The Cross Looms Ahead

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the fifth Sunday in Lent, the 21st of March, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  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.]

Today is the 5th Sunday in Lent, as we continue our walk with Jesus so we can remember all He did for us.  We’re very close to the days when Jesus was arrested, tortured, nailed to a cross, died, was buried, and then rose again from the dead.  So let’s look at this same time frame when Jesus experienced it, a couple weeks before His resurrection.  For you see, He knew exactly what was coming and when it would happen.

As the cross loomed just ahead on the horizon, Jesus took every opportunity possible to teach both the multitudes that gathered around Him and His chosen disciples.  Of great importance was to instruct them on what was about to happen in the days ahead.

We are in those days now, in our Christian calendar, so let’s listen to what Jesus has to teach.  Please follow along to what the Apostle Mark saved for us in his Gospel account, from chapter 8, verses 27 through 33, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of men.”

--Mark 8:27-33 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for ensuring that the words of Your Son Jesus were saved for us so that we too can benefit from His teachings.  He gives us great insight into His thoughts and feelings during His final days of mortal life, and lets us know what to expect at the end of this age.  Please help us learn from what Jesus taught.  Help us be prepared for what is about to happen, just as He tried to prepare His followers in the weeks leading up to the cross.  And Father, please keep us safe from the devil’s evil ways and from those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Show us what is most important to You and then help us do those things for You.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

In 1926, Lee deForest, the inventor of the cathode ray tube, was quoted as saying, "Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility, a development which we should waste little time dreaming about."

In 1943, Thomas J. Watson, Chairman of the Board of IBM, famously said, "I think there is a world market for about five computers."

And then in 1962, an unnamed recording company expert proclaimed, "We don't think the Beatles will do anything in their market. Guitar groups are on their way out."

As a retired IBM employee, I love the prediction that Thomas Watson made.  Of course, when he said that, a room about the size of our sanctuary was needed to house a computer and its peripheral equipment.  Now I carry a computer more powerful than those of his day right here on my hip.  We call it a cell phone, but it’s really a computer with a phone app, and a camera app, and many other apps.

The point is, when we mere humans make predictions, too often they fly wildly off target.  But the predictions recorded for us in our Bible have all come true.  Especially those things predicted by Jesus.  Everything that He said would come to pass as His mortal life neared its end did indeed happen.  So we have every reason to believe that all He told us will happen when He returns will also happen, just as He said it will.

As I mentioned, Jesus was trying to prepare His followers for the weeks ahead.  I think one could say that these were the most important weeks in the life of mankind, for they hold the key to our eternal life.  Jesus wanted His disciples especially, but also the others who came to hear Him teach, to grasp just who He was and what was going to happen.

As the cross loomed ever closer, His sense of urgency had to have been growing.  In our scripture reading, we can see Him trying to get His closest friends to recognize Him as God’s Messiah.  Peter finally gets it, so then Jesus turns to the subject of His immediate future, of how He will suffer and die at the hands of those He came to try to save.  He also let them know that He would not stay dead, but would rise again from the grave on the third day.

Peter just always had to deny that anything bad could happen to Jesus, and this time was no exception.  I can almost hear him, taking Jesus aside and saying, “Now Jesus, You know You don’t have to let anything like that happen.  We’ll take care of You.”  But Jesus knew exactly what would happen, what must happen, so He reminded Peter to stop dwelling on the things of this earth and set his thinking on the things of God and the divine.  Now understand that Jesus wasn’t calling Peter “Satan”, but was acknowledging that Satan was behind Peter’s thinking.  Just as the devil is behind our thinking whenever we focus more on this life than our future life with God.

So, the cross is visible ahead, at least to Jesus.  His followers are still somewhat clueless.  Three times Jesus predicted His death and resurrection.  Three times He told His disciples what was to happen.  The first one I read to you in our scripture reading.  Mark also recorded the second prediction in chapter 9 of his Gospel account, verses 30 through 32…

30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “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.” 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

--Mark 9:30-32 (NKJV)

Still the disciples just could not understand what Jesus was trying to tell them.  They failed to grasp what He was preparing them for.  So as the cross loomed ever nearer, He gave them one more chance to get it.  Mark saved this instance for us in chapter 10 of his Gospel account, verses 32 through 34…

32 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

--Mark 10:32-34 (NKJV)

These are similar words, spoken in the days before Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday.  He will be betrayed, arrested, and handed over to the Romans who will mock Him, whip Him, ridicule Him, and then execute Him in the cruelest way.  But, on the third day, death will not hold Him, the grave cannot contain Him, and He will rise to life again.

This all seems pretty clear to us, to we who know the rest of the story.  And we know it happened just as He said it would.  But being human, and knowing how poorly our predictions pan out, would any of us have understood Jesus any better than did His disciples of that day?  And couldn’t this very human failing be why so many people have trouble believing what we are told in the Apostle John’s Book of Revelation?  After all, a human wrote that book, and humans don’t have very good track records at making predictions.

What we need to understand is that Jesus showed John these things.  Jesus revealed to John what is going to happen when He returns and our world comes to an end.  John simply recorded what Jesus showed him and told him to write.  So whether some want to believe it or not, these things will happen!  Jesus has been urgently trying to prepare us for it, through His teachings in the Gospel accounts, and through His revelations to John.  Listen and take heed!

There is one more time Jesus warned His friends about the days ahead.  Turning to chapter 26 of the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account, verses 1 and 2 and then skipping ahead to verse 32…

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

32 "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

--Matthew 26:1-2, 32 (NKJV)

This message sounds similar, but it includes a beautiful promise.  “I will go before you”.  Jesus promised His disciples that they would see Him again, in Galilee, where it all started.  He would once again rise from the dead and they would witness Him for themselves.

Family, this is a promise for us as well.  He has risen, and He has gone before us, to heaven.  If we maintain our faith and belief and obedience to Him, then we will see Him for ourselves when it is our time to go home.  We can believe this promise, because everything Jesus ever said came true.  He has gone before us to prepare a place for us so that where He is, there we may be also.  

Praise the Lord!  Thanks be to God!  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God, our Savior and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, again we thank You for our Bible.  We thank You for inspiring the people who wrote down the words that You gave them.  Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son to offer us salvation, and for raising Him from the grave so that we can share in His victory over death.  Father, please help us keep our faith and belief strong and active.  Help us be more obedient to Jesus and do as He commands us.

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 faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, as the cross loomed near, You tried to prepare Your followers for the fateful days ahead.  Thank You, Jesus, for teaching them so that we too may learn.  Please, Lord, help us fully recognize and acknowledge You as the one true Son of God.  Help us learn from all that You said and taught.  Help us be prepared for that day when You will return to set the world right.  And Jesus, please help us keep our focus on the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer us.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Believe the Scriptures

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the 4th Sunday in Lent, the 14th of March, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  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.]

Today is the 4th Sunday in Lent, as we continue our walk with Jesus so we can remember all He did for us.  The time when Jesus is arrested, tortured, and nailed to a cross, when He dies and is buried, and then rises again from the dead is rapidly approaching.  So let’s continue looking at these weeks as Jesus experienced them, the final days before His death and resurrection.

The incident I want to look at this morning was recorded for us by Matthew, Mark, and John in each of their Gospel accounts.  According to John, this occurred fairly early in Jesus’ ministry, right after His first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana.  But Matthew and Mark both have this coming shortly after Jesus made His triumphal and final entry into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday.  I don’t think the exact timing matters as much in this case as the message the words carry.  And toward the end of the passage, we should see that the message indeed relates to the time we are observing now.

So, please listen and follow along to how the Apostle John, the beloved disciple, related the cleansing of the Temple.  This comes from the 2nd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 13 through 22, and I’ll be reading this from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…

13 Not long before the Jewish festival of Passover, Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 There He found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves in the temple. He also saw moneychangers sitting at their tables. 15 So He took some rope and made a whip. Then He chased everyone out of the temple, together with their sheep and cattle. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and scattered their coins.

16 Jesus said to the people who had been selling doves, “Get those doves out of here! Don’t make My Father’s house a marketplace.”

17 The disciples then remembered that the Scriptures say, “My love for Your house burns in Me like a fire.”

18 The Jewish leaders asked Jesus, “What miracle will You work to show us why You have done this?”

19 “Destroy this temple,” Jesus answered, “and in three days I will build it again!”

20 The leaders replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple. What makes You think you can rebuild it in three days?”

21 But Jesus was talking about His body as a temple. 22 And when He was raised from death, His disciples remembered what He had told them. Then they believed the Scriptures and the words of Jesus.

--John 2:13-22 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, even today, some make a marketplace of what should be Your temple.  Some churches go to the extreme to bring more money into their coffers, including having ATM’s in the Narthex to encourage more giving into the offering plates.  Thank You, Father, for showing us how Your Son felt about this sort of activity, and how He handled in in His day.  Thank You for everything You give us in our Bible, saved for us for our benefit.  Please help us bring honor and glory to You, and not to ourselves in any way.  May we give generously and willingly to support our church and the work of our Lord Jesus through it, and may we be proper and good stewards of all we collect for the church.  And Father, please keep us safe from Satan’s traps and snares and from those who do his evil works for him.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Teach us Your word so that we may be more righteous in Your eyes.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Economist Edgar Fiedler once gave these rules for forecasting:

(1) It is very difficult to forecast, especially about the future.

(2) He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass.

(3) The moment you forecast, you know you're going to be wrong -- you just don't know when and in which direction.

(4) If you're ever right, never let them forget it.

Physicist Niels Bohr echoed Fiedler's rule #1 when he said, "Prediction is a very difficult art, especially when it involves the future."

And all this just goes to show that we humans are not very good at looking into the future and predicting, with any degree of accuracy, what will happen.  Even when it comes to the weather, with all the fancy technical tools at their disposal, the forecasters still get it wrong way too often.  And if you understand how Niels Bohr put it, we don’t always correctly report on what is happening in the present, or in the past, without wildly divergent views.

But here’s something to think about…  Have you ever noticed that the predictions found in the Book of Revelation are often written in the past tense?  This is because, although the Apostle John is writing of future events, he has already "seen" them happen.  Also, since God resides outside of time, for Him the events have already occurred.  As Christians, we know what's ahead for this world, and that knowledge should keep us living closer to God, should make us strive to be more righteous.

Now, this isn’t about forecasting and predictions, but let’s face it – most of our Bible is involved with forecasting the future.  Many of those predictions have already occurred, and the biggest one, the most important one, is yet to happen but eagerly awaited by all who truly believe.  For all the Bible points to Jesus and what He has done and will do for mankind.

Much of what Jesus said was to impart to His followers, including us, what was going to happen, not only during His time on earth but also at the end of the age.  And here’s the point: everything that Jesus said would happen while He walked among us, did happen!  Everything God said, through His prophets, would happen, did happen.

Our church reading this morning was one of those predictions.  It came from God’s prophet Isaiah, who lived and spoke those words hundreds of years before Jesus was born!  Yet in them he describes exactly what Jesus did for us, what He suffered for us, and why.

This is just one prophecy in scripture come true.  And I’m talking about those predictions that have already come to pass, not those yet to occur.  But because all those predictions came true, we can certainly have good reason to believe that those yet to occur will indeed occur!  This is why we can believe the scriptures, like the disciples finally did.

We humans might do a lousy job of predicting the future, but for God, everything is His knowledge.  For Him, the future is the past and the past is the present and time is merely a tool for us mortals.

Believe in the scriptures.  As we’ve seen, a lot of what Jesus told His disciples centered on what would happen when they made what turned out to be Jesus’ last trip into Jerusalem.  And as that time grew closer, His message grew ever more urgent.

Today, we are three weeks away from celebrating our Lord being released from the grasp of death.  In Jesus’ day, at this point in time, He was predicting His death and resurrection for the third time.  Listen to what the Apostle Luke recorded for us in chapter 18 of his Gospel account, verses 31 through 34…

31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

--Luke 18:31-34 (NKJV)

Jesus told His friends exactly what was about to happen.  He would be handed over to the Gentiles, the Romans.  He would be mocked, insulted, and spit upon.  He would be scourged – severely whipped and beaten.  He would be killed, executed in a horrible fashion.  And He would rise again on the third day, freed from the bonds of death and the hold of the grave.  All of this He predicted three weeks before the events, and all of this happened, just as He said it would.

But note that the full implications of these words were actually hidden from His disciples, so that they could not understand.  It wasn’t time for them to understand, not yet.  But they soon would, and then they would believe in everything the scriptures say, and everything Jesus said.

When Jesus walked the earth, the only scriptures His followers had to go by were what we call the Old Testament.  The Gospel accounts and all the letters of the Apostles had not yet been written.  But we today have both sets readily at our hands, the Old and the New Testaments.  Our scriptures include the Old Testament with all its predictions about the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  Some even predict His second coming.  And we have the New Testament, where we can see how all those predictions were fulfilled in Jesus, the Son of Man come to offer salvation to the world.  We can read of His life and His teachings.  And we can see what will happen when He returns.

All of the predictions of both Testaments that have already come to pass happened just as we were told they would.  So we have no reason to doubt that those predictions that are yet to come won’t also happen just as we are told they will.  We can believe the scriptures.

We are living through the last few weeks of Jesus’ mortal life on earth.  Soon, we will again be shocked at the treatment He receives at the hands of those He came to save.  We will watch as He is arrested, mocked, beaten, hung on a cruel cross.  We will listen as He cries out to His Father with His last breath.  And then we will celebrate in wonder as we look into the empty tomb, knowing He has risen from the dead just as He said He would.

And someday, maybe soon, He will come back to us.  He will return to take His church home to be with Him in heaven, and He will then judge the world.  We can believe in this, because He said it.  Believe in the scriptures.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God, our Savior and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, we thank You for our Bible, the scriptures, Your word written down and saved for us.  Through these words we can learn how we should live each day, and we can see what will happen as our days come to an end.  Thank You, Father, for Your word.  We can trust and believe in the scriptures.  Father, please help us keep our faith and belief strong and active.  Help us be more obedient to Jesus and do as He commands us.  Help us trust Him in everything He says.  For everything You and He tells us is indeed trustworthy.

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 faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You often told the people and Your disciples what to expect as Your time on this earth neared an end.  Much of this – the true meaning of Your predictions - was hidden from them, for it was not yet time for them to know.  But Jesus, it has all been revealed to us today, and we can see how it all came to pass as You said it would.  We who believe in You can believe in the scriptures, for it has all been saved for our benefit.  Thank You, Jesus, for letting us know what is to come.  Please, Lord, help us understand the full impact of what You have predicted.  Help us be prepared for what is to come by keeping our faith strong and alive.  And help us always to do as You commanded us, to love others and tell them all about You.  And Jesus, please help us keep our sights on the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

What Do We Want?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the 3rd Sunday in Lent, the 7th of March, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  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.]

Today is the 3rd Sunday in Lent, as we continue our walk with Jesus so we can remember all He did for us.  We’re just a few weeks away from the days when Jesus was arrested, tortured, nailed to a cross, died, was buried, and then rose again from the dead.  So I’ve been trying to look at this time frame when Jesus experienced it, the last weeks before His death and resurrection.

Now, Jesus knew what was coming.  We’ve seen how He has been preparing His disciples for those terrible days ahead.  But He still had work to do, advancing the kingdom of God, leading the lost sheep to salvation.  He basically continued His mission on earth as if nothing was about to happen.

Please listen and follow along to one incident that occurred during this time.  This is one of my favorite stories, about Bartimaeus.  The Apostle Mark saved this for us in chapter 10 of his Gospel account, verses 46 through 52, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

--Mark 10:46-52 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, we have so many things to thank You for.  Thank You for Your Son Jesus who gave of Himself that we might be saved.  Thank You for the gift of faith that we might believe and be made well.  And thank You for everything You give us in our Bible, saved for us for our benefit.  Please help us better understand all these gifts and how best to use them.  Help us recognize what we truly want and need.  And Father, please keep us safe from Satan’s temptations and his evil works.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Show each of us how we can glorify You.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Thomas A Kempis wrote that, "A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver."

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. 

"But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy." 

"But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. 

"Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." 

"Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son.

Aren’t we like that woman’s son?  Aren’t we guilty of offenses against God that would demand our death?  And by “death” I mean our eternal death, everlasting separation from God, unending punishment and pain?

But God does not seek justice against us.  Instead, He offers mercy, even though we don’t deserve it.  All we have to do is accept and acknowledge His Son as our Master, and we are spared.  That mercy, while indeed being a gift, truly shows the love of the Giver.  We must value that love even more than the gift.

There are a couple things to point out in our scripture reading.  The blind man knew exactly who Jesus was, with an insight greater than what other people seemed to be able to see with their eyes.  Jesus, born of the house of David; the Messiah of scripture and prophecy.  And then, when he addressed Jesus face-to-face, he used the term “Rabboni”, which in this context literally means "My Great One”.

When asked, Bartimaeus immediately responded with what he wanted Jesus to do for him: to give him sight.  And then, when Jesus granted that request, He told Bartimaeus that his faith had made him well.  And again in context, Jesus literally said, "your faith has saved you."

“Your faith has saved you.”  Bartimaeus knew what he wanted and he knew exactly who to ask, acknowledging Jesus as the Christ, and as his own, personal, Great One.  Do we always know what we really want of Jesus?

The Apostle Luke tells of ten lepers who, like Bartimaeus, knew what they wanted and acknowledged Jesus as their Master.  Listen to their story as recorded by Luke in his Gospel account, chapter 17, verses 11 through 19…

11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

--Luke 17:11-19 (NKJV)

Ten were given what they wanted, what they asked for, but only one returned to glorify God.  Only one came back to say, “Thanks!”  Only one valued the love of the Giver more than the gift of the One who loved them.  And Jesus again said, “Your faith has made you well.”  “Your faith has saved you.”

Family, what do we want?  What do we want Jesus to do for us?  Whatever it is we ask, He’ll do – He promised that – as long as we ask in His name.  And that means we must truly believe in Him as the Son of God, must fully accept Him as the Christ, our Master, doing as He commands us.

Did you notice in our scripture reading that Bartimaeus threw aside his garment, his cloak, to go to Jesus, and then followed his Great One after being given his sight?  As a blind man forced to beg, his cloak would have been pretty much all he owned.  It represented his livelihood, as he would spread it out before him for people to toss coins onto.  And yet he cast it aside to go to Jesus.  He gave it all up just to follow the Lord, and everyone present would have seen this all take place.  What are we willing to give up?  What do we do to show that we have truly accepted Jesus as our Lord?

Family, let’s make sure we know what we really want before we go to Jesus to ask.  Then, let’s be willing to let go of anything that is holding us back from reaching Him.  Let’s always thank Jesus for granting our request, or even just for listening, so that God our Father is glorified by the works of His Son.  And let’s value the love of the Giver.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God, our Savior and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, we thank You for loving us enough to send Your Son into the world so that we might be saved.  Through Him and His example we can see how we should live.  Thank You, Father, for giving us love, mercy, and faith.  May we always value Your love.  Father, please help us keep our faith and belief strong and active.  Help us be more obedient to Jesus and do as He commands us.  Help us trust Him in everything He says.

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 faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You gave sight to the blind.  You made the lame to walk.  You cleansed lepers and healed all manner of illnesses.  And for each, You saved them by their faith.  Thank You, Jesus, for saving us by our faith.  Please, Lord, help us recognize what we truly want and need from You.  Help us free ourselves of anything holding us back, keeping us apart from You.  And help us always remember to thank You, to glorify God.  And Jesus, please help us keep our sights on the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer us.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Letting Go

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the first Sunday in Lent, the 21st of February, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  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.]

Today is the 1st Sunday in Lent, the Christian season when we reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for us, all that He gave up for us.  We at least try to put ourselves in the wilderness where Jesus spent the first 40 days after His baptism fasting and being tempted by Satan.  We know we can’t resist all the devil’s temptations like Jesus did, but we can symbolically fast.

Many folks will give something up for Lent, as a form of fasting.  It must be something meaningful, though, something that it will be a personal sacrifice to let go of.  But Jesus expects more of us, more of a sacrifice from those who would follow Him.

Please listen and follow along to what Jesus tells us as recorded in the Apostle Luke’s Gospel account, from chapter 9, verses 23 through 27 and 57 through 62, and I’ll be reading this from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in His glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”

57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”

58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay His head.”

59 He said to another person, “Come, follow Me.”

The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow You, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”

62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

--Luke 9:23-27, 57-62 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for offering us entry into Your kingdom if we would only believe in Your Son Jesus, follow Him and serve Him.  Please help us understand what it means to truly follow Jesus, what we must be willing to sacrifice for Him, to let go of so we can better serve Him.  Help us to be more worthy of the great sacrifice He made for us.  And Father, please keep us safe from the Satan’s traps and from those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Show us each what we need to let go of, and then help us do just that.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

British Protestant preacher and author John Henry Jowett once said:  "Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing."

There is definitely a price to pay for true commitment.  Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence.  Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families.  Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died.  Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.  Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.  Another had two sons captured.  Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war.  Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy.  He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty.

At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson's home for his headquarters.  Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home.  The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.  John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.  Their thirteen children fled for their lives.  His fields and mill were destroyed.  For over a year, he lived in forest and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished.  A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion.

Yes, those are extremes, but such is the cost of being fully committed to a cause.  Without these men risking everything, the American Revolution would have failed and accomplished nothing.

What do we risk for the cause of Christianity?  What are we willing to give up, to let go up, that we might better serve Jesus and advance the kingdom of heaven?

All those early patriots lost so much for their cause.  They lost homes, estates, fortunes, even family.  They let go of their earthly treasures so that future generations could live freely, out from under the heel of tyrants and kings.  Their heart was in service to their children and their children’s children, to generations yet to be born.

Perhaps they remembered what Jesus once told us during His Sermon on the Mount.  Listen to what our Lord said about treasures as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in chapter 6 of his Gospel account, verses 19 through 21…

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

--Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  What we hold in our heart will clearly indicate what is most important to us.  And God can see into our hearts.  What does He see when He looks inside us?  Does He see some idol we cherish, something we refuse to let go of, or does He see a kind of reflection of Himself?

Last week we talked about love and saw that we show God our love by loving others and seeing to their needs, keeping them in our prayers.  We saw that love was unconditional, sacrificial.  Well, family, what are we willing to sacrifice for our love?  Jesus gave His all for us because He loves us.  What are we willing to give up for Him?  What will we let go of to follow the One we call our Lord?

Now, let’s understand that not all sacrifices have to be of physical things.  We don’t necessarily have to let go of any or all of our resources, or even our time, unless of course those things become an obsession for us.  The Apostle Paul has a few ideas to share that we may not have considered before.  Listen to Paul’s instructions in chapter 4 of his letter to the Ephesians, the church in Ephesus, verses 31 and 32…

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

--Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)

There are earthly treasures we can give up in our service to Christ, but there are also other holds onto this world that we can let go of.  What about fear, hatred, and distrust?  Can’t we give up favoritism, bias, and prejudice?  Shouldn’t we let go of our misplaced love of things?

We need to let go of worldly things and bad habits that we cling to, because they will not last.  We need to be kinder to one another, more tenderhearted and compassionate, more forgiving or our flaws and mistakes.  As believers, God has forgiven us of our sins because of the sacrifice Jesus made.  Can’t we sacrifice our bitterness, rage, and anger so that our Lord’s sacrifice means something?

Family, Lent is the perfect time for letting go of all that holds us to this world, for taking up our cross and truly following Jesus.  Let go of anger and hatred.  Let go of fear and distrust.  Let go of obsessions over money or power or over what other people may have or be doing.  As Jesus said, we must give up our own way before we can walk with Him.

Letting go is hard to do, but with God’s help we can rid ourselves of those things that keep us tied to this life.  Let’s set our focus on the things of heaven and let go of the things of earth.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God, our Savior and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, You want nothing more than for us to be ever closer to You.  But our desire for things of this life here on earth keep us apart from You, even if just a little.  Thank You, Father, for showing us what we need to do to be more righteous in Your eyes.  Thank You for sending Your Son to teach us, and to show us by His example.  Father, please help us let go of our grasp on this life.  Help us see that what You have in store for us is far better than anything this world can offer.  Help us give up everything that keeps us from truly following Your Son.

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 faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, during Your life and ministry on earth, You possessed little of what man might consider earthly treasures.  Nothing of this life, not even Your mortal life, held You or kept You from doing the will of our Father God.  Thank You, Jesus, for setting an example for us to live by and for instructing us in how we should walk in order to follow You.  Please, Lord, help us do as You command us.  Help us more closely reflect Your life.  Help us let go of our earthly desires and striving more to serve You.  And Jesus, please help us keep our focus on the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer us.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Be Humble

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Ash Wednesday, the 17th of February, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  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.]

Our scripture reading comes from what we call the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus took His disciples onto a mountainside to a level place to teach them the ways of God’s kingdom, and, as always, a multitude followed.

In this particular passage, our Lord instructs us in how not to be like those others who only pretend to serve and worship God.  Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and to the people who joined them there on the mountainside, but one of the twelve, Matthew, recorded them so that we today might hear and heed them, too.

Please listen and follow along to what Jesus said that day, as saved for us by Matthew in chapter 6 of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 18, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

--Matthew 6:1-18 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, through Your prophets You have told us to be humble.  You don’t want us to forget that we are Yours.  You don’t want us to think so highly of ourselves that we forget all about the needs of others.  Father, please help us to always remember that we are Your creation, and that without You we would be nothing, we would have nothing.  Help us walk humbly through this life, serving You by truly loving others and seeing to their needs.  Help us turn from our sinful ways and give ourselves fully to You and to Your Son.  Forgive us and save us, please, O merciful God.  In the name of Your Son Jesus we pray.  Amen.

Through Micah, God tells us to always act in a just manner, to love mercy, and to walk humbly.  And what happens if we ignore those instructions?  What happens if we willfully, or even unintentionally, fail to follow this command?  Well, according to Moses, God will take it upon Himself to humble us, to make us humble.

The children of Israel became ungrateful and disobedient after God delivered them from slavery in Egypt, so He humbled them by forcing them to wander around in the wilderness for 40 years.  He humbled them by allowing them to go hungry, and then feeding them by His own hand, by sending manna from heaven.  He humbled them to remind them of just who they were and of all He had done for them.  And if God humbled His own chosen people, then we, a bunch of sinful Gentiles, are certainly not immune from receiving a similar humbling fate.

Then we see Jesus, preaching to us from the side of a mountain, with no amplifiers and loudspeakers, yet everyone clearly hearing His words, telling us once again to be humble.  Be careful, He says, that everything we do is done for the right reason.  When we do good, it should be done without concern of being seen by others.  Who are we trying to impress: other people, or God?

We’ve all seen the photo-ops, where some political big wig will go out into the community helping the poor of working the serving line are the homeless shelter just long enough to get their pictures taken and enough footage for the 6 o’clock news, then they’re gone in 15 minutes or less.  That is not what God expects of us.  This is exactly what Jesus tells us not to do.  He would call these folks hypocrites, and rightly so.

In His message on the mountainside, Jesus gives us three examples being humble.  The first is when we do any charitable deed, like I just mentioned.  The second is when we pray, and I believe this also includes any time we worship God and praise Him.  Again, we shouldn’t be praying or singing or lifting our hands in praise just because everyone else is, or just so that other folk can see us being so pious.  If we’re worshiping so that other people can take note of our worship, then it is hollow and not worthy of giving God His due.  Instead, we should follow the Spirit’s lead, even going into our own place of privacy to loudly worship our Lord if that is what we’re led to do.

And don’t just keep repeating the same things over and over, as if an additional word count means anything to God.  If we repeat something too often, it becomes meaningless to us.

The third example Jesus gives is when we fast.  Now fasting is not very common anymore in our culture, although some folks will give something up for Lent, which is kind of a form of fasting.  But it was common in Jesus’ day and locale, and it carries an implication for us as well, because again it is all about feigned piety.

Whether it is serving the needy or worshiping God or making some sort of personal sacrifice, Jesus cautions us not to do it for the recognition and acknowledgement of other people.  Watch me… I’m giving this blanket to a homeless man!  Listen to me… I’m singing praises to God for all to hear!  Look at me…  I’m giving money to the poor!  See how holy and righteous and pious I am!  Well, any recognition we get from our fellow man is all we’ll get, because God will not be pleased.

God knows us; He knows our hearts.  He can see what motivates us, what drives us.  If our motivation for doing anything is to receive praise and recognition from our fellow man, or for any reason that might serve our own agenda, then Jesus will call us a hypocrite and God will not be at all happy with us.  If we truly love others as we are commanded, we will serve God by helping them out of that love, for no other reason, knowing that God sees us and nothing else matters.

When we as a church do something in the community, I worry about having it publicized because some may see that as self-serving.  But as long as we are humble, as long as we are acting out of our service to God because of the love He has given us, as long as we are right in our hearts, then others may see our acts and decide to pitch in and help too.

It’s all about being humble.  As a church family, we’re not doing things for the recognition or publicity - we doing them to help other people.  If a little publicity might spur other folk into action, then that’s a good thing.

Tonight we are observing Ash Wednesday, to remind us of what Jesus did for us, of His sacrifice for us.  We have been forgiven and shown mercy even though we’ve done nothing, nor can we ever do anything, to deserve it.  This is God’s mercy shown to us.  He commands that we be forgiving and merciful in return, and that we walk humbly with Him.

As is my custom, I don’t have ashes to give you.  And COVID-19 precludes us from pretty much anything normal these days.  So instead, I have a small token of our Father’s love and of our commitment to God, to one another, and to the greater community around us.

God made a covenant with us and signed it with the blood of His own Son.  We acknowledge our end of that covenant by our baptism and our service to our Lord Jesus.  The little card included in your bulletin serves as our covenant as a church family.  We are each a member of the church, the body of Christ.  We have an obligation to act on His behalf.  Notice that each paragraph, after the opening, begins with a stated promise of action.  “We engage…”  This is what we, as a family, intend to do, in support of one another, in support of our community, in service to God.

Use this as a bookmark, hang it on the fridge with a magnet, or carry it in your pocketbook or wallet.  Just read it every now and then and remember what Jesus did for us, and our covenant with Him.  In the name of our Redeemer, the Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for loving us so much as to send Your only Son to atone for our sins.  May we observe this season of Lent by examining ourselves, by confessing and truly repenting of our disobedience and sin, by prayer and fasting, by works of love and service, and by reading and meditating upon Your word.  We repent of our sinfulness, O Lord, and seek Your forgiveness.  This we pray in the blessed name of Jesus our Christ, who gave His all for us.  Amen.

How Do I Love Thee?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, Valentine's Day, the 14th of February, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  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.]

In her beautiful sonnet, Elizabeth Barrette Browning asked, “How do I love thee?”.  To answer her own question she continued, “Let me count the ways”, and went on to enumerate emotions that are so often difficult to put into words.

It’s so easy to say those three little words: I love you.  And they will be spoken today all over the world by millions of people in various languages.  I love you.  But what does it really mean, to love?  Some people put conditions on love – if you really love me, then...  How can we show our love, how can we prove the depths of our love?

I think the Apostle Paul gives us a very good lesson on love, what it is, what it means, how to show it.  Please listen and follow along as I read all of chapter 13 of Paul’s 1st letter to the church in Corinth, and I’ll be reading this from the Living Bible…

1 If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 3 If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.

4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

8 All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge — these gifts will disappear. 9 Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor. 10 But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.

11 It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. 12 In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at His reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see Him in His completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.

13 There are three things that remain — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.

--1 Corinthians 13 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving us the gift of love, of loving and being loved.  It’s easy to see that love is very important to You, so it should be to us, too.  Please help us to love other people in the same way that Jesus loves.  Help us to love sacrificially, unconditionally, selflessly.  And Father, please keep us safe from the devil’s attacks and from those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Open our hearts that we might love others as You and Jesus love us, showing them Your love.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

William Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice to the English House of Commons, told a touching story.  The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria.  The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her own life by breathing the child's breath.  Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death.  Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, "Momma, kiss me!"  Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter.  She got diphtheria and some days thereafter she went to be forever with the Lord.  Real love forgets self.  Real love knows no danger.  Real love doesn't count the cost.

A mother’s love for her child is a great example of what God intended when He told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  A love that reaches out.  A love that helps in times of need with no thought of consequences to self.  A love given freely without conditions or requirements.  Real love forgets self, knows no danger, doesn’t add up the cost before being given.

Paul opens his letter to the Corinthians by saying that it doesn’t matter what we have or what we do if we don’t have love within us, if we don’t act out of love.  Anything we might do, if not done in love, will be a worthless accomplishment, of no value.  Even if we sold everything we owned, gave the money to the poor, and gave our lives for spreading the Good News of salvation through Christ Jesus, it would all be wasted effort if we did not love the people we tried to help, if our motivation was not love.

God can see into our hearts.  He knows what moves us, what drives us.  If we act out of some reason other than love, our actions will have no value in God’s eyes.

Paul goes on to tell us how to recognize love, what true love looks like.  It is patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude.  Love is not demanding or irritable or touchy.  Love is not vengeful, but instead is devoted and loyal.  And if I may, I might add to Paul's descriptions that love – true love - is sacrificial, unconditional.

And finally, love is eternal.  The first thing God gives us is love, and we carry it all through this life and on into the next.  Someday this world and everything in it will come to an end, but love will go on forever.  Yet three things will remain:  faith, hope, and love.  Of these three, love is the greatest.

As I mentioned earlier, love is a prominent theme in our culture and certainly in our Bible.  The word “love” itself is mentioned 504 times in the New King James Version.  The most well-known verse in our Bible states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”   This alone should be sufficient to tell us that God loves us, all of us.  Do we return that love?

A scribe of the Pharisees once asked Jesus a question, hoping to trap Him.  Jesus responded so that we would all know what God wants of us.  Listen to the exchange as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in chapter 22 of his Gospel account, verses 36-40…

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

--Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV)

Love God, with all that is within us, and love others as we love ourselves.  Everything else hinges on this.  Like Paul said, without love, nothing else matters.  So how do we complete the first part of that?  Loving others may be difficult to accomplish, but it’s easy enough to understand how to go about it.  But how do we show God we truly love Him?

We show God that we love Him and His Son by doing as They command us, by loving others, seeing to their needs, praying for them, helping them.  And all without expectations of anything in return.  True love, the kind God wants to see in us, is given freely, unconditionally, sacrificially, with no regard for cost or gain.  It’s the kind of love He gives us, the kind He showed when He sent His only Son into the world to offer us forgiveness and salvation.  Unconditional love, sacrificial love, freely given to you and to me.

Family, love is hard and quite often very expensive.  And it can be really painful.  Our hearts can be broken, or mended by love.  But no matter what happens, we must continue to love, to help when we can, to show God we are sincere in our love and our service.  For if we don’t have love in our hearts, nothing we do will have value to God.  Without love – God’s love – we are nothing.

On Valentine’s Day we celebrate love and we try to show those we love how much we cherish them.  Let’s extend that love out to all others we encounter.  And let’s make every day Valentine’s Day.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God, the epitome of love.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for loving us.  Thank You for giving us love, the ability to love, the joy of being loved.  Thank You, Father, for loving us so much You sent Your Son to save us.  Father, please help us remain steadfast in our faith and love even in these trying times.  Help us serve You and do Your work among those who really need to feel Your love and see Your love at work in their lives.  Help us show You our love by loving them.

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 faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You not only preached love when You walked among us, You were love.  Every fiber of Your earthly being was filled with love for God’s creation and for we sinners stumbling around in the darkness of our sin.  Thank You, Jesus, for so great a sacrificial love.  Please, Lord, help us be worthy of Your love and sacrifice.  Help us return Your love by showing true love, real love, to all others we encounter.  Help us be an extension of Your love, living as an active example of Your love.  And Jesus, please help us keep our focus on the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer us.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.

Blind Eyes, Hard Hearts

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 7th of February, 2021, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  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.]

For some time now we’ve been looking at what all is going on in the world and thinking that maybe we’re experiencing some of the things our Bible talks about as happening toward the time when Jesus will return to call His church home.  And some of us wonder why more people aren’t taking note of this and trying to get right with God.  Why aren’t they asking the questions we ask?  Is God angry with us?  Are we seeing His wrath now?  Is this a foretaste of the judgment the world can expect?

Now granted, not everyone spends much time in their Bibles, not even folks we know to be good Christians.  But isn’t it obvious that something out of the ordinary is going on, and maybe it’s time to turn to God?

Yet we see people every day, all over the place, who give no consideration to God whatsoever, or to what might well be His judgment in action, or signs pointing to things to come.  They seem to be blind to the truth that we ourselves see, the truth as written in our Bible.  They have no heart for God or for His Son Jesus, nor true love for their fellow man.  There is no room in them for God’s Holy Spirit to reside.  This is such a sad condition for them, but it is one that Jesus told us we would see.

Please listen and follow along to a passage that the Apostle John saved for us in the 12th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 35 through 50, and I’ll be reading this from the Living Bible…

35 Jesus replied, “My light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, and go where you want to go before the darkness falls, for then it will be too late for you to find your way. 36 Make use of the Light while there is still time; then you will become light bearers.”

After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. 

37 But despite all the miracles He had done, most of the people would not believe He was the Messiah. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “Lord, who will believe us? Who will accept God’s mighty miracles as proof?” 39 But they couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said: 40 “God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they can neither see nor understand nor turn to Me to heal them.” 41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction, for he had seen a vision of the Messiah’s glory.

42 However, even many of the Jewish leaders believed Him to be the Messiah but wouldn’t admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would excommunicate them from the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust Me, you are really trusting God. 45 For when you see Me, you are seeing the One who sent Me. 46 I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer wander in the darkness. 47 If anyone hears Me and doesn’t obey Me, I am not his judge — for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject Me and My message will be judged at the Day of Judgment by the truths I have spoken. 49 For these are not My own ideas, but I have told you what the Father said to tell you. 50 And I know His instructions lead to eternal life; so whatever He tells Me to say, I say!”

--John 12:35-50 (TLB)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for telling us what is in store in the future.  You’ve given us signs to look for that will indicate our Lord’s return is near at hand, some of which we are seeing even today.  Please help us notice and not miss these signs.  Help us be ever prepared by staying right with You and doing as Jesus commands us.  And Father, please put up a hedge of protection between us and Satan and those who do his bidding.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Open our eyes that we might always see Your truth.  Open our hearts that we might love others as You and Jesus love us.  This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Thomas Huxley was an English biologist and anthropologist most famous for his defense of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.  Huxley was also a noted agnostic, neither believing nor disbelieving in God.  Agnostics say we can’t know for sure because we have no tangible proof.  Well, one day Huxley was lovingly confronted by a very sincere Christian.  This believer stressed to Huxley that he was not in any way impugning Huxley's sincerity.  Nevertheless, might it not be possible that mentally the great scientist was color blind?  That is, some people cannot see traces of green where other people cannot help but see it.  Could it be that this was Huxley's problem -- that he was simply blind to truth that was quite evident to others?  Huxley, being a man of integrity, admitted that this was possible, and added that if it were, he himself, of course, could not know or recognize it.

How would you describe a beautiful sunset to someone born blind, in a meaningful way for them?  If you told them the sun’s last rays were painting pink and purple streaks across the sky, could they really know what you mean, could they recognize it?

The Pharisee Saul enjoyed physical vision, but he was spiritually blind.  It was not until Jesus took away his eyesight that Paul was able to see the truth.  Too many people are walking around today with good eyesight but in spiritual blindness.

Back in 1991, 50 mile-an-hour winds whipped the local topsoil into a freak dust storm near Coalinga, California, causing a massive pileup and three-mile trail of destruction along the interstate there.  At least 14 people died and many, many more were injured as visibility was reduced to zero.  Yet even though they were unable to see, dozens of people drove blindly ahead into disaster.  Could it be that, today, millions of people are walking blindly through this life headed straight into everlasting disaster?

Jesus said that there will be those whose eyes are blinded so they cannot see the truth, whose hearts are hardened so they cannot believe.  And indeed, that was true in His day and it is still true in ours.

The Pharisees were blinded, thinking they were doing the work of God.  Paul admitted to that, after his conversion.  He was blinded spiritually, then Jesus blinded him physically in order to give him spiritual sight.  The Pharisees’ hearts were hardened so that they could not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

And that trend holds true today.  So many are blind to the truth, so many have hard, disbelieving hearts.  And Jesus says they are in this condition so that they cannot see nor believe.  Like Huxley, they don’t even realize that they’re blind.  God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, according to the prophet Isaiah.  There are some non-believers who can still be saved, but not these.  God has already condemned these to eternal damnation.

Family, we must take care not to become part of that blind and hard-hearted group.  And we should try to keep those who might still be saved from being in that group as well.  We need to keep our faith strong and active, showing the light of Jesus to the world so that some may stop stumbling around in darkness.  We can’t just sit back and say we’re going to be OK so let’s just let God sort out the rest.  Jesus told us to get out there and work, spreading the Gospel message of hope and making more disciples.  Coming to church and sitting in the pews on Sunday mornings is not enough to fully please our Lord.

In His revelation to His beloved John, Jesus instructed the Apostle to write letters to the seven churches in Asia, intending, of course, that we read them, too.  Listen to what Jesus had to say in one of those letters, as saved by John in chapter 3 of his Book of Revelation, verses 14 through 22…

14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ — and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked — 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”

--Revelation 3:14-22 (NKJV)

Jesus knows our works, as individuals and as a church.  He knows what we’ve done, and why we’ve done it.  So are we hot, or are we cold?  If we’re cold for God, then we need to sit in the oven for a little while or get moving and heat up.  But we definitely do not want to be lukewarm, lest Jesus spit us out of the kingdom of heaven.

Now I don’t think any of us here would consider ourselves or our church to be rich and wealthy in the physical sense, the financial sense.  But maybe we do think ourselves quite rich spiritually.  We believe in Jesus, we’re saved, so we’re rich.  Jesus is telling us not to let ourselves get complacent, not to get too comfortable in our spiritual wealth.  We might just become wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, spiritually.  Complacency leads to a lukewarm spirit, and Jesus does not like that.

The world is full of people with blind eyes and hard hearts.  For some, this is a permanent condition, stretching into eternity.  Others might still be saved.  Like Paul, their eyes may be opened and their hearts softened to see and accept the truth so that they too can serve Jesus and be granted entry into heaven.  But they need our help.

So if we’re feeling a bit lukewarm, let’s shake things up and get moving.  Jesus knows our works so let’s show Him some good ones.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the one true Son of God, the Light, the Truth.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for choosing us to believe in Your Son Jesus.  Thank You for letting us see the truth of Your word, for letting us feel Your great love.  Thank You, Father, for not blinding our eyes, for not hardening our hearts to the truth.  Father, please help us remain steadfast in our faith and hope even in these trying times.  Help us serve You and do Your work among the blind and hopeless.  Help us be more righteous in Your eyes.

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 faithful and true, putting all our trust in You and Jesus, and seeking Your help as we do so…

Lord Jesus, You brought the light of God into this world darkened by sin.  You shine on the path we should walk so that we might not stumble and fall.  Please, Lord, help us be Your light bearers.  Help us share Your light so that others might not be tripped up by Satan.  Help us burn with the fire for serving You and doing as You command us.  And Jesus, please help us keep our focus on the needs of others rather than on anything this life has to offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.