Sunday, July 31, 2022

AOC Sunday Report - Seventh Sunday after Trinity


Happy Seventh Sunday after Trinity!

The AOC Sunday report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE!

We have very good sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  Rev Jack's can be downloaded RIGHT HERE.  Today Rev Jack brings the propers together; the Collect acknowledges God is the author and giver up all good things, and that we need His help to put true love into our hearts;  in the Epistle, Paul reminds us when we strive above all else for the things of this world, we gain nothing we can take with us to the next.  “For, when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.”  Conversely, if we will be servants of God (righteousness) we can be free from the devil sin).  “… the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  If we will follow God, we will live, not only forever in the next world, but better in this world.  We must put aside what we did and do what He would have us do; the  Gospel is the story of the feeding of the four thousand.  Actions are the key to everything.  Talk is nice.  Action is what counts. 

Every week we tell you that we have a lot of people who desire your prayer. This is no exception. Please start with Tricia, Mrs. Kay, Shamu, Jim, Laurie and Lourie and work out from there.

There is an epic week ahead, if you were having trouble visualizing it, you might consider opening your heart to the Holy Ghost. That third guy Guy can give you a hand understanding what is going on in your world.

Godspeed,

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

Seventh Sunday after Trinity - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon– With Video

  

The Propers for today are found on Page 198-199, with the Collect first:

 

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

 

The Collect.

 

L

ORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Epistle came from the Sixth Chapter of Saint Pauls letter to the Romans beginning at the Nineteenth Verse. Paul reminds us when we strive above all else for the things of this world, we gain nothing we can take with us to the next.  For, when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.  Conversely, if we will be servants of God (righteousness) we can be free from the devil sin).  “… the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  If we will follow God, we will live, not only forever in the next world, but better in this world.  We must put aside what we did and do what He would have us do.  Actions are the key to everything.  Talk is nice.  Action is what counts.

 

I

 SPEAK after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Today Holy Gospel was written in the Eighth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Mark beginning at the First Verse. Jesus had been in the wilderness teaching a multitude, some four thousand in number.  In those pre-restaurant on every corner days, the people had been without food and were hungry.  Jesus was concerned and inventoried their supplies, seven loaves and a few small fishes.  He gave thanks to God, and commanded the food to be set out before the people.  When they had eaten their fill, the scraps gathered up from the seven loaves filled seven baskets. 

 

Many speculated over the years as to just how He did it.  The answer is simple, He did it.  He did not talk about feeding the multitude and sit down to His own meal.  He acted and they were fed.  Does this story recall the words from the Last Supper used in Holy Communion at the Consecration? he took Bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of me.  Those few words produced The Word, which has satisfied so many over millenniums.  

 

I

N those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.


Sermon  Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Rev Jacks sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE!

 

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


 

Consider the words from the Collect,   author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same (that is to say keep us in goodness)

 

To get anywhere, we must acknowledge in our hearts all good is of and comes from God.  Once we acknowledge this, we are in a position to ask God to put in to our hearts love of Him and all that is His.  We are asking Him to have His Love in our hearts so that we can do good for Him. With His Love in our hearts there is very little we cannot accomplish; without it, we can accomplish nothing good. We have to recognize this and pray continually for Gods love to enter into our hearts and stay in our hearts.

 

Because of our human nature, there will be plenty of times when we fail, but if we turn back to Him, then we shall succeed. We just have to listen to what He says and then not just listen but act on what He says. This holds true not just for myself, but all of us who follow Christs banner. This is a constant truth that is repeated through the Collects and Scriptures. Without Gods help, we are doomed to great failure, but with His help there is no limit to what we can accomplish for Him.

 

The clear message in todays collect, Epistle and Gospel is that we need to be in God and have His Love acting within us. For without His Love within us we can do no good thing and we cannot be regenerated or be born again without the help of the Holy Spirit. Being a part of this world and being of God is impossible. As Jesus said, one man cannot serve two masters. We are in this world but we are not called to be of this world but of God.  Before we are of God, we are of this world.  Our life is here, our end is here.  However, once we are transformed via the Holy Ghost, then we are merely sojourners here; our life is not really here and certainly does not end here. We are merely passing through this world as a portal to our new unending life with God.  I find if I remember this whenever I am having any sort of trouble, then this thought sooths my worried mind and I think it will do for you as well.

 

The only way to be of God is through God, that is His Son, our Lord. I am the way, the truth, the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)  Jesus himself clearly says the only way to be of God is through Him. Nobody comes unto God but by Christ. What does that mean for those of other faiths? Nobody knows but Christ. The only sure way to get into heaven is to follow Christ to the best of ouor ability. 

 

So, recognizing we cannot be a part of this world, we need to be holy, that is, set apart from the world in our thoughts, deeds and actions. For the world has shown that it will not willingly join forces with God, thus they have chosen the side of Satan. So we cannot hold with them. It is to God and His Banner to whom we must cling. His Banner will always remain strong and never fail. Even when we waver, Gods banner never wavers. In our moments of weakness, it is to God and His Banner to whom we must return to regain our spiritual strength. We will always be facing the same spiritual wickedness in this life as in times past. But with Gods help we can battle this spiritual wickedness. We just have to let the Holy Ghost into our hearts and let Him guide our actions.

 

Thus, when Paul wrote to the people of Rome, he was writing to all of us; for truly nothing is new in the world. There is truth to Solomons saying there is nothing new under the sun[1]. For there is no new sin in the world that has not existed since the time of Adam. It may take different forms over the eons, but all sins are still the same since the dawn of man[2]. Up until the time of Christ, we were still bound in our chains to Satan. We could not pass into the kingdom of heaven, even the Law of Moses could not redeem us, because, on our own we cannot be redeemed. It was only with the coming of Christ we could be redeemed. 

 

He redeemed us through His Death on the Cross and His Resurrection. All three components of God, The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are necessary for our salvation and four our faith. The Father as the one who created us, the Son who died for us, and the Holy Ghost who breaths Gods love and truth and the Word into our hearts.  All three elements of God are active in our ongoing salvation. It is an infinite loop of sorts. God the Father passes His Will to us through the Holy Spirit. The Son, Jesus Christ is our mediator and advocate before the Father. While we do not know exactly each of their functions, we do know all three work together and Jesus is our mediator and advocate to the Father and the Holy Ghost breathes Gods Knowledge into us and believing and acting on what God asks and by what we get from the Holy Ghost brings us to be of God. And this is enough for us to believe upon. We do not need to know the inner workings of the Trinity, only know that they work and exist. T

 

Moving on to todays Gospel, the clear message of the feeding of the multitude is action, and the whys and hows behind all of it does not matter as much as the simple message that He did it. It is all too easy to get wrapped around in fine details, when it is the bigger picture that matters. The clear moral of this story is that He acted, not just talked, but He actually acted and fed the people. It lines up with the collect and the epistle in that if we are to be Christians we need to follow the example that Jesus said, and act on our beliefs and not just say we believe. There are way too many people these days in the church and outside even that talk the talk but they do not walk the walk. We must open our hearts to the Holy Spirit so we can identify these people and not follow their false religion and also so that we can not only talk the talk but walk the walk as well.

 

That is a model we should follow; not just talk, but act as well.  It serves as a template for our ministries here on Earth, to follow this plan of action and not just diction. Our love for God will be demonstrated through our actions, if we act for Him. Does this story recall the words from the Last Supper used in Holy Communion at the Consecration? He took Bread; and when he had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of me.  Those few words produced The Word, which has satisfied so many over millenniums.  It does not take a lot of words to satisfy us, but they have to be the right ones, which come from Our Lord.

 

Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail.  The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.

 

The time is now, not tomorrow.  The time has come, indeed.  How will you ACT?

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God



[1] 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

[2] In some respects, this is a key to the Bible. Regardless of our own self-centered thoughts, we are the same people since Adam and will be until the end of time. Thus he who writes the Romans just as well writes to us. We would like to think we are better, but we are not. We are the same. But, on the other hand, that is convenient for what worked for them will work for us. 

Sermon and Collect Notes - Seventh Sunday after Trinity - Love - Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide - 31 July 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)


Collect

 

S

URELY he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. 7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD(Psalm 112:6-7)

 

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

 

The Collect.

 

L

ORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Everlasting Remembrance! 

     The opening of the Collect (using Gelasius translation) formerly used the honorific: O Lord 
of Host as its introductory opening; however, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer referenced the Lord as described in James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

 

     This Collect asks four things of God which we are incapable of doing ourselves: 

 

1.     Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name; 

2.     Increase in us true religion; 

3.     Nourish us with all goodness;

4.     Keep us. 

 

We can neither receive, nor retain, the love of Gods name without the efficacious working of the Holy Spirit therein. We are helpless to supply a thing of which we can claim no ownership. The love that permeates our hearts is from the overflowing Fountain and Source of Love which is in God through Jesus Christ. Like our bodies, we cannot add a single inch to the stature of our spirits and souls. All of the increase we enjoy in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding comes from that same Source from which the Love of God overflows. Our nourishment is forever from God if it is wholesome and good. We daily partake of the Bread of Heaven given by that Giver of all good things found in the Word of God which is preserved for us as a gift to all who believe. Who is our Keeper? Why, it is the Lord Himself. He is our Good Shepherd to keep us in the good way. He is the Rock of our Salvation to keep us from drifting. He is the Ark into which we flee for salvation in the day of ruin. And He is much moreso much more that we cannot mention all in the scope of a short devotion. Since He is the Word in total, He is also the Author and Giver of Life itself, and the Preserver of Life in Love.

 

     6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. The righteous of the Lord are steady as a well-steered ocean vessel on the seas of life. The Captain knows well the course, and His Compass is true to the North Throne of God. Those who are everlastingly remembered by God cannot be moved from that faith and grace which has saved them, and preserved them.

 

     7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. The immovable North Star has long been used by seafaring vessels as a constant reference and guide across the vast oceans. The navigation of the vessel is based on clear vision and physical sight; but there is a means by which the soul of the Christian may be guided in both light and darkness by means of an indwelling compass of the heart. That compass is the Holy Ghost. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee(Isaiah 26:3) 

 

     I hope you will remember the immortal lines of a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, titled GOD KNOWS:

 

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

 Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.

And he replied:

Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. 

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. 

And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

 

     As an illustration of the unseen change in the character of the heart of a Christian when they have received Christ as Lord, I took a metal rod of 36 inch length and oriented it to magnetic north. I also deviated the point to align with the magnetic axis of the earth at the 30 degree parallel. I struck the rod sharply with a hammer. The rod became sufficiently magnetized to attract the needle of the compass to a far greater extent than previous to being so stricken. The object was to demonstrate that there is a fundamental change in the nature of the heart when God comes in through faith and the grace of Christ. Though it is composed of the same cell tissue, it has a different nature following such an experience. I also took metals of various elements and scattered on a table. Those made of iron were attracted immediately to a strong magnet I swung over the table. Those metals of copper and lead remained unmoved. God recognizes His own nature in the natures of the hearts that have been magnetized by His Love.

 

     A sailing vessel may weigh many tons. It may carry a large cargo and take on a great draught of water. Its sails are extremely important for they provide the vessel with the means of movement based on prevailing winds. When errors in navigation are discovered, the sails, like our motivations, can be adjusted to correct to a right course. The ships structure is also vitally important. It must be made of sturdy materials and its design commensurate to cutting through the blasts and billows of the storm.

 

     But there is one device on the ship that is of far greater importance than the quality of canvas comprising the sails, or the species of timber defining its hull. That device is the magnetic compass. Though the captain of the vessel may use a sextant under clear skies for navigation, it is worthless under a cloudy sky. But the magnetic compass performs under every condition of weather or light. It may temporarily deviate when attracted by a large mass of metal on a passing ship, or by the electrifying impulses of the lightning from a storm, but it will always move back to magnetic north. That magnetic compass is so very similar to our Conscience, guided by the Holy Spirit, with which God has equipped us. It may be attracted temporarily to the passing things of this world; or it may deviate from true course briefly in the storms of life; but it will always return to its true reading and point the way to safe harbor of the soul.

 

     When our hearts are fixed and trusting in the Lord, we may waver at moments of temptation. But that will only be a rare and temporary deviation.  Our hearts, as did Davids and Peters, return to the true course of our love and safety in Christ. A heart whose foundation is that Rock of Christ is stayed and immovable. It may shake with the blast of ill winds against its walls, but it is fixed in place and cannot be moved. Do you have such a heart, reader?

 

T

HIS is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you17 These things I command you, that ye love one another18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning(John 15:12-27)

 

Sermon

            We all have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of us are locked in a relationship of belligerence and war with Christ. Some are in a very casual and ineffectual relationship. But these kinds of relationships do not gain for us the favor and grace of God. Our relationship with Christ must be that of a friend, a brother of sister, a servant, and a soldier under His High Command.

 

            What relationship do you enjoy with Christ? Is it effectual and worthy of His favor and love? This is the most important questions of life. Do we not just know of Christ, but do we know Him as a friend, brother, Lord, and Savior? 

 

            In the 12th Chapter of the Gospel of St Matthew, we see Jesus preaching and teaching the multitudes when His mother, brothers and sisters came and stood without the gate to speak with Christ. 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. (Matthew 12:46-47) There is some suggestion in this incident to shed light on the spiritual relationship that the immediately family, including His mother, had with Jesus. Yes, He was their brother and her Son in a corporeal sense, but not necessarily a spiritual affinity to all that Christ taught. We do not see His mother, Mary, following hard after the disciples to hear the preaching of her Son. She was more concerned, as a mother, for His physical welfare than the seemingly troublesome Gospel He was preaching. 

 

 The next actions of Christ reveal a great deal about the proper spiritual relationship we should have with Him: 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.  (Matt 12:48-50) The close relationships of Christ are those who hear and do the will of the Father – PERIOD. By implication, the immediate corporeal family of Jesus did not fit into this scenario. It may have been after the crucifixion and resurrection before His mother, Mary, came to know the full magnitude of who her Son truly was. The appearing of the Great Angel Gabriel seemed almost like a dream of ages past to poor Mary.

 

Now we come to the occasion of the text for today.  We are given three factors of the work of God that are relevant to the text – The conditions of Relationship in Christ, The Comfort to be enjoyed even under the World’s Persecution, and the Work of the Holy ghost and of the Apostles.

 

The Condition that must be met:

Jesus lays out the one condition that establishes our Election in Christ and sustains that Election: it is the simple four-letter word – LOVE! It bears such a heavy weight as His royal Commandment that it is the one Commandment upon which all others have their foundation. It is, in brief, a Circle of Love: God loved us before we loved Him. We love him, because he first loved us(1 John 4:19) We owe God a DEBT of Love. Now, to qualify that love that we have reciprocated to the Father, we must love those others who likewise love the Lord. It is the very BANNER of Love under which the people of God march, and there must be a mutual love of all who march under that BANNER12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

We use the term love a bit too casually in our day. We claim to love chocolate ice cream, dogs, horses, roses, etc.; but that is not love. Who would die for an ice cream (though I am tempted)? Or a dog? Or a rose? Love is an overruling sentiment that dictates all else of our being. We certainly WILL die for that which we love. Christ did, and so should we if the circumstances warrant. If we say we love our fellow Christians, do we? Do we love them as we are commanded to do by Jesus? And how does Jesus say we should love each other? Just as He has loved us and gave His life for us. That is not a casual love, is it? He tells us of that great love in Verse 13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. This is the standard of love required. Do you have it?

 

Comfort to be had even in the Persecution of the World

The athlete who survives a particularly bruising game of football, or the ballerina who suffers a ruined performance that deprived her of the crown, may take a particular pride in duty well performed as God has given them the Light to do so. Persecution of the world takes an even more somber aspect of injustice. Though we may have conducted our lives with greater righteousness than can be humanly expected, yet we suffer an injustice of being punished for doing good. Such an injustice can be overwhelming to those of little faith; but to those whose faith is grounded on the solid Rock, there is an immense consolation in being unjustly tortured and beaten. The satisfaction comes from the sure knowledge that we have, indeed, taken up our cross and followed Christ – all of the way! Christ’s counsel rings loud and clear: 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause

 

            It is interesting to note the reciprocity of sentiment expressed by Christ in His discourse. God loved us first; therefore, we are able to love Him. On the other hand, the world hated Christ first; therefore the world hates us as well. There is unity of both camps. The hate of the world is united against Christ and His people while the Kingdom of God is united under that banner of love discussed earlier. All of the work of a servant is truly the work of his master. It is the will of the master that is operative in the labors of the many servants of the household. If the master is well loved among the community, the servants will be identified with that love as well. If the master is treacherous, his servants will be treated as treacherous. Whatever praise or ridicule belongs to the master will be visited on the servant. But one wayward servant does not cast dispersions on the master. Christ is our Master. It is His Person represented by every member of His household. But the estate is called by His name and not ours. 

 

            The enemy on the battlefield neither knows, nor desires to know, the name of the common soldier of the line; but you can be assured that they desire to know, and DO know, the name of their Field Commander against whose mind they plan their assaults. Christ is the Captain of our Soul. Wherever He is hated, you will be hated too. If they show no mercy to our Leader, do you suppose they will be more respectful of his followers? To be hated by the world without a cause may bring no comfort at all; however, when we are persecuted for Christ’s sake, we can know that He is aware and loves us the more.

 

The work of the Holy Spirit, and of the Apostles

The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, is sent to open our eyes to  the Beauty of the Lord. He reveals truth to us that we may know in our heads, but NOT in our hearts. You will note that the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to “testify” of Christ. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you(John 14:26) The Lord has given us a reading assignment that will be our food for learning by way of the Holy Ghost. We note that the Holy Ghost is sent by the Father in the name of Christ. We further note that the Holy Ghost will teach us all things of which we may have read in Scripture, but not understood. We also note that the Holy Ghost will “bring all things to our REMEMBRANCE.” How can we be reminded of something in Holy Scripture if we have not even taken the trouble to have read or studied it in the first place? We have a somber duty here to perform. As good soldiers, we must take our training, bear our weapons, and don our armor. Dare any of us to go into the heat of battle bearing no arms or wearing no armor of defense?

 

             In conclusion of our message, we must again consider our relationship to Christ. Are we His friend as He is our friend? Do we love Him as He first loved us? Are we the ones who hear and obey the Commandments of the Christ? “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” Have we done?  Without grace, we could not have chosen Christ, for it was He who chose us long before we even knew Him. If we are the children of God, and God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, are we not likewise brothers and sisters of Jesus? “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Now, once more, please ask yourself the question: What is MY relationship to Jesus Christ?

Seventh Sunday after Trinity– 31 July 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

S

URELY he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD(Psalm 112:6-7)

 

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

 

The Collect.

 

L

ORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Everlasting Remembrance

     The opening of the Collect (using Gelasius translation) formerly used the honorific: ‘O Lord of Host’ as its introductory opening; however, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer referenced the Lord as described in James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

 

     This Collect asks four things of God which we are incapable of doing ourselves: 

 

1.     Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name; 

2.     increase in us true religion; 

3.     nourish us with all goodness;

4.     keep us. 

 

We can neither receive, nor retain, the love of God’s name without the efficacious working of the Holy Spirit therein. We are helpless to supply a thing of which we can claim no ownership. The love that permeates our hearts is from the overflowing Fountain and Source of Love which is in God through Jesus Christ. Like our bodies, we cannot add a single inch to the stature of our spirits and souls. All of the increase we enjoy in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding comes from that same Source from which the Love of God overflows. Our nourishment is forever from God if it is wholesome and good. We daily partake of the Bread of Heaven given by that Giver of all good things found in the Word of God which is preserved for us as a gift to all who believe. Who is our Keeper? Why, it is the Lord Himself. He is our Good Shepherd to keep us in the good way. He is the Rock of our Salvation to keep us from drifting. He is the Ark into which we flee for salvation in the day of ruin. And He is much more…so much more that we cannot mention all in the scope of a short devotion. Since He is the Word in total, He is also the Author and Giver of Life itself, and the Preserver of Life in Love.

 

     Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. The righteous of the Lord are steady as a well-steered ocean vessel on the seas of life. The Captain knows well the course, and His Compass is true to the North Throne of God. Those who are everlastingly ‘remembered’ by God cannot be moved from that faith and grace which has saved them, and preserved them.

 

     He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. The immovable North Star has long been used by seafaring vessels as a constant reference and guide across the vast oceans. The navigation of the vessel is based on clear vision and physical sight; but there is a means by which the soul of the Christian may be guided in both light and darkness by means of an indwelling compass of the heart. That compass is the Holy Ghost. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee(Isaiah 26:3) 

 

     I hope you will remember the immortal lines of a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, titled GOD KNOWS:

 

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

 Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.

And he replied:

Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. 

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. 

And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

 

     As an illustration of the unseen change in the character of the heart of a Christian when they have received Christ as Lord, I took a metal rod of 36 inch length and oriented it to magnetic north. I also deviated the point to align with the magnetic axis of the earth at the 30 degree parallel. I struck the rod sharply with a hammer. The rod became sufficiently magnetized to attract the needle of the compass to a far greater extent than previous to being so stricken. The object was to demonstrate that there is a fundamental change in the nature of the heart when God comes in through faith and the grace of Christ. Though it is composed of the same cell tissue, it has a different nature following such an experience. I also took metals of various elements and scattered on a table. Those made of iron were attracted immediately to a strong magnet I swung over the table. Those metals of copper and lead remained unmoved. God recognizes His own nature in the natures of the hearts that have been ‘magnetized’ by His Love.

 

     A sailing vessel may weigh many tons. It may carry a large cargo and take on a great draught of water. Its sails are extremely important for they provide the vessel with the means of movement based on prevailing winds. When errors in navigation are discovered, the sails, like our motivations, can be adjusted to correct to a right course. The ship’s structure is also vitally important. It must be made of sturdy materials and its design commensurate to cutting through the blasts and billows of the storm.

 

     But there is one device on the ship that is of far greater importance than the quality of canvas comprising the sails, or the species of timber defining its hull. That device is the magnetic compass. Though the captain of the vessel may use a sextant under clear skies for navigation, it is worthless under a cloudy sky. But the magnetic compass performs under every condition of weather or light. It may temporarily deviate when attracted by a large mass of metal on a passing ship, or by the electrifying impulses of the lightning from a storm, but it will always move back to magnetic north. That magnetic compass is so very similar to our Conscience, guided by the Holy Spirit, with which God has equipped us. It may be attracted temporarily to the passing things of this world; or it may deviate from true course briefly in the storms of life; but it will always return to its true reading and point the way to safe harbor of the soul.

 

     When our hearts are fixed and trusting in the Lord, we may waver at moments of temptation. But that will only be a rare and temporary deviation.  Our hearts, as did David’s and Peter’s, return to the true course of our love and safety in Christ. A heart whose foundation is that Rock of Christ is stayed and immovable. It may shake with the blast of ill winds against its walls, but it is fixed in place and cannot be moved. Do you have such a heart, reader?

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Look unto Me – 30 July 2022, Anno Domini

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OOK unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else

 

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ND as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life(John 3:14-15)

 

The tragedies and themes revealed in Holy Writ are often mimicked in such classical works as those of Shakespeare, especially in the play of MacBeth. Lady Macbeth, complicit in the murder of King Duncan, is tortured by a growing and uncontrollable guilt. She discovers an imaginary (?) blood spot on her hand and is obsessed by her guilt. She washes, repeatedly, those hands complicit in the shedding of innocent blood – the blood of King Duncan. She declares, ‘Out damn spot!’ but she declares that the stain of murder will not leave her tortured hand and heart. The guilt will not go away any more easily as that of Pontius Pilate who washed his hands of the guilt of betraying another great King – the King of Kings – Jesus Christ. She is beset by the most gruesome nightmares. And like Judas, her guilt eventually destroys Lady MacBeth in self-murder. The sinner is incapable of undoing his guilt – only Christ can do that!

 

Lady MacBeth was wrong about the blood spot – there is One who is able to wash away the guilt and grant mercy to the broken and contrite heart. Unfortunately, this is never the resort of the prideful wicked. I like the words of the old Gospel hymn, What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus. Truer words were never written by man, but they simply echo the deep meaning of the Gospel of Christ!

 

The Great Red Dragon of the Revelation of John is not of recent or future consideration only. He was in Eden as the Serpent of the Tree, and has been the great liar and deceiver of all nations and peoples since. His one goal is to destroy the man that God had made. This he will do, if possible, by casting aspersions on the Word of God, on the Holy Estate of Matrimony between one man and one woman, of glorifying perversions of every imagination, of trying to give legitimacy to the murder of the most innocent among us (our children), of justifying needless and endless wars, of famine, disease, and chaos!

 

We are to look unto Christ for the healing balm and redemption made available in His blood sacrifice at Calvary! When Israel rebelled in the Wilderness, God sent deadly and fiery serpents (known by the French Foreign Legionnaires as, fer de lance, lance of fire) and gave specific instruction to Moses that pointed to the greater healing of the disease of sin. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived(Numbers 21:8-9) The brazen serpent was actually an antitype of the Serpent of Eden – it had no poison (sin) to harm, only to heal. That pointed to the sinless Christ on the cross for our sins. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

 

Had the healing mercies of Christ been made known to Lady MacBeth, her life would not have ended in pain, suffering and eternal tragedy. By His stripes are we healed. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed(Isaiah 53:5)

 

Every reader of this devotion, and its author as well, is at least as guilty as Lady MacBeth. We have blood on our hands though we wielded not the butcher’s hand directly. We have sinned in our silence and in our hearts and minds against evil in our day. We cannot wash away the stain, but the Lord is merciful to forgive and to restore if we, as a nation and people, pray, repent, and turn from our evil machinations. 

 

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OR even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:21-23)

 

Let us each Look unto Christ!

Friday, July 29, 2022

The Strong Man – 29 July 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

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HEN a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:" 22 "But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils." 23 "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." (Luke 11:21-23)

 

            Make no mistake, Satan is the very personification of evil and his approaches are full of deception and hate for the righteous. In fact, he even hates his own who serve him and will destroy them if able. He promises that which he has no power to give, and gives that which is only spoiled goods. 

 

            There is a grave danger in studying too much of the Devil for we leave ourselves open to a near sympathetic and listening ear as did Eve at Eden. But "Take my yoke upon you, and LEARN OF ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." (Matthew 11:29)

 

            A few years ago, I had a neighbor, the widow of a prominent physician of our town, who began a Bible study in her home. She began as a biblically sound Baptist and ended up a complete nervous wreck in the end. What led to this lady’s ruined faith? Her study group decided to take up the study of Satan and his tactics. Their motive was not one of wicked imagination, but of a desire to learn more about Satan so as to be enabled to defend against him. The Gospel was mostly excluded from this study, and the results were horrific. 

 

            The group began to fear that Satan was after them. They became fearful of going outdoors. The lady I referenced above called me one day to check her phone – in those days it was only a landline. She believed that Satan, or his fellows, had tapped her phone. I had an instrument that would reveal if her phone was tapped, and it was not; but nothing would convince the lady of that. I tried to get her to pray with me for release from these terrifying fears, but she would have none of it. Such prayers would anger Satan and he would double his efforts to destroy her, she thought. A year later, the lady disappeared and no one has been able to find out where she went. She may have believed that Satan was limited by geography and she fled to a distant state still ruled by fear and dismally dark imaginations – much like Jonah in believing he could flee from the presence of God.

 

            Evil knows no geographical limits, but neither does the power of God to overrule every deception and wicked object of that Prince of Darkness. 

 

            Our leading text has been used to suggest a justification for the right of self-defense, and that may be concluded from the principle stated; however, it is much more expansive than that! The natural home of the devil is in the hearts and minds of those who belong to his rule. The incorrigibly wicked are his favorite servants to maim, rape, murder and commit every perversion known to mankind. When the devil resides in the heart of the sinner (and he does in every habitual sinner’s heart), the man is helpless to rid himself of the shackles of that demonic rule. Satan is strong behind the bulwarks of wicked desire and greed. No mortal can evict him from the heart of the sinner – that is his PALACE. 

 

            There is no righteous decision that can lead a man to accept Christ while he is dead in trespasses and sin, and controlled by that sinister power of Hell. The sinner is helpless to do anything to rid himself of his sinful nature encouraged and informed by Satanic forces. But there is One who is far stronger than Satan – the Lord Jesus Christ. When He enters the heart to abide in it as His Temple, the devil is evicted and wanders aimlessly seeking another soul to inhabit. The child born of God is no longer subject to condemnation.

 

             Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” When Christ enters the heart through the grace and mercy of His Holy Spirit, there can be no room for the Prince of the Air. He is vanquished, bag and baggage. Christ is strong and able to keep that which the Father has committed unto His care.

 

            The key for the Christian is not to study the devil, but study the Gospel! The Gospel provides the armor and strong walls to defend the Garden of the Heart. Satan is a counterfeit. He poses as an Angel of Light, and so do his ministers who may profess Christ while following their father the Devil just as many of the Jewish leaders did. The Gospel conveys knowledge and wisdom, and knowledge and wisdom of our loving Savior builds the bricks of love about our hearts. Love dispels all fear. The bank teller does not study counterfeit money, but handles the genuine currency so much day-by-day that he cannot be deceived by the counterfeit. This principle holds true for the devout Christian. “Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)