For God and Country

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the Sunday morning before Independence Day, the 30th of June, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

For God and country…  We use or hear that term often, although maybe not as often as we used to.  It’s an old expression, actually dating back to ancient Rome when it originally referred to altars and hearths, or gods – little g – and home.  It acknowledges an attachment to all we hold dear.  I myself have uttered those words at meetings to remind the chairperson that prayer comes before the Pledge of Allegiance.  But did you know that Jesus once spoke about God and country?

Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Matthew recorded in his Gospel account, chapter 22, verses 15 through 22, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. 16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the tax money.”

So they brought Him a denarius.

20 And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

--Matthew 22:15-22 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, You have blessed our land from its very beginning, and You bless us for being able to live here.  Thank You, Father, for Your mighty hand on our lives.  Please help us to better understand and appreciate just what You have given us, just what our true freedom means.  Help us to rebuild this land once again into one nation under God, even if only one person at a time.  Now speak to us this morning, Father, that we may understand and heed Your message this day.  Please give us greater insight into Your will.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, said, "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"

Patriot Patrick Henry, better known for his declaration, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”, also said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”

John Quincy Adams also noted the ties between our nation and Christ Jesus when he noted that, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: that it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”


I could go on and on with more quotes from our nation’s founders and leaders, with dozens from George Washington alone.  Few of the words from these men would pass today’s political correctness tests, because all of them openly declare this nation’s dependence on God.  In our age, too many are quick to point out that people from all walks of life and all manner of beliefs live here among us.  They proclaim the so-called “separation of church and state” as they abolish any semblance of worship in the public square.

But anyone who has truly studied the history of the United States can see that it was founded on Christian principles by God-fearing Christian men.  Without God’s hand in our affairs, our hastily formed army of farmers and store clerks could never have defeated the mightiest fighting force of that day.  Sadly, too many of those principles have been swept aside for political expediency and advantage.  I doubt that God is too happy with us now.


In our scripture reading, we can see that Jesus made a clear distinction between political and spiritual responsibilities, between God and country as to our obligation to each.  He says we owe a debt to our country.  Caesar – the government - should be given taxes and all rightful political obedience.  But we owe a greater debt to God, who should be given worship, obedience, service, and the dedication of our whole life.  We know that if we neglect to pay our taxes, we can end up in prison.  But if we neglect our responsibilities to God, the penalties can be much worse.

Those responsibilities extend not only to us as individuals, nor even just to a church family.  God also has certain expectations for an entire nation of people.  Listen to what the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 38, verses 8 through 12…

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

--Psalm 33:8-12 (NKJV)

The Psalmist says that the nation is blessed whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His heirs.  In fact, the entire earth needs to fear the Lord, to respect God, the Creator of all there is.  All inhabitants of this world should be in awe of Him!

Sadly, we know that isn’t true.  We see that part about the Lord bringing the counsel of the nations to nothing and the plans of the peoples having no effect all over the place today, especially among the world’s leaders.  If we are not diligently, prayerfully seeking God’s counsel and guidance, then anything we try will be in vain.

The Apostle Paul frequently tells us to bow in prayer to our Father God, beseeching His wise guidance, begging for His help.  In his 1st letter to his young protégé Timothy, chapter 2 verses 1 through 7, Paul encourages him – and us – to pray specifically for the world’s governments and those in leadership positions…

1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For,

There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity — the Man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.

This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

--1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT)

Paul says we should pray for all those in authority over us that our lives might be quieter, more peaceful, in all godliness and honesty.  Pray that God might once again be our Lord.  That’s kind of a tough order, isn’t it, that first part.  There are leaders we just don’t like, aren’t there, whose actions and beliefs we disagree with.  We might think they’re doing the devil’s work, and they may well be.

But in the 1st verse of Romans chapter 13 Paul says “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”  Since God appoints our leaders, we should pray for them.  Pray that they will be happy and satisfied and not act out of their own selfish motives but with greater regard for the people they lead.  But mostly, we are to pray that our nation as a whole return to honoring and respecting God our Father.  Pray, so that our nation may once again be blessed.  Pray, for this is good and pleases God.

May God bless America.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You have blessed our nation since its birth.  The journey was never an easy one, but it would have been impossible without Your hand at work.  Thank You, Father, for Your loving mercy.  And thank you for allowing us to live in such a great land.  Right now we find ourselves with an opportunity to serve You because as a nation we have almost completely turned our backs on You.  We know from our Bible that You place those into leadership positions over us who You want us to have for that time.  All authority exists in You and is appointed by You.  Please forgive us when we fail to pray for our leaders, especially for those we dislike or don’t agree with.  Forgive us when we ourselves refuse to assume leadership positions that You may wish us to take.  Please help us to do all within our means and power to help our nation, our people, return to You.  Please continue to bless us and work among us for good.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You are the one true Mediator between humanity and God.  By Your sacrifice we have true freedom.  Through You and the Holy Spirit we can seek God’s intercession into the lives of each person across this great land so that we once again may be one nation under God, indivisible, and with liberty and justice for all.  Thank You, Jesus, for always being with us, for standing by our side.  Please help us to do as God wills, strengthen us and encourage us in our service to Him and to You.  This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior.  Amen.

Stewardship

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 23rd of June, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

We often affirm that God gives us everything we have, that without Him, we would have nothing.  He asks that we give a portion back to Him, as a sign of our faith and our love, as one way to worship Him.  At a minimum, we are to tithe, give ten percent of our “first fruits”.  But He would like to see us give more, to be cheerful and generous in our giving.  Because it all boils down to Him entrusting us with His resources, and how we manage those resources.

There are a couple of places in our Bible that discuss managing God’s resources, but I was led to one that speaks to preparing for the future, both near and far.  Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded in his Gospel account, chapter 16, verses 1 through 13, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

1 Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’

3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’

7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest steward for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

--Luke 16:1-13 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, from Your great abundance, You provide for all our needs and then give even more, so that we might be a blessing to others.  Thank You, Lord, for entrusting us with so much.  Please help us to always remain faithful to You and to Your Son Jesus, to be good stewards of the resources You place in our care.  Help us to manage them wisely and faithfully.  Now speak to us this morning, Father, that we may hear and heed Your message this day.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


Lloyd C. Douglas, in the book The Living Faith, tells the story of Thomas Hearne, who, "in his journey to the mouth of the Coppermine River, wrote that a few days after they had started on their expedition, a party of Indians stole most of their supplies.  Hearne's comment on the apparent misfortune was this: 'The weight of our baggage being so much lightened, our next day's journey was more swift and pleasant.'

Hearne was in route to something very interesting and important; and the loss of a few sides of bacon and a couple of bags of flour meant nothing more than an easing of the load.  Had Hearne been holed up somewhere in a cabin, resolved to spend his last days eking out an existence and living on capital previously collected, the loss of some of his stores by plunder would probably have worried him almost to death."

How we respond to "losing" some of our resources for God's work depends upon whether we are on the move or waiting for our last stand.


Church, are we on the move?  Or have we backed up against the wall and ready to make our last stand?

Hot air balloons are often forced to drop ballast and even other items to remain aloft.  Luke also wrote about the Apostle Paul being aboard a ship in a great storm when they tossed almost everything overboard in their desperate attempt to stay afloat.  Sometimes we have to be willing to lose in order to gain, in order to keep moving.


In our scripture reading, what the rich man commends is the ingenuity of the steward, not his dishonesty.  He actually cheated his master, but in doing so, he used his present opportunities to prepare for his future.  In like manner, the believer should use what they have in this life in the service of God in order to prepare for the next life and to assure rewards in heaven.  Our "worldly resources" include not only our money and other material possessions, but also our time.  We should use these resources wisely, not dishonestly - to help win people over to Jesus so that they will welcome us in heaven.

Unfaithfulness in managing another's goods proves one unworthy to be given much for themselves.  If we are unfaithful with what God gives us, He will see us as being unworthy, and untrustworthy.  So why should He give us more?


There’s a story I’m sure you’re familiar with.  In Matthew 25, verses 14 through 30, Jesus tells of three servants whose master goes away for a time.  One servant is entrusted with five talents; he invested them and made 5 more.  A second is entrusted with two talents; he invested them and made two more.  The third is entrusted with one talent; he hid it so it would not be lost, so he would not incur the wrath of his master, and earned nothing on it at all.

When the master returned, he praised the two who made a profit with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord."  But the servant who could only return the one talent he had been entrusted with, the master scolded him, calling him wicked and lazy, taking the one talent from him and giving it to the first servant.  Jesus sums it up by saying, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."


The dictionary defines "stewardship" as:  1) the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another, especially by managing property, financial affairs, etc.  2) the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.

The first part of that is clearly about managing physical resources.  But the second part can be about anything, physical or otherwise, anything considered worth caring for or preserving.  A church definitely fits into both of those parts.  In his letter to the Colossians, chapter 1 verses 24 through 26, the Apostle Paul speaks of sacrificial service for Christ…

24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

--Colossians 1:24-26 (NKJV)

We  - all of us, not just me – we have all received a stewardship from God to care for and fulfill His word.  We are all charged with ministering His word and all the resources He has given us.

Paul carries this concept of being stewards in our service to Jesus a little further in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 3 verse 18 through chapter 4 verse 2, when he writes…

3:18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come — all are yours. 23 And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

4:1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

--1 Corinthians 3:18-4:2 (NKJV)

As servants of Christ Jesus and stewards of the infinite mysteries of God, we must be faithful.  We must act on our faith, on our belief in God’s Son Jesus.  We must do what Jesus would have us do.

So do we stand firm, with our backs to a wall perhaps, or do we move forward?  Sometimes we have to make tough decisions.  These decisions must be made only after much prayer.  That’s the part about being faithful, seeking God’s will, doing what He will see as right and righteous.


We are servants of Jesus, and stewards of all God has entrusted into our care.  Let us be good and faithful servants, so that some sweet day we can enter into the joy of our Lord.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You created all that is, so therefore all of creation is Yours.  You give to us portions of Your creation to use and watch over, You entrust them into our care.  Thank You, Father, for being so generous in what You give.  Thank you for trusting us with what You have.  Please forgive us when we fail to act righteously and wisely.  Forgive us when we our management is more self-centered that intended to help others.  Please help us to do with those resources as You would have us do.  And help us to do Your will in serving You.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, we so long to enter into Your joy, to hear You welcome us home with those beautiful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Thank You for showing us how we should act on and manage the resources God has trusted into our care.  Please help us to always be faithful in our stewardship, not only over the physical resources God has given us, but also over His word and Your church.

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

Our Father

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Trinity Sunday morning, Father's Day, the 16th of June, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is Trinity Sunday, when we recognize and celebrate the three persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  It's also Father's Day.  Last week we talked about God's Holy Spirit and how He first came to us at Pentecost, and comes still today to dwell in all believers.  We talk about Jesus on a regular basis.  So since today is Father's Day, I thought we'd put a little extra emphasis on God our heavenly Father.

Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Paul wrote, in his letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verses 1 through 17, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

--Romans 8:1-17 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we marvel at the three persons of You, and that all three love us so very much.  Thank You, Lord, for sharing these three loving aspects of Yourself with us.  And thank You especially for adopting us into Your family because of our belief in Your Son Jesus.  Please help us to always remain faithful to You, our heavenly Father, and to Your Son Jesus, and to Your Holy Spirit within us.  Help us to be good and obedient children.  Now speak to us this morning, Father, that we may hear and heed Your message this day.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


Paul Harvey once answered the question, "What are Fathers Made Of?"

A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic.

A father is a thing that growls when it feels good, and laughs very loud when it's scared half to death.

A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child's eyes. He's never quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be, and this worries him sometimes. So he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him.

Fathers are what give daughters away to other men who aren't nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody's.

I don't know where fathers go when they die. But I've an idea that after a good rest, wherever it is, he won't be happy unless there's work to do. He won't just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he's loved and the children she bore. He'll be busy there, too, repairing the stairs, oiling the gates, improving the streets, smoothing the way.


That’s a pretty good description of what most of us know and remember of our earthly fathers.  Fathers never truly seem to be happy unless there’s work to do, because in that they can feel needed.  We never feel entirely worthy of the worship or love we see in our children’s eyes, never feel to be quite the hero or man they think us to be.

All of this makes us think back to our own childhoods, and it gives us a better insight into, and more respect for, our own fathers.  After all, we all have at one time had a father, ever since Adam sired Cain and Abel.  Even the folks who never knew who their father was still had one, for it is a matter of the flesh in this earthly life that we be born of man and woman.  We all have or had a father and a mother.  We are born of the flesh because we are flesh.

But Paul tells us we can be born of the Spirit, too.  We can be reborn of God’s Holy Spirit by our belief in and surrender to Christ Jesus God’s Son.  And when we are born of the Spirit, it is by a spiritual Father, our Father God in heaven.  God’s Spirit Himself, within us, gives evidence that we are children of God.  And if we are God’s children, then we are also His heirs, along with Christ Jesus, if we do indeed take up our crosses and follow Him.


Paul was not the only one to emphasize that God is our Father.  The Apostle John clearly understood the Triune nature of God.  He viewed Jesus as being God, even while acknowledging Him to be the Son of God.

John also knew the importance and consequences of being born of God, of the Spirit.  In the opening chapter of his Gospel account, verses 10 through 13, John wrote this about Jesus…

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe 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.

--John 1:10-13 (NKJV)

Jesus came into the world He created, yet His own people, God’s chosen people, failed to receive Him.  But we who do receive Jesus, who recognize and accept Him as God, as our Lord and Master, we are given the right to become the children of God.  We are given that right through our adoption by God, our Father in heaven.  This is not due to our earthly birth, of the will of flesh, but by our rebirth of God’s Spirit.

In his 1st letter to the early church, chapter 3 verses 1 through 3, John goes on to explain a little of what all this means to us…

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

--1 John 3:1-3 (NKJV)

Ask any kid who has ever been abandoned, who has been without mother and father, who was all alone, what that experience is like.  And then ask them what it means to be adopted.

My friends, there was a time when, in a sense, we were all alone.  We were alone because we were completely separated from God due to our sin and disobedience.  We had no one we could turn to except others of mortal flesh, who could offer only so much help, only so much comfort.  But then, when we surrendered ourselves to Jesus as Lord, we were adopted by God.  He became our Father and we became His children.

Right now, we don’t know exactly how everything will turn out in this life, but we can be assured that when everything is finally revealed, when Jesus returns to call His family home, when we are given our new bodies, we will see Jesus as He truly is, and we shall be like Him.  This is what it means to be an heir of God.


Let’s take time today to honor our fathers, and our Dad, those with us still and those who have gone on to their eternal home.  And let’s be sure not to forget our Father in heaven.  Worship Him and give Him thanks.  He doesn’t need a new necktie, He doesn’t want the latest gadget or gizmo.  Just like any other father, He only wants us to spend a little time with Him.  He only wants our love.

Happy Father’s Day, Fathers everywhere!  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You wanted us to have someone that would watch over us in this earthly life, someone who would protect us and provide for our needs.  Thank You, Father, for loving us and caring so much about us.  Thank you for our fathers.  Please forgive us when we fail to honor and respect them as we should.  Forgive us when we forget to let them know how much of a blessing they are to us.  Please help us to honor them, or to honor their memory.  And help us to always honor and praise You, our Father in heaven.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, as the true Son of God, You called Him Father.  And You told us – those who believe in You and follow You faithfully – that we too should call God our Father, for He has adopted us into His great family so that we may be heirs with You.  Thank You for this beautiful gift, to know Your Father as our own.  Please help us always honor Him and praise His holy name.

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

Touched By God

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Pentecost Sunday morning the 9th of June, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is what is known on the Christian calendar as Pentecost Sunday, but Pentecost is also a Jewish celebration.  The word “Pentecost” itself means “fiftieth day”,  Pentecost is the 50th day of the Passover, or 49 days after the Passover feast.  But on the first 50th day of the Passover when the spotless Lamb of God was sacrificed, something very special happened.  God touched His Son’s followers.

Listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke recorded in his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, verses 1 through 21 and verses 38 and 39, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs — we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your young men shall see visions,

Your old men shall dream dreams.

18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy.

19 I will show wonders in heaven above

And signs in the earth beneath:

Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

21 And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord

Shall be saved.’

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

--Acts 2:1-21, 38-39 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, Your Son Jesus didn’t want us to be alone after He returned home to heaven, so He asked You to send Your Spirit to be with us always, and You did just that!  Thank You, Father, for giving us such a wonderful gift.  Please help us to fully appreciate and obey Your Holy Spirit as He guides us along our walk through this life.  Help us to never forget or take for granted this amazing gift You have given us.  Please speak to us this morning, Father, that we may hear and better understand Your message this day.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus.   Amen.


Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed.  The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by igniting it all at once, or it can be channeled through the engine of an automobile in a controlled burn and used to transport a person hundreds of miles.  Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have a more lasting effect, greater staying power.  The Holy Spirit works both ways.  At Pentecost, He exploded on the scene; His presence was like "tongues of fire".  Thousands were affected by one burst of God's power.  But He also works through the church, the institution that God began in order to tap the Holy Spirit's power for the long haul.  Through true belief, followers of Jesus are given God’s Holy Spirit.  Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.

Sadly, though, the Holy Spirit is the person of God most often taken for granted or ignored.  Evangelist Francis Chan calls Him “the forgotten God”.  Yet the Holy Spirit is the most powerful force in all of God's creation.  He is the Force behind creation.  He is the Power of resurrection.  And He is our constant Companion and best friend.

In his powerful sermon that day, Peter points out how God had promised that the event of this particular Pentecost day would happen, long before it occurred.  Peter quoted the words of God spoken through His prophet Joel, from over 800 years before Jesus was even born, where God foretold of this blessed day.  And Peter also proclaims that the Holy Spirit is God’s gift not to just those in that place on that day, but to all people everywhere who repent and follow Jesus, from that day forward!

But note Peter’s last words: “as many as the Lord our God will call”.  God calls us to follow His Son Jesus.  He chooses those He will touch.  He chooses us.  But it’s up to us whether we choose to faithfully follow Jesus, obeying His voice, serving Him with our lives.


Just an interesting aside…  At the start I mentioned that Pentecost is the 50th day of Passover, or 49 days after the day of the Passover.  The Pentecost we celebrate this morning was 49 days after the Passover at which our Lord Jesus was nailed to a cross and executed.  Jesus’ body lay in the grave for two days while, as legend has it, He preached to the souls in hell.  On the third day He arose from the grave and then spent the next 40 days walking among us again, appearing to His disciples and over 500 other people before He returned to heaven.

49 minus 2 minus 40 leaves 7.  Seven days after Jesus ascended into heaven, God’s Holy Spirit descended onto and into those who followed our Lord.

Now my Bible Study class and all who ascribe to Biblical numerology know that seven is the number of completion.  It is the combination of three, the number of God, plus four, the number for mankind.  Seven appears often in our Bible, and denotes the completion of a work of God.  Seven days after Jesus left us to go home, God sent us His Holy Spirit so we would not be alone.

Jesus requested this for us, His followers.  The Apostle John recorded Jesus’ promise in his Gospel account, chapter 14, verses 15 through 17, where Jesus said…

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

--John 14:15-17 (NKJV)

God will give us a Helper that will live with us forever.  The Spirit of truth that the world cannot receive because the world doesn’t know Him!  But we know Him, and He lives within us.

And again, right before He left us, during that 40 days when He visibly, physically showed us that He keeps His promises, Jesus reiterated the promise He made, the promise God made through Joel.  We see this earlier in the Book of Acts, in chapter 1, verses 4 through 8, when Luke reports…

4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

--Acts 1:4-8 (NKJV)

This points out the aspect of our resident Holy Spirit that so many ignore, or are unaware of.  We’ve talked about God’s Spirit being our constant Companion, our Helper, our Guide, our best Friend.  But here Jesus also promised that we will receive power when the God’s Holy Spirit comes to us!  The same Power that breathes life into all creation, the same Power that raised Jesus from death back into life, that same Power lives within us, is always with us!  What can we not do with the Power of God always at hand?!

But the problem is, we don’t really believe in that Power, do we?  Or more to the point, we don’t really believe that we can wield that Power.  And the primary reason for this disbelief is due to our unwillingness to let go of the world.

Family, we must empty ourselves of "self" so that God can fill us with His Holy Spirit.  We must empty ourselves, rid ourselves of worldly things and desires, to give the Spirit room to work.  D. L. Moody once said that "if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God.  We must be emptied before we can be filled."

We must be emptied before we can be filled.  What is it that we won’t let go of?  What is it that’s holding us back?  What part of this world still claims a huge stake in us that keeps the Holy Spirit from reaching His full potential within us?  We are the weak link in this chain.  The Holy Spirit is all powerful.  But He will only work through us if we let Him.

We who are gathered here this morning, we who truly believe in and follow Jesus, we have been touched by God as with tongues of fire.  We have been filled with God’s own Holy Spirit.  Now what are we going to do with that gift?

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


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent You own all-powerful Spirit to live within us, to always be with us, our constant Companion, Helper, and Guide.  Thank You, Father, for this beautiful blessing.  Please forgive us when we do not heed Your Spirit’s counsel, when we fail to follow where He leads, when we refuse to listen to His quiet voice.  Forgive us when we hesitate to act as He would have us serve You.  Please give us greater courage and help us to understand the enormous Power You have placed inside us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, praying from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, You love us so much that You didn’t want us to be alone after You left this mortal plane, so You asked Your Father God to send His own Holy Spirit to be with us always, through each and every day, through all life’s trials and struggles.  Thank You Jesus for loving us so much!  Please help us respect and honor God’s indwelling Spirit and to do as He guides us to do.  May we always obey His voice and His urgings.  May we faithfully serve You and God, using the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to see us through.

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