First Things – 5 March 2020, Anno Domini

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HICH of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? ²⁸  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: ²⁹  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ³¹  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ³²  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. ³³  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.    (Matthew 6:27-33)

            

            The most important concerns of life are the ‘First Things.’ As the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, has said, The journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step. (Circa 500 BC) Beginnings are important since it places us on the path of our endings, or destination. Though it is important to finish our race strongly, we could never do so without training, planning and conditioning – and we must run with perseverance (and in the proper direction).

            For almost forty years, I trained or supervised the training of military pilots. The first thing that I taught the new pilot involved the approach to the aircraft every day before preflight. I tried to instill in the mind of the young pilot-to-be that this aircraft could kill you if the first things are not observed. We must plan our flight, learn the capabilities and limits of the aircraft, be aware of whatever contingencies might arise, be alert, and observe every safety precaution. But the first step before flight was to conduct the pre-flight inspection. We must insure that the aircraft is flight worthy and safe. Life is the same way. Our learning curve begins at birth. From that point on until maturity, we are ‘pre-flighting’ our lives and preparing to launch off on our own.

            The concerns of life are important and preparation must be made for the human needs of the individual. But life is short. It is written in the Book pf James: Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:13-14) Life is only a bleep on the radar screen of life compared with the eternity that follows. And again, we read of the brevity of this temporary existence on earth in Isaiah: The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (Isaiah 40:6-8) I do not quote these verses to create a feeling of despondency, but rather to awaken any who sleep.

            There is a great deal of freedom in flight – unlike travel on the ground, in flight we have a three-dimensional freedom, no roads or highways to confine our movement to two cardinal dimensions. But the duration of our flight is limited by fuel available. Every take-off must have a landing. Hopefully, the number of landings are equivalent to the number of take-offs; however, we may crash and burn if we have not observed the proper preparations and conduct of the flight mission. Life itself is exactly like that. We must make preparation to live life in a manner that enables us to provide for our welfare and to be a benefit instead of an incumbrance upon our fellow man. In flight, we must constantly attempt to maintain precise headings, airspeeds and altitudes. We will never be able to perfectly achieve that perfect state, but we will miss the desired flight conditions by immeasurable proportions if we do not target the perfect. No man can perfectly keep the Law of God, yet, we must honor and obey God with all our heart, mind and body. We will certainly miss the line of perfection, but love for our Lord and fellow man will make up the difference.

            In view of the brevity and vanity of life under the sun, how should we prepare our lives and for what duration? We all must consider our years of old age  2  While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3  In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4  And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; 5  Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6  Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. (Ecclesiastes 12:2-6)  Then falls the curtain of time, and earthly life is no more for us – then what? Have we made the most important preparation – that of  our soul’s eternity? How do we begin? What are the first things?

            The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Psalm 111:10) Every human being born upon the earth must begin by fearing the offended Sovereign – the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were not fearful as children of fire or of water, we may perish in early life. Wisdom is a characteristic of the Christian true believer. He is compelled to Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) The FEAR of the Lord is the beginning, but not the end, of wisdom. The first fears of a righteous Lord and a sinful man are rightly evoked at the thought of our mortality. But when we have come to know the Lord as Father and Redeemer, the nature of our fear changes. Our fear becomes one of fearing to dishonor or bring shame upon our Father in Heaven more than any fearful trembling of His righteous judgment (of which we are no longer condemned).

            Wisdom and knowledge are not the same though related. Knowledge is a matter of knowing facts, figures, outcomes, even biblical truth. But knowledge alone is no guarantor of eternal life. We must have MORE than knowledge – we must be able to employ the knowledge we have gained in wisdom. That is the object of daily Bible study and prayer. We learn of God, but then come to KNOW God as our Father by that study and knowledge through wisdom.

            So, we must, first of all, be SEEKERS of wisdom which leads to the LORD. (Matt 6:33) Diamonds and gold must be mined. These treasures are not liberally broadcast across the earth. Knowing the geological conditions and the manner of cultivation of these resources is first and foremost in importance if we are seeking these. The same is true of the Kingdom of God. We must KNOW the WAY in TRUTH, and then we must EMBARK upon the WAY. If I have an urgent need to travel to Helena, Montana, it is not enough to know the directions of the map – I must reduce that knowledge to action. It is wisdom that will dictate my actions. If I love the Lord. That love is measured in my reverence, praise and worship of Him. It will also be manifested in how well I study of Him and His Word. 

Wisdom and belief begin with preaching, but end in wisdom and learning through study of Holy Scriptures. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:2-3) I will never forget the wise counsel of Bishop Garth Neel at our convention many years ago when we were discussing the minutiae of our worship. It was an endless endeavor, but Bishop Neel said, The first and most important thing is to keep the MAIN THING, the MAIN THING. And so must we. Once we have been drawn by the silent working of the Holy Spirit through preaching, let us then go to that Spring of Living Waters and drink from the Source itself instead of downstream from the herds of men and animals who have dirtied the waters. We have an obligation to share that wisdom granted by study with others. Who would not warn his fellow travelers that the bridge is out ahead?

The most important consideration in personal hygiene is to eat or drink no contaminated elements. The heart itself is contaminated with sin. But God cleanses the inner vessel first, and at last, the outward man. Purge me with hyssop (a purgative to cleanse the intestinal canal), and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (the outward man will appear sparkling clean). (Psalm 51:7)

Have you addressed the first, and most important, things?

God of Abundance – 4 March 2020, Anno Domini

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HICH of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? ²⁸  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: ²⁹  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ³¹  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ³²  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. ³³  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ³⁴  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.   (Matthew 6:27-34)

            

If we were to render an accounting of the blessings of God, we would necessarily be compelled to label them an ABUNDANCE. An Abundance in all that we see, possess, feel, and know. He is the God of abundance in every detail of value. I will post just a few ways in which our God is a God of Abundance.

            

Grace

His grace is abundant in saving to the uttermost: Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25) He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and is the owner of all the earth and heavens. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:19-21) Grace to the Elect is a free gift but let us remember that it cost our Father much treasure in its purchase by His only Begotten Son. 7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) Grace is infinitely abundant in Christ.

            

Pardon

His authority, power, and will to pardon is ABUNDANT. ⁶  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: ⁷  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7) In the legal sense, a pardon is only issued to correct some iniquitable application of law, but the pardon Christ offers is for the washing of the soul and redemption from committed and contrived sins. His forgiveness is always far greater than our sins.

            

Satisfaction

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8  They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalm 36:7-9) Are you abundantly satisfied in Christ? If you are not, you should do some soul-searching for something has eclipsed your Light from Him. As David has said, at the prospects of the resurrection: 15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. (Psalm 17:15)  Any man who has Christ and many riches has no more than that man who has Christ alone! Christ is our All-In-All!

            

Peace

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.(Philippians 4:7) The peace that Christ gives is beyond our understanding we simply rest in the radiance thereof. True peace is not an absence of clamor and confusion around about us – it is a deep-seated peace of the heart where man nor beast can enter in to disrupt. A wealthy philanthropist once made a public offer for an art competition with a sizeable reward. The object: paint a work that would most perfectly depict true peace. Many entries were made and many were technically and artfully extraordinary, but the contest boiled down to only two entries – one was a painting of a beautiful green hillside with sheep peacefully grazing on the pastures. Butterflies graced the flowers. The second painting was of a raging waterfall behind the gushing rapids of which was a sprig that grew out from the slope behind. On the sprig was a bluebird nesting contentedly on her nest seemingly oblivious to the noise and thunder of the falls. Which painting do you believe won the prize? Does true peace depend on the outward environs, or is it the solitude of the gentle heart committed to Christ?

            

Life

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10) Can life in Christ be any more abundant than eternal life? 15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15) Let me see, how can we add ten years of life to eternity? You are correct – impossible for eternity is all there is, but always more than anything space, time, or matter could add.

            

Joy

That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. (Philippians 1:26) There are times when the committed Christian will reflect on the infinite mercy and grace that has drawn him to the Throne of God – sometimes kicking and screaming. He then cannot help but be filled with a joy that exceeds every human expectation. There is an expression in Mark that may best describe the enormity of joy: 20  And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21  And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself. (Mark 3:20-21) The implication here is that our Lord Jesus was beside Himself or out of His head because of the risks He took; but the joy of Christ always appears to be a disorder to those whose minds are disordered by fear, doubt, sin, and malice. Even our close friends may be bewildered at the change Christ will make in a convert.

            

Power

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (Colossians 1:9-11)  There is no power that exists outside of the Person of the Triune Godhead. All of Creation was spoken into existence by Him. Not only was Space and Matter created by Him, but the scope of Time as well. Time means nothing in comparison to eternity. It is for this reason that our Lord is the eternal I Am without limit of past, present, or future. We, too, can enjoy that characteristic if we be found in Him when the last Trump sounds. 18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18) All POWER means there is no power outside that given to our Lord. He is Omnipotent – All-Powerful! He has the GRACE to forgive; the Authority to PARDON; the nature of granting complete SATISFACTION; the PEACE that is beyond any comprehension of the term in natural Creation; and in Christ we find LIFE eternal for He is LIFE - all who have Christ have that life eternal. 

            

Not only does the believer have these abundances, but they also KNOW, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, that they possess these benefits in Christ our Lord. Do you know, reader?

Hymns of the Church – Pass me not, O Gentle Savior – 3 March 2020, Anno Domini

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ND Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, ³⁴ And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. (Luke 10:30-35)

            It is difficult to believe that I have not written about this beloved hymn before, but am told it is not in my collection. This deeply spiritual hymn is another masterpiece by the remarkable Fanny Crosby – what a tremendous impact has her beautiful heart strings had upon the development of hymnology! Mrs. Crosby composed the hymn in 1868, and William H. Doane (a remarkable hymnist in his own right) composed the music for the hymn in 1870. This hymn has proven its virtues among the greatest ever written and will endure until our Lord returns, and was another favorite of my mother. Both Crosby and Doane passed away in 1915.

Pass me not, O Gentle Savior

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,

Hear my humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

Refrain:

Savior, Savior,

Hear my humble cry,

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

Let me at Thy throne of mercy

Find a sweet relief;

Kneeling there in deep contrition,

Help my unbelief.

Trusting only in Thy merit,

Would I seek Thy face;

Heal my wounded, broken spirit,

Save me by Thy grace.

Thou the spring of all my comfort,

More than life to me,

Whom have I on earth beside Thee,

Whom in Heav’n but Thee.

            There is one form of plagiarism that is, indeed, praiseworthy – and that is the plagiarism of the truth and beauty of God’s Holy Word. Fanny Crosby accomplishes this object commendably in all her writings. She captures the beauty and meaning in such simple, yet profound, ways. The leading line of this hymn is the strong desire expressed by every Lord-seeking heart, Pass me not, O Gentle Savior.

            Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by. Fanny may have gotten the seed-thought of this first line from Genesis 18 in which the Lord appeared to Abraham on the Plains of Mamre: And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. (Genesis 18:3) But the sentiment is strongly repeated throughout Holy Writ. An old man sat by the dusty thoroughfare begging of the passersby. He was blind from youth (as was Fanny) and required friends and family to bring him to that dusty road every day. The greater physical beauty of God’s Creation escaped the observance of this gentle old fellow. He had sat for years in this place barely receiving enough to buy his bread. The sun was hot, and the day long and tiring for him. But when the Lord Jesus Christ passed his way, Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) could not restrain himself from calling out to the Lord for Mercy. Those flocking Christ could not dissuade this man from crying out for our Lord was his only hope of remedy for his condition. Neither could the Lord be restrained from stopping and calling unto Bartimaeus. It is the old, old story of the salvation of souls. Our Lord will never pass by any who call upon Him in response to the urging of the Holy Spirit.

            Let me at Thy throne of mercy Find a sweet relief; Kneeling there in deep contrition, Help my unbelief. Faith comes not from any merit or virtue on our part, but is a gift of the Holy Ghost. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8) Being dead in trespasses and sins, we could not call upon the Lord without the Spirit’s beckon. We come in ‘deep contrition’ and scarcely knowing if His grace is sufficient to cover our sins – but it certainly IS! God plants His sweet words of such savory fragrance as to revive our dead souls and turn them to the open door of our worldly tomb.

            Trusting only in Thy merit, Would I seek Thy face; Heal my wounded, broken spirit, Save me by Thy grace. Just as was blind Bartimaeus, we were blind to see the face of Christ until we had been granted the privilege to see and know Him. We were all blind before the brilliant beams of the Holy Spirit entered the dark chambers of our hearts revealing those effulgent beams of love and truth. We had no merit, no virtue, no worthiness – until Christ imputed His righteousness on those whom He foreknew and loved before the foundations of the world.

            Thou the spring of all my comfort, More than life to me, Whom have I on earth beside Thee, Whom in Heav’n but Thee. He is the very Spring of Life whose thirst-quenching waters impart life eternal unlike the brief satisfaction of the muddied waters of the wadi’s of the world. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13) The cisterns of the world hold no water to quench the thirst of the Christ-hungry heart. The decadent music even in churches, the easy-believism being preached from America’s pulpits, and the perverse values of a society gone to the weeds will not satisfy the depth of hunger of the heart. We have none on earth who could love us like our Lord. We have no love which can grant such eternal bliss as our Lord. We have no Advocate who will stand with us without charge while bearing our own guilt on His broad shoulders. He is our High Priest here and now, and our High Priest who is forever our Intercessor and Advocate with the Father in Heaven. We have no one but Christ – and we need no other!

Refrain

Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry, While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by. Just as Bartimaeus did not cease calling to the Lord after the first attempt, neither should we. The earnest of our hearts’ desire is measured in perseverance. Savior, Savior! is the cry of the wounded man by the wayside; of the blind Bartimaeus; of the ten lepers; and of the Syro-Phoenician mother. His is our last true hope; and, incidentally, forever our ONLY hope. We see others being called by grace and faith to the Lord and wonder, Why has He not called me? That calling is solely the discretion of the Lord, and His time of calling will always be the perfect time – whether as we are perishing beside Him on a cross at Calvary, sinking into the turbid waters of the Galilean Sea, or counting the tax at the table of the publican. Keen ears are made to hear His Voice and respond without delay at the moment of His calling. Even, as the baby lamb, we may linger behind and find ourselves lost in the wilderness of passed transgressions, His Voice is clear and certain, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:22) Don’t linger with the dead corpse of your passed damnation, ARISE in Christ and be made new. Hear His Voice calling you back to the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

AOC Sunday Report - First Sunday in Lent

Happy First Sunday in Lent!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE!

Bishops Jerry and Roy are back from South America. We have great sermons from them, as well as from Revs Jack and Bryan.

There are a lot of people that need your prayer this week, that's nothing usual unusual, please start with Bob and work out from there.

There's a really great week ahead but you will not find it without the help of the Holy Ghost!  Look to that Third God Guy for guidance to find the week you are looking for.

Godspeed,

Hap
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California

Sermon Notes - First Sunday in Lent - Saint Andrews Anglican Church - 1 March 2020, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

The First Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

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 LORD who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:

The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.

The Collect.

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LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.

The Holy Gospel

Matt 4:1-11

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HEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

            The Collect for today aptly points out the cardinal principle of Lent – a time to abstain from the excess in material blessings to which we have become so accustomed in order to focus on that Passover sacrifice which Christ made of us on Good Friday. A staff officer to General Robert E. Lee once asked, "General, how oft ought a man to fast from eating?" to which General Lee responded, "If a man will but fast from his sins, he may eat what he pleases." Simple enough, but who is able to keep that fast from sins? The Collect reveals not only that we should fast from time to time, but also it informs that our fast is personal and not public. Holiness is a personal quality and not one of which we should boast. Once we begin to boast to others of what we forego during fast, we have lost whatever blessing God would grant and have opted for the reward of a good opinion from our fellows. I urge each of us to read the Gospel for Morning Prayer today from Matthew 6:1-16 for a deeper understanding of Christ's counsel on fasting and the means by which we are to keep our fast secret as we do our personal prayers. In this way, we will avoid the sin of the Pharisee in boasting of his better worth than the publican at the Temple.

            We see in the Gospel text how our Lord was driven into the Wilderness to be tempted. He did not willingly place Himself in the way of temptation, but the Spirit led Him there for a purpose. He was thereby subject to every temptation to which the flesh is heir so that He could be an example in the flesh of every human challenge. The temptation was greater for Christ since He could have remedied His misery in the wilderness by the simple utterance of a Word.

            So now is the time to enter upon the Lenten Season with earnest. Is it a time of sorrow and remorse? Yes, it is such a time. But it is also a time of deep love and joy that you are so much loved that a Personage so great as the only Begotten Son of God loves you so much as to die such a horrible and humiliating death for you. As the Epistle for today reads: ….behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation;) giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.  (2 Cor 6:2b-10) Do we even imagine what riches are made available to us through the privileges merited for us by Christ?

            Being covenanted as infants into the Kingdom of Heaven through Baptism, many of us may not recall that work of grace performed on our behalf; however, did we not seal those promises and that grace at the time of our Confirmation? In the years of our lives before Confirmation (or even adult baptism) did we not grow in, as did Jesus from twelve years of age, wisdom and favor with God? And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. (Luke 2:52)

            Today's Gospel from St Matthew IV: 1-11 contains some cardinal truths that should aid us in keeping a Christian witness as well as in overcoming temptation.

1)         We must remember that Christ was forever sinless though subject to temptation just as you or I. Could Jesus have sinned? Of course, Jesus COULD have sinned, had He succumbed to temptation, else there could have been NO temptation to sin. But Jesus did not sin, though tempted in every way as you and I are tempted. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Heb 4:15) So how did Christ OVERCOME temptation? This we shall learn from today's text. If you have read it thoughtfully, you will already have discovered the Approach Christ took to temptation.

2)         We should note, secondly, that, though Christ was forever without sin, His ministry did not begin until the moment of His Baptism in Jordan Waters.  Following John's Baptism of Christ, confirmed and attested by the Voice of God and the Holy Ghost, there was a great CHANGE in the direction of His life. This was the point in time that the ministry of Christ began in earnest. The Holy Trinity, it will be acknowledge, was present at the Baptism of Christ just as with your own. Baptism and confirmation in the Gospel of Christ should result in a change of our behaviors. Has it done in your life?

3)         We must, thirdly, observe that the same Holy Spirit that witnessed the Baptism and glorious recognition of God of Christ was the same which drove Christ into the wilderness (a place of private fasting). Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil The day that we agreed, with our eyes open, to follow Christ was a wonderful day in our lives and one which was worthy of celebration, was it not? At that hour, did not the Holy Spirit attest to us in our heart of the greatness of our calling in Christ? But, that same Spirit will, at times, drive us into the Wilderness of our Christian walk. Like Job, we shall undergo want and testing. If we falter not, we shall overcome to the joy of the angels in Heaven.

4)         Can we agree that the Wilderness of life can be a place of great want. When our souls and our flesh are in great want, we are made our weakest. When is it that Satan considers the moment most opportune to tempt us? At our moments of weakness. So he tempted Christ when He was in want of bread and water. You will note that Satan did not approach Christ at the beginning, or at the middle of His forty days and nights, but at the end of that period when Christ would have been most susceptible to temptation. So Satan deals with us. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him….." Satan knows you. He watches day and night. He knows your moments of weakness, and he strikes at those moments whether it be moments of great loneliness, sickness, financial loss, or even success and opulence. He cannot read your heart as does God, but he has witnessed your actions. He will always come to you in the Wilderness as well as on the high mountain.

5)         Fifthly, we must note Satan loves to initiate his temptation with a question. Yea, hath God said… (Gen 3:1) Absolute truths have never been Satan's strongholds, but if he can only create doubt and question, then he knows he is on fertile ground to turn our hearts from righteousness. As Satan approaches Christ, he opens his deleterious argument with a cunning question: "If thou be the Son of God." There was no question in Satan's mind as to whom he was speaking, but the "if" is uttered to tempt the pride of Jesus. "IF" you are the Son of God, PROVE IT! Pride is the devil's axe handle. So Satan loves to create doubt and question. When you have served God faithfully, and the storms of life descend, and thunder booms down from Heaven in response to your prayers, do you not wonder, "Does God really care for me? If so, why do I suffer, as did Job, these terrors?" When you ask the question, you are simply falling for Satan's trap.

6)         Please observe with me how Christ handles the temptation of Satan: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Christ is literally famished for hunger. Bread would be such a delight at this moment, but not at the terrible cost Satan would exact. So Christ is tempted three times during this confrontation. What is the common thread that runs through all three responses of Christ? IT IS WRITTEN! When this nine-tailed fox confronts you with a question, where can you find the answer for his question? In God's Word – IT IS WRITTEN! This was the response of Christ in all three temptations of the Adversary. When men and society tempt us to compromise on lifestyles and values, where do we find the answer for our retort? The Bible!  It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. No we do not live by bread alone, but the Bread of Heaven! We cannot pick and choose which counsel of God to obey. We must obey ALL of God's counsel! We live "…by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Any questions Mr. High Churchman? Any questions, Higher Critics? Any questions, revisers of God's Word (NIV, NASB, ESV, TEB, etc)? But couldn't we accommodate those two men who wish to be in a "meaningful relationship?" What saith God's Holy Word throughout both Old and New Testament – it is abomination before the Lord! So what of abortion for the sake of saving a young unwed mother a lot of grief? What of God's counsel against adultery, or murder? Shall we obey God or man?

7)         It must be known by the people of God that Satan not only twists Scripture, but also quotes it accurately at times with a twisted meaning. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Please note the correct quote of Psalms 91:11-12.  How many devils have we in the pulpit today doing the devil's service by misapplication of Scripture via the name-it-and-claim-it so-called gospel? In this particular instance, Satan is tempting, not only Christ, but God the Father as well. Have you ever tempted God"  "O, Lord, if you are truly there, please give me this one desire of my heart." Does this prayer not tempt God to prove Himself. If we pray in such a manner, it is likely that God will, indeed, prove Himself; but in a way that we would rather He not do.  7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Even the Son of God did not tempt the Father, and neither should we!

8)         In the next passages, in the final temptation, we learn that Satan will promise ANYTHING – even that which he is unable to deliver – to cause us to sin. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. If we lose our souls to the devil, does it even matter if we inherit the kingdoms of this world, and even if Satan cannot deliver them? For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt 16:26 (KJV) There is no quicker, or surer, way to lose your soul than to bend the knee to Satan. With the loss of soul goes all other possessions (including kingdoms). 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

9)         What did we learn from this last temptation of Christ is the Wilderness Fast? Even good friends, such as the disciple Peter, may act and speak the devil's part. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23) Our very best friends are capable of tempting us as Satan does. Whether spoken by friend or foe, we must rebuke the devil's temptations with the Word of God. We learn also from this last temptation that the Christian is sanctified, by and by, by the Word of God. He grows stronger in the face of temptation. The devil values his time highly for he is anxious to find other souls to lead astray.  If we constantly rebuke him with the Word of God, he will finally give up this moment of temptation and come to us less often to tempt us.  

10)      10 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. The devil will leave off tempting those who stand staunchly by the Word of God. Then what? God will comfort us in the joy of our faith.So we have learned from Christ today that there is a time given over for private (wilderness) fasting. The Wilderness is just as much of God as is the Green Pastures. We learn further that the devil will always come to us in our times of stress and need. We learned that he loves to cause doubt and question in our hearts. We learned that we are defenseless before Satan unless we resort to that mighty Sword of the Lord – His Word. And finally, we learned that every time we resist temptation, we grow stronger – so much so that each succeeding temptation becomes less of temptation to us, and the devil will tempt us less as a result. 

How about you, friends, are you very often tempted, or have you discovered that temptations come less often when you rebuke the devil to his face with God's Word?

First Sunday in Lent

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:

… Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory …

In the Collect, we ask God to help us change our natural evil tendencies so we can live life here His way and honor His wishes so we can be truly happy.  Without His help, we end up with what we want, not what we need.  Lent is the time in which we focus on fighting our sinful selves and working with the Holy Ghost to reconcile us with what God wants for us. What we want is not the same as what we need. We are asking him to help us fight our human nature and follow His divine nature, we are attempting to replace our nature with that of God’s. It is a long and difficult road we must travel, doing this, but we are going to be much happier in the long run if we at least do our best. Do or do not, there is no try, Yoda is quoted as saying, and I find it applicable here and in my own life. We have to act, not just say we are going to act, but we must physically perform ACTIONS!

                                 

Want and Need; two words, used interchangeably in both our speech and thought that do not mean the same thing.  Think about that!

Following the thought of the Collect, Paul asks us to be worthy of the grace God has given us.  He tells the people when they needed him, He was there.  Following his example, we need to be there for those around us.  We must not frustrate God’s work by showing up late, or not at all. It all goes back to Jesus’ saying, No man can serve two masters. We have to make a choice in this life and decide whom we are to serve, God or the Devil, and then act on it.  Our life as a Christian depends on our actions here on Earth. Our actions here on earth reveal who we truly serve God or Satan. The Holy Ghost will help us guide us towards actions that serve God, but we have to let Him into our hearts.

There is only one good choice for us and that is to serve God, of course. Paul is advising people they can’t simply hold a position between the two, for there is no middle ground here. We have to be on one side or the other. It is a constant truth that we will always be largely outnumbered in this world by the enemies of God.  

It goes along with the saying, The best defense is a good offense. So, too, is it in this hostile world. While spreading the Word we need to be always going on the offense, spreading it to those who have not heard it. We have to always keep moving, or else we will be overrun by the Forces of Satan. We have to do this by doing actions that are consistent with His Word and show that we truly believe in Him and not just say we do.

In this life, we are constantly being evaluated by those around us and also God. He is watching us to see how we perform with the talents He has given us. It is truly is a hard battle we are fighting, against the forces of wickedness, of the Devil, all across the globe.  To paraphrase Winston Churchill, we must never never never ever give up in the battle against the forces of darkness. We are on the side of the Word, of the Light and in the end we will prevail.

Our actions will reflect whom we truly serve,  God or the Forces of Satan. Which side will you serve? You in the end have to choose one side or another. Pick the winning side now, which is the Forces of God, and you will have a rich everlasting life. The key to winning this battle for souls is to never ever ever give up and to trust in God and Dread Naught. 

We have been given eternal salvation by Jesus’ sacrifice, the understanding of the Gospel by the Holy Ghost.  We are at this time dying here on earth, yet progressing towards eternal life in the next world, in Jesus’ World, with His help. While we may never be wealthy here on earth, our actions can make our fellow Christians wealthy in spirit beyond measure.  

If you claim to be a Christian, you know what is right.  If you are a Christian, you do what is right, you don’t take a vote to see what the right course of action may be. Doing what is right does not depend on public opinion and we must do the right thing. In fact the public opinion oft times is rather in the wrong; as we can see with many people’s opinions on slavery, homosexual marriage and abortion  today. It does not matter what others’ opinions are, that does not change the universal truth of God and His Message. We will be despised because of the opinions we hold from understanding the Gospel and His Message, from being on the side of righteousness. 

When the Devil attempted to tempt Christ, he showed how little he knows of Him.  If we emulate our Lord, it shows how little the Devil will be able to tempt us with his deceit. If we follow Him we will be able to withstand any temptation that arises as our Lord showed for us in the desert 2,000 years ago. 

Consider how little the Devil really offers you and how much Christ offers, the temptation is ever so much less.  The Devil is often referred to as the Deceiver or Dissimulator.  His forte is deception; he seems to be one thing, but is another.  He offers what he has no intention or ability to deliver. He actually has zero ability to deliver on his large promises, he has no right to give away what is not his! 

The Devil clearly knows Jesus is the Son of God.  There is no doubt in his mind.  So, having understood that, consider what he offers Jesus in temptation.  

Remember, Jesus has fasted 40 days OF HIS OWN CHOICE; now comes the devil daring Him to show His Power by turning the stone into bread.  This to the Son of He who delivered manna daily to the Jews in the wilderness for 40 years.  

Cast thyself down and let angels catch thee; this to He who walked on water.

Up to the mountain lookout – Here is it all yours if you worship me.  This to He, who as it says in Psalm 95:

I

N his hand are all the corners of the earth; * and the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, and he made it; * and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is the Lord our God; * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

The devil promised Jesus nothing that was his to give, nothing that would help Jesus in the real world beyond the Shadowlands.  He never does.  The devil is all about shortcuts.  Remember, if the shortcut was the best way, it would not be a shortcut. The devil will not help us at all in the long run, if you look at things from the eternal perspective. That is what we need to keep in mind every time he tempts us. 

The temptation of Jesus is no different than the Devil’s attempt to tempt us!  The Devil never delivers what we need, only what we, in our imperfection, want.  He can’t understand what we really need, he only knows what we want. This is an advantage we have over him. We understand what we truly need; if we remember it, then holding off against the temptations is easier. Remember as little as the Devil understands of Christ, the same way, as we are in God, so he understands little of us.  He will never offer you real help.  Remember that and the temptation is ever so much less.

Or, as my grandfather said, “Keep your eye on the donut, not on the hole”

There is but one way to heaven.

That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost, use His Power to follow our Lord to God who awaits in heaven.

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