Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Who is a Saint?

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 2, 2025

Scriptures: Dan 7:1-3, 15-18; Ps 149; Eph 1:11-23; Lk 6:20-31

The story is told of “…a church where the preacher and the minister of music were not getting along. As time went by this began to spill over into the worship service.

“The first week the preacher preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of God. The music director lead the song, “I Shall Not Be Moved”.

“The second week the preacher preached on tithing and how we all should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The director lead the song, “Jesus Paid It All”.

“The third week the preacher preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The music director led the song, “I Love to Tell the Story”.

“With all this going on, the preacher became very disgusted over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The musician led the song, “Oh Why Not Tonight?”.

“As it came to pass, the preacher did indeed resign. The next week he informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus that was taking him away. The music leader led the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.”

(Rev. Tim Wilson, http://www.preacher’s illustrations,jokes,andquotes.com, 10.30.2025

Now this story is pretty funny, isn’t it?    It’s something we might expect of people who dislike each other.    Thankfully, Bonnie, Joy, and Alice and I all get along well.    I can’t see them trying to sabotage me like the music director in this tale.    I think they know they can just talk to me instead of choosing hymns and songs to put me in my place. 

Today we celebrate All Saints Day, a serious day on the church calendar, a day set aside to remember those faith-filled followers of Jesus Christ who have gone before us. Almost from the beginning of the Church, Christians desired to honor the memories of believers who either lived exemplary lives or who were martyred for their faith.    So who is a saint?

The New Testament refers to believers as saints, hagios—those whose lives set them apart as persons sold out to Jesus. The date of their death was the day set aside to remember them.     However, these holy ones became so numerous over time that it was decided to honor them all on one day set aside each year, the day after “All hallows Eve,” or Halloween.     

Our readings today can all be seen to refer to the saints of the wider Christian Church—the Church throughout history and across denominations.

A. Our Gospel lesson (Luke 6:20-31) contains the Lucan Beatitudes from “The Sermon on the Plain.”  You will remember that Matthew’s beatitudes are embedded in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). Luke’s are a quarter of Matthew’s length (they are briefer).    This sermon takes place on “level” ground (v.17)—Luke sees “the mountain” as a place of prayer for Jesus, while the “plain below” is where Christ goes to be with the people.

Lacking video-taping capabilities, or social media, Jesus taught the same material in a number of different locations or settings.    Non–believers mistakenly assume that because there are discrepancies between the messages, this proves the Bible is a fraud. However, I have worked in churches with multiple services on Sunday, preaching the same sermon several times. My sermon was never exactly the same from service to service! Sometimes it’s due to the differences in the congregation at each service. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit changes the message.    Jesus makes similar points in both sermons, but there are these natural differences between the two.

There was a huge crowd at the Sermon on the Mount. This crowd, too, was apparently quite large and was comprised of apostles, disciples, and people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. It included both Jews and Gentiles, which indicates Jesus’ teachings are meant for all of us.    Interestingly, He healed people and cast out demons prior to this teaching, perhaps as a way of gaining their attention, or of gaining their respect and belief. 

He presented Blessings and Woes (vv.17-26) [also termed “sorrows”]. These are Jesus’ ethical expectations for His followers.    They contain 4 blessings and 4 woes (whereas Matthew lists 9 blessings, and no woes). Jesus is proclaiming how life is to be lived both in and outside of the Kingdom of God.  (They are also very reminiscent of His mother, Mary’s Magnificat from Luke 1:46-55)

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you,      

 when they exclude you and insult you    

and reject your name as evil,  

because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day                                                             

and leap for joy                                                                        

because great is your reward in heaven

for that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Blessings declare God’s grace and favor to those who are righteous (vv. 20-22), those who act rightly. God has compassion on…

a.) the poor–>Jesus is not excluding the rich (for instance, Zacchaeus, (Lk 19:1-10).    But the poor have a special place in God’s heart because they have to depend upon Him, and because they know they have little control over life.    

I once heard a Bishop from Nigeria (he may have been among the 52,000 Christians murdered by Moslems in Nigeria over the past 4 years) tell us in seminary that we Americans have a wealth of insurance: house, car, life, health, travel, etc., but that Nigerian Christians have no insurance except the love of Jesus.

b.) the hungry usually a result of poverty &/or persecution.

c.) the sad/the dispairing    (often the poor and hungry) God sees them and knows their suffering.

d.)    the persecuted    a choice for Jesus then meant being ejected from the synagogue, meaning they lost their community and their status.

Jesus says they are to rejoice because God’s grace will help them overcome their suffering.

Woes indicate God’s displeasure. They are directed at those who oppose Jesus’ blessing or who persecute His disciples. They consist of 4 descriptions of the same type of person:

a.) the rich because they often take advantage of the poor.    They believe they don’t need God because they have “made it” on their own. They tend to be uncaring toward others.

b.) the well-fed    they will be hungry on Judgment Day.

c.) callous participants in the “good life”    they too will mourn and weep on Judgment Day.

d.) those who prefer men’s good opinion to God’s    they do not see themselves as accountable to the Lord.

A saint tries to live out the Beatitudes.  We demonstrate our set-apartness, our sainthood, by living according to these principles.

B.    Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7:1-12) is prophetic:    It tells of 4 successive empires to rule the known world:    (1) The Babylonians, as depicted by a lion with 2 wings; (2) The Medo-Persians, as represented by a bear; (3) The Greeks under Alexander the Great, a leopard; (4) And the Romans, a terrible beast with iron teeth (The Romans had iron weapons).

Rome’s 10 horns represent ten successive evil empires, arising from the ashes of the former Roman empire through the ages. The final “little horn” will be the antichrist. But most relevant to us today is the portion from vv. 13-18.  Jesus, one like a Son of man, comes into the presence the Ancient of Days [God the Father], where He is given authority, glory and sovereign power.    Daniel is told by an angel that these vast evil empires will pass away, but Jesus’ followers—the saints—the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever.

This is the hope for which all we saints live. Our God, Jesus, is coming again to restore earth to a Garden of Eden-like environment.The saints will come to live there forever.

C. As a result, according to Psalm 149, we are to praise our Maker and King. He (v.3)  takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. And He (v.7)    inflict[s] vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples [who have been the enemies of His followers, the saints].

D. Finally, in Ephesians 1:11-23, Paul reminds the Ephesian Church, and us, that we who follow Jesus were all chosen and sealed by the Holy Spirit to (vv.11-13)    …be [God’s] own people…so we would praise and glorify Him.    Paul prays we saints might (1) grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of God; (2) understand more deeply the great spiritual inheritance we have through Jesus; (3) as well as the tremendous power of God available to us through the Holy Spirit; and (4) that we might realize that (v.23) God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things…. Jesus is sovereign over every nation, every empire, and every being. Nothing happens without His knowledge. And nothing—not even death—can separate us from His love for us.

If we love and follow Jesus, we are saints. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.   Alleluia! Alleluia!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

The Trouble with Comparisons

Pastor Sherry’s message for October 26, 2025

Scriptures: Joel 2:23-32; Ps 65; 2 Tim 4:6-18; Lk 18:9-14

Back in the late 80’s, as I was working on my doctorate in psychology, my next door neighbor was working on hers in Early Childhood Education. Her dissertation research examined how 4th grade children manage comparisons with their peers. As any of us who have raised children would know, 4th graders (10YO’s) are already comparing themselves to the kids around them. They compare clothing, book-bags, shoes, haircuts, lunch bags and what’s in them, grades, athleticism, etc. 

It even starts earlier than 4th grade, doesn’t it? Very little children compare cookie or cake size. Don’t we hear about it if their sibling or friend gets a bigger piece than they do? To keep the peace, we have to be sure things are doled out fairly. When my grandson, Noah, was 3-4YO, he would run a distance and then tell us adults that he was faster than Usain Bolt, the 8 time Olympic Gold medal sprinter from Jamaica. Our family thought his comparison was adorable because it was so unlikely, but it just goes to show how “hard-wired” is this tendency we have to compare ourselves with others.

Hoping we come out as well as, or perhaps even better than others seems to be a permanent factor in our fleshly natures.

Consider this: For those of you who follow professional tennis, Valentin Henequin (a photographer living in France), looks like and is frequently mistaken for tennis champ Novak Djokovic.  He appears to be Novak’s doppleganger, an unrelated identical twin. As a result, tourists often ask him for selfies. But a woman named Kayla Nicole had a totally different reaction to having a doppleganger. She dated Travis Kelse just before he began seeing–and is now engaged to–Taylor Swift. Kayla, who is frequently negatively compared to the singer on social media, finds it exhausting, and says it has lowered her self-esteem. Being compared to—or comparing ourselves to others—can be dangerous and destructive. Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Mark Twain took it one step further insisting, “Comparison is the death of joy.”

Think for a moment about the Biblical examples of brothers who compared themselves: Cain was so jealous of his brother that he killed Abel. Jacob cheated his twin, Esau, of his birthright as well as their father’s blessing. Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him that they sold him into slavery, fully expecting the experience would kill him. There were two pairs of brothers among Jesus’ 12 Apostles: James and John, Peter and Andrew.

James and John created a ruckus among the other 10 when they asked to sit at Jesus’ left and right hands in His Kingdom. We are not told directly about whatever animosity may have arisen when He singled out Peter as “the Rock.” (The series, “The Chosen” depicts Peter as a clear leader, so it may be that they all deferred to him because of his obvious gifting.) 

(Concept borrowed from “The comparison Complex,” www.proclaimsermons.com, 10/26/2025).

But the point is that we are not meant by God to compare ourselves to others. The only way we are to measure ourselves is against the standard or yardstick that the Lord has for us. How does He see us? What does He want of us? This is the only measurement of comparison that really matters.

In our Gospel lesson today (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus reveals what He thinks when we compare ourselves with other people. He is on His way to Jerusalem to die when he tells the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Tax Collector). As I have said here before, this is His final chance to teach His disciples about His Kingdom and how we should behave in it. He is no longer focused on evangelizing the Jewish nation. Instead, He is trying to deepen the faith of those Jews who believe in Him. His time is short, so we can assume He is teaching concepts He thinks are important for them to have to sustain their faith when He is gone. 

There are only two men in this story: The Pharisee, a man at the top of the religious ladder of his day; and the Publican or tax collector, a social bottom-feeder. Jesus shares how the self-righteous Pharisee compares himself to the tax collector. We don’t know if he was praying out loud or silently, but Jesus knew what was in his heart. Rather than talking to God, he appears to be making a speech about himself to himself. In verse 11 he boast

Lord, I’m thankful that I am not like other men. The guy is puffed up with arrogance, isn’t he? He might have said, “Thank you that You called me to be a Pharisee; I am so grateful to You, Lord!” He could have also prayed, “Thank you for so guiding my steps that I never became a robber, an evildoer, an adulterer—or even a tax collector, bless their hearts. I mean, there but for the grace of You, Lord God, go I.”

Then Jesus compares the Pharisee to the Tax Collector: This poor fellow knows he’s a sinner! He is humbled and humiliated by his past, his present, his bad choices, his wrong actions. He is so aware of his deficiencies before God, that he cannot even raise his eyes to heaven. He knows that he has denied his nation as a treasonous Roman collaborator. He knows he has alienated himself from his own people. The Romans let tax collectors set their own salaries above what they collected for them. The downtrodden Jews saw this as legalized robbery, because tax collectors profited at the expense of their countrymen. He also clearly knows he has neglected God and sinned against Him. His prayer is one sentence: “God have mercy on me, a sinner,” or “God be merciful to me a sinner” (v.13). This is the early forerunner of “The Jesus Prayer”: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Over the millennia, this prayer has been uttered from foxholes, places of danger, and in the midst of traumatic situations.

Jesus clarifies the lesson from this parable in verse 14–I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.  Jesus is teaching us that social comparison (comparing ourselves to others) is dangerous. Like the Pharisee, we often consider ourselves to be better than the one to whom we compare ourselves. We tend to think things like, “At least I’m not as fat as that person,” or, “I’m not as big a gossip as that one.”

The Pharisee had a pride problem, and we know how God hates our pride! The Pharisee was also a religious leader and teacher who lacked compassion on those God had given him to shepherd. Jesus is also teaching that the best way to come before God, in worship or in prayer, is to be humble. We are to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift us up (James 4:10); And (Micah 6:8), what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Our other lessons today show us many reasons why we should be humble and compassionate as we relate to God and to others:

A. The prophet Joel (2:23-32) supplies 5 reasons:

1. God is faithful to His people.

2. God provides for His people. The Jews’ agricultural economy depended on rain. He promised them abundant food, which we enjoy as well.

3. He restores to us what the evil one has stolen from us. I went to Seminary in 1996 with an IRA of $28,000. But my teenaged daughter got sick and we were without health insurance. Also, our house turned out to be a money pit. I had to cash in my IRA (resulting in a financial penalty), and take on a fulltime job. When I graduated from Seminary 5.5 years later, the college I worked for had put money into a retirement IRA. I left seminary with exactly $28,000 in that retirement account. I knew in my heart that the Lord had graciously replaced what the “locusts” had stolen from me.

4. In the end times, He will pour out His Holy Spirit on all people, men women, sons, daughters.

5. And, most importantly, (v.32)🡪Everyone [at the end of time] who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

B. King David tells us 5 reasons in Psalm 65:

1. God answers our prayers.

2. God forgives our sins.

3. God has chosen those of us who believe in Him to dwell with Him forever.

4. Our God is an awesome, all-powerful, and righteous being.

5. And as Joel will later echo, God provides for those who love Him.

C. Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:6-18, gives us 4 reasons:

1. Paul does not fear dying and neither should we because we know God loves us and that He has given to us each a ministry which He has empowered us to complete.

2. Paul had a lot of friends. Our God has surrounded us with friends in the church for the spiritual journey.

3. Even when our associates betray or disappoint us, God never gives up on or abandons us.

4. And He delivers us from danger and sustains us through attacks by the evil one.

This week, let’s try to be aware of when we are comparing ourselves to others. Let’s remember to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, recognizing that when we think we are better than others, it is the sin of pride at work in us. Let’s also be grateful to the Lord for…                  (1) Rescuing us and providing for us; (2) Loving us so faithfully; (3) Forgiving us; (4) Empowering us; (5) Restoring our relationships, material goods, and God’s peace and joy that Satan occasionally has stolen from us; And (6) Protecting us from “ghoulies, ghosties, long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night.” 

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Alleluia, Alleluia!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

An Attitude of Gratitude

Pastor Sherry’s message for October 12, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 29:1, 4-7; Ps 66:1-12; 2 Tim 2:8-15; Lk 17:11-19

Modern psychological research has demonstrated again and again—when research results are replicated in study after study over differing groups of people, this is called a “robust finding”—that practicing gratitude helps us become happy.: When I have worked with depressed persons in the past, I have challenged them to thank God, daily, for 3 good things that happened to them for each of 30 consecutive days.: Practiced often enough, expressing gratitude becomes a non-medical way of healing depression.: AA programs have long recommended finding things daily for which to be thankful.: They have found over time that giving thanks for being clean or sober one more day, or even one more hour, helps an addict avoid their substance or activity.

Paul admonishes us in Colossians 3:16 (NIV):Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.: An attitude of gratitude takes your focus off yourself and your complaints—what you don’t have, and keeps your spirit uplifted and focused what the Lord has done for you—what you do have.

Consider the following story from Mother Theresa:: She had heard of an alcoholic man who had been beaten and left for dead in the streets of Melbourne, Australia.: The sisters in her order—the Missionaries of Charity–had located him and taken him into their hospital there called the “Home of Compassion.”: Their kind and compassionate care of him helped him discover that God indeed loved him.: When he was able to leave the facility, he apparently never again touched alcohol, but returned home to reconcile with his family and to regain his former job.: (A healing from alcoholism is a huge miracle, but so too is having a family willing to reconcile and a boss willing to take another chance on a previously underperforming employee.) Upon receiving his first paycheck, he brought it to the Home of Compassion and gave it to the nuns, saying, I want you to continue to demonstrate the love of God for others as you did for me.”: This man was healed through the loving care of these Sisters of Charity.: He saw the heart of God in what they did for him and was immensely grateful!: Their treatment of him changed his life.: He was so thankful that he gave them his first paycheck as a restored person.: (Graham Twelftree, Your Point Being…?,: Monarch Books, 1988, p.125.)

Our Scripture passages today all express God’s desire that we practice an attitude of gratitude for His blessings, no matter our circumstances:

A.: In our Gospel lesson (Luke 17:11-19), Jesus heals 10 persons suffering from leprosy.: Jesus is headed to Jerusalem to die.

At the fringes of some unnamed village, 10 lepers appeal to Him for healing.

He gives them what they want, freely, graciously.: Notice, they had faith in Him and in His ability to heal them.: He says to them (v.14):Go, show yourselves to the priests.: He knew the requirements, stated in Leviticus 14:1-10, which designated all the things the leper who had been healed had to do:: (1) Show him/herself to the priest.: (2) The priest would then perform a detailed ritual to ensure physical and spiritual cleansing. (3): Lastly, the healed person was to wash his/her clothes, shave off all his/her hair, including eyebrows; and bathe with water.

The 10 obey Jesus and scurry off to begin the cleansing process.: It is while they are on their way that they are healed.: They had stepped out in faith, trusting in Jesus.: But only one guy notices his healing and returns first to thank the Lord.: Perhaps the other nine were just too overjoyed to focus on gratitude; or maybe they felt somehow entitled and believed they deserved it.: We don’t really know why they didn’t think to express their gratitude to Jesus. Most likely, however, their attention was on finding a priest, remembering and performing the religious requirements, and anticipating happy reunions with their families.: Remember, they would have had to have lived outside their community, quarantined away from loved ones and even all worship services.

At any rate, the one guy who does return to thank Jesus was a hated Samaritan!: We would say today that he wasn’t socially acceptable; that he was considered by the Jews to be a mongrel (Samaritans descended from the Jews who escaped captivity by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and then went on to intermarry with Canaanites, and Assyrian and Babylonian overseerers.: The Jews returning to the Promised Land had contempt for them, considering them to be—as they say in our area–“Sorry from way back.” Regardless of his ethnic heritage and his upbringing, this man seemed to know enough to express his thanks.

Jesus’ response to the Samaritan’s gratitude was fantastic:verse 17:Rise and go; your faith has made you well.: This implies that he was kneeling at Jesus’ feet or had prostrated himself in adoration. Jesus is so pleased that He commends him for his faith and his manners. 

This guy has received the same physical healing as the other 9; but, in addition, he has also received salvation!: The other nine were healed of leprosy, but because they ran off and failed to express their gratitude to the Lord, they missed out on this very important extra gift:: This lone Samaritan was forgiven of all his sins.

(J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Luke, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.213.)

What this says to me—and perhaps to you as well—through offering his gratitude to Jesus, this enjoyed a special encounter with the Living God, and, anticipating Jesus’ crucifixion, was also cleansed of His sins!

B.: Jeremiah predates Jesus by about 600 years, but—because he is God’s mouthpiece–says essentially the same thing in Jeremiah 29:1-7.: Last week, we read where he lamented and grieved over the Jews who had been killed or carted off the Babylon.: We also read Psalm 137 which detailed the peoples’ grief and anger over their defeat by Babylonian forces.: But in today’s passage, the Lord is telling them to settle down and settle in.: They are to build houses.: They were not to establish a tent city, nor live in cardboard boxes.: God wanted them to build something more permanent, in order to “bloom where they are planted.”: Back in the late 1960’s I frequently saw a poster that said that exact same thing.: It used to make me mad because I believed I needed to work to change where I was or to move to somewhere better.: Similarly, I remember conversations with a pastor friend who was continually disappointed with his congregation.: He wished they were emotionally healthier or financially wealthier.: Finally, after continuous complaints to the Lord, he heard God tell him he was to love and care for the church members the Lord had given him—essentially bloom where he was planted.: God places us in the environment we inhabit.: He has a purpose for us there.

 So these captives are to plant gardens, both so they can feed themselves and because God is telling them it suits His purposes that they remain there for a while.: They are to marry, have sons and daughters.

Again, this implies they will be there for some time.: This side of the Cross, we know they were there for 70 years or approximately two generations.: Rather than persisting in frustration or hateful resentment, they were also to contribute to the peace/prosperity of the city.: God says, through the prophet, (v.7) :Pray to the LORD for it, because if it [Babylon] prospers, you too will prosper.

It’s really difficult, isn’t it, to think of being grateful for their captivity, for their deportation to a foreign land.: God has punished them because they were consistently and repeatedly out of line. They had practiced idolatry, abused their power, and polluted themselves with greed and lust.: A holy God like ours cannot abide such sin. We know from Hebrews 12:5-11, that God disciplines those He loves.: If He didn’t, we could not really trust Him. He means what He says in Scripture and through His prophets, and He says what He means. He has punished them, hoping they will change their sinful attitudes and bring their behavior into alignment with His standards.: The point is that, even though they are captive in a foreign land—which seems terrible to them–it comes as no surprise to God because He engineered it.

They can and should be grateful to Him because (1) they are alive!: And (2) He has not abandoned them.

This concept is lost on our secular culture:: We want to be grateful to God for every good thing, but also for the trials and disappointments we experience.: When we go through trials—emotional pain—we are molded and shaped by God.: When we go through trials, we learn compassion for others, patience, and to trust in the Lord despite our circumstances.

C. Our Psalm (66:1-12) is a song of communal thanksgiving (gratitude) to God which looks forward to the Jews’ restoration to their home in Jerusalem and Judea.: They are filled to the brim, in advance, with gratitude to God for their rescue and restoration.: They enjoin us to (v.1):Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!: Sing about the glory of His name!: Tell the world how glorious He is.

D. Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy (2:8-15) echoes a similar theme:

Paul wants young Pastor Timothy to be grateful always for the Good News that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again.: On any given day, if we cannot find another thing for which to be grateful, we can cite this reality.

Whatever our present circumstances, our God wants us to practice an attitude of gratitude.:  I challenge you to recall for yourself,: every day, 3 ways in which God blessed you that day.: Recite them, tell them to someone else, or write in a journal these three things so you won’t forget.: Watch and see what happens to your attitude and to your mood.: And remember, even difficult things—like God’s discipline—can be blessings in disguise.:  (Play Laura Story’s song, “Blessings” (with the lyrics) which can be found on www.YouTube.com.): Amen!  

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Doulos or Servant of Christ

Pastor Sherry’s message for October 4, 2025

Scriptures: Lam 1:1-6; Ps 127; 2 Tim 1:1-14; Lk 17:5-10.

Today’s Gospel (Luke 17:5-10) consists of what is known as the “Faithful Service” parable: Jesus is speaking to those who believe in Him, rather than to nonbelievers. Using the example of a servant’s relationship to his or her master, He makes the point that our obedience to God is not a matter of merit but of duty. We don’t rack up “brownie points” with the Lord by living out the 10 Commandments or by donating to the poor. After all, like a good servant, we are just doing what the Master (our Lord) expects us to do. And if we are obeying God’s will, we shouldn’t be looking for an immediate reward.

This seems like another of those hard sayings of Jesus. He is stating, essentially, that we need to hold on to our faith–even through tough times–by remembering that our salvation is a gift to us from God. We don’t work to earn it; but we express our gratitude to the Lord for it by our service to Him and to others. The word in the Greek for servant is doulos. If we love Jesus, we gladly become His doulos, just as He became like a servant, going to the Cross for our sakes.

Our other passages assigned for this Sunday offer a contrast between what life is like for us when we surrender and become a doulos of Christ vs. when we don’t:

A. In our Old Testament lesson (Lamentations 1:1-6), we find the prophet, Jeremiah, grieving for what has happened to the disobedient and rebellious Southern Kingdom. The prophet is inconsolable! He weeps and laments for Judah and Jerusalem, personalizing the city as a desolate woman. He witnessed the destruction of Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians in 586BC. He saw his countrymen and women killed, wounded, or carted off into slavery. They had abandoned being servants of the Most High God, and instead were forced to become servants of the pagan empire of Babylonia.

In his grief, Jeremiah reveals to us the heart of God. Our God is heartbroken when we veer off into sin and apostasy. God had had Jeremiah repeatedly warn the people of His coming judgment. But they chose to disregard all the prophet’s admonitions to return to return the Lord. So, in 586BC, the Lord severely chastised them, at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar and his army.


B. Psalm 137 continues this tragic narrative. The captives in Babylon remember Jerusalem and their formerly magnificent Temple with grief and sorrow. It was common knowledge in the Ancient Near East that as many as 100,000 worshippers might raise their voices in unison to praise God during the great feasts in Jerusalem. King David had amassed an orchestra of hundreds of musicians. Hearing the gigantic choir together in combination with the huge orchestra must have been a sensational experience!

Now their captors urge them to sing as they used to do. Can’t you just hear them egg them on? Come on, come on! Sing for us! But they are too bereft to sing! Instead, they hung their harps on willow trees (now called weeping willows), and wept, insisting they could only sing as they once did if they were back in Jerusalem. None of the historical books of the Old Testament describe for us what the experience of captivity was like for the common Israelite. Daniel narrates the fate of princes; Esther, that of the queen and her uncle, a scribe; but no where do we see described what life was like for the ordinary Jew taken into Babylonian slavery—except in this psalm. They were slave laborers whose job was to dig irrigation canals in this dry land. Remember Babylon was noted for its lush hanging gardens, possible only with massive and effective irrigation. 

(J.Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Psalms, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.149.)

Furthermore, these slaves recognize by now that they are captive laborers in Babylon because of their rebellion against God and their idolatry. They are too sad to sing. And they are too angry with their enemy captors to entertain them! In verses 7-9, they call down revenge on two enemy groups:

(1) The Edomites, descendants of Esau, the carnal twin brother of their patriarch, Jacob (distant cousins). Their Edomite kin had witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and had ridiculed these Judeans in their defeat. The Jewish captives were furious with this betrayal by extended family members. They wanted God to avenge them. (2) And they certainly wanted vengeance against the Babylonian army! Perhaps they seen their babies ruthlessly killed by enemy soldiers, so they pleaded with the Lord to do the same to Babylonian infants.

This is called an imprecatory psalm because it calls for revenge arising from bitter hatred. This side of the Cross, we know we are not to hold bitter hatred in our hearts. Instead, Jesus expects us to pray for our enemies and to forgive them. At least these slaves knew they were in no position to pay their enemies back. They realized God is the only One Who could bring them justice. Sure enough, less than 50 years later, the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians under King Cyrus in 539 BC. It was Cyrus who agreed to allow the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. He even sent them back with the golden implements from the Temple, with money, and with soldiers to protect them. What a miraculous move of God!

It is well for us today to note that we can take our anger and our desire for revenge to the Lord. Vengence is Mine, says the Lord. Furthermore, in Galatians 6:7 (NLT), Paul reminds us : Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. We tend to remember this as, You will reap what you sow. My experience over the years has shown me that we often reap exactly what we sowed, almost like our actions boomerang back to us. I am thinking of a woman I know, the first wife of a man married four times. He told her she needed to pay off a debt of $300 before their wedding. She did. He found out his fourth wife, after he married her, had maxed out 3 credit cards, borrowed against two life insurance policies, and took out a mortgage and a second mortgage on a home that had been willed to her totally debt free! His focus had been on indebtedness as he entered his first marriage. How interesting that he found himself so encumbered in his 4th one. 

Now contrast these two passages with Pauls’ admonitions to Timothy (2 Tim 1:1-14). Paul is writing to Pastor Timothy(around 67AD),  his disciple, who he has left in charge of the Church in Ephesus. Paul is providing this dearly beloved [spiritual] son with instruction on how to become a successful minister of the Gospel. He wants Timothy to note that he is at the top of Paul’s prayer list—what an amazing place to be!–and that he appreciates the faith of Tim’s mother (Eunice) and grandmother (Lois) in helping form him as a Christian believer. Especially in this 2nd pastoral letter (also his final letter before being beheaded in Rome), Paul warns Tim about the afflictions that can beset a congregation and its pastor—especially apostasy. Apostasy is the willful turning away from the principles of the Christian faith. It is a rejection of God not due to ignorance, but due to the human choice to turn one’s back on the Lord and on one’s faith. 

This is what the Jews of Jerusalem and Judea had done in the time of the Babylonian Exile. 

To prevent against apostasy, Paul wants Timothy to continue to preach the Word of God and the Gospel:

1.) No matter if people turn away; 

2.) No matter if congregational size dwindles (which had happened all over since the Covid epidemic, but may be turning around as a result of Charlie Kirk’s assassination); 

3.) No matter if people don’t feel sufficiently entertained by church; 

4.) No matter if folks don’t want to hear the teachings of Jesus. 

Paul is saying, in so many words, “Make it as attractive as you can, but don’t skimp on presenting the reality of the Gospel. No matter what forces come against you, Timothy,” Paul exhorts him, “you remain strong!” In verse 7, he famously reminds him, For God did not give us a spirit of timidity [fear, cowardice], but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline [a sound mind, some translations substitute]. Paul is saying, when the world comes against you—and it will—remember that you have a spirit of power: The Holy Spirit is in you, to guard, guide, teach, and strengthen you!  Additionally, the love of Jesus and of God the Father enfold you and stand behind you so that, rather than fearing people’s bad opinions or getting angry and becoming vengeful, you can operate out of Spirit-induced self-restraint and self-control.  

Paul knew Timothy lacked self-confidence—and we may as well. So he told him (and us) this to provide assurance and to help us all to recognize the true source of our strength.

Finally, like an excellent coach, Paul inspired Timothy with his own example of bearing up under persecution, hard times, and trials. Paul wants us all to be aware that tough days, weeks, or even seasons may assault us. These happen to all of us—especially if we love and serve as servants (doulos) of Christ. The evil one doesn’t bother those he already holds in his hands, such as non-believers and the apostate (like the folks in Jerusalem in 586BC). Make no mistake, as the enemy of God, he comes after true believers, tooth and nail, trying to make us so discouraged that we abandon our Lord. Knowing this, we don’t want to give the evil one a victory over us. 

So Paul reminds Timothy (and us) to (v.14) : Guard the good deposit [of faith and love] that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. This is what makes us and keeps us a servant of Christ. Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Without Regrets!

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 28, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 32:1-15; Ps 91; 1 Tim 6:6-19; Lk: 16:19-31

Before I begin this morning, I want to apologize to you for a mistake I made last Sunday. I really do my best to be sure what I preach and teach from Scripture is accurate and supported by the scholarship of noted Christian authorities in whom I trust. But last Sunday I wasn’t paying proper attention to the names of the two men in Jesus’ parable. I erroneously stated that the rich man was Lazarus and the poor man was Dives, when the opposite is true! The word divies means rich man in the original Greek of the New Testament. So that guy is really unnamed by Jesus—we just know him by his position, by his wealthy life style. And the poor man is named Lazarus (a possible clue that he is valued more by Jesus than the other guy?). Again I apologize for the mistake (I never claimed to be perfect, just forgiven!)

Unlike Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus, who He raised from the dead, and who was well off financially, this Lazarus was a poor, sick beggar. However, the two men were similar in that they were righteous believers in God. So the poor beggar finds himself in Paradise while the rich, entitled, godless Dives finds himself in Hades or Hell. Dives lived a life sold out to money;

In Jesus’ parable, Dives becomes the beggar—though with an arrogant attitude—while Lazarus has become the rich man.

(J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Luke, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.207.)

Do you think Dives regretted the ungodly way he lived his life? It seems pretty clear that he did. He’s living in torment and is desperate for a drop of water. If we don’t want what is happening to him to happen to us, we need to live our lives—beginning today if not before this—without regrets.

Our passages today suggest how we might accomplish this:

A. Both the Gospel passage (Luke 16:19-31) and Paul’s admonitions to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6-19) warn us not to be tempted by the love of money. Focusing our thoughts and efforts on money will squeeze out or replace our single-minded devotion to God. Paul states in verse 10 (NLT) For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It may or can make life easier this side of eternity, but it doesn’t really satisfy. Being wealthy doesn’t guarantee us good health or gratifying relationships. What does ultimately satisfy is what Paul exhorts Timothy to do in verse 11—Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. By righteousness and godly living, he means live a life pleasing to God. Remember the “WWJD” bracelets from the 1990’s? If we would think before acting, “What would Jesus do?” we would find ourselves on the right track.  By then listing faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness, he is saying live a life that demonstrates the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22—…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

Paul goes on to urge young Pastor Timothy to (verses 17-19)—Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, Who rightly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. In other words, it’s not having money that is the problem for us humans. The problem is do we spend our resources on just doing for ourselves—better and grander homes, better and grander vacations, more extravagant clothing, vehicles, toys and entertainments—or do we see the needs of others and give to them generously from our extra?  I participated in a weekly Bible Study small group for 5 years while I was in seminary. One couple in the group included a physician whose spouse invented and sold medical equipment. They were very wealthy. I wondered as we studied this very passage how they did not feel condemned. It was because they generously funded a number of charitable concerns.

Jesus tells us Dives lived in luxury, while Lazarus lay at Dives’ gates, a sick beggar, hoping for crumbs from Dives’ table. Apparently Dives knew of him but never offered to help him. He could have offered him medical treatment, but he didn’t. He could have provided him some “take out” from his table, but he didn’t. Dives was selfish and self-focused. His love of money blinded him to the needs of others. He did not love God. He did not love others. No wonder he found himself in the bad place, enduring eternal regrets! As I said last Sunday, this is not where we want to find ourselves.

B. Psalm 91 is extraordinarily comforting, isn’t it? Iff (this is an indicator of an important “if” clause) we (v.1)— live in the shelter of the Most High…and iff (v.2)—[God] alone is my refuge, my place of safety…my God, and I trust Him…Then (v.3)—…He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.  He protects those who trust in Him. We who do trust in Him are protected from enemies, disease, the wicked, and fear…because He assigns His angels to watch over us. Friday I talked to someone who had prayed—like I did—for God’s protection over their home during the worst of our three hurricanes last year. As with me, trees were blown over all around them, but none fell on their house or car. I prayed for safety from 11:00pm until 2:00am (the time the hurricane was raging over my neighborhood)—and even heard the sound of a tornado (striking the chimney of a neighbor 2 houses away), but my home stayed safe. I had a pastor friend who lived in a coastal Mississippi town during Hurricane Katrina. Her home was the only one left standing in her neighborhood. She told me she was embarrassed before her neighbors. I replied that her home was a monument/an Ebenezer to the goodness of God to those who love Him. Hers is an example of the safety that this psalm speaks of. This is the result of our faith in a God who keeps His promises.

In verse 14, the psalmist writes—The Lord says “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name.” If you can say this and believe it, God holds you in the palm of His hand.

Truly trusting in God is a way to live life without regrets.

C. But you may point to our Old Testament lesson (Jeremiah 32:1-15) and say, “But what about them?” As we tune into the prophet, the year is 587 BC and Jerusalem is under siege by the Babylonians. For over 30 months, their army starved the city into surrender and then swept in through the broken down walls and gates, overcoming any remaining opposition. They destroyed the Temple of God. They set fire to the city. They slaughtered the old and the infirm, and carried off most of the rest into slavery in Babylon. The godless king, Zedekiah, escaped but was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in Jericho. He was forced to watch all his sons put to the sword; and then he was blinded and led off to Babylon.

Prior to this, Jeremiah had been imprisoned by the heretical king, because Zedekiah hated hearing the prophet’s accurate predictions of Jerusalem’s coming defeat. I wonder if he regretted having blown off Jeremiah’s warnings. 

Curiously, in the midst of the siege, God tells Jeremiah to buy property in his hometown, Anathoth. Doesn’t it seem strange to buy property—a sign of hope in the future—in the midst of wartime and defeat? But God is thereby saying to Jeremiah and the people of the Southern Kingdom that “this too shall pass.” Have you ever said this to yourself? I have. My mother died just before my comprehensive exams, tests over every class I had taken in my doctoral program. I was grieving as I had to dedicate time to study, but consoled myself saying, “This too shall pass.” I did the same while undergoing childbirth, surgeries, and other painful things—and so can you! The Lord is intimating, through this real estate transaction, that His chastened people, cleansed of idolatry, will return to the Land. And 70 years later, the king of Persia, Cyrus, frees them to return and to rebuild Jerusalem. Of course, Jeremiah has long since perished, but God’s restoration of His people came to pass. The point is that our God redeems His people. He may discipline us, but we can hope in the future because of His love for us.

Let’s have no regrets!  Let’s choose to live our lives in such a way that we please our all-powerful, loving and grace-filled God. The psychologist Erik Erikson postulated that we are presented with a series of developmental stages as we progress through life. He believed we are confronted with a crisis at each stage that we must master in order to enjoy good mental health thereafter. The first one, at about age 2, is “Trust vs. Mistrust”. By that point have we learned to trust others or not? If not, we will be emotionally crippled as we move through the remainder of our life. Interestingly, he named the final stage before death, “Integrity v. Despair.” To be emotionally healthy in old age, we need to be able to look back over our life and decide that despite our flaws, we actually did the best we could. In other words, we can say we have few regrets. Those who, like Dives, see a number of instances where we made fatal mistakes will find ourselves in despair. Let’s determine now, today, to live so that we die without regrets.

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Single-minded Devotion

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 21, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 8:-9:1; Ps 4; 1 Tim 2:1-7; Lk 16:1-13

Have you ever considered to what or to whom you might be single-mindedly devoted? To what in your life do you most give your attention and your effort? (1) Your spouse, focusing on his or her health and wellbeing? Charlie Kirk’s wife Ericka said recently that he asked her daily, “How can I serve you today?” He was a committed Christian but it also seems like he approached his marriage with a servant’s heart. (2) Your children or grandchildren? Are you fixated on their behavior, good or not so? Do you find yourself praying for their future spouse or for them to make wise decisions? (3) What about an aging parent? Are you absorbed with remembering their doctors’ appointments? Their medications? Their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing? (4) Or perhaps you are obsessed with your physical home? The repairs that are needed? Worried about worn out appliances or systems (roof, AC, heat, etc.) that should be replaced? Perhaps your pets take most of your attention (health, food, behavior.) This week I spent a significant time at the vets with a sick cat, so I know how that can happen. (6) Or maybe you are fixated on your work? Crops that demand harvesting now, or looming deadlines that demand your time and energy? Someone told me he had 4 deadlines to meet in 4 days this past week. It made for a very stressful few days. Frustrations with a boss that cannot be satisfied, miserable office mates, or work that has become boring and meaningless can all engross your time and mental effort.

Do you notice what I haven’t yet mentioned: Our God. Can we honestly say we have a single-minded focus on our Lord? This is the point of today’s seemingly “squirrely” Gospel (Luke 16:1-13). In it, Jesus tells the story of a dishonest but street-smart steward—let’s think of him as a manager of a “big box store” like Lowe’s or Home Depot. He’s supposed to be overseeing the condition and sale of the corporation’s goods, the dedication and performance of his employees, the satisfaction and safety of his customers, and the orderliness and cleanliness of the physical plant. But instead, corporate hears (probably due to a whistleblower) that he’s been dishonest and needs to be fired. The higher ups call him to task; his head’s on “the chopping block.” “Be prepared to endure an audit,” they say. “Be prepared to explain why you should not be fired immediately.”

This shrewd manager calls in customers whose accounts are in arrears, and offers them sweet deals. True, he’s tampering with the books—cheating the company–but says to one building contractor, “Here, I’ll cut what you owe Lowe’s in half.”  For another, he reduces the balance owed by 1/5th. Why the difference? Maybe one is his cousin or his brother-in-law, while the other is only a stranger. This is certainly a corrupt way to conduct business, but remember, the guy is a scoundrel! His single-minded devotion is to his own future! He’s hoping that when he is fired, these guys will remember him kindly and perhaps offer him a job. They may offer him a job not because he’s competent or honest, but because he did them a huge favor (quid pro quo).

Jesus is not commending him because he’s a model manager. The guy’s a crook who deserves to be fired! This parable is what is called a “parable of contrast”; by contrast, we don’t want to follow this guy’s immoral example. Think about the Rich Man, Lazarus, and the poor beggar, Dives (Luke 16:19-31). Lazarus never helped Dives while they both lived. Jesus says this Lazarus goes to hell but he wants Dives, who went to heaven, to go warn his living brothers of the dangers of being selg-focused and neglecting the poor. Jesus is saying, Don’t be like this Lazarus. Similarly with the fellow who goes to the king’s wedding but refuses to wear the wedding garments (Matthew 22:1-14). The king has already invited his friends, but they all give lame excuses not to attend. So, in anger, the king tells his servants to go out into the streets and bring in even strangers and the homeless. This random guy attends the wedding, but is not suitably attired, even though the king provided the appropriate clothing. The man is thrown out, losing heaven due to his ungrateful and rebellious spirit. Again, Jesus is saying, Don’t be like this guy!

Jesus does commend the unscrupulous manager due to his single-minded devotion—even though his focus is on himself and his personal economic security. Our Lord wants our focus to be single-mindedly on Him and on His Kingdom. We are to put Jesus first, daily, hourly.

I The other passages appointed for today help explain why our focus should be single-mindedly on Christ:

A. In Jeremiah 8:8-9:1, we find God about to punish the folks of the Southern Kingdom for not attending His prophet. Jeremiah weeps over Jerusalem and his countrymen. The Lord has allowed him to see into the future. He knows and describes the extreme devastation about to come. The Lord, too, is heartbroken that they are so hard-headed and so rebellious. Clearly there was enough balm or healing ointment in Gilead to heal them all; but they refused to humble themselves, ask God’s forgiveness, and accept His remedy. If they had remained faithful to the Lord, the Babylonians would not have been able to invade and subdue them. If they had single-mindedly focused on the Lord, they could have averted calamity and chastisement.

This brings me to an important aside: Do we really want to be healed? Sometimes—not always—it takes being submitted to God’s will, humbling ourselves, and also being repentant. It takes being willing to do whatever it takes. I remember a woman in seminary whose teen daughter was bedridden with an auto-immune disorder. She spent all she had chasing a cure for her child. She was actually single-mindedly focused on helping her daughter get well—to the exclusion of classes, assignments, and a fulltime job. She traveled to cities at some distance, whenever someone would say they knew of a doctor there or of an allergy specialist who had cured someone with similar symptoms. When one doctor at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh accused her of having Munchausen’s by Proxy—a condition where the parent makes the child sick so the parent can receive attention—the woman grew furious and told the medical fellow he was blaming her because he could not figure out what was wrong with her child. Finally, she heard of a doctor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore who was researching teenaged autoimmune disorders. She took her adolescent there and they discerned the girl had all the classic symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Disorder, an illness little understood in the late 1990’s. Nevertheless, the girl and her mother finally had a diagnosis. It took another several years before the teen was healed, this time at a church in South Georgia who had a healing ministry. Are we willing to do all it takes to be healed? This woman was, for the sake of her child. 

B. In 1st Timothy 2:1-7, Paul tells us we must pray for our leaders and pray for our country. We are to pray for our leaders even if we didn’t vote for them; even if we don’t like or respect them; and even if we believe they are corrupt. Apparently there is an “assassination culture” gathering strength in our country today whose adherents believe that it is acceptable to kill those with whom we disagree politically. This should be abhorrent to us as Christians. We are not to kill our political adversaries. Paul insists we pray for those with whom we disagree. We ask God to help them see the Light (God’s Truth); we intercede for them; and we even give thanks for them.  

Paul goes on to say that he was chosen by Jesus to carry the message of Christ, as the Mediator between us and God the Father, to the Gentiles (the Lost at that time). We too are to carry the message that Jesus died to redeem sinners to those who don’t yet believe in Him. As he says in 2 Corinthians 5:18, we are Christ’s ambassadors, meant to join Him in this work of reconciliation. Without a doubt, Paul certainly served as a great example of single-minded devotion to Jesus.

C. Finally, in Psalm 4, David emphasizes for us the idea of God as redeemer and protector. In verse 1, he reveals that he is just like the rest of us—“His heart failed in the time of trouble.” (McGee, Psalms, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.42.) It’s true, isn’t it? Like the Shrewd Steward, we often focus on “Woe is me” when we encounter trouble, instead of taking our trouble to the Lord and trusting Him to deal with it. In verses 2-3, David rebukes his enemies, and reassures himself that God will answer his earnest prayers. Further, in verses 4-5, he gives advice to the godly, those of us who love the Lord to not sin in our anger, and to trust in God. In the final three verses of the Psalm, he remembers God’s goodness to him, and that he can sleep well knowing the Lord keeps him safe.  David was, for the most part, single-minded in his devotion to God.

Let’s review the steps he recommends: (1) Recognize that our default is to lose heart when challenged with a crisis. (2) Reassure ourselves that God is for us, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). (3) Don’t proceed to sin, but trust in God. (4) Remember God’s goodness—you can rest in it.

This week, let’s try to follow his example and that of Paul. Lord, please give us hearts that are truly devoted to You. Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Lost, but Found

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 14, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 4:4-12, 19-28; Ps 14; 1 Tim 1:12-17; Lk 15:1-10

Perhaps you have been more discerning than I have as you have read the 15th chapter of Luke. In studying our Scripture passages this week, I realized I had never quite put it together that the 3 parables Jesus provides the Pharisees about “lost things” are each a response to their grumbling criticisms. They notice that He hangs out with and even eats with notorious sinners.  They are critical of Jesus because He does not behave as they do–He does not always go along with the status quo, the expected way they think people, especially rabbis, should behave. He dares to do something different, something unexpected.  Rather than consider that they might be wrong in their attitudes and behavior, they find offense and reject Jesus. Nevertheless, He shares 3 stories (parables) that perfectly demonstrate God’s attitude toward “the lost.”

The Pharisees could easily grasp the need to locate a lost sheep.  A sheep represented money on 4 hooves. Any economically shrewd shepherd would go search for this absent asset–perhaps not because they valued the particular sheep per se, but because they valued the asset it represented. They could also understand the imperative to search for a missing coin of significant value. What was lost to them, however, was the Lord’s priority to locate and bring into His Kingdom people who had wandered far from God—people whom He knew needed Him.

Jesus wanted them…”to make the leap from sheep and coin to tax collector and sinner.”  (borrowed from www.Sermons.com, 9/9/2025.)

Our Lord knew that our values drive our behaviors. He knew that the Pharisees, God’s spiritual shepherds, did not value lost people.  He knew that God the Father did, as did He.  He taught these parables, hoping the religious leadership of His day would get it. Our God is a God of grace, love, and mercy. But they stubbornly held to their notion that He is a rather heartless God of rules.

At one time or another, we have all been lost. Aren’t we grateful we have a God who searches for and saves the lost? Consider this true story:

“Nine hundred miles out to sea, on an ocean liner headed to the Middle East, a sail was sighted on the horizon. As the liner drew closer, the passengers saw that the boat—a small sloop flying a Turkish flag—had run up a distress signal and other flags asking for its position at sea. Through a faulty chronometer or immature navigation the small vessel had become lost. For nearly an hour the liner circled the little boat, giving its crew correct latitude and longitude.  Naturally there was a great deal of interest in all the proceedings among the passengers of the liner.  A 12 year-old-boy remarked aloud to himself—‘It’s a big ocean to be lost in.’

“It’s a big universe to be lost in, too.  And we do get lost—we get mixed up and turned around. We despair, we make mistakes, we do evil to each other [e.g., the man who killed the Ukrainian refugee woman on the train in Charlotte, NC, and the assassin of Charlie Kirk].  We deserve the wrath of God and that is what the Pharisees who criticized Jesus maintained.  But Jesus understood God more.  He knew God as a Shepherd in search of the one lost sheep.  He knew God as if He were] a woman searching in the dark, in the crevasses, for that valuable coin.  In the end it was Jesus’ view of God which prevailed and not his critics. 

(Brett Blair, Christian Globe Network, as presented by www.Sermons.com, 9/9/25.)

Thank God our Lord is concerned about the very least of us—those without wealth, influence, popularity, and looks. Thank God our Lord loves us despite our sin and how often we disappoint Him.Thank God our Lord seeks to find and save the lost.

Hear the cry of God’s heart for the lost:

A.  In our Old Testament lesson (Jeremiah 4:4-12, 19-28), beginning back in verse 1, the lord makes it clear that He wants the people of Jerusalem and Judea to give up their idol worship and return to Him.  As J.Vernon McGee states, “He is vitally interested in them and He wants to bring them back into right relationship with Him.”  (Mc.Gee, Through the Bible commentary on Jeremiah, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.42).  God wants them to (v.4)  surrender your pride and your power.  The situation is dire:  Unless they obey God, He is going to unleash a lion of destruction upon them (The Babylonian Empire).

While Jeremiah weeps as he gives his countrymen this dreadful prophesy, God says in verse 22 (NLT)  My people are foolish and do not know Me…they are stupid children who have no understanding.  What would He say about us in America today?  Don’t you think His message would be similar?  We tend to believe we can proceed as a country indefinitely into the future.  But our founders at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts made a covenant agreement with the Lord.  We would be a city built on a hill, a light to the nations.  They dedicated our country to God.  We have over the past 250 years broken this covenant.  The choice facing the folks in Jerusalem during the 580’s is the same one we face today:  Pray, repent, fast, turn back to God, or face the destruction, the ruins, the barrenness Jeremiah predicted in verses 23-28.  There is a cost to stubbornly, willfully remaining lost.

     B.  In Psalm 14, King David is also prophesying, but about the depravity of humans in the last days.  He agrees with God’s assessment, as I just reviewed and as was stated later in Jeremiah 4:22, asserting  Only fools say in their hearts, there is no God.  They are corrupt, and their actions are evil.  None of them does good.  David predicts that in those days many will turn against God.  Without God, neither their intellects nor their academic credentials (nor their money or their influence) will save them.  David predicts people will turn against God and against each other.

However, due to God’s mercy and His pursuit of the Lost, in verse 7, David concludes that salvation will come out of Zion’s hills  Jesus will arrive, riding on the clouds.  (Look up on YouTubeMusic the contemporary Christian song, “These are the days of Elijah.”  Listen and see how the writer incorporated verse 7 into the chorus.)  Even when things appear the darkest ever, our God has a plan for our redemption.  Jesus, in His 2nd Coming, will once again rescue those who have survived the Great Tribulation, believing in Him.

    C.  Finally, we see in Paul’s 1st letter to Timothy (1 Timothy1:12-17)– who he brought to faith and mentored—that Paul is exceedingly thankful for God’s grace-filled pursuit of his lost self.  He admits that he was saved by grace; he knows that Jesus Christ Himself put him into the ministry.  This was nothing he had earned or merited.  He had been an enemy of the infant Christian Church.  In verse 14, Paul praises the Lord for filling him with faith in and love for Jesus.  And then, in verse 15 (NLT), he asserts so beautifully and so famously—This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it.  “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.”  How honest he is with Timothy and with us!  How many of us would be willing to admit—especially to someone who looks up to us–that we are terrible sinners?

Paul realizes that he was lost, and then found and redeemed by Jesus.  He admits he was a sinner who repented, and that the Lord has used him in ministry as both a preacher of the Gospel and an example of the Gospel in action.  (J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on First Timothy, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.32.).

Essentially, what Paul is saying to encourage Timothy is that he was lost and now found, and so can anyone be who believes in Jesus!  He admits he was a sinner who repented, and that the Lord has used him in ministry as botha preacher of the Gospel and as an example of the Gospel in action (J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on 1st Timothy, Thomas nelson, 1001, p.32.).

Our Lord Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  That’s us…each one of us in the words of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” I once was lost but now am found.”  This is why we need to be mindful of the God-ordained opportunities that present themselves to us to tell others about Jesus, and to pray for their faith and their situations.  Thank you, Jesus, that You seek us until You find us. We are all so grateful!  We praise You, we bless You, and we adore You. Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Living by God’s Grace

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 7, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 18:1-11; Ps 139:1-6, 13-18; Phi 1:4-21; Lk 14:25-33

Consider the following true story:

“Missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat labored faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) ten years without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way.They could not report a single convert.

“Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post, however, brought great grief to this devoted couple, for they felt sure that God was in their labors, and that they would see people turn to Christ in due season. They stayed, and for a year or two longer, darkness reigned.  [They worked there for 12 years!]

“One day a friend in England sent word to the Moffats that she wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like.Trusting that in time the Lord would bless their work, Mrs. Moffat replied, “Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed.” God honored that dear woman’s faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of six converts was united to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England was delayed in the mail, but on the very day before the first commemoration of the Lord’s Supper in Bechuanaland, the set arrived.”

(Robert J. Morgan, ed., Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes (Thomas Nelson, 2000, p.138).

At first brush, it would seem this is a story about the persistent faith of the missionaries, Mary and Robert Moffat.  It clearly is a great example of trusting in God no matter your circumstances. But let’s not miss that it is also a lesson about God’s grace.  Remember grace is unmerited favor, undeserved and often unexpected blessing. It was by God’s grace that their English friend offered to send them something right then to help them with their missionary work. It was by God’s grace that—after 12 years without a convert—6 Botswanans were ready, at that time, to choose to follow Jesus. It was by God’s grace that the communion set arrived just in time for their first communion service.

And so it is with all of us…instead of the Humpty Dumpty poem, let’s consider this version on grace:

Jesus Christ came to our wall,

Jesus Christ died for our fall;

So that regardless of death and in spite of our sin,

Through grace, He might put us together again.

(Anonymous entry in Chuck Swindoll’s The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word Publishing, 1998, p.251.)

You may recall in the original poem that, “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty back together again…” but Jesus can!

Paul wrote long ago in Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) God saved you by His grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  Grace is a gift from God. And grace is also a choice we make:  We can choose to offer it to others; Or we can choose to withhold it.

Our Scripture lessons today are all about what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.  As we review them this morning, let’s examine them through the lens of giving or withholding grace.

A.  Our OT lesson is from Jeremiah 18:1-11.  God directs the prophet to go observe what takes place at a potter’s shop. Then, as now, potters worked moist clay on a wheel. As the wheel spun, the potter would use his hands to shape the clay into a bowl or pot to then be fired or hardened in a kiln. The image of a potter with wet clay is a metaphor for God’s relationship with Judah, back then, and with us now. If the clay (we) are malleable, then the potter (God) can mold and shape according to His plan.

Notice, the power of the Potter is absolute!  He has a plan, a purpose as He works in and with us. If we allow Him to do so, He has the power to shape us into vessels of honor.  This requires us to be totally cooperative and totally committed.  True disciples say “yes” to this process. But perhaps even better, if we turn out rebellious or flawed in some way, He can rework cracked pots like us, as a result of His love, mercy and grace. Disciples and followers of Jesus Christ cooperate with God, the Potter, because we realize He approaches us with grace.  He has chosen to be grace-filled toward us.

God has chosen to offer grace to us. As a consequence, we should be willing to offer grace to others.

B.  Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 gives us a perfect rationale for becoming a true disciple of Christ.  In Verses1-4, King David affirms He has searched us and He knows us. He knows who we are.  He knows our thoughts. He knows what we intend to say before we say it. He knows everything we do. There is no hiding from Him!  We may hide things from our friends and families, but not from God! And yet He loves us and offers us His grace. 

Since He is omniscient (knows all things) and also omnipresent (is everywhere), There is nowhere that we can run to escape Him or His knowledge of us.  If His intentions for us were bad, this would be excruciating for us.  But He is patient with us.  He loves us and offers us His grace.

And, verses13-16 He made us (knit me [us] together in my [our] mother’s womb).  He ordained how long we would live.  And He envisioned a plan and a purpose for each of us.

This psalm assures us that God knows us intimately—better and longer than anyone else—and despite our faults and flaws, wants us to form a deep, loving relationship with Him.  Doesn’t it just make so much sense for us to want to fall into step with God’s plan? Those of us who have ignored God’s plan for our lives, and walked our own way, know that pathway leads to turmoil and trouble. Truthfully, aren’t we both surprised and gratified by God’s grace toward us?

Again, as a result, true disciples of Christ choose to offer grace to others.

C.  Our NT lesson this morning is from Philemon—such a little jewel of a letter!  Paul is in prison, waiting to be executed (about 60AD), but he takes the time to write a Christian friend, Philemon, who lives back in Colossae (present day Turkey).  Remember, most all of Paul’s epistles were to churches.  A few, like his letters to Titus and Timothy, were intended to teach and to encourage new pastors of the infant Christian Church.  But Philemon is the one personal letter included in the canon of Scripture to teach us about grace.

Paul, who had persecuted the infant Church, knew he had been a proud, wicked, wrong-headed, man saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. As a result of having been shown grace, he uses the word grace over 100 times in his writings (Jesus and the other disciples use it about 40 times).

Here he addresses Philemon, the slave-owner of Onesimus, both of whom Paul had led to Christ.  Instead of insisting Philemon accept Onesimus back without vengeance, Paul blesses the man and asks him to accept Onesimus back as a freed brother-in-Christ.  He is asking Philemon—out of love for Paul and as a true disciple of Jesus—to offer grace and freedom to Onesimus. In those days, slave owners had life and death control over their slaves and slaves were considered their property.  However, as the Apostle John reminds us, (John 8:36) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  Paul is urging, not demanding, that Philemon offer forgiveness to Onesimus. This is no longer an economic  or property issue, but a moral and a spiritual one.  In those days, the Roman Empire was said to have a population of 120 million, 1/2 or 60 million of whom were slaves.  The practice to own another person was common, but Paul wants the members of the Church to choose grace.  Again, true disciples of Christ seek to please the Lord by freely offering grace to others.

D.  Finally, in today’s Gospel lesson (Luke14:25-33), Jesus draws our attention to the cost of discipleship. Believers or followers should think through committing themselves to being disciples, as the cost is high.  Nothing is to come before Jesus in our hearts–not spouses, children, parents, siblings, self, etc.  We don’t have to hate these relationships. There is a place for them in our lives, but all of them need to take back seat to Jesus.  This is one cost to consider.

Additionally, just as a builder considers his/her resources before planning construction, and just as a king considers his resources before engaging in battle, so too must we estimate or count the cost of becoming a disciple of Christ.  If you can’t commit all, then remain a believer, a follower. But being Jesus’ disciple, a true disciple, means being willing to give all of one’s self to the effort, including carrying a cross.  It also means offering grace to others, even though you might be angry with or disappointed in them.

We offer grace to others not because they deserve it, but because God has offered it to us when we did not deserve it. True disciples of Jesus allow God to mold and shape us, like a potter with clay. True disciples of Jesus understand that since God made us, knows us, and knows the future, it makes good sense to fall into line with His plans for us. True disciples of Jesus learn to let go and let God. True disciples of Jesus have reviewed the potential cost, but commit to Christ, choosing to live by God’s grace, and choosing to extend grace to others.  Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 31, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 2:1-13; Ps 81:1,10-16; Heb 13:1-8,15-16; Lk 14:1-14

I begin today by playing the acapella version of “Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord” (by The Acapella Company; see YouTube music).  These folks have very effectively combined the verse from James 4:10 (NRSV) :  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you!—with our Gospel lesson and with verses from “Amazing Grace.”  It’s beautiful, isn’t it?  It seems that the way to elevate ourselves in God’s eyes is to be humble.

Consider this example from, “A radio conversation between a US naval vessel and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland.

Americans: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.

Canadians: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER  USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES’ ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS.  I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, THAT’S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER- MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.”

(Borrowed from www.thepastor’sworkshop.com, 8/28/25)

Slightly embarrassing, wouldn’t you say?  The aircraft carrier captain had to humble himself or risk running aground on rocks, sandbars, or perhaps icebergs.  Having come from three generations of US naval personnel, I know that the worst offense one can commit in the Navy is to run your ship aground.  Any ship captain unfortunate enough to do this is immediately relieved of his command and can kiss his career in the service goodbye!

The Proverbs often point out that God hates human pride (8:13) and the Psalms(149:4) insist that He…crowns the humble with victory.

This is the point of all of our readings today.  Let’s examine them together.

A.  In Luke 14:1-14. Jesus appears intent on teaching the Pharisees a lesson on etiquette—but it’s more consequential than that.  He has been invited to dine at a Pharisee’s house. The Gospels record several of these occasions, each of which provides a lesson for the haughty religious leaders.  In this case, the host has set a trap.  It’s the Sabbath. They produce a man with “Dropsy”—what we today call “Edema,” serious swelling of the arms and legs—and watch to see what Jesus will do. This side of the Cross, we know Jesus will heal the guy, because He came to bind up the broken-hearted and to set the captives (of illness) free.

He asks the religious leaders (vv.3-4, NLT): Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?  When they remain silent, He asks them another question (v.5): Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath?  If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?  Of course events and needs occasionally necessitate that they work on the Sabbath.  (They defined healing as work.)  The religious leaders remain silent because their hearts are hard—they are blinded by their sin of pride.  They believe they know better than God’s own Son how folks are to behave on the Sabbath. 

The Lord then provides a lesson for the guests at the dinner, the “Parable of the Impolite Guests”:  In those days, there were no place cards to reserve seating.  Think about wedding receptions today.  The bride and her mother work tirelessly to be sure those seated next to each other are friendly and get along.  Woe be unto anyone who comes in and moves the place cards around to suit themselves! But Jesus observes that in their pride, these guests rush to put themselves in the seats of honor, the 4 middle of three seats on each side of a table; or if the seating arrangement were U-shaped, the seat of honor was at the bottom of the U.  Jesus watched these guests exalting themselves; each one was only thinking of himself.  Jesus instructs them to seek the least favored place and then be happily surprised when the host invites them to accept a more honored place.  He then summarizes His lesson in verse 11—>For those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled.  We please God by being and behaving humbly.

(Darrell Bock, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, 1996, pp.392-393.)

Jesus’ lesson for the hosts is similar: Serve the needy, not those for whom you feel a social obligation, for such humble service pleases God.

B. The writer to the Hebrews (13:1-8, 15-16) lists out for us behaviors, such as the following, that should characterize all Christians:

1. Love each other, as we are all brothers and sisters;

2. Show hospitality to strangers (and entertain angels?).  A clergy wife told me recently that her pastor husband encountered a homeless man at the mall, playing a guitar with an open guitar case to catch donations.  The young man was an excellent musician, and the pastor—a guitar player himself—was impressed.  So he complimented the man and dropped a $10.00 bill in his guitar case, and then walked away.  Thinking the young man may have been an angel, his wife asked him when he recounted the incident, “Why didn’t you invite him home for a shower and a meal, and offer to allow him to wash his clothes?”  She had remembered this verse from Hebrews 13

3. Remember those in prison and those mistreated;

4. Remain faithful in marriage;

5. Do not love money, but be satisfied with what you have;

6. Have no fear, because the Lord is our helper;

7. Remember your leaders who taught you the Word of God;

8. Praise Jesus often because…(v.8):  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

We are also to continue to humbly do good, and to share with those in need, because (v.16): These are the sacrifices that please God.

C. In Jeremiah 2:1-13, the Lord is lamenting, through His prophet, how His Chosen People have deserted Him.  He poignantly reminisces about the “springtime” of their relationship with Him.  He protected them in the wilderness.  He brought them into a rich land.

But once they inherited the Land, they forgot Him (Read the books of Joshua and Judges).  Even the priests and the pastors deserted Him!

The people of Jerusalem and Judea fell into the 3 evils that universally and historically lead to a nations’ collapse:  (1) Spiritual apostasy—they abandoned the One, True God; (2) Moral awfulness—instead of behaving like a people group set apart, they joined into pagan sexual rituals and chose to serve false gods they could manipulate; and (3) Political anarchy.  As we think about these three causes of national collapse, consider where we are as a country today: Spiritual apostasy?  Check.  Moral degradation?  Check.  Political anarchy?  Almost.  In recognizing this, we can appeal to the Lord to help our country turn back to Him.  This takes concerted prayer and country-wide revival.

(Rev. Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, p.29.) 

So how did the Southern Kingdom specifically and thoroughly offend God?  They rejected Him for idols and pagan deities, and they built shrines to these false gods and worshipped them.

Interestingly, God Himself humbly asks them (v.6): What did your ancestors find wrong with Me that led them to stray so far from Me? They worshipped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves.  This is certainly a strong condemnation from the Lord!  Almost again, as in a law court, He is asking what He’s done or not done that justifies their defection.  He, the Creator of the Universe, is humble.

So too was Jesus, as He humbled Himself and endured a criminal’s death on the cross for our sakes. 

God concludes, in verse 13, that in their pride and arrogance, “My people have done two evil things:  They have abandoned Me—the fountain of living water, and they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all.”  Rather than humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, they adopted gods they could manipulate, gods whose worship included sexually immoral behavior, gods made in their image rather than in that of the Lord.

D. The portion of Psalm 81 that we read today (1, 10-16) is a call to celebrate God because He delivered them from bondage in Egypt and blessed them.  But as the author, Asaph, continues, it is clear that God is severely disappointed in them (vv.11-12): But no, My people wouldn’t listen.  Israel did not want Me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas.  Who had become their God?  Just like Satan in his fall from heaven, just like Adam and Eve who wanted to be like God, they succumbed to their pride and decided for themselves who they would let act as their gods.  And like the lamenting Lord in Jeremiah 2, God states that if they would just return to Him, He would both subdue their enemies (protect them) and provide for their needs.  Humility before God is key. 

Remember Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O man [O woman], what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.   There it is: Be just and merciful toward others, and walk humbly with God.  Our pride has no place in our relationship with God.  Our God could rightly shine forth with all pride and arrogance, but He doesn’t.  We are to be like Him in this, to be humble.  Like the aircraft carrier’s captain, we hold onto our pride at a serious potential cost.  Like the impolite banquet guests at the Pharisee’s house, we are to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord so that He may lift us higher and higher.  Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Running an Endurance Race

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 24, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 1:1-10; Ps 71:1-8; Heb 12:1-13; Lk 13:22-30

Our Gospel lesson this morning (Luke 13:22-30) is very sobering.  In it Jesus states firmly to His Jewish followers that many may know of Him, but only a relative few of them will enter His Kingdom. 

Consider this story told by Ravi Zackarias:

“On his way to work every day, a man walked past a clockmaker’s store.  Without fail, he would stop and reset his watch from the clock in the window, then proceed on to the factory.  The clockmaker observed this scene morning after morning.  One day he stepped outside and asked the man what he did and why he set his watch every morning.  The man replied, ‘I’m the watchman at the factory, and it’s part of my job to blow the 4:00 whistle for the end of the day.  My watch is slow, so I reset it [by your clock] every morning.’ The clockmaker laughed and said, ‘You won’t believe this.  That clock in the window is fast, so I reset it every afternoon by the factory whistle. Heaven only knows what time it really is.’”

(retold from The Real Face of Atheism, Baker books, 2004, p.52.)

Each man’s standard was the other guy’s timepiece. Incidentally, often before church I compare my watch and the church clock with a parishioner’s phone. My watch runs slow and so does the church clock. I know your time is important to you. I don’t want to start church either too early or too late. We figure the time on our phones is probably most accurate—but again, who really knows? Nevertheless, the point of the story is that we have to be aware of the accuracy of the standard against which we measure our behavior.

No standard is going to be as accurate as that set by Jesus. He’s on His way to Jerusalem to be crucified, teaching as He goes, no doubt imparting what He knows are the most important teachings to leave with folks.  Someone in the crowd asks, (v.23):Lord, will only a few be saved?  Whoever this is has been listening to Jesus’ Kingdom parables and apparently finds the standards the Lord sets out to be high. And Jesus answers that that person is correct in his assessment. The door by which we gain entrance is narrow—only through Jesus–though the road to Him is broad.  Not everyone who attempts to enter will be allowed in.  In fact, (vv.25-27):When the Master of the house [God the Father] has locked the door, it will be too late.  You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’  But He will reply, “I don’t know you or where you come from.’  Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with You, and You taught in our streets.’  And He will reply, “I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from.  Get away from Me, all you who do evil.” 

The door is narrow because it’s not enough to simply know about Jesus. The only ones entering His Kingdom are those with a personal relationship with Him (those who are born again): Those who believe in Him; Those who are obedient to Him. The fact that you may have heard of Jesus will not be enough. The fact that you were a nice person in this life will not be enough. Neither your DNA, nor your church attendance, nor the fact that your grandma or grandpa was a believer will be enough. You, yourself must have made a decision during your lifetime for Christ. Even more alarming is the fact that Jesus already knew many of His Jewish brothers and sisters—despite His death on the Cross–would reject Him, and yet He still trudged on toward Jerusalem. He ends the parable by saying that many Gentile believers would enter in while God’s Chosen People would exclude themselves by their unbelief. No wonder a few verses later (34-35), Jesus will weep over Jerusalem. 

Why would our Lord be so grieved?  He loves us and He desires that none should perish.  Our other lessons point out some additional reasons.

A.  Jeremiah 1:1-10 recounts for us God’s call to Jeremiah to become a prophet.  Jeremiah was probably between17-20 when God ordained him (around 626BC). His father, Hilkiah, was already serving the Lord as a priest in their home town of Anathoth, located just north of Jerusalem. Because of his age and position, scholars believe Jeremiah and King Josiah may have been friends.  King Josiah was about 22 at that time and reigned until he died at age 39, another 17 years later. Jeremiah served all during the remainder of Josiah’s reign, as well as during the reigns of kings Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim (sons of Josiah), Jehoiachin (Josiah’s grandson), and Zedekiah (a third son of Josiah’s). Josiah had been a good and godly king, and had led his people in a revival, leading their hearts back to God.  But his sons and grandsons were another story.  Because of their idolatry and wicked behavior, God allowed the last (Zedekiah) to be defeated and carried off into slavery by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  In fact, Nebuchadnezzar forced him to watch his sons be murdered before putting his eyes out.  Zedekiah’s last sight was observing his sons die, a truly cruel punishment. 

But, to return to Jeremiah, notice how God calls him into service:  Verse 5, NLT:Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.  This is pretty impressive, isn’t it?  It implies that God knows us before we are even conceived, that He calls us into being, and that He has a plan for our lives.  This is the best argument against abortion that I know.  We come into being at God’s behest.  What right have we to contradict God’s will?  The Lord tells Jeremiah He had determined that he would become a prophet to deliver to His people God’s own words.  Jeremiah, a humble and an obedient young man, tells God, (v.6):I am only a child.  In other words, “Yes, I will do it, but I am young and inexperienced; I wouldn’t know what to say!”  God’s response must have been very reassuring (v.7):Do not say,’ I am only a child.’  You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.  The Lord gave Jeremiah words and direction; and He promised to take care of him, even though He was calling him to prophesy divine judgment on Judah and her heretical kings.

So here is another reason why God grieves over us.  Our God clearly knows us and the plans He has for us as He calls us into being in our mother’s womb.  How happy He must be when He sees us choosing to believe in His Son.  How pleased He must be when we endeavor to move forward in His plan for us.  And how it must disappoint Him when we veer away from His plans and from Him.  Remember, He later tells Jeremiah (29:11, NIV):”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord.  “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

B. The psalmist who penned Psalm 71 was clearly an elderly person (perhaps King David), looking back over his life, recalling the times the Lord had protected him.  This person was a man of faith.  He remembered (v.1) how the Lord had saved him and rescued him.  He appears to need help again, and asks God to (v.3):Be my Rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress.   Because of his “lived experience” with God, he trusts that God will respond to him and help him once again (vv.5-6):O Lord, You alone are my hope.  I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb [There it is again.  The psalmist believes Psalm 139 and what God says to Jeremiah in chapter 1] You have cared for me.  No wonder I am always praising You!

The psalm encourages us each to do the same. To trust God, not grieve Him, from our birth until our death.  We are to trust God because He knows us and loves us.

C.  The writer to the Hebrews reminds us in chapter 12:1-13, that we have to keep moving forward in our faith.  In other words, just as we can’t say, “We’ve heard about Jesus, therefore we are saved;” we also can’t say, “I’m saved, therefore there is nothing further expected of me.”

The writer to the Hebrews likens the Christian walk to a race that requires endurance and faith.  Difficulties will come to each of us:

1.) Sometimes as tactics of the evil one to discourage us and pull us away from God;

2.) Sometimes as a result of our own sins or poor choices (we reap what we sow);

3.) Difficulties may come to us for standing up for what is right.

4.) Sometimes because the Lord is disciplining us, causing us to adjust or correct our course. The Lord disciplines those He loves. We need to accept that He wants us to shape up.

No matter the reason, we are to persevere in our faith, just like the heroes of the faith listed in chapter 11. We are also to cast off whatever impedes us in this race.  We don’t run with a backpack filled with boulders.

We take frequent inventory of our sins and confess them to God.

Paul tells us in Romans 8:31:If God is for us, who can be against us?  Our fuel and our ability and our motivation to run an endurance race is God’s love.  Most of us are not called to be prophets, but our God knew each of us from the womb also. He has given us various gifts and talents. We are to use these to make our way in the world and also to build up His Kingdom. When we squander or horde our gifts, we grieve Him. Remember, in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the Master was angry with the fellow who had not used his talent but had buried it in the backyard.

God is willing to be present to us all of our lives long. He protects us and provides for us. He is present to us–only a prayer conversation away. It’s got to grieve Him to watch us suffer when He is ready to help if we would just call upon Him.

From the day we choose to follow Jesus until the day we die, we are running an endurance race. We win this race if we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. And if we don’t grow weary or lose heart.  AMEN!

©️Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams