Monday, April 25, 2022

An Appreciation of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer

 

The 1928 Book of Common Prayer was placed into service with the intent that it would help bring those who used it into closer contact with God and encourage them to delve further into Scripture as their souls matured.

Many key people in our country's history were serious users of the Book of Common Prayer, from George Washington, to US Grant, to both Presidents Roosevelt, to George Patton, to Douglas McArthur to George Marshall.



General of the Army George Catlett Marshall (1880–1959), probably the most humble and brilliant military man in this country's history was a lifelong and active member of what was then the Protestant Episcopal Church of America, whose mantle the AOC has assumed.  He was taken with the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  You should read this essay to see why: The 1928 Book of Common Prayer: An Appreciation.

https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2021/07/1928-book-common-prayer-appreciation-david-hein.html


Sunday, April 24, 2022

AOC Sunday Report - First Sunday after Easter

Happy First Sunday after Easter!

The AOC Sunday Report is available RIGHT HERE!

We have excellent sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as from Revs Jack and Bryan.  Rev Jack's is available to view on video RIGHT HERE!

There are always a lot of people who need your prayer, there will never be an exception.   Please take a little time out of your day to pray.  Start with Mrs. Kay, Tricia, Shamu, Jim and Laurie, work out from there.  This is important.

There is an EPIC week ahead, if you cannot see it and feel it, think about inviting the Holy Ghost into your soul that you might see the reality ahead.

Have a super week!

Godspeed,

Hap
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
United States of America

First Sunday after Easter

 

Rev Jack's sermon is available on video RIGHT HERE!


Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 


… given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge by the sacrifice made on Good Friday by the One and Only Perfect Man, a single sacrifice, made one time, for all mankind, for all time by our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, we have eternal life.  Malice and wickedness are pervasive; like leavening, that is yeast, mixed into bread dough, they permeate our being, worming their way into the most remote corners of our souls, hearts and minds. Tiny, wanting only to be fed so they can grow and distort our being.  We need God’s Help, in the form of the Holy Ghost, to root out all malice and wickedness so we might serve Him with pure souls, hearts and minds.  Without that help, we are destined to fail.  On the other hand, with God’s help all things are possible.

 

In his general Epistle, Saint John continues that thought that without God’s help, that is being re-born in Him, as Saint Paul says becoming or putting on the New Man, we are destined to failure.   He points out that if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we will have overcome the world. He also says that those who do not believe on Him are lying to themselves. And lying to ourselves is never a good idea. Paul says that if we are to choose to believe either the witness of men or the witness of God, to believe that of God. God is infallible, versus men who are very much fallible. 

 

Saint John makes it clear the entity we refer to as God is a Triune Being, that is Three in One; Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  What he does not make clear is the relationship between the Three.  He does not make this clear as we do not really need to know the relationship between the three. All we need to know is that God is comprised of three separate entities who are of one substance and form a single entity. Besides God and Jesus, the Holy Ghost is an important member of this entity. He is here to help give us God’s guidance and direction and understanding God’s will for us. 

 

The Holy Ghost is not often talked about in the church, yet He is the key to understanding.  God sent us the Holy Ghost that we might have:

 

  • ·      Comfort
  • ·      Understanding
  • ·      Patience
  • ·      Insight
  • ·      Perseverance
  • ·      Courage
  • ·      Sympathy

 

He is our key to finding Jesus in our souls, hearts and minds.  Without His Guidance, Scripture seems a poorly written fairy tale, with His Guidance we find Truth, the Truth that is our Lord and Savior.  

 

When John relates the story of Jesus coming in to the Upper Room, note three things:

 

·      He came into a closed room in bodily form;

·      Then gave them His Peace;

·      He breathed the Holy Ghost upon them.

 

The entry into the closed room is of interest.  When we leave the Shadowlands, we will gain an optimized body with shape and form, but as Jesus demonstrated things are different in the Real World.  Different can be better or worse.  In this case, He demonstrates the better.  We will no longer be halt, blind and maimed, we will live as God has meant for us.  Quite a nice feeling.

 

Jesus gave them His Peace.  Not peace like world understands it, but God’s Peace.  This is a totally different concept.  A perfect and stabilizing peace, not what the World considers as Peace. The world and God have different idea of what is Peace. There will never be peace on Earth until the whole planet comes to understand the only true peace is God’s Peace. It is the only thing that can help the world, yet because they are blinded by the cares and riches of this world, they do not see it. Perhaps a few might escape the grasp of mammon to see it, but not a lot of people will sadly, as this requires them to willingly open their hearts to God and let the Holy Spirit in to bring that understanding of true peace to them.

 

His Peace is what will really help us. Jesus brings us, like those disciples, the peace of mind and soul which comes with giving all our worry, sadness and terror to Him.  It is the knowledge that the enemy can only hurt our physical body, they cannot hurt or destroy our souls. We are safe in God’s grasp. We would do well to remember that whenever things get difficult.

 

He leaves in His wake not confusion, but order and wellbeing.  With Him in our hearts we cannot fail at anything that needs be done.  His Peace.  This Peace is what we are looking for and have been looking for since we came into this world, for it is our passport out.

 

The Holy Ghost is the breath of life, not just physical, whereas to die is to give up the Ghost, which really means to have our soul leave our body for heaven.   He is our spiritual life, for without Him in our souls, hearts and minds we cannot see the narrow road to the summit.  Without Him we see only the broad even way which gently curves downward and gets smoother and smoother as it nears the Pit.   The Holy Ghost is the key to knowing our Lord! He is our perfect vision in place of our defective natural vision, that will help us see the way.

 

Without the Holy Ghost, we are lost.  With Him we find and join Jesus and are found.  Then we can act accordingly and enjoy our time here on earth to the extent it is to be enjoyed.  

 

Note the parting line of this Scripture: … He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.  Jesus gave this power to those present, He did not establish an intermediary priesthood.  The Triune God is the only one who has the power to remit us of our sins.  And, He does when we ask and act in accordance with the request.

 

There is much joy and satisfaction to be found in proper action.

 

When the time comes, how will you ACT?

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

 

 

First Sunday after Easter - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon

  

The First Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Today’s Epistle came from the First General Epistle of Saint John, the Fifth Chapter beginning at the Fourth Verse: 

 

W

HATSOEVER is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 

 

The Holy Gospel for this Sunday comes from the Twentieth Chapter of the Gospel of Saint John beginning at the Nineteenth verse: 

 

T

HE same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.

 

Rev Jack's sermon is available on video RIGHT HERE!


Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 


… given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge by the sacrifice made on Good Friday by the One and Only Perfect Man, a single sacrifice, made one time, for all mankind, for all time by our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, we have eternal life.  Malice and wickedness are pervasive; like leavening, that is yeast, mixed into bread dough, they permeate our being, worming their way into the most remote corners of our souls, hearts and minds. Tiny, wanting only to be fed so they can grow and distort our being.  We need God’s Help, in the form of the Holy Ghost, to root out all malice and wickedness so we might serve Him with pure souls, hearts and minds.  Without that help, we are destined to fail.  On the other hand, with God’s help all things are possible.

 

In his general Epistle, Saint John continues that thought that without God’s help, that is being re-born in Him, as Saint Paul says becoming or putting on the New Man, we are destined to failure.   He points out that if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we will have overcome the world. He also says that those who do not believe on Him are lying to themselves. And lying to ourselves is never a good idea. Paul says that if we are to choose to believe either the witness of men or the witness of God, to believe that of God. God is infallible, versus men who are very much fallible. 

 

Saint John makes it clear the entity we refer to as God is a Triune Being, that is Three in One; Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  What he does not make clear is the relationship between the Three.  He does not make this clear as we do not really need to know the relationship between the three. All we need to know is that God is comprised of three separate entities who are of one substance and form a single entity. Besides God and Jesus, the Holy Ghost is an important member of this entity. He is here to help give us God’s guidance and direction and understanding God’s will for us. 

 

The Holy Ghost is not often talked about in the church, yet He is the key to understanding.  God sent us the Holy Ghost that we might have:

 

  • ·      Comfort
  • ·      Understanding
  • ·      Patience
  • ·      Insight
  • ·      Perseverance
  • ·      Courage
  • ·      Sympathy

 

He is our key to finding Jesus in our souls, hearts and minds.  Without His Guidance, Scripture seems a poorly written fairy tale, with His Guidance we find Truth, the Truth that is our Lord and Savior.  

 

When John relates the story of Jesus coming in to the Upper Room, note three things:

 

·      He came into a closed room in bodily form;

·      Then gave them His Peace;

·      He breathed the Holy Ghost upon them.

 

The entry into the closed room is of interest.  When we leave the Shadowlands, we will gain an optimized body with shape and form, but as Jesus demonstrated things are different in the Real World.  Different can be better or worse.  In this case, He demonstrates the better.  We will no longer be halt, blind and maimed, we will live as God has meant for us.  Quite a nice feeling.

 

Jesus gave them His Peace.  Not peace like world understands it, but God’s Peace.  This is a totally different concept.  A perfect and stabilizing peace, not what the World considers as Peace. The world and God have different idea of what is Peace. There will never be peace on Earth until the whole planet comes to understand the only true peace is God’s Peace. It is the only thing that can help the world, yet because they are blinded by the cares and riches of this world, they do not see it. Perhaps a few might escape the grasp of mammon to see it, but not a lot of people will sadly, as this requires them to willingly open their hearts to God and let the Holy Spirit in to bring that understanding of true peace to them.

 

His Peace is what will really help us. Jesus brings us, like those disciples, the peace of mind and soul which comes with giving all our worry, sadness and terror to Him.  It is the knowledge that the enemy can only hurt our physical body, they cannot hurt or destroy our souls. We are safe in God’s grasp. We would do well to remember that whenever things get difficult.

 

He leaves in His wake not confusion, but order and wellbeing.  With Him in our hearts we cannot fail at anything that needs be done.  His Peace.  This Peace is what we are looking for and have been looking for since we came into this world, for it is our passport out.

 

The Holy Ghost is the breath of life, not just physical, whereas to die is to give up the Ghost, which really means to have our soul leave our body for heaven.   He is our spiritual life, for without Him in our souls, hearts and minds we cannot see the narrow road to the summit.  Without Him we see only the broad even way which gently curves downward and gets smoother and smoother as it nears the Pit.   The Holy Ghost is the key to knowing our Lord! He is our perfect vision in place of our defective natural vision, that will help us see the way.

 

Without the Holy Ghost, we are lost.  With Him we find and join Jesus and are found.  Then we can act accordingly and enjoy our time here on earth to the extent it is to be enjoyed.  

 

Note the parting line of this Scripture: … He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.  Jesus gave this power to those present, He did not establish an intermediary priesthood.  The Triune God is the only one who has the power to remit us of our sins.  And, He does when we ask and act in accordance with the request.

 

There is much joy and satisfaction to be found in proper action.

 

When the time comes, how will you ACT?

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

 

 

Sermon Notes - Jesus stood in the midst - First Sunday after Easter - 24 April 2022, Anno Domini

The First Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

This prayer echoes the beauty of the resurrection of Christ. Had Christ only died for our sins, we would not have been benefitted with life; but He rose from the dead  and that makes our justification authentic. We, too, may enjoy life eternal through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. We are justified by the law by the death and resurrection of Christ because the sin-debt has been paid by Him. ALMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification. The sinner is declared righteous through that righteousness of Christ who bore our sins. Therefore, we are justified and guiltless before the Lord. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life(Romans 5:18) We are justified in Heaven by the penalty Christ paid, therefore, all charges are dropped, and we are without fault insofar as the Law is concerned.

 

            Malice and wickedness are poisons which not only eat away at our souls, but enlarge themselves as a cancerous tumor. If they go un-weeded, they are just like the leaven that causes bread to grow larger than its unleavened ingredients would have done. Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness. False doctrine, too, thrives on wickedness in the heart. Christ told His disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees which was false doctrine. Such false doctrine can be found in most churches in our day for we have abandoned the God of our fathers. Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees(Matt 16:6)  How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees(Matt 16:11-12) False doctrine puffs up a church or people. It makes them appear larger than they naturally should appear. The mega-churches of our day illustrate this very principle.

 

            Without allowing Christ to rid our hearts of this wickedness and malice, we can do nothing worthy of a Christian disciple. “…that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Remember that in our proper worship, we must no worship in truth ONLY. Nor must we worship in Spirit only, but in both Spirit AND in Truth! To live in pureness of heart, we must also live in the Truth of the gospel message. Jesus is the Way, but not the Way only. He is the Truth, but not the Truth only. He is the Life, but not the Life only  for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Does your life reflect this three-dimensional quality of Christ? Do you walk in the right Way in Truth. Do you walk the right Way in Truth and in the spirit of Life?

 

A

ND  as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.   (Luke 24:36-49)

 

          Today's text expands upon the post-resurrection appearances of our Lord. In the present text, our Lord appears to the disciples who are secluded in a closed room (the door being shut according to St. John 20:26) of Jerusalem eight days following the resurrection. It is worthy of note that our Lord always includes all of the company gathered together if He will sup with them. On his first visit to the disciples in the room at Jerusalem, He did not sup with them for Thomas was absent. He supped with those gathered as a single company by the Sea of Galilee on another occasion; and He supped with the party of two at the home in Emmaus. So, here, He also sups with the gathered party as Thomas is also present. The Church partakes of the Holy Communion together.

 

            Though most of this little group had been made aware of our Lord's resurrection (except doubting Thomas), they were nonetheless full of worries and confusion. What did it all mean? Have we not all faced this same dilemma in our own lives when things simply do not make sense even if the revolting development was of God? But as we bear on course and weather the storm, the calm seas and following winds ahead reveal our successful arrival at our intended destination. Being of feeble understanding of the mysteries of the Spirit, we often need a little extra inspiration from our Lord. The grandest exultation of the Spirit may arise out of devastating circumstances. In all conditions, we may say together with Horatio Spafford - It is Well with My Soul!

 

            As the disciples, being alone without the former physical presence of Jesus to direct them, pondered what comes next, a presence appears among them. Having experienced the same appearing only one week earlier, except Thomas, should not have been surprised. But we are slow of mind and understanding. The Lord often must teach us through constant reminders and repetition. Have you ever noticed how often the same lines are repeated in Holy Scripture? Why do you suppose that is the case? It is because repetition aids retention (a well known law of learning). And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Have you considered how often this greeting is repeated in Scripture, or words to the same effect. It is a common greeting of Christ when men were frightened at the sight of Him walking on the Sea, or appearing behind locked doors. Remember the message of the Heavenly Angel to the shepherds overlooking Bethlemen at the birth of Christ, Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. When God appears to us, He never comes for the purpose of striking fear in our hearts. He always means goodwill to men. The fact that we may not recognize Christ walking beside us does not change the fact that He is indeed there.

 

            But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. This reaction seems a bit trite after so many miraculous appearances of Christ to these disciples, but we are all often blind to His presence in the mundane nature about us. We are so accustomed to the barren wilderness we have made around us that the paradise of His presence before us seems odd. But our Lord nonetheless will alleviate our fears at each moment of their emergence. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. When our faith fails, He may bring solid, physical evidence to the bar to dispel doubt. But He always wonders why we are troubled since we believe in Him. If we believe enough, we should know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose(see Romans 8:28)

 

            A great mystery, too, is revealed - not only in His physical appearance, but in His physical reality. The appearance of Christ to the disciples is not merely an apparition, but the Person and physical Body of the Lord. A spirit cannot be touched, handled, or possess flesh and bones. Jesus rose from the grave with a glorified Body that is mysteriously the same as that with which He was buried. We, too, shall rise with a like body. Though our bodies will be free of blemishes, scars and twisted limbs, His body will be the only one to retain the scars and piercings of His Passion for us.

 

            That is simply too good to be true! is a common English expression. It most often does not indicate doubt of the goodness or joy of an event, but is intended to express the magnificence of it. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered. Unbelievable it was, yet they knew it to be real and yet wondered for the absolute grandeur of the reality. To further open their eyes to His physical presence, He next said unto them, Have ye here any meat? Now this last comment of our Lord makes me very happy. We shall enjoy eating in our resurrected bodies! If there is food in Heaven, it makes all of sense in the world that there shall be CHOCOLATE!  And as much of that edifying commodity as the soul desires! To remove any remaining doubts of His physical being, our Lord actually eats with the disciples. And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.

 

            It is not enough to have read all Scripture, and to have it preached to us - we must UNDERSTAND that Scripture by the educating benefits of the Holy Ghost! And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, Regardless the number of times I have previously read and studied a passage of Scripture, my eyes are opened more widely with each subsequent reading. The Lord knows that our bottles can hold only so much water of life at one drinking, so He replenishes the bottle from His constant and abundant source so that our joy is multiplied by constant review and study. This does not happen in the study of chemistry or thermodynamics, but is a peculiar property of the Word of God. We may have the mental capacity and tools of knowledge to accomplish a task, but fail in our understanding of how to apply those qualities. So Christ OPENS our understanding of the Words we have read and studied through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

 

            Now we could make an entire sermon on the next two verses: And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. The disciples had languished in abject sorrow and discouragement during the moments before the resurrection. They had no comprehension of the magnitude of the event that had transpired on a hill outside the walls of Jerusalem - the very Crux of all time and Eternity. So Christ consoles them with the reminder that all of these things had already been written and prophesied of His suffering and redemption for sinners. It is written. Again, the living Word of God is in the constant present - not past or future, but eternal presence - it is written.

 

            It behoved Christ to suffer! That suffering of the unblemished and sinless Son of God on the Cross was the only means of paying our sin-debt. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 (KJV) If we do not pay that debt, we need a qualified substitute to pay it for us, and there is only One qualified - the Lord Jesus Christ! The sacrificial death of Christ fell to His responsibility as a matter of Law and Command, of duty and equity. Because He loved us more than any such torment and suffering, He was privileged (in His own Mind) to suffer for our redemption. And there is another facet of His work that He mentions in the following remark: and to rise from the dead the third day: It is fairly obvious that exoneration from sin means little if there is no acknowledgement by means of reward. If we will die daily to self in repentance and truth in bearing our crosses in His trail, we will also enjoy that glorious resurrection whose path He blazed on Easter morning.

 

            If we are made signatories on the bank assets of a corporation, our freedom to sign and to act is based upon the authority and good will on behalf of the corporation. The same is true when we act as emissaries of Christ - we act only upon His authority and will. Any action outside that will and authority is null and void. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. I believe that the great majority of ministers today have forgotten the principle of preaching ONLY in His Name! If we preach error in His Name, we bear a double measure of guilt before the Lord. It is not enough to preach using His Name, our preaching must be IN HIS NAME, i.e., every Word consistent with the Word of God. Wealth, health, and fame does not cut it; and neither does the preaching that denigrates the institution of God-ordained marriage between one man and one woman. Our preaching should appeal to the soul's urgent desire to repent and turn from the old man's way of sin. Incumbent, too, upon the minister and laity is the responsibility to reach all nations with the Gospel without dissent or discrimination (among all nations.) But, like the critic of his neighbor's mote in the eye, we must shore up the beam in our own eye before correcting his shortcoming.

 

            Love begins at home and, if there is no love at home, it is unlikely that any love can be showered from that home on the outside world. So preaching and teaching begins at home (Jerusalem) and then extends to the larger family beyond the walls of our homes.          

 

            Truly, we have heard and read the wonderful Words of Life from the Gospels, Epistles, prophets, Law, and poets of Scripture. We are witnesses of that same realized truth which the disciples came to know in our text today. And ye are witnesses of these things.

 

            And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: What was the Promise of the Father? Was it not the same Promise of a Coming Seed of Redemption made to Abraham and the Church in the Wilderness? And all who believed that Promise, and believe today that Promise, are sons and daughters of Abraham and the True Church of Christ.

 

            but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. The 'buts' of the Bible have profound impact. Remember the mighty Naaman? Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper(2 Kings 5:1) All of his honor, valor, and victories were nullified by that word BUT!  The Apostles were of extraordinary courage, enlightenment and effectiveness as preachers and evangelists of the Word in the years following the Ascension of Christ; however, we are not empowered to act on our own, and neither were the Apostles. They were not yet ready and equipped for the dangers they would surely face. Tarry (wait) in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with the power on high. That power from on high was the Holy Ghost given at Pentecost, or Whitsuntide.  If not inspired of the Holy Ghost, the most articulate and convincing of preaching is utterly useless. 

Easter 01 Collect – 24 April 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

The First Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

 

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LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

This prayer echoes the beauty of the resurrection of Christ. Had Christ only died for our sins, we would not have been benefitted with life; but He rose from the dead – and that makes our justification authentic. We, too, may enjoy life eternal through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. We are justified by the law by the death and resurrection of Christ because the sin-debt has been paid by Him. ALMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification. The sinner is declared righteous through that righteousness of Christ who bore our sins. Therefore, we are justified and guiltless before the Lord. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life(Romans 5:18) We are justified in Heaven by the penalty Christ paid, therefore, all charges are dropped, and we are without fault insofar as the Law is concerned.

 

            Malice and wickedness are poisons which not only eat away at our souls, but enlarge themselves as a cancerous tumor. If they go un-weeded, they are just like the leaven that causes bread to grow larger than its unleavened ingredients would have doneGrant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness. False doctrine, too, thrives on wickedness in the heart. Christ told His disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees which was false doctrine. Such false doctrine can be found in most churches in our day for we have abandoned the God of our fathers. Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.(Matt 16:6)  How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees(Matt 16:11-12) False doctrine puffs up a church or people. It makes them appear larger than they naturally should appear. The mega-churches of our day illustrate this very principle.

 

            Without allowing Christ to rid our hearts of this wickedness and malice, we can do nothing worthy of a Christian disciple. “…that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Remember that in our proper worship, we must no worship in truth ONLY. Nor must we worship in Spirit only, but in both Spirit AND in Truth! To live in pureness of heart, we must also live in the Truth of the gospel message. Jesus is the Way, but not the Way only. He is the Truth, but not the Truth only. He is the Life, but not the Life only – for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Does your life reflect this three-dimensional quality of Christ? Do you walk in the right Way in Truth. Do you walk the right Way in Truth and in the spirit of Life?

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Two Notable Sabbaths – 20 April 2022, Anno Domini

 

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ND, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: 51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. 54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.   (Luke 23:50-54)

 

            At the dawning of a pristine Sabbath morning in Israel more than 2,000 years ago, there was a deep silence which fell upon the hills and slopes of all the land. The Cedars of Lebanon waved their branches in the gentle breeze that was typical of that spring season in the region. Even on this Sabbath, Jordan continued her roll to her demise in the Dead Sea, and gentle Galilee reflected the rays of the morning sun on the same hillside at which the Lord had fed five thousand with two fishes and five loaves of bread. But there was a confusing mixture of celebration and abject sorrow on this Sabbath day. Many in positions of power, both religious and secular, were exultant at the death of a Man who preached love, healed the leper, restored vision to the blind, and even resurrected the dead. His name was Jesus of Nazareth. Others who were His disciples hid themselves away behind locked doors in dismay and horror over events whose gravity and significance they could little comprehend.

 

            This Man, Jesus, kept the Law of Moses with meticulous care – in fact, He was the culmination of the Law and the Prophets. Now, He lay in a borrowed tomb in a garden outside the gates of Jerusalem. No one waited at Jacob’s Well at the noonday hour for that need was satisfied. No woman of Tyre buried her son that day for he had been made alive. None of the ten lepers watched along the road to Jericho because they were healed. And the body of Lazarus no longer remained in the tomb at Bethany for he had been called forth by the Voice of the Lord. At the end of three years of weary travel and constant service, He was worn with His labors which were not for money or comfort, but for the desire of nations for peace, love, and reconciliation to God our Father. Now, as final fulfillment of the Law, He rested over that Sabbath Day so long ago in His rest of death. This was the second notable Sabbath rest of the Lord.  It was the long-prophesied consummation of the means by which a just God could look upon the redeemed sinner who would be accounted righteous because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. It was finished! That was the Sabbath of the New Creation of man in Christ.

 

            The first Sabbath is well known. It occurred eastward in Eden on the seventh day following Creation of all living. That Sabbath was a rest for the physical world and all that was in it. It was reinforced by the Commandment of God to Moses for His people, Israel – and to us. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it(Ex 20:8-1) Man’s greatest abuse is likely in failing to work those six days in order to make the seventh Holy by his good works.

 

            There is much spiritual conflict today concerning the Sabbath Day – are we still required to keep it? Was it annulled by Christ who, even in death, kept it? Which day is it? Was it changed from the seventh day to the first day as observed in churches today? If so, precisely where do we find such an important change stipulated in Scripture? I do not believe any of the Laws of God have been annulled or suspended. I believe they are even more binding on the Christian today than when first uttered at Sinai. The difference is the means by which we are enabled to obey that Law – it is solely by the means of love since love covers all sin. (see Proverbs 10:12)

 

            Sabbath literally means rest. The Sabbath Day was given as our day of rest, and certainly, one day in seven has been found to be of biological benefit to man and beast; and one day in seven devoted particularly to the worship of the Lord is of supreme value. But Jesus has become our Sabbath in the same way as He has become our Passover. He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law for our salvation and benefit. It is not one day in seven any longer in which we rest from OUR labors, but rather seven days in seven since it is the Lord who works in and through us. If our works are of righteousness, then they are the works of the Lord. Only those unrighteous acts may be claimed by us as ours alone. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his(Heb 4:9-10)

 

And we do from ours.