and said, “You may be Reformed Church preacher, but you pray like a Baptist.”  I took that as a compliment.

As I’ve said before, prayer is just our chance, our time, to talk with God.  It doesn’t need to be high-falutin’, filled with fifty-cent words, trying to reach up to heaven with our voice.  When I pray I’m just talking to my Father, my Daddy.  Most times I’m praying for other people.  A lot of times I’m asking for help.  Every time I’m thanking Him for something.

Some prayers are really short, some are maybe a little too long, at least according to some when they’re waiting for me to get through so they can dig into their meal.  But I’m persistent in praying, led by my faith.

So do like I do.  Follow Jesus’ lead.  Pray persistently, and you will feel your faith become stronger than ever before.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for adopting us into Your family so that we can call You Father, Daddy.  Thank You for giving us the opportunity to come to You any time we want, asking for whatever we want, even though You know exactly what we need.  Thank You for giving us so many examples in our bible of people coming to You in prayer.  And thank You most of all when You always listen to our prayer.  We put all our trust in You, Father, knowing You can do anything You will.  Forgive us, please, when we ask for things we don’t need, but only want selfishly.  Remind us that You meet all our needs.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us how important it is for us to spend time with our Father God in prayer.  You showed this by Your own example, often going off to pray, getting away from distractions to talk with Your Father.  You set the bar for us, and we thank You.

Please help us be a better witness for You, Jesus - of Your teachings, of Your mighty deeds, and of Your love.  Please help us love in the same way that You love: selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing the wonderful Gospel message.  Help us carry out the mission You gave us, seeking the lost sheep and leading them 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.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 9th of August, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the 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.]

Family, our world throws so many distractions at us every single day.  There are so many things we have to do, so many places we need to go, so many tasks to be completed.  Our attention is pulled this way and that, in all different directions, seemingly all at once.  We’re presented with reports and findings that contradict each other.  Which do we believe, if any?  Which way do we turn?  How can we shut out all the noise so we can focus on what really matters?

When He heard that His kinsman John, the Baptist, had been executed by Herod, Jesus went off by Himself to a deserted place to grieve.  But the multitudes always managed to follow Him no matter where He went, or why.  So when they gathered around Him, He took pity on them and began teaching them and healing their illnesses and infirmities.  When it grew late, the crowd needed to eat, but there was no food, only five loaves and two fish.  Jesus took these meager portions, gave thanks for them, blessed them, and over five thousand people were fed, with plenty left over.

Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Matthew gives us a first-hand testimony of the miraculous event that happened next, in verses 22 through 33 of the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

--Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for inspiring Matthew to write down so much of Jesus’ ministry so it would be saved for us to read about today.  Matthew and John both walked with Your Son, and Mark and Luke gathered the recollections of the others who were with Him during those three short years.  Without their reports, and the letters of Paul, we would not know Jesus like we do.  Father, please open our hearts to pay heed to Your message this morning, to receive Your word.  Touch each of us with Your most Holy Spirit that we might be moved to better serve You.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

The little Guideposts magazine once noted that, “Nothing that is valuable is achieved without effort. Fritz Kreisler, the famous violinist, testified to this point when he said, ‘Narrow is the road that leads to the life of a violinist. Hour after hour, day after day and week after week, for years, I lived with my violin. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I had to leave undone; there were so many places I wanted to go that I had to miss if I was to master the violin. The road that I traveled was a narrow road and the way was hard.’”

Kreisler experienced those distractions that I mentioned a bit ago, yet he kept his attention on one thing.  He said that mastering the violin was like traveling a narrow road, requiring constant and disciplined focus.

Jesus said, “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  (Matthew 7:14 (NKJV))  If we want to stay on that narrow way and not get lost, we must keep our focus on Jesus.

Matthew is the only Gospel writer who recorded and told of this particular event for us, of Jesus walking on the surface of the sea and Peter’s attempt to do so.  This story speaks of faith, and of how tenuous our human faith can be, and usually is.  “O you of little faith”, Jesus said.  “Why did you doubt?”

Peter believed Jesus could do anything He wanted to do, so he knew that if he asked Jesus to command him to walk on water, and if Jesus would do so, that he could indeed walk on water.  He was sure of it.  His faith was strong.  And Peter was doing fine, at first – walking on the water toward his Master.  But then he took his eyes off of Jesus.  He was distracted by the wind and the waves.  The storm raging around him pulled his attention away and he began to sink into the sea.  “Lord!  Save me!”, he cried, and of course Jesus did.  And as they climbed into the boat, the storm ceased.

There was a time when the Pharisee Nicodemus – a teacher of the Jews – wanted desperately to speak with Jesus.  He acknowledged that Jesus had to have been sent from God, for how else could He do all those wondrous works and signs.  Please hear a part of their conversation, as recorded by the Apostle John in verses 12 through 17 of the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account…

12 “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” 

--John 3:12-17 (NKJV)

John 3:16 – the verse known round the world by believers and non-believers alike – is in that passage, but I want to look at what Jesus said before this.  He used an analogy that He must be lifted up just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness.  This refers to the records of Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness after escaping Egypt, when God sent fiery serpents into their camp after they had sinned.  Please hear what God said to Moses, and how Moses responded, as saved for us in the Book of Numbers, chapter 21, verses 8 and 9…

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

--Numbers 21:8-9 (NKJV)

It makes no sense that simply looking at the figure of a snake on a pole could cure someone of snakebite, but it did.  It makes no sense that simply believing in Jesus as Lord could grant us eternal life in heaven, but it does.  This isn't about making sense.  It's about having faith, faith in God’s promises, faith that God can do anything.  The people had merely to turn their eyes upon that bronze serpent to live.  We have merely to turn our eyes upon Jesus to live forever.

So, what do we do when bombarded daily?  How do we ignore all the world’s distractions?  How do we block out all the noise?  How do we maintain our sanity?

By keeping our focus on Jesus.  By not letting whatever is going on around us pull our eyes off Him.  By knowing that when we do get in trouble, His hand will save us.  He may not calm the storm raging around us, but He will calm the storm raging within us if we will stop, look at Him, listen to His words, and trust wholly in Him.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in His wonderful face.  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim.  In the light of His glory and grace.

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

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for showing us that reason may mislead us, that what makes sense might not lead us in the right direction.  Through Your word to Moses and Your inspiration to Matthew and John to record Jesus’ words, we know that in the final analysis, faith is all that matters.  Faith leads us to truth, and truth to everlasting life.  We thank You, Father, for giving each of us a measure of faith.  We trust You, Father, when You tell us it’s all about faith, so we nourish our faith, keeping it strong and growing.  Sadly though, Father, too often we let our faith weaken as our spirit weakens.  We grow lukewarm or even cold when hard times hit.  Please remind us, Father, that all things will pass, and that any suffering we endure in this present age will not compare to the glory and joy which will be revealed in us and to us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for using the incident that Moses and the children of Israel experienced in the wilderness to express what You would soon endure, and how it would affect us, how our faith would play a crucial role in dealing with it.  You knew that You would be raised up on a cross, and all anyone has to do is turn their eyes upon You, to focus on You, and they will live.  We look to You, Jesus, for our comfort, our guidance, our healing, and for Your love.  And we thank You, Lord.

Please help us be a better witness for You, of Your teachings, of Your mighty deeds, and of Your love.  Please help us love in the same way that You love: selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing the wonderful Gospel message.  Help us carry out the mission You gave us, seeking the lost sheep and leading them 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.

It's God's Choice

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 2nd of August, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the 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.]

You know, Family, when you think about how much some people have compared to how little so many others have, it just seems unfair, doesn’t it?  I mean we have billionaires with more money than they know what to do with, while there are way too many families struggling to get the basic necessities.  Redistribution of wealth is not the answer, but it just seems unfair.

And what about the people who can get away with anything?  They do crazy things with impunity, while we’d get caught and thrown under the jail if we tried any of their shenanigans.  It's unfair that a person can do all manner of bad things and not be punished.  It's just not fair!  Why doesn’t God do something about this?!?  Well, the answer is simple: God gets to do whatever God wants to do!

I want to continue working with the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome for a while.  This book can be challenging to understand in places, but I think it gives us a good picture of what our relationship with God and Jesus should look like.  For instance, it teaches us that we are all sinners – all humankind – but that we are justified in God’s eyes by our faith in His Son Jesus, through which we are granted salvation and not through any good works alone we might perform.

Paul also speaks to God’s supremacy.  He is God, the Creator of everything that exists, the ultimate Authority, the great Designer of all there is.  He made it all and He can destroy it all.  It’s all His – everything there is belongs to Him, including us.  But God is truly impartial and fair in dealing with us.  And He is ever faithful to His word.

Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Paul speaks to us about the faithfulness and authority of God, in the first 18 verses of the 9th chapter of his Letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading from The Living Bible version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1-3 O Israel, my people! O my Jewish brothers! How I long for you to come to Christ. My heart is heavy within me, and I grieve bitterly day and night because of you. Christ knows and the Holy Spirit knows that it is no mere pretense when I say that I would be willing to be forever damned if that would save you. 4 God has given you so much, but still you will not listen to Him. He took you as His own special, chosen people and led you along with a bright cloud of glory and told you how very much He wanted to bless you. He gave you His rules for daily life so you would know what He wanted you to do. He let you worship Him and gave you mighty promises. 5 Great men of God were your fathers, and Christ Himself was one of you, a Jew so far as His human nature is concerned, He who now rules over all things. Praise God forever!

6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill His promises to the Jews? No! For these promises are only to those who are truly Jews. And not everyone born into a Jewish family is truly a Jew! 7 Just the fact that they come from Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say that the promises apply only to Abraham’s son Isaac and Isaac’s descendants, though Abraham had other children too. 8 This means that not all of Abraham’s children are children of God, but only those who believe the promise of salvation which He made to Abraham.

9 For God had promised, “Next year I will give you and Sarah a son.” 10-13 And years later, when this son Isaac was grown up and married and Rebecca his wife was about to bear him twin children, God told her that Esau, the child born first, would be a servant to Jacob, his twin brother. In the words of the Scripture, “I chose to bless Jacob but not Esau.” And God said this before the children were even born, before they had done anything either good or bad. This proves that God was doing what He had decided from the beginning; it was not because of what the children did but because of what God wanted and chose.

14 Was God being unfair? Of course not. 15 For God had said to Moses, “If I want to be kind to someone, I will. And I will take pity on anyone I want to.” 16 And so God’s blessings are not given just because someone decides to have them or works hard to get them. They are given because God takes pity on those He wants to.

17 Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was an example of this fact. For God told him He had given him the kingdom of Egypt for the very purpose of displaying the awesome power of God against him, so that all the world would hear about God’s glorious name. 18 So you see, God is kind to some just because He wants to be, and He makes some refuse to listen.

--Romans 9:1-18 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for inspiring Paul to teach us so much about You and Jesus.  Through his letters and sermons, we gain a better understanding of how we can improve our relationship with You.  Father, please open our hearts to hear Your message this morning, to receive Your word.  Touch each of us with Your most Holy Spirit that we might be moved to serve You.  In the precious name of Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

Back in 1993, the magazine, Today in the Word, noted that British prime minister Herbert Asquith once spent a weekend at the Waddesdon estate of the 19th-century Rothschild family. One day, as Asquith was being waited on at teatime by the butler, the following conversation ensued:

"Tea, coffee, or a peach from off the wall, sir?", asked the butler.

"Tea, please," answered Asquith.

"China, India, or Ceylon, sir?"

"China, please."

"Lemon, milk, or cream, sir?"

"Milk, please."

"Jersey, Hereford, or Shorthorn, sir?"

I've had similar encounters just trying to order dinner in a restaurant.  The thing is, we often have to make a series of decisions just to resolve one – often small - issue.  Throughout our life, we end up making countless decisions, some with major impacts.  But the greatest decision we can ever make is whether to follow Jesus or not.  The neat things is, it was already decided for us.  God chose us to follow Jesus.  He just wants us to realize it was the right decision.

Paul opens our scripture reading by acknowledging his family heritage when he sorrowfully cries, “O Israel, my people! O my Jewish brothers!”  Paul was a Jew, and a devout Jew at that.  He was born of pure Jewish parents of the house of Benjamin, and circumcised on the eighth day according to Jewish custom.  He studied at the feet of the great Jewish scholar Gamaliel.  Before his confrontation with Jesus on the road to Damascus and his subsequent conversion to Christianity, Paul was a Pharisee, one of the religious leaders of the Jews.  Paul was a Jew, but he was also a Roman citizen, born in the city of Tarsus, inheriting his citizenship from his father.  And Jesus, in His human form, was a Jew who could trace His heritage to King David through both His earthly father Joseph and His mother Mary.

The church in Rome was a rather diverse mix of Jewish converts and Gentiles who also came to accept Jesus as Lord.  When he laments how he longs for his Jewish brothers to come to Christ, he is not talking about those Jewish converts in that church, but about all the Jews who will not listen to the truth, who refuse to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, who will not follow the Christ.  God sent Jesus to His chosen people, the Jews, as one of them, to offer them salvation.  But so many refused to accept Jesus, and still do today.  And this breaks Paul’s heart.

Then Paul gets into a fairly lengthy discourse about whether God is being fair in His application and fulfillment of promises.  He poses the question: Is God unfair when He blessed some but not others?  And he answers: Of course not!  He backs up his response when he writes, “God’s blessings are not given just because someone decides to have them or works hard to get them.  They are given because God takes pity on those He wants to.”  God blesses who He wants to.  It’s as simple as that.  God doesn’t play favorites, but He doesn’t give to everyone equally.

When Daniel interpreted the "writing on the wall" to King Belshazzar, son of King Nebuchadnezzar, he mentioned what happened to Nebuchadnezzar because he put himself higher than God, even though God had given him authority over the people.  Daniel said that Nebuchadnezzar became as a “beast in the fields” until he understood this one basic concept, that God does what He wants to do.  Please hear what the great prophet Daniel told King Belshazzar, as he wrote in the latter portion of verse 21 of the 5th chapter of the book bearing his name…

21d "The Most High God overrules the kingdoms of men and appoints anyone He desires to reign over them."

--Daniel 5:21d (TLB)

I don’t know if Paul was referring to what Daniel said to Belshazzar, but it certainly fits the occasion, as he noted again that it's God's choice who leads us.  Earlier in his letter to the church in Rome, Paul instructs us to honor the choices God has made.  Please hear what Paul wrote to the Romans in the first 3 verses of the 13th chapter of this letter…

1 Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. 2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. 3 For the policeman does not frighten people who are doing right; but those doing evil will always fear him. So if you don’t want to be afraid, keep the laws and you will get along well.

--Romans 13:1-3 (TLB)

God chooses who will lead us.  We in the United States think we vote our leaders into positions of authority.  So we’re all concerned with whether our elections are fair and legitimate, whether we can trust the veracity of mail-in ballots, whether there are people voting who shouldn’t be.  But ultimately, God has already chosen for us.  It's been said we get the leaders we deserve, and there may be a lot of truth in that.

Really, though, this isn't about our governments or our leaders or our election process.  It's about how God chooses who gets what and who does what, not us.  God gave Pharaoh the kingdom of Egypt just so He – God – could show His great and awesome power against him – Pharaoh – and He certainly did that!  Makes me wonder if some people have been put into positions of power just so God could humble them.

Paul sums everything up when he closes our passage this morning by saying, “God is kind to some just because He wants to be, and He makes some refuse to listen.”  I think I may be an example of both.

I believe I’ve told my story before.  I refused to listen for decades, around 40 years, before answering God’s call.  Just as Paul was struck blind on the road to Damascus, I was smacked upside the head by God’s 2x4.  He has been very kind to me, blessing me in so many ways, but He has also humbled me, time after time after time.  And I’ve known many folks who have experienced similar series of being blessed and being humbled.  Of course, I also know of some people who I am still waiting to see them be humbled.  It’s all in God’s time, though, and I may never see it happen.  After all, it’s God’s choice.  And who is in a better position to make that choice, any choice, but God?  Only God.

So next time you’re trying to decide between a roll or biscuit or cornbread or Texas toast, maybe let God decide for you.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for being fair and impartial when dealing with us.  We know that You make the rains to fall and the sun to shine on the good and the bad alike.  And we understand that You can do whatever You want to do.  You can bless us, or You can humble us.  We thank You, Father, for the many blessings, and we pray that when You must humble us, that You be gentle.  We trust You, Father, because we know You are working things for our good and You always keep Your word.  Sadly though, Father, too often we think we know better and question Your decisions.  We want Your blessing because we think we deserve it, and we want You to punish someone because we think they deserve it.  Please remind us, Father, that the decision is Yours.  You are the ultimate Authority and You can do what You want.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for staying true to all the Messianic prophesies, especially those regarding Gentiles.  You included us when working God’s plan of reconciliation.  You showed us the same mercy as Your Jewish brothers and sisters.  You washed us clean with Your blood.  And we thank You, Lord.

Please help us be a better witness for You, of Your teachings, of Your mighty deeds, and of Your love.  Please help us love in the same way that You love: selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing the wonderful Gospel message.  Help us carry out the mission You gave us, seeking the lost sheep and leading them 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.