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.

God Is On Our Side

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 26th of July, 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.]

Did you ever get the feeling like the whole world was against you?  Every way you turned there was a roadblock.  You tried everything you could think of, but nothing worked.  Some folks tried, but no one could help.  Even close relatives and friends just didn’t seem to care.  If you’ve ever experienced that level of frustration, you are certainly not the only one.  Somewhere, right now, someone feels utterly alone, friendless, hopeless, helpless, completely defeated.

But there is One that we can always count on, call on for help, cling to when the cruel world batters us and the torrents of misfortune pull us off toward oblivion.  There is One who always has our best interests at heart and is working all things to our ultimate good.  I know it sounds like a platitude, but that One is our Father in heaven, and we can call on Him at any time, and He will hear and respond to our plea.

I’ve mentioned before that the Apostle Paul apparently did not start the church in Rome.  This is pretty clear when, in his opening of his letter to the church, he writes, “In all my prayers, I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you.”  But Paul praises the church for their faith and notes that he prays for the them constantly.  His letter is a way of introducing himself to the church and sharing his belief system with them.

I usually use a good bit of the passage I was led to for today for funerals, but it provides reassurance we all need to hear from time to time.  At this point, Paul has been telling the church that, now that they belong to Jesus, they should live by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Rather than being ruled by their human desires, they should let the Spirit guide them.

Please listen and follow along to the instructions the Apostle Paul gave to the church in Rome – and to us today - as he wrote in verses 26 through 39 of the 8th chapter of his Letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

26 In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27 All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. 28 We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves Him. They are the ones God has chosen for His purpose, 29 and He has always known who His chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like His own Son, so His Son would be the first of many children. 30 God then accepted the people He had already decided to choose, and He has shared His glory with them.

31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back His own Son, but He gave Him for us. If God did this, won't He freely give us everything else? 33 If God says His chosen ones are acceptable to Him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now He is at God's right side, speaking to Him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36 It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

“For You we face death

all day long.

We are like sheep

on their way

to be butchered.”

37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love — not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

--Romans 8:26-39 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for always being there for us.  Your love and faithfulness is incredible.  We certainly don’t deserve it, though.  Too often we fail to live in a godly manner, the way You would have us live and act.  Yet You still bless us, You still love us, even when we knowingly disobey You.  Thank You, Father, for caring so much about our wellbeing.  Please help us be better servants.  Please help us be more like Jesus as we go through each day.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

I know I've used this little story a couple times before, but it is just so appropriate for this topic of how much God loves us, so you get to hear it again.  I wish I could properly attribute it, but the source of this tale is unknown.

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God". As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.

Sometimes words just aren't needed.  But we do sometimes need a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, the horrible punishment He endured for us, just to show us the fullness of God’s love.

God’s love is not like man’s love.  It is not fickle or choosy, but freely available to all who love Him and call on His name.  His love covers all who believe in and follow His Son.  He is always on our side.  And He proved it by sending His Son to redeem us, to atone for our sin with His blood.

As if we didn’t already know, Paul opens our reading passage by stating that we are weak.  We humans are weak – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Here, Paul is mostly referring to our intestinal fortitude, our spirit.  We start falling apart at the first sign of trouble.

But before He left earth to return to heaven, Jesus promised He would ask God to send His Spirit to live within those who believed in and followed Him.  God’s Spirit is our constant Companion, our Guide, our ever-present Helper.  He is the most powerful force in all of creation.  And He lives within us because God loves us, Jesus loves us.  But it’s up to us to follow the Spirit’s guidance so that we can stay on the straight and narrow path.  If we let Him, the Spirit will help us continue following Jesus and living as He would have us live.

Paul reveals a key to this, and also notes that Jesus loves us, too.  Please listen as Paul relates what it feels like to him to follow Jesus, as he wrote in the 2nd chapter of his Letter to the Galatians, verses 19 and 20…

19b I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. 20 I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me.

--Galatians 2:19b-20 (CEV)

This is how much God loves us, that He sent His own Son to suffer and die for us, to bear the punishment we deserved that we might be redeemed.  Jesus said that following Him would not be easy.  Paul likens this to being nailed to the cross with Jesus.  Our baptism by water is our symbolic death to sin and the ways of the world, followed by new life in Jesus.  Now we live in Christ, and Christ in us.  We live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us enough to give His life for us.

Now, because God loves us, we can trust Him, trust His word, trust His promises, trust that He will take good care of us.  Please hear the words the wise King Solomon left for us in verses 5 and 6 of the 3rd chapter of his Book of Proverbs…

5 With all your heart

you must trust the Lord

and not your own judgment.

6 Always let Him lead you,

and He will clear the road

for you to follow.

--Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV)

God knows all and sees all.  Our knowledge and vision are very limited.  It is far better, far wiser to trust God's wisdom rather than our own.  For God is on our side.  He is working all things to our good, we who love Him and are the called to His purpose.  No matter how dark it gets, trust in God and He will light our way and see us through.

If you’ve been making notes, that rather ominous sounding scripture Paul quoted in verse 36 of our reading comes from Psalm 44, verse 22, composed by the Sons of Korah.  It speaks of the time when the children of Israel were being persecuted by their enemies because they had rebelled against God.  The psalm ends with a plea for help, mercy, and redemption.  But after reminding us of that dark time, Paul proclaims that, “In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us.”

Those early Israelis suffered greatly at the hands of their enemies because of their disobedience to God.  Every day they faced death.  But God did not forsake them.  He led them to the land He had promised them, and made of them a great nation, a mighty nation that stands still today.

And family, this applies to us as well.  We may be facing dark times, hard times, individually and as a people.  Wars rage.  Hatred stalks our streets.  Evil surrounds us.  We feel out of control, like sheep being led to be butchered.  And we suffer greatly, if not physically then spiritually.  But we have something our enemy Satan will never have.  We have God on our side.  And we have won far more than a victory because of Christ Jesus who loves us.

So let us trust in the Lord.  And let us share the love of God everywhere we go, in everything we do.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for loving us even when we are unlovable.  We know how we should behave, to be seen as right in Your eyes, we just don’t always behave that way.  Thank You, Father, for blessing us anyway.  Every day You bless us.  Sadly though, Father, too often we put our trust in our own knowledge, our own human wisdom, rather than trusting You and Your word.  Please remind us that You have never failed to keep a promise, never broken a trust.  Encourage and strengthen us to share Your love with others so that they might come to believe in Your Son Jesus and be spared everlasting torment.

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 loving us so much that You were willing to endure our punishment.  You died for our sin.  You washed us clean with Your blood.  For this we are so humbly moved and grateful.  But Lord, You know how much we struggle to show the same type of love to others that You showed to us.  Please help us do a better job as Your agents here on earth.

Please help us be a witness of 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.

Burning Weeds

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 19th of July, 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.]

There’s been a lot on the news the last week about wildfires in Canada and how the smoke from those fires is spreading across the US.  Some of the states up north, like New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, have been hit the worst.  Some of the smoke has even made it down here, along with health warnings for folks with respiratory conditions.  It seems like this happens every few years, with smoke sweeping in from fires somewhere, not necessarily Canada.

It reminds me of decades ago, when I used to go down to Santee Cooper lake in South Carolina for some of the best fishing around.  About once a year, the state forestry management agency would set fire to the undergrowth in a forest somewhere and I’d end up driving through thick smoke to get to the lake.  My truck, my clothes, my boat, me… we’d all smell like smoke for days.  But that was how they used to control what could become fuel for wildfires, by carefully and watchfully burning off the growth under the trees.  It also benefitted the trees.

Many, many years ago, it was a common farm practice to burn off a field after the harvest.  It got rid of all the weeds and plant stalks and leaves, and returned nitrogen and other beneficial elements to the soil.  All of this was before air pollution concerns, of course.  And I guess this practice goes way back in history.  Even Jesus talked about burning weeds.

After healing a man with a withered arm, in a local synagogue, on the Sabbath, and subsequently arguing with the Pharisees over His actions (and after He had told them He was the Lord of the Sabbath), Jesus went and sat by the sea for a while.  Of course He wasn’t alone for long, for a huge crowd soon gathered around Him, hoping to hear Him speak.  More than willing to do just that, He climbed onto a boat so all could hear and began to teach.  And He began by telling the parable of the sower who scattered his seed.  Some fell along the path and the birds ate it, some on rocky soil and it quickly sprouted then as quickly died, some among the thorns and was choked, but some fell on good soil and yielded a great crop.  He followed this with another parable about a sower.

Please listen and follow along while Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the tares, as recorded for us by the Apostle Matthew in verses 24 through 30 and 36 through 43 of the 13th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the Easy-to-Read Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

24 Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. 25 That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. 26 Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. 27 Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’

28 “The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’

“The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’

29 “He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. 30 Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”

36 Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His followers came to Him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world. The good seed are the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. 39 And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.

40 “The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of time. 41 The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will find the people who cause sin and all those who do evil. The angels will take those people out of His kingdom. 42 They will throw them into the place of fire. There the people will be crying and grinding their teeth with pain. 43 Then the godly people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people who hear Me, listen!”

--Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (ERV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for letting the weeds grow right along with the wheat.  If we humans tried to pull out the weeds, we’d run the risk of removing or damaging some of the wheat, too.  When the harvest comes, Your angels will be able to instantly determine the wheat from the weeds.  Those of us who believe in and follow Your Son Jesus are the wheat.  Sometimes, though, we act more like weeds, taking more resources than we need, hogging the sunlight.  Yet You still bless us, You still love us, even when we’re not living up to Your commands.  Thank You, Father, for forgiving us time after time.  Please help us be more considerate of others, of all others, whether wheat or weed.  Please help us be more like Jesus as we go through each day.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

Bible teacher, preacher, and author H. A. Ironside once told of pioneers who were making their way across one of the central states to a distant place that had been opened up for homesteading. They traveled in covered wagons drawn by oxen, and progress was necessarily slow. One day they were horrified to note a long line of smoke in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie, and soon it was evident that the dried grass was burning fiercely and coming toward them rapidly. They had crossed a river the day before but it would be impossible to go back to that before the flames would be upon them. Only one man seemed to have understanding as to what could be done. He gave the command to set fire to the grass behind them. Then when a space was burned over, the whole company moved back upon it.

As the flames roared on toward them from the west, a little girl cried out in terror, "Are you sure we shall not all be burned up?" The leader replied, "My child, the flames cannot reach us here, for we are standing where the fire has been!"

Ironside concluded, "What a picture of the believer, who is safe in Christ!  The fires of God's judgment burned themselves out on Him, and all who are in Christ are safe forever, for they are now standing where the fire has been."

One common attack of a wildfire is to set a backfire.  They pick an area directly ahead of the approaching wildfire and set fire to it, controlling it carefully, so that it will burn off all the vegetation in that area.  When the wildfire hits that area, there will be no fuel left for it, nothing more to eat, and it will die.

Jesus served as our backfire.  As long as we stand in Him and His love, the fire cannot reach us.

Jesus often taught using parables, painting mental images with words the people could readily understand and relate to.  They knew about sowing seeds, tending crops, and harvesting the results.  They knew how a seed needs the right conditions to sprout and grow.  They also knew how weeds could wreck a harvest if left untended, but that great care must be taken when pulling the weeds so that the good crop is not hurt.

His closest followers, though, His twelve disciples, might not have been as knowledgeable about growing crops.  They came from various backgrounds, with at least four having been fishermen and one a tax collector before He called them.  I don’t remember any of them being described as farmers.  So I guess it’s no real surprise that they would ask for an explanation of these sowing seeds parables, nor that Jesus didn’t hesitate to provide clarity.

The world we live in is God’s garden.  In it are good seed producing a good crop, and weeds trying to choke away the good crop.  When the end days come and Jesus returns, He will send His angels into the world to gather up the weeds first, those who cause sin and do evil.  These will be thrown into the lake of fire, eternal fire.  Then the good seed, the godly people, will be gathered and taken to heaven to be with God forever.  I promise you that it is no coincidence that this sounds an awful lot like what Jesus said about the separation of the goats and the sheep and their respective fates, as recorded a little later on by Matthew.

Sticking with our scripture reading a bit more, Jesus continued teaching about the kingdom of heaven with parables.  He told of a field hiding a rich treasure, and how the finder sold all he had so he could buy the field.  And He told of the pearl of great value, and the merchant who sold all he owned so he could possess it.   And then He used a parable that the fishermen among His listeners could better relate to.  Please listen as Jesus continues telling about the kingdom of God, as Matthew recorded a little further on in chapter 13 verses 47 through 51…

47 “Also, God’s kingdom is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. 48 It was full, so the fishermen pulled it to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. 49 It will be the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people. 50 They will throw the evil people into the place of fire. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

51 Then Jesus asked His followers, “Do you understand all these things?”

They said, “Yes, we understand.”

--Matthew 13:47-51 (ERV)

This one they understood.  The bad fish, the evil people, will go into the fire.  The good fish, the godly people, will be with God.

They understood it, but do we?  Do we understand what Jesus meant with these parables?  If we do, then we need to help others understand, too, before their fate is sealed.  For Jesus is coming back.  There will be a day of judgment.  The angels will come and gather all of mankind.  Everyone who ever lived will stand before Jesus.  The weeds will be separated from the wheat, the goats from the sheep, the bad fish from the good, the evil from the godly.  The good will live forever in paradise.  The bad will live forever in torment and pain in the lake of fire.  It's not too late to choose which way we will go.  And it’s not too late to help others make the right choice.  We just need to do what Jesus told us to do: tell others all about Him, sharing the Good News of salvation.

Let’s help save some souls.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for preparing us for the working of Your plan for mankind so we can be ready for what will come.  By simply reading our bible and believing in its words, we can make the right choice now to save our eternal souls when the Day of Judgment comes.  Thank You, Father, for blessing us with our bible.  Sadly though, Father, there are too many people who will not read or believe in the words of the bible.  And far too many times we are afraid to share the truth with them, to share the Gospel.  Please remind us that we may be the only chance someone has to hear the truth.  Encourage and strengthen us to be effective witnesses so that others might be spared eternal death.

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 standing in our place when the fires of God’s wrath raged.  Someday soon You will stand again for us, this time in judgment.  We do so want to be with the sheep, the good fish, the wheat, and we really do want to help others become believers, too.  But Lord, You know how much we struggle to speak to folks about our faith.  We have trouble getting up the courage to approach others, especially strangers, for You.  Please help us carry out the mission You gave us.

We hesitate to approach people and tell them about You and all You have done.  Please help us be a witness of Your mighty deeds and love.  Please help us love as You love, loving selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing Your words and Your works, telling them all about You.  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.

The Light of Mankind

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 12th of July, 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.]

Most of you may not know, but we have a groundhog – or more likely a family of groundhogs – that have set up housekeeping here on our church campus, just on the hillside across from the Fellowship Hall.  Their burrows can be quite amazing and intricate, with upper levels and lower levels, some depressions to catch water to prevent flooding, and many hidden openings to allow for emergency escape.  But once they’re securely at home, they are in absolute, complete darkness.

That’s a condition most humans will seldom if ever experience, for we have lights all around us all the time.  There’s even a name for it: light pollution.  Quite frankly, being in complete darkness freaks me out a little.  I’m just too used to having some form of light in sight.

Of course, we humans aren’t as well equipped for the darkness as some of our animal counterparts.  Our night-vision is poor at best.  We stumble around in the darkness, smack up against walls and door frames, bump our shins on coffee tables, stub our toes on chair legs.  So it’s a good thing God gave us light.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.

3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

--Genesis 1:1-4 (MEV)

That is how Moses described the beginning of all creation, in his Book of Genesis.  God gave life to His creation, speaking the words, “Let there be light.”  The Apostle John realized that the Word, the Logos, was with God all along.  Please listen and follow along to the beautiful opening of John’s Gospel account, as recorded for us in the first 14 verses of the 1st chapter of the book bearing his name, and I’ll be reading from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were created through Him, and without Him nothing was created that was created. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5 The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 This man came as a witness in order to testify concerning the Light, that all men through Him might believe. 8 He was not this Light, but was sent in order to testify concerning the Light.

9 The true Light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12 Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name, 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

--John 1:1-14 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for calling light into being, giving light to Your creation, bringing order to chaos.  And then, when we were stumbling around in the darkness of sin, You sent Your Light to all mankind, the true light that darkness can never overcome.  Still, though, we have trouble staying in the light.  There are aspects – things - of this world that we refuse to let go of.  But yet You still bless us, You still love us.  Thank You, Father, for having mercy on us.  Please help us be at least a little more deserving of Your love and grace.  Please help us be more like Jesus as we go through each day.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

Vision is the act or power of seeing things with our eyes.  Light bounces off an object and into our eyes, where our brains transform the information into an image that we associate with the object.  And there are many easily recognizable objects that we all associate with.  For instance, we all associate this object [*  hold up bible  *] as a book, or more specifically as a bible.  But vision is also the act or power of seeing ideas, of anticipating that which may come to be.

Film producer and writer Bob Logan notes that “vision is the capacity to create a compelling picture of the desired state of affairs that inspires people to respond.  It is that which is desirable, which could be, should be.  It is that which is attainable.  A godly vision is right for the times, right for the church, and right for the people.  A godly vision promotes faith rather than fear.  A godly vision motivates people to action.  A godly vision requires risk-taking.  A godly vision glorifies God, not people.”

Have you ever experienced a vision?  I know there are people who sometimes get a glimpse of what will soon happen.  I think I’ve been shown one or two very brief visions in my life.  Mine, though, were more like warnings, not necessarily glorifying God.

There are a number of incidents in our bible where a person is shown something – usually something quite remarkable - “in a vision”.  Their visions were fairly lengthy and very detailed.  The best example of this is the Apostle John’s Book of Revelation.  The entire sequence of what is to come was shown to John in a vision, when the end times and what follows was revealed.  And all of it is to glorify God as He concludes His plan for His creation.

Sometimes a person will envision what should be done to make this world a better place.  We just need to make sure any such vision glorifies God, and not any segment of His creation.

It should come as no surprise to a believer that John was talking about Jesus in the opening of his Gospel account.  John speaks of the creation of our universe, of the start of our history, of the beginning of time itself.  But Jesus, like God and the Holy Spirit, are outside of time, and have existed… well… forever.

Man, created in God’s image, quickly disobeyed Him, and became more and more rebellious and disobedient as time went by.  To reconcile His creation back to Himself, God gave us light once again.  Jesus became flesh and lived among us for a time, so that we could see His glory, so God could be glorified, so that we could be shown mercy and grace.  He became the light to guide us out of darkness.

In the 8th chapter of his Gospel account, John recorded the incident of the woman caught in the act of adultery being brought before Jesus and Him forgiving her of her sin, telling her to go and sin no more.  Afterwards, He addressed the Pharisees, as John saved for us in verse 12…

12 Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

--John 8:12 (MEV)

A little later, as Jesus prepared to heal a man born blind, He was asked whether the man or his parents had sinned, that he be born blind.  Jesus replied that neither had sinned, but rather the man was born blind so that the works and glory of God could be revealed.  John also recorded what Jesus said next, in chapter 9 verse 5 of his Gospel…

5 “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

--John 9:5 (MEV)

That’s two times in very short order when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”.  And we know what it means when He repeats Himself, right?  It means that this is important for us to hear and understand.

“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  Of course, Jesus knew He would not be in this world forever, or even very much longer, so He prepared us to take up and share the light.  In chapter 5 verses 14 through 16 of his Gospel account, the Apostle Matthew saved the words Jesus spoke  during His Sermon on the Mount…

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

--Matthew 5:14-16 (MEV)

Jesus has passed the torch to us.  He is no longer physically in the world, but the light of truth must still be shown, for the world hides its sins in darkness.  Jesus became flesh to be the Light of mankind, and now we must shine His light.  We must shine His light so that others just might see their way out of the darkness and be saved.  We must testify to the wondrous works of Jesus, attest to the power and authority of God, so that all people might believe.

Share the love of our Lord by shining the light of truth.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us.  Even when we were flailing around in the darkness of our sin, when we rebelled against You, You loved us enough to want us to be with You forever.  So You sent Jesus to stand for us and bear our punishment.  Thank You, Father, for so wonderful a gift.  Sadly though, Father, we still at times try to hide in the darkness, holding fast to our favorite sin.  And far too many times we are afraid to share the truth with others.  Please remind us that You allowed Your only Son to suffer a mortal death just so we might be spared eternal death.  Encourage and strengthen us to take up the light of Jesus so that others might see the path to righteousness.

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 coming into this world, for bringing the light of truth so that all might see.  You have always been with God and the Holy Spirit, but for a time You came in the flesh, as one of us, as the Light of mankind.  Then, when You returned to heaven, You left us with the task of carrying on Your work for You.  We are to shine Your light now, to share Your love, so that the lost may find their way to You.  Lord, You know we struggle to fully separate ourselves from the world.  We have trouble saying no to all the temptations, the nice shiny things Satan offers.  Please help us in this fight.

We also hesitate to approach people and tell them about You and all You have done.  Please help us be a witness of Your mighty deeds and love.  Please help us love as You love, loving selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing Your words and Your works, telling them all about You.  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.

Now That We Are Free

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 5th of July, 2026.  Today's service also included the observance of Holy Communion with our Lord Jesus.  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.]

Did you happen to catch any of the televised fireworks displays or maybe a local show?  I heard that the one over Mount Rushmore was really fantastic, a grand show for our nation’s birthday.  I’ve always enjoyed a good fireworks show.  They’re all fun to watch.  But I think that even the greatest display they could ever put on, would only be a glimpse, a glimmer, of what it must have looked like when God said, “Let there be light!”

This year, and especially yesterday, we are celebrating our nation’s Semiquincentennial.  That 50-cent word comes from the Latin for half of 500 years.  And this year we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence from British rule.

Now although we made this open declaration in 1776, the war for our independence dragged on for over seven more years.  And then a miracle happened – we won.  We did the impossible and defeated the most powerful military force on earth at the time.  And then we had to set about the business of forming a new nation and a new form of government.  Our Continental Army commander and first president, George Washington, gave all the credit to God for our victory.  Without God’s providence, we would have remained British subjects rather than citizens, free to determine our own fate.

Our forefathers fought a long and bloody war to secure our freedom from foreign rule, freedom from English tyranny.  We use that word “free” a lot, and not always in the correct context.  For there is nothing free in this life.  Everything comes with a price, a cost someone must pay.  A long time ago, long before our Revolutionary War, Jesus paid the price for our freedom from death and sin.  Christ Jesus broke our chains of sin and set us free.  Now what?

Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Paul reminds us of our freedom, as recorded in verse 1 and verses 13 through 26 of the 5th chapter of his Letter to the Galatians, and I’ll be reading from the Easy-to-Read Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong in that freedom. Don’t go back into slavery again.

13 My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love. 14 The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love others the same as you love yourself.” 15 If you continue hurting each other and tearing each other apart, be careful, or you will completely destroy each other.

16 So I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you. Then you will not do the evil things your sinful self wants. 17 The sinful self wants what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the sinful self. They are always fighting against each other, so that you don’t do what you really want to do. 18 But if you let the Spirit lead you, you are not under law.

19 The wrong things the sinful self does are clear: committing sexual sin, being morally bad, doing all kinds of shameful things, 20 worshiping false gods, taking part in witchcraft, hating people, causing trouble, being jealous, angry or selfish, causing people to argue and divide into separate groups, 21 being filled with envy, getting drunk, having wild parties, and doing other things like this. I warn you now as I warned you before: The people who do these things will not have a part in God’s kingdom. 22 But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their sinful self. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. 25 We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit. 26 We must not feel proud and boast about ourselves. We must not cause trouble for each other or be jealous of each other.

--Galatians 5:1,13-26 (ERV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for smiling on this nation for all these years.  You helped us gain independence from foreign tyranny, and You’ve seen us through so many really rough times.  Even now, when so many Americans have turned their backs on You, You still bless us.  Thank You for loving us this much, Father.  Please continue to bless us, to help us, to guide us in the way we should go.  Please help us be more like Jesus as we go through each day.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

Charles Colson, in his book Against the Night, writes that:

A poll sheds light on a paradox of increased religiosity and decreased morality, according to sociologist Robert Bellah.  His conclusion: “81 percent of the American people say an individual should arrive at his or her own religious belief independent of any church or synagogue.”  Thus the key to the paradox is that those who claim to be Christians are arriving at faith on their own terms - terms that make no demands on behavior.  A woman named Sheila, interviewed for Bellah's Habits of the Heart, embodies this attitude: “I believe in God,” she said.  “I can’t remember the last time I went to church.  But my faith has carried me a long way.  It's ‘Sheila-ism’.  Just my own little voice.”

Too often, religion can get in the way of following Jesus and serving God.  Especially when we formulate our own little religion.  Then we are free to do whatever we want, as long as we follow our own morality.  This attitude is growing and spreading in the US.  So many people now think anything is OK to do as long as it meets their agenda.  There’s no longer black and white, only shades of gray.  And as for God’s word, our bible, only the parts we like apply to us.  This is what we’ve done with our freedom.  I can only imagine the preaching Paul would level at us today.

If we listened to Paul, we would know what we should do now that we are free.  And we should also know what we should not do.  We should remain free and not go back into slavery to sin again.  We should not use our freedom to go on doing whatever we want to do, even though we know we are saved.  We should let the Spirit lead us and live in that way.  Paul even tells us the differences between living a sinful life and living by the Spirit.  The world won’t listen, but we Christians should.  Now that we are free, we must remain diligent to live as God would have us live.

And how would God have us live?  I’m glad you asked.  None other than God Himself told us what He wants.  Hear what God said through His prophet Isaiah in the 58th chapter of the book bearing his name, verses 6 through 10…

6 “I will tell you the kind of day I want — a day to set people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off others. I want a day when you set troubled people free and you take the burdens from their shoulders. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry. I want you to find the poor who don’t have homes and bring them into your own homes. When you see people who have no clothes, give them your clothes! Don’t hide from your relatives when they need help.”

8 If you do these things, your light will begin to shine like the light of dawn. Then your wounds will heal. Your “Goodness” will walk in front of you, and the Glory of the Lord will come following behind you. 9 Then you will call to the Lord, and He will answer you. You will cry out to Him, and He will say, “Here I am.”

Stop causing trouble and putting burdens on people. Stop saying things to hurt people or accusing them of things they didn’t do. 10 Feel sorry for hungry people and give them food. Help those who are troubled and satisfy their needs. Then your light will shine in the darkness. You will be like the bright sunshine at noon.

--Isaiah 58:6-10 (ERV)

God wants us to relieve the burdens of others.  He wants us to feed the hungry, to house the homeless, to clothe the poor and needy.  He wants us to stop causing trouble, to stop saying hurtful things, to stop falsely accusing people.

Sadly, we Christians don’t always do the things we should do, and too often do the things we should not do, as Paul once put it.  We forget that there is a cost for our freedom.  Our freedom from human tyranny requires constant vigilance and the willingness to stand up to evil forces.  Our freedom from sin and eternal death also requires us to be vigilant, that we do not fall back into our old sinful ways.

We fought a long, hard, harsh, bloody war to gain our independence from foreign rule.  We defeated a mighty force to become a free people.  But the freedom we should truly cherish and celebrate every day is our freedom from sin, bought by Jesus at great cost.  So now that we are free, we must keep fighting to remain free.

In just a moment, we will come to the table of our Lord to share in His last supper.  We will eat and drink as His disciples ate and drank.  And we will remember the great sacrifice He made on our behalf.  The Apostle Paul tells us not to approach this table unless we are right with God.  So please take the next few minutes to open our hearts to our heavenly Father, and repent of our sin.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for giving us the help we needed to secure our freedom, both from foreign rule and also from sin and eternal death.  You sent Your own Son to atone for our sin and to offer us salvation.  And You helped us defeat a mighty foe, England, and the mightiest foe, Satan.  Sadly though, Father, too many of us have forgotten how this nation was founded, how it all began.  And far too many now practice their own form of religion, one that may not include You.  Even we believers fail to live how You want us to.  Please remind us of all You’ve done for us.  Encourage us to listen to the words of Paul and Isaiah.  Help us remain free.

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 setting us free by giving of Yourself to atone for our sin.  You paid the price for our freedom, and now it’s up to us to stay free.  Lord, You know we struggle to shake off the chains of the world.  We have trouble living righteously all the time, at all times.  

We also find it challenging to approach people and tell them about You and all You have done.  Please help us be a witness of Your love and mercy.  Please help us follow Your example of impartial love, loving as You love, loving selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing Your words and Your works, telling them all about You.  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.

Be the Difference

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 28th of June, 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.]

Did you ever see the movie “Caddy Shack”?  In it, the golf pro character played by Chevy Chase coaches a player to “be the ball”.  It’s a Zen-like statement the way it’s made in the movie, where the player is to see himself as the golf ball as it rolls toward the cup, guiding it in.

Of course, we can only be the ball in our imagination, but there a number of things in life that we can be.  We can be a leader.  We can be a role model.  We can be an instructor or a mentor or a best friend.  We can make a difference in someone else’s life.  And it may require very little of us.

On one of His visits to Jerusalem, Jesus stopped by the pool called Bethesda.  This was the place where a large number of sick people waited – the lame, the blind, the afflicted.  Legend had it that an angel would stir the waters, and the first one in the pool when that happened would be healed.  So the sick waited, and when the waters roiled, they all struggled to get in it first.

Jesus found a man there who had waited the longest.  And He healed him.  Now, this was on the Sabbath, when any labor, even that of healing someone, was not allowed.  So the Pharisees jumped into action, questioning the man, and then accusing Jesus.  This is all too familiar – Jesus performing a miracle and the Jewish religious leaders attacking Him for it.

Well, there was one time when we aren’t told of any repercussions to Jesus’ actions, and it occurred right after the incident at the pool.  Please listen and follow along as the Apostle John relates just one of the many miracles Jesus performed, as recorded in verses 1 through 14 of the 6th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 After these things Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great crowd followed Him, because they saw His signs which He did for the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountain, and He sat there with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming to Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for each of them to receive but a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. But what are they among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, numbering about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down; and likewise, they distributed the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 When they were filled, He told His disciples, “Collect the fragments that remain, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

14 When those men saw the sign which He had done, they then said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

--John 6:1-14 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to make the greatest difference in our lives.  We could never be completely forgiven of our sin on our own.  Only through Jesus may we find salvation.  Thank You for having mercy on us.  Father, we know that both You and Jesus command us to love others, all others.  But we struggle to do so.  Too often we let our emotions overcome us and hatred enters our hearts.  So we thank You all the more, Father, for still forgiving us even when we lapse.  Please help us stay on the path of righteousness.  Remind us that Jesus came to make a difference and He left us with the command to do the same.  Help us be more like Him in our daily walk.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

In his book, The Americanization of Edward Bok, Edward Bok, one-time editor of the Ladies' Home Journal, tells a story about his grandfather, who lived in Denmark. It seems the grandfather had been commissioned by the King of Denmark to lead a band of soldiers against pirates who were playing havoc with shipping along a certain coastal area. The elder Bok set up his headquarters on a lonely, rocky, desolate island just off the coast, and after a few years was able to clear the pirates out of the area.

Upon returning to the mainland Bok reported to the King. The King was very pleased and offered Bok anything he wanted. All he wanted, he told the King, was a plot of land on the island where he had just lived and fought for so many months. They told him the island was barren. Why would he want to live there? "I want to plant trees," was Bok's reply. "I want to make the island beautiful." The King's aides thought he was crazy. The island was constantly swept by storms and high winds. He would never be able to get a tree to grow there.

Bok, however, insisted, and the King granted him his wish. He went to live on the island, built a home, and finally was able to bring his wife to it. For years, they worked industriously, persistently, planting trees, shrubs, grass. Gradually the vegetation took hold, the island began to flourish. One morning they arose to hear birds singing. There had never been any birds on the island before.

Eventually the island became a showplace and now is visited by thousands of tourists each year. When he died the grandfather requested that the following words be inscribed on his tombstone: "Make you the world a bit more beautiful and better because you have been on it."

Success, first and foremost, requires attempt, and oftentimes repeated attempts.  We’ll never know what we can achieve if we don’t try.  We’ll never reach great heights if we don’t aim high.  We’ll never know how many souls we might help lead to Jesus if we’re too afraid, timid, or shy to share our witness with others.  Making a difference requires action, not wishful thinking.

Our scripture reading this morning is the Apostle John’s version of the event we call the Feeding of the Five Thousand.  Now, note that Jesus told the disciples to “Make the people sit down”, but that John reported “So the men sat down”.  All four of the Gospel writers said basically the same thing, that five thousand men sat down and ate.

But were only men present that day?  Matthew specifically states that, “Those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”  So there were also women and children present, and they ate, too.  I’m sure not all men brought the wife and kids along, but still there was probably close to ten thousand souls that enjoyed a meal thanks to that boy and his meager offering.

Of the four Gospel writers, only John and Matthew actually walked with Jesus and witnessed His actions,   While Matthew included one detail the others left out, John did, too.  John is the only one to let us know that the two small fish and the five barley loaves came from a boy there in the crowd, one of the uncounted children.  He was probably a local and I bet that was the meal for his family.  Yet he willingly offered what little he had.  And look what Jesus did with it!

A boy, whose name we’ll never know, put what little he had in the hands of Jesus, and over five thousand people were fed.  He made a difference not by what he had, not by what he brought with him, but by what he did.  Jesus was able to take what the boy offered and multiplied it to where there was more than needed, more than just enough.  It’s not what we have to offer than makes a difference, it’s the simple act of offering it.

The Apostle Matthew recorded Jesus as He began His greatest, most important sermon, His Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus opened the sermon with what we call The Beatitudes, which I think we can treat as a good way to start making a difference.  Please hear what Matthew recorded for us in the first 12 verses of the 5th chapter of his Gospel account…

1 Now seeing the crowds, He went up on a mountain. And when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2 And He began speaking and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called the sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be very glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

--Matthew 5:1-12 (MEV)

All these blessings come from our service to Jesus.  By our faith, we believe in Him, and by our belief, we serve Him.  Our service may result in our persecution, for there are people who hate the truth, who hide from the light.  Our spirits may weaken for a bit.  We may hunger and thirst for God’s comforting touch.  But we will be blessed.  And we will inherit heaven.

The young boy only had five loaves of barley bread and two small fish, yet he offered them up to help feed the people.  He only had a little, but he was willing to give it all.  In Jesus' hands, that little became more than enough.  Even if we can only do a little, only give a little of ourselves, in Jesus' hands, our little can become more than enough.

This Independence Day, let's begin not only making a difference in the world around us, let's be the difference.  Help put an end to all the hateful, hate-filled rhetoric that is splitting our nation apart.  Replace hate with love.  Replace violence with service.  Let's make the world a bit more beautiful and better because we've been in it.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for all the lessons saved for us in our bible.  You inspired the men and women who recorded Your words, and the words and actions of Your Son and His followers.  Sadly though, Father, we don’t spend as much time reading and studying our bible as we could, as we should.  Please remind us that this is our book of basic instructions before leaving earth.  It is important for us to learn the lessons within its pages.  Please help us understand its words and meanings.

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 that no matter what or how little we have to offer, You can make great use of it.  All we have to do it give it to You, give of ourselves in Your service, and You’ll do the rest.  Thank You for again showing us that sometimes love requires a measure of sacrifice.  We know that we struggle to love all others, and find it most difficult to love the people who hate us.  

We also struggle to approach people and tell them about You and all You have done.  Please help us be a witness of Your love and mercy.  Please help us follow Your example of impartial love, loving as You love, loving selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing Your words and Your works, telling them all about You.  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.