Have We Received Jesus?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 10th of October, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The transfiguration of Jesus occurred about a year before His crucifixion and resurrection.  At that time, Jesus told the three disciples who witnessed the event – Peter, James, and John – not to tell anyone what they had seen or heard until after He had risen from the dead.  They wondered what He meant by saying “risen from the dead”.  But this marked the first time Jesus began to speak of what was to come.

When they came back off the mountain, the remaining disciples had been trying to rid a boy of a mute and evil spirit, but they were not able to.  You probably remember the story.  After driving out the spirit, Jesus noted this kind could only be cast out by prayer and fasting.

They left from there and passed through Galilee.  Along the way, Jesus again foretold of His impending death and resurrection, this time in no uncertain terms, saying that, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”  (Mark 9:31b (NKJV))  So a year in advance, Jesus was trying to prepare His followers, His closest friends, for what God had planned for the days ahead.

Please listen and follow along as I continue from there with the Gospel account of the Apostle Mark, in the 9th chapter, verses 33 through 41, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you discussed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

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

39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

--Mark 9:33-41 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus into the world to offer us salvation and reconcile us with You.  It is up to each of us to receive Him into our hearts and accept Him as our Lord.  Thank You, Father, for giving us the faith to believe, to allow us to be on Jesus’ side.  Please help us be as a little child, innocent and loving in our hearts and our actions.  Help us work miracles in the lives of others.  Help us to do as You will and not just what we want to do or are comfortable doing.  Please keep us strong in our faith and of one purpose in our service to Christ Jesus.  Please keep us healthy and safe through these trying times.  And Father, please guard us from Satan and those who blindly do his work for him.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this morning.  Remind us what it really means to accept Your Son Jesus as our Master.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.   Amen.

Keith Hernandez was one of baseball's top players.  He had a lifetime batting average that few players ever attained and he won numerous Golden Glove awards for excellence in fielding.  He won a batting championship for having the highest average, the Most Valuable Player award in his league, and even the World Series.  Yet with all this, he missed out on something crucially important to him: his father's acceptance and recognition that what he had accomplished was valuable.  In a very candid interview about his relationship with his father, Keith revealed that one day He asked, "Dad, I have a lifetime .300 batting average and many trophies.  What more do you want?"  His father replied, "But someday you're going to look back and say, 'I could have done more.'"

“I could have done more.”  Have you ever thought those words, maybe when called upon to help out in a particular situation?  Maybe I could have worked a little harder.  Maybe I could have given a little more time or money.  Maybe I could have done more with my life.

That’s the one I dread thinking about the most.  When I’m at the end of this earthly travel, getting ready to go home, I really don’t want to look back and think I could have done more with my life.

I’m willing to bet Keith Hernandez’s father wasn’t talking about baseball when he uttered those words.  Keith’s ball playing days were limited, but he had his whole life to do more.  And we have the rest of our lives to do more, too.  So let’s do all we can to ever avoid thinking, “I could have done more”, and instead look forward to hearing those beautiful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

As I mentioned, Jesus had just begun to forewarn His disciples that He would be put to death and then resurrected from the dead.  This puzzled them and led to many discussions, including who among them would be considered the greatest, in this life and especially in the next.  Jesus let them know that the greatest is the least, the one who goes last, who puts the welfare and needs of others ahead of their own.

Then He took a small child in His arms and said that whoever receives one such as this – vulnerable and innocent – in His name, in effect receives Him.  And whoever receives Him is really receiving God, who sent Him to earth.  When we receive the least of the world, acting in the name of Jesus, we receive Jesus, and we receive God.

And then we have a moment where the beloved disciple John expresses concern with a man acting in the name of Jesus but not walking alongside Him with the rest of them.  In our scripture reading, speaking of this non-disciple casting out demons in His name, Jesus said that whoever “is not against us is on our side”.

This is kind of the flip side of the coin to what He said when the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons under the authority and power of the devil.  Jesus told them that Satan would not have anyone cast out his own helpers, because a house or kingdom divided like that would soon fall.  And then the Apostle Matthew captured Jesus’ next remark, in the 12th chapter and 30th verse of his Gospel account…

30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."

--Matthew 12:30 (and Luke 11:23) (NKJV)

Interestingly, this comment was also recorded by the Apostle Luke in chapter 11 verse 23 of his Gospel account, and that means it is important for us to fully understand its meaning.  There’s no middle ground here, no fence to be ridden.  If we’re not working for Jesus, we’re working against Him.  But if we’re not against Him, we’re on His side.  Just as was this non-follower.  So Jesus told John and the others not to keep him from doing his works.  And then He adds that anyone who helps a believer in any way, just because the believer has received Jesus, will be rewarded.  So again it’s still about receiving Jesus.

We see another aspect of this idea of receiving Jesus and receiving those who have received Jesus a little earlier in His ministry.  Jesus sent the 12 out into the surrounding cities and towns, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons".  In chapter 10 of his Gospel account, verses 11 through 15, Matthew recorded Jesus as He commanded them…

11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

--Matthew 10:11-15 (NKJV)

The disciples were sent out by Jesus, to teach and heal in His name.  Anyone who did not receive them or listen to their words would be judged harshly at the end, even more so than Sodom and Gomorrah.  The cautionary tale, then, is to be receptive to all those who have received Jesus so as to be looked at favorably in the day of judgment.

Receive the innocent, the vulnerable, the needy in the name of Jesus and receive Jesus.  Receive Jesus and receive God.

Have we, at some point in our lives, by our actions or deeds or words, received Jesus?  Have we gone out of our way to give love and care to someone in need?  Have we answered the knock at our door?  Have we done enough, or could we have done more?

Another word for "receive" is "accept".  Have we accepted Jesus?  Have we truly accepted Him as our Lord and Master, putting our entire fate into His hands, following His every command as if our life depended on it?  For indeed it does.

It’s never too late to do more.  As long as we draw breath, we have the chance to give Jesus our all, obeying His commands, showing His love to the world, caring for the innocent and vulnerable and destitute, seeing to the needs of other believers.  There are countless opportunities today to serve others, to put their concerns ahead of our own.  We still have time to receive one of these, the least among us, and so receive Jesus, and so receive God.

Let us open our hearts and fully, honestly, completely accept Jesus as our Master as well as our Savior.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving us a bridge back to You.  Because of our sin and disobedience, we were separated from You.  We turned our back on You.  Thank You for never abandoning us, for giving us another chance.  Father, please help us take full advantage of this gift of Your mercy so freely given.  Sometimes, Father, we get too wrapped up with worldly things and mortal cares.  Sometimes we forget what matters the most to You.  Please help us stay focused on You and Your word.  Remind us that we are here to worship You and serve Your Son.  Give us the full conviction of our promise to follow Him.  Encourage us and strengthen us as we strive to obey and serve our Lord Jesus.  Please keep us strong in our spirit, in our faith, and in our service to You and Jesus.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You from our hearts through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, when we accept You as Lord, we receive You into our lives, into our hearts.  And when we receive You, we receive God and His Holy Spirit who lives within us to guide us and be our constant Companion.  Thank You, Jesus, for telling us, through Your own words as saved in our Bible, what it is we need to do to receive You.  Lord, we ask You to help us be obedient servants.  Help us put the needs of others ahead of our own.  Help us to always be humble in our service, not seeking the praise and admiration of men but only to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes.  Help us tell others all about You, what You did for us, what You mean to us.  Strengthen our will to do what our Father God wills us to do.  Help us to be more loving, more understanding, kinder to all we encounter each day.  And please help us as we try to show Your love in this dark world while we still tread this path.  All this we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.