Prepare the Way

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 30th of November, 2025, and the first Sunday in Advent.  A recording of our 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, today we celebrate the start of what we consider our Christmas season.  And we’re doing so with this special worship service, for this is a very special day.  Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Luke saved for us in verses 1 through 6 of the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account of the life of Jesus - of a slightly later point in time - and I’ll be reading this from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make His paths straight.

5 Every valley shall be filled

And every mountain and hill brought low;

The crooked places shall be made straight

And the rough ways smooth;

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

--Luke 3:1-6 (NKJV)

Today is the first Sunday in Advent.  This is a crucial time for us as we await the coming of our Savior.  This marks the beginning of our watch that will end on Christmas Eve, with the birth of a precious little baby.  Our Lord Jesus entered this world as one of us, lived among us, and died as we all someday will die.  But He didn’t stay dead, for God raised Him from the dead, to sit at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  We who believe will also be raised from the dead to join them in paradise.  So our Lord’s coming is indeed crucial for us.

Another little baby was born just a few months before Jesus, born miraculously to an elderly couple, both well beyond normal child bearing days, born as a gift from God.  This was John, later known as the Baptizer, who was given the mission from God to prepare mankind for the coming of the Messiah, our Christ.  Of course, John was not chosen to announce the birth of Jesus, since he was just a baby himself at the time.  His assignment was to prepare men for the Messiah to be known, for the start of Jesus’ ministry on earth.

This is what Advent is all about, this is why we observe it: to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord.  We have the advantage over the people of Luke’s day for we know when Jesus was born, and we know why He was born.  We will celebrate His birth in just a few weeks.  But we still need to get ourselves ready for His coming.

John preached a message of repentance.  He aimed at men’s hearts with his words, as much as their minds, for our hearts can overrule our minds.  And family, it is our hearts that we must prepare.  It is our hearts we need to look into so that we can purge ourselves of our sins, turn from them, and give ourselves fully to our Lord Jesus.

During this Advent season, let us prepare the way of the Lord.  Let us repent of our sin and stay on the straight and narrow path so that we will see and enjoy the salvation of God.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the coming Messiah.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to save us from ourselves.  Guide us through this time of Advent that we may free ourselves of our grasp on the world and focus more on our coming Savior.  Please forgive us, Father, for not bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel.  Help us reach out to others sharing the truth, serving You by serving others, loving You by loving others.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus, more forgiving and merciful in our daily walk, so that we might be more righteous in Your sight.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Give Thanks

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 23rd of November, 2025.  A recording of our 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.]

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, the day specifically set aside in America to give thanks to God for His divine providence over these United States.  It harkens back to the harvest feast in 1621 between the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the local Native American tribe to celebrate a successful harvest following a deadly winter.  Those early Pilgrims recognized God’s hand in surviving the long, dangerous ocean voyage, a terribly harsh winter, and the help provided by the natives.  And our Founding Fathers also acknowledged God’s intervention and intercession in our achieving military victory over and gaining independence from the strongest nation at the time.

Now, as Thanksgiving Day approaches, I pray that we later Pilgrims recognize God’s hand at work in our lives.  When we do, how often, and in what manner, do we thank Him?

The Apostle Paul certainly appreciated God working in his life, and through him, in the life of the early church.  Everywhere he went, in every letter he wrote, to everyone he spoke, Paul acknowledged God’s goodness and mercy, His kindness and faithfulness.  He knew how God, through the resurrected Jesus, had turned his life around and shown him the truth.  And he shared this truth unashamedly and without hesitation.

While our bible contains so many examples of this in his letters, I’d like to share one that I think fits nicely into our Thanksgiving tradition.  Please listen and follow along as Paul gives thanks and prays for the church in Colossae, in verses 11 through 20 of the opening chapter of his Letter to the Colossians, and I’ll be reading from the New Life Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

11 I pray that God’s great power will make you strong, and that you will have joy as you wait and do not give up. 12 I pray that you will be giving thanks to the Father. He has made it so you could share the good things given to those who belong to Christ who are in the light. 13 God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.

15 Christ is as God is. God cannot be seen. Christ lived before anything was made. 16 Christ made everything in the heavens and on the earth. He made everything that is seen and things that are not seen. He made all the powers of heaven. Everything was made by Him and for Him. 17 Christ was before all things. All things are held together by Him. 18 Christ is the head of the church which is His body. He is the beginning of all things. He is the first to be raised from the dead. He is to have first place in everything. 19 God the Father was pleased to have everything made perfect by Christ, His Son. 20 Everything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace.

--Colossians 1:11-20 (NLV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for turning Paul from a persecutor of the early church into its greatest evangelist.  And thank You for all the many blessings You bestow upon us.  You give us so much that sometimes we take Your goodness for granted.  We forget what we were before Your Son came to us and changed us.  We struggle to truly show our appreciation for sending Your Son to redeem us, let alone for all the ways you bless us and bring joy into our lives.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

An old issue of the little Daily Bread tells of the Scottish minister Alexander Whyte who was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit.  He always found something for which to be grateful.  One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this."  Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

We’ve had days like that, haven’t we.  But the thing is, we couldn’t really appreciate the beautiful days if we didn’t experience lousy weather every now and then.

I see this – the mix of good days and bad days – as just another blessing from God.  The bad gives us greater appreciation for the good.  The change, knowing that bad days will eventually be followed by good ones, gives us hope and something to look forward to.

It’s the same with the changing seasons, knowing that a blustery winter will give way to a renewing spring, a sweltering summer will surrender to a cooler, crisper fall.  The changes bring joy and keep us from getting bored.  And as we always say, here in North Carolina, if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute – it will change.

As we look at those early roots of our Thanksgiving tradition, we can see the blessings that Paul describes.  God’s great power made those early Pilgrims strong enough to survive against terrible odds, and made our forefathers strong enough to face off against and defeat the greatest army.  He gave the Pilgrims joy in their first successful harvest, and He still gives us joy in our freedom to worship – or not worship - as we wish.

The Native Americans shared their knowledge and their good things with those early colonists, and our forefathers shared the Gospel, as this nation was founded by Christian men and women on Christian principles.  And God took the Pilgrims and our nation’s founders out of a life of darkness under foreign rule and into the light of Christ Jesus, whose blood made us truly free.

Christ is as God is.  He made all things – seen and unseen - and all things are held together by Him.  He is the first to be raised from the dead, showing us our own future thanks to God’s mercy and our faith.  Christ’s blood has made peace for us with God.

How can we not be thankful?  How can we not be filled with joy?  Paul might have thought of asking those questions when he wrote to the church in Thessalonica.  In verses 16 through 18 of the 5th chapter of his 1st Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul encourages us to…

16 Be full of joy all the time. 17 Never stop praying. 18 In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus.

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLV)

Be joyful for all that God has done for us.  Never stop praying, give thanks in everything, no matter what we’re going through.  This is what God wants of us, we who recognize all that He and Jesus have done.

You’ve heard me say before that we’re just not completely sure who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews.  For the longest time, it was firmly believed that Paul was the author.  But further scrutiny in later years seems to indicate that it just doesn’t sound like Paul, it doesn’t seem to fit neatly with all the letters we know he wrote or dictated.

Of course, there are many parts that do fit, that do sound like what Paul would have written.  For instance, in verses 15 and 16 of the 13th chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews, we are exhorted with the words…

15 Let us give thanks all the time to God through Jesus Christ. Our gift to Him is to give thanks. Our lips should always give thanks to His name. 16 Remember to do good and help each other. Gifts like this please God.

--Hebrews 13:15-16 (NLV)

Give thanks to God all the time!  Always give thanks, in all situations, in everything, as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.  Now that doesn’t mean we should thank God for the bad stuff that happens, but that we find something good and thanks-worthy even in the bad times.

And here’s the kicker: this is our gift to God.  Did you ever wonder how you can give God something in return for all He’s given you?  Well, there it is:  simply thank Him.  Count your many blessings.  Name them one by one.  And thank Him for each and every one.

And remember that particular instruction to always give thanks.  Not just one day a year, but always!  And don’t just give thanks for the meal or the day off, if you’re fortunate enough to get one, but for all His many blessings over your life.  Give thanks, for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

In the beautiful name of Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for everything - for literally everything.  You created everything there is; we would have nothing without Your goodness and generosity.  We in this house acknowledge Your hand at work and we thank You.  We love You and trust You, Father.  But sometimes we just take everything You do for us for granted.  We know that it pleases You when we stop long enough to say “Thanks”, and now we know that You see our thanks giving as a gift.  Please help us give thanks in all things, dear God, and every day, not just once a year.  And Father, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You are God, and we owe You more than we can ever give thanks for.  Thank You, Lord, for coming to us when we were lost, to show us the way.  Thank You for leading us out of the darkness into the light.  Thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  May those simple words – Thank You – convey our love and our true appreciation.  Please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  Help us give thanks in all things at all times.  And please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

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.

Are We There Yet?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 16th of November, 2025.  A recording of our 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 is a phrase that is so popular and used in so many ways that no one has any idea when or where it originated.  You’ve heard it in movies and in TV shows and probably from the back seat of your own car.  “Are we there yet?”  I remember one particularly annoying movie or TV scene where the kid just keeps repeating over and over, “Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?”  We adults are more likely to say it in a slightly different way, “Aren’t we there yet?!!?”  Either way, it’s an easily recognizable sign of impatience, of being past ready of getting to wherever we’re going.

Now, while this phrase normally applies to road trips, whether going to Grandma’s house or the beach, I think it might also fit right into the Advent season, which we are about to enter.

The word “advent” loosely means “coming”, and is often used to indicate waiting for the arrival of something, or someone.  In the Advent season, we are awaiting the birth of our Lord Jesus, His coming into the world.

Of course, that can also apply to His second coming.  While the birth of Jesus is incredibly important to us, our Bible gives far greater emphasis to His future and imminent return.  Some sources mention that there are over 1800 references to the second coming compared to just a handful of specific verses detailing Jesus’ birth.

So if we ask, “Are we there yet?”, we may be anxiously awaiting Christmas day, or we may be looking forward to the day Jesus returns to set all things right.  As for the first… well, just wait a bit longer – it’s only a few weeks away.  As for the second, the Apostle Paul tells us it's not quite yet time.  Please listen and follow along as Paul gives us and the church in Thessalonica a little better idea of what to expect, from the 2nd chapter of his 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 When our Lord Jesus returns, we will be gathered up to meet Him. So I ask you, my friends, 2 not to be easily upset or disturbed by people who claim the Lord has already come. They may say they heard this directly from the Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that they read it in one of our letters. 3 But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear. 4 He will brag and oppose everything holy or sacred. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God. 5 Don't you remember I told you this while I was still with you?

6 You already know what is holding this wicked one back until it is time for him to come. 7 His mysterious power is already at work, but someone is holding him back. And the wicked one won't appear until this someone steps out of the way. 8 Then he will appear, but the Lord Jesus will kill him simply by breathing on him. He will be completely destroyed by the Lord's glorious return.

9 When the wicked one appears, Satan will pretend to work all kinds of miracles, wonders, and signs. 10 Lost people will be fooled by his evil deeds. They could be saved, but they will refuse to love the truth and accept it. 11 So God will make sure they are fooled into believing a lie. 12 All of them will be punished, because they would rather do evil than believe the truth.

13 My friends, the Lord loves you, and it is only natural for us to thank God for you. From the beginning God chose you to be saved. His Spirit made you holy, and you put your faith in the truth. 14 God used our preaching as His way of inviting you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 My friends, this is why you must remain faithful and follow closely what we taught you in person and by our letters.

16 God our Father loves us. He treats us with undeserved grace and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father 17 will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.

--2 Thessalonians 2 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for making and executing a plan for all of mankind and for the world itself.  Jesus came to us to atone for our sin and offer us salvation, all according to Your plan.  If we could see more of Your plan, maybe we would be more obedient to Your word.  But then we wouldn’t need faith.  So we struggle through this life relying on our faith and trusting in You.  Father, we know we disobey You at times, and we know it displeases You.  We need You to help us live more righteously.  Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

I believe I've used this little report before, but it serves as a testament to what Paul just told us, that the signs Paul disclosed have not yet been seen.  This comes from a 1991 issue of the magazine Today in the Word:

After 14 years of studying the Bible, William Miller became convinced that Christ would return in 1843.  When Miller announced April 3 as the day, some disciples went to mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven.  Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed loved ones.  Philadelphia society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God's kingdom amid the common herd.  When April 4 dawned as usual the Millerites were disillusioned, but they took heart.  Their leader had predicted a range of dates for Christ's return.  They still had until March 21, 1844.  The devout continued to make ready, but again they were disappointed.  A third date - October 22, 1844 - was set, but it also passed without incident.

The people were fooled.  They either didn’t know or didn’t believe it that no one is able to determine the exact date and time of our Lord's return to earth.  There will be some, though, that will still try to predict when it will happen, and many people - even believers - will be led to believe them.

Jesus warned us about this.  He had been trying to explain to His disciples that He would soon leave them and go back to the Father, but that one day He would return.  They asked Him, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”  The Apostle Matthew recorded our Lord’s response, in the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 4 through 8 and 36 through 39…

4 Jesus answered:

"Don't let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be Me. They will say they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

6 "You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

36 “No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son Himself doesn't know. Only the Father knows. 37 When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 38 People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. 39 They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. This is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.”

--Matthew 24:4-8, 36-39 (CEV)

Don't be misled by anyone who would claim or predict the day and time when Jesus will return.  Only our Father God knows when He will send His Son back to earth, to take His "bride" - the church - to the home He has prepared for her.

Yes, there are signs we can watch for that will herald the second coming.  And yes, some of those signs have already occurred.  We’ve definitely heard about, and experienced, wars and threats of wars.  Nations and kings have gone to war against each other pretty much as long as there have been nations and kings, but the end has not yet come.  People have indeed starved to death, and earthquakes shake the world up quite frequently, but this is only the beginning of troubles.  Some of the Old Testament prophets even give indicators of the impending end to watch for.  But I think we can all agree that Jesus hasn’t come back yet.

So let’s look again at what Paul shared with us.  Bad people will try to fool us, even tell us Jesus has already come and we missed it.  Don’t believe them.  We can read in Revelation that every eye will see Him when Jesus returns, riding in on the clouds.  I promise you: we won’t miss it.

But Paul gives us the one sure sign, the one that will clearly denote the end is at hand.  In verses 3 and 4 of our scripture reading, Paul assures us that, “Before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear.  He will brag and oppose everything holy or sacred.  He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God.”

The “wicked one” Paul warns of is Satan’s chief agent that we know as the Antichrist.  When he makes his public appearance, when he stands in the Temple and claims to be God, then God will send Jesus back to us.

For now, though, the wicked one is being held back, not allowed to show himself to the world.  He’s already at work, fomenting those wars and starvations Jesus spoke of.  Only the Christ has the power to hold the Antichrist back until God says to let him go.  So yes, although a lot of the foretold signs have been seen, this last and most easily discernable indicator has yet to occur.

We're not quite there yet, although it sure seems we're getting close.  But not all of the signs have been fulfilled.  Jesus is still holding the Antichrist back.  Until he makes his public debut and claims to be God, we will still have to wait, and pray.

And only God knows when that will be.  But we need to be ready when He does come.  Like the servants of the master who went off to a wedding feast, we need to keep working at the task we’ve been assigned until our Master returns.  We need to keep sharing the Gospel, the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus.  We need to keep making disciples.  We need to keep trying to save the lost, rescue the perishing, offering the hand of Jesus’ love.  We need to be doing what Jesus told us to do when He returns, because we don’t know when that will be.

So let’s get out there and help the lost be found.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for keeping so much of Your plan hidden from our view so we can show our love and devotion to You by living our faith.  We fully trust that You are working all things to our good, even when we can’t even begin to understand why some things happen.  We trust You, Father, and trust in Your great faithfulness.  But sometimes we just can’t help but wonder about and even question what You allow, why You let Satan run rampant through our world, our lives.  We know this is part of our sinful nature, and we know it displeases and disappoints You, Father.  We really do want to live and act more righteously.  Please help us in this, Father.  And especially, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, for now You are holding back the Antichrist, and the day of Your return.  Thank You, Lord, for keeping the wicked one at bay, even though Satan is wreaking havoc around us.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us.  We just ask that you please help us get out there and be working Your assignment while You are away.  And please forgive us when we struggle to do what we know is right, to not do what we know is wrong.  We don’t want to disappoint You and our Father God any more.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

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.

Come Out of That Tree

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 9th of November, 2025.  A recording of our 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.]

Last week we looked at the time when Peter walked on water, at least momentarily.  He effectively challenged Jesus to call him out of the boat and walk over the surface of the sea, just to prove that it really was Jesus calling him.  And Jesus did just that.  So Peter climbed right out of that boat and began walking on the water to Jesus.  But he was quickly distracted by the wind and waves and began to sink, only to be saved from certain drowning by the hand of Jesus.

Now, I believe it’s safe to say that Peter never had any idea that he could walk on the surface of the sea before this event.  And I bet none of us think we can do that either.  But we’ll never know if we don’t try, and if we don’t fully trust in and focus on our Lord Jesus.  If He ever does call us out of the boat, we need to climb out and start walking.

Today I want to follow up on this idea of Jesus calling us out of where we are.  Now we know that Jesus spent the vast majority of His time with common folk, and especially with those that were the worst of sinners.  (Yes, we know that we are all sinners, and that God doesn’t see any one sin as worse or less than another, but back then, and still today, some people considered some sins to be far, far worse than “normal” sins.)  Tax collectors, prostitutes, and of course the Romans, were considered the worst of the worst of sinners.  Jesus even had one of these “worst of sinners” as a disciple and apostle: Matthew, the former tax collector.  But there was another tax collector who enjoyed Jesus’ compassion and grace.

Please listen and follow along as the Apostle Luke relates the story of Zacchaeus, from the first 10 verses of the 19th chapter of his Gospel account, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made His way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” He said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

--Luke 19:1-10 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to seek out and save the lost.    Thank You for giving us the faith to believe in and follow Jesus.  And thank You for calling us Your children because of our belief.  Father, we know we don’t always do what is right in Your eyes and it disappoints You.  We’d much rather stay in our own little comfort zone than to get out and do the work You and Jesus have for us.  Please forgive us those times and help us be more obedient to Your will, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Zacchaeus must have been quite good at his job, for our scripture noted that he was the chief tax collector in the region of Jericho.  Not only that, he had become very rich at it.  His position in the hierarchy was likely pretty secure.

Bits & Pieces magazine once published this little quip:  A manager and a sales rep stood looking at a map on which colored pins indicated the company representative in each area. "I'm not going to fire you, Wilson," the manager said, "but I'm loosening your pin a bit just to emphasize the insecurity of your situation."

I don't know about you, but I sure don't want God loosening my pin even a little bit!  As His Son’s representative, I want my situation to be secure.  There are times, of course, when other people are blocking our sight and we can’t see what’s important.  We may have to go higher for a better view.  But if Jesus calls us down with a task to do for Him, we need to immediately get down and to it, like Zacchaeus did.

Now, some may say, “I’m saved.  I know I’m saved by my faith.  So why do I need to do anything else for my salvation?  I’m nice and safe in this boat, I’m comfy in this tree.  Why would Jesus even ask me to do anything else, even if I felt like I could?”

I think the half-brother of Jesus can answer this.  Please hear the argument James makes in the 2nd chapter of his letter to the early church, verses 17 through 19…

17 Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

--James 2:17b-19 (NLT)

I love that last part – even the demons know and believe that there is only one God, yet they are certainly not saved.  Maintaining our faith requires more than that.  Listening to James, we can see that our faith drives our call to action.  We are driven to do good because of our faith.  Our action for Jesus, our good deeds, are the external indication of our internal faith.  Much like our baptism is the outward sign of our inward commitment to Jesus.

And make no mistake, Jesus calls us to action, to climb out of the boat, to come out of that tree.  He always has a task for someone, or some ones.  For instance, after sending the 12 disciples out as apostles into the villages and towns He intended to visit soon, Jesus sent 72 more disciples out on the same mission.  Here is how Luke reported this in the first 3 verses of the 10th chapter of his Gospel account…

1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves."

--Luke 10:1-3 (NLT)

This is pretty much the forerunner of our command to go into the world making disciples.  We are to be some of those workers bringing in the harvest.  Going out as lambs among wolves, we are to be humble, compassionate, and kind, even if the wolves try to tear us apart.  We are not to react “in kind” when evil strikes.

Family, we can do nothing if we don’t try.  Jesus is calling us to come out of that tree, for He has something for us to do.  He is calling us out of our comfort zone and into a new and different course in our life.  He is calling us to serve Him, with all our heart and all our souls and all our mind.  And if we love Him, we will willingly do as He commands.

So come out of that tree, and get to work.  Make a difference in the world, even if it's only for one person.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for inspiring Your Son’s disciples and apostles to record at least some of the things that Jesus said and did.  Through their letters and Gospel accounts, we can not only come to know Jesus better, but we also gain greater clarity in how He wants us to serve Him.  Sadly, though, we’re not always very willing to do what He commands.  Fear often stops us, the fear of how others will react, the fear of not knowing what to do, the fear of failure.  We confess our failure, Father, and seek Your help toward better servitude.  Please encourage us and help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with. 

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You gave us a very few straightforward commands.  We are to love others as You love us, and we are to go out and make more disciples by telling others the things You did and said.  If we truly love others, we will want them to be saved from eternal damnation, just like You wanted us to be saved.  And that means we will reach out to them, sharing the Gospel message at every opportunity.  Thank You, Lord, for keeping it that simple.  But Lord, it’s just not all that easy for us.  We love You, Jesus, and thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us, but we’re either too afraid to approach other people, especially complete strangers, or we’re just too comfortable in our life as it stands, too comfortable in the status quo.  Please forgive us when we hesitate to do what we know You want us to do.  We don’t want to disappoint You and our Father God any more.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.

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.

Get Out of the Boat

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 2nd of November, 2025.  This service is the second of our hybrid series - part traditional and part modern.  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.]

In our responsive reading a few minutes ago, I said, “There is no limit to what the Lord is able to do when we leave the results to Him.”  Our bible is full of miraculous feats Jesus performed.  The four Gospel writers recorded many, but certainly not all of them.  The Apostle John admits to this, when he ends his account by saying, “there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written”.  But the key is, we have to leave the results to Jesus.  Of course, leaving the results to Him implies that we must set things in motion first.

Let’s look at a few of those miracles.  When Jesus heard that His kinsman John, the Baptizer, had been beheaded, He went off by Himself to a deserted place.  But the multitudes soon found Him, and He was moved with compassion for them.  Note that the people set things in motion by seeking out Jesus, even if He was trying to get away for some grieving time.  He was moved with compassion and healed their sick.  And then as evening fell, he fed them all from just five loaves of bread and two small fish.

That should sound familiar.  We call it the feeding of the five thousand, along with probably an equal number of women and children.  And then...  Well, let the Apostle Matthew pick up the story from there, as recorded in the 14th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 22 through 33, and as read from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible...

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…  Heavenly Father, You are so very good to us and we thank You for all Your many blessings, and especially for our bible and everything in it that tells us about Your Son Jesus and all the marvelous things He did while He walked this earth.  Father, too often our faith falters and we feel ourselves sinking.  So we plead for Your continued blessings, knowing we cannot get through another day without You.  Please help us ignore and avoid all the ways of the world that try to pull us under.  Help us return hatred with love, violence with prayer and forgiveness.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus as we walk through this life.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us.  Tell each of us what we need to hear.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

By the time of the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples had seen Jesus perform around two dozen or more acts and signs that no normal human could ever do, including raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead.  So why were they so shocked that He could walk on water?

Let’s set the stage.  It was dark now, and a storm was kicking up the sea.  The boat was being tossed by the waves and there was probably lightening flashing in the sky.  I mean, there had to have been some light source, either the moon or lightening, or they wouldn’t have seen Jesus walking on the sea.  So in the dim, possibly flickering light, they spot this impossible thing on top of the water coming right at them.  “It’s a ghost!”, they cried out.  But Jesus assured them that it was just Him, coming to join them – no need to fear.

Now maybe Peter wasn’t completely sure it truly was Jesus, so he challenged the figure by calling out, “Lord, if it’s really You, command me to come to You on the water.”  So Jesus did, and Peter did.  He climbed right out of that boat and began walking to Jesus, walking on the surface of the sea.  But all too soon the wind and the waves caught his attention, pulling his focus from Jesus, and he began to sink beneath the waves.  Fortunately for Peter, Jesus was there to save him.  Oh, and Jesus calmed the storm, too.

So what went wrong?  Peter set things in motion by climbing out of the rocking boat and onto the stormy sea.  But he took his eyes off of Jesus.  He let himself get distracted and did not leave the results to the Lord.

Who among us here today would even be willing to try?  How far do we trust Jesus?  Just as He called Peter to come to Him over the sea, He calls us to go out and make disciples for Him.  What distracts us from doing that?  What causes us to sink?  Are we even willing to climb out of the boat?

Toward the end of their last supper together on this earth, Jesus is trying to prepare His disciples for their life, and their role, without Him.  Listen to how the Apostle John recorded our Lord’s words in verses 10 through 15 of the 14th chapter of his Gospel account…

10b “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

--John 14:10b-15 (NKJV)

“If you love Me, do what I have called you to do, and if you need My help, ask in My name and I will help you.”  Do we love Jesus?  Do we trust in His promise to help us?

Family, we can’t do a thing if we don’t try, and certainly not great things like Jesus said we could.  We’ll never know if we can walk on water or not if we aren’t willing to get out of the boat.  We’ve got to take that leap of faith and climb out of our comfort zone, ask Jesus for help and support, and get out there sharing His love and the Gospel message.

But if we do finally step onto the raging sea, we must remember to keep our eyes, our focus, on Jesus.  Don’t look down.  Always look up - look up to Jesus.

In the blessed name of our Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, Your love is shown in the faith You have given us, the faith to believe in and follow Your Son Jesus.  Non-believers jeer and scoff at our faith, and seem to hate us for it.  Christians the world over face persecution, even here in the United States to an increasing degree, just because of our faith.  So Father, sometimes we are hesitant to share our faith in public.  Please forgive us, Father.  We thank You for this faith.  Please embolden us to put all our trust in You.  Please help us get out of the boat and be more open with our faith, more trusting that our service in Your name will work to our good.  Boost our trust and call us to walk on water.

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

Lord Jesus, thank You for calling us to Your service.  And thank You for promising to always be with us, to help us when we begin to sink.  We trust in Your promise, Lord, still we worry about our safety and the safety of our loved ones if we let our faith be seen in public, for the world has become a dangerous place for believers.  But we can take heart from those who are now being more open in showing their faith, daring Satan and his minions to stifle their voices.  Please help us, Lord Jesus, to become one of them.  And forgive us when we struggle to love others like You want us to.  We know it disappoints You when we let our fear keep us from approaching others and showing Your love as we walk through each day.  Please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, sharing Your love as we go.

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.