Following Jesus to the very end

By R.v.Leerdam

Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
God enters into a personal relationship with us which is founded on His love and mercy in His Son. Having tasted God’s goodness we are called to choose to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever! Many of the songs and hymns we sing have this as their theme. To praise God, glorify Him, magnify His Name, exalt Him.
2) to extol, celebrate
3) to honour, do honour to, hold in honour
4) to make glorious His Name, adorn with lustre, clothed with splendour. To tell of His excellence, to make renowned, render illustrious the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. To cause the dignity and worth of the one true living God become manifest and acknowledged.

How can we do this?
It is great to have a noble aim in life, but how do we make it happen is the question every Christian must grapple with. Even more important, how does the Church achieve this goal?

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:4-6

First, We must recognise that we need God’s help:
It is God who gives endurance and encouragement. He desire is to give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus. How does God give us endurance, encouragement, a Spirit of unity?
Through the Scriptures.

The Bible is the Christians spiritual food and drink. Whenever people have lost the Scriptures – either through not having it available or through neglecting to read and study them, they have missed out on the help and grace of God. There is a big difference in knowing about, and knowing personally with a view to doing what God says,

‘Lord I give you a blank cheque – what ever the cost, with You fill in the number.’

Whatever the cost, I want to glorify your holy Name! The unity of the church is demonstrated by the fellowship of like minded people who together make the same commitment to glorify God. This commitment is made possible because having read the same book, knowing the grace of the same God, loving the same God, having the same faith and union in the same God, we share the same hope!

Lord our prayer together is: to do whatever it takes, whatever the personal cost, to GLORIFY YOUR NAME.

This aim is the aim and goal of each member of the Church. This is our goal no matter what our age or situation. Our age or situation in life may affect what is possible for us to do, but our struggle, our wrestle with God is to know His purpose for our life today.
We need one another.
We are a body the body of Christ, called to follow our head, Jesus Christ. We are called to imitate Him.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbour for his good, to build him up.
For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Romans 15:3

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his
mercy.

Our goal, our aim in life is to glorify God.

We acknowledge that we are we are pilgrims and cross-bearers, ambassadors of a better county, whose citizenship is in Heaven. Many of the saints have gone “home”, yet for us who remain the work continues. We are part of the church universal and each day that passes is a day closer to the day when all in God’s plan of salvation will be complete and the Lord Jesus will come on the clouds in glory. What a day to look forward to! Yes, we can give thanks to the Lord for the way that He in His grace has blessed us enabling us to be a blessing to others. We admit our sins and failings, yet in spite of these the kingdom of God has advanced and God continues to bring history on this earth towards its final end. God in His providence, has established and sustained the Church for nearly 2000 years. The Church continues to grow in number all around the world.

Some years ago I came across an article that suggested that over 90,000 people a day are being added to the church. This glorifies God. His Name is being proclaimed, His glory displayed in His creation – ‘The heavens declare the glory of God.’ – and by His people.
Penguin is a place of much human need.
The gospel of peace and reconciliation has a place in this part of the North-West of Tassie. God has called you and me to be an instrument in His hands to bring peace and reconciliation. For this privilege we give thanks to God, who has been honoured and glorified. We thank God for the way He has used us as a Church.
Faithful preaching of the Word,
True love for the Saints,
Growth in faith and grace, not that we have attained perfection, but we continue to grow in maturity. And we will by the grace of God, He will continue to bless us in order that we may be a blessing to others. We give thanks to God for the past, however, that doesn’t mean that we only glory in the “GOOD” things achieved
and weep over the not so glorious things. We need not paint a rosy picture of the past. The Reformed Church has had its ups and downs like every church.
Yet what God wants us to do is LEARN FROM THE PAST.

The good things, go on doing them.
The not so good, don’t make the same mistake twice!
Too many people live too much in the past, the past must be a “SPRINGBOARD” not a “COUCH”!

Every church is made up of imperfect human beings – I don’t know of any exceptions!

In every church there is the problem of the more mature Christians needing to bear with the weaknesses of the less mature. Where there is a problem in achieving real church unity, we are to remind each other of God’s desire – that expressed by, “with one heart and mouth we are glorifying God.” Romans 15:6
How is that to occur?
How are God’s people going to be able to continue to express that oneness in Christ. The Apostle Paul was criticised for his work often enough and he may have had times when he might have felt like handing in his resignation. But in the face of these trials he gives us this word of truth.
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives encouragement and endurance give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:4-6
God calls his people to give Him UNITED praise. This is the Apostles prayer/ wish/ exhortation. The goal of the Church is to glorify God.
What does it mean to glorify God?
To exhibit (show) His praise and honour.
The glory of God is to be the controlling purpose of all our attitudes and actions. Whether you eat or drink or what ever you do, do it for the glory of God giving Him thanks. God calls his people to give Him UNITED praise. With one heart and mouth glorify him. “Be of the same mind”, “agree”.

The church (each member) must have a sincere determination to seek to obey the Lord Jesus Christ together with the mutual respect and sympathy befitting brothers and sisters, members of the same family. It is not necessary that Christians think exactly alike on every subject. But it is necessary that in the lives of all God’s children the love of Christ is reflected and his will is done. Jesus is the one who has set us the example. It is Jesus will that we follow in his footsteps. Then, and only then will God’s purpose be realised. But this is a high standard. It is sometimes very discouraging to have this as a goal. After all, some people in the church hardly deserve to be called “CHRISTIAN”. They are so hard to teach and slow to learn. Often we say, why can’t people really love one another? However, the goal is not unattainable.

We are to PERSEVERE
Fight the good fight.
Don’t give up no matter how things look.
God is the source, the one who gives endurance and encouragement to His people.
Look to Him in faith.
We share the victory through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet while we sojourn on this earth the battle continues. God does not want us to engage in a party spirit. He doesn’t want us to be proud, and defensive.
Rather we open the Scriptures together so that we come to know the will of Jesus, the one we have pledged to follow and put the teaching of the Scriptures into practice.

We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us see and put into practice the life-changing realities of the Scriptures. God not only gives us perseverance through the Scriptures, BUT HE ENCOURAGES US THROUGH THEM.
The Scriptures not only hurt when they point out to us the areas in our life which need to be repented of and by God’s grace changed; they also bring us healing as they reveal to us the great physician and his mighty power to save! The Scriptures are filled with encouraging promises, which, when accepted and embraced with God-given faith, result in the birth and growth, within our hearts of firmly rooted Christian HOPE! The book of Romans is full of promises of hope.
“All things work together for good for those who love God.”
“Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ.”
“I consider that our present suffering are not worth comparing with glory that will be revealed in us.”
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
“If the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you.”
“But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
And I could go on…
We have an important place in the kingdom of God. As Reformed Churches in Australia we have been providentially placed by God to bear witness to the reality of the gospel of Jesus, and to proclaim His Lordship over all creation.

We are but a small part of the one world-wide church which Jesus has ransomed for his own. Yet, though small and seemingly insignificant we are in God’s sight, IMPORTANT. He has blessed us with many blessings for which we give Him thanks.
May the Lord continue to bless us and make us a rich source of blessing to others for the glory of His Name. Yes we look forward to that last day when our pilgrimage will be complete, the church fully united and the vision of John is seen by all of us and all who by the almighty power of the living God have persevered to the end, keeping ‘the faith’.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. Revelation 21:1-7

Amen.