Pride and Prejudice – 7 August 2020, Anno Domini

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 MAN’S pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. (Proverbs 29:23)

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ON of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. (Ezekiel 28:12-19)

            The greatest and most profound contrast in Holy Scripture is that existing between the most humble Savior and the most prideful Satan.

            In the Bible we find two contrasting kinds of pride – one sinful and the other legitimate. It is good for a man to take pride in his work which he has performed well and with a Godly spirit. But the sinful kind of pride is that which takes pride in self alone and not in the God who gave you the talent to perform. Self-righteousness is the evidence of pride.

            When we declare the life-style of others sinful, it must be based upon God’s own word that judges sin and not our own opinion only. If we declare a person unrighteous owing to homosexuality, adultery, lying, treason to church or country, etc., that would not be our judgment we are pronouncing, but that of the Word of God. As Jesus commanded, Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24 

            When we condemn another for judging, we are, in fact, judging ourselves out of pride unless our judgment is supported by humility and Scriptural truth. Please look at the complete comment Jesus made on judging in this 7^th chapter of Matthew: 1. Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matt 7:1) All of my life I have sadly heard this proclaimed by well-meaning ministers and laity without the full explanation of meaning. If we take that verse out of context with the full statement of our Lord, we render the Church sterile and incapable of judging sin and executing church discipline.  Let us look at the full statement: 

            1. Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

            If we have passed beyond the fifth grade English class in reading, we will be able to discern that Christ is not prohibiting judgment, but He is qualifying it to mean ‘righteous’ judgment. If we are blatant sinners of the same kind as those we judge, we are hypocrites and judging ourselves. But what, again, is righteous judgment? There is only One righteous, and that is God. His Word is true, righteous and immutable. When our judgment is based upon what God terms ‘sin,’ the judgment we judge is not ours, but that of God. How long will the church allow itself to be deceived on this point!

            False pride is based upon our own judgments – Holy pride is centered on God and His Word. A father can legitimately be proud of his children who grow up in the nurture of the word and continue on that course as adults.

            The King of Tyrus mentioned in our introductory text from Ezekiel 28 is no less than Satan himself (termed Lucifer in the pre-fall). Though there was truly a King of Tyrus, his character personified that of Satan. The text is primarily about Satan because no earthly man or king could serve as the covering cherub. Lucifer fell from the grace and presence of God due to false pride. Instead of acknowledging his Maker as God, Lucifer was lifted up in his personal self-acclaim to believe he could rise above God. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? (Obadiah 1:3)

           If a Christian is censored from speaking his belief in the reality of sin in another, who shall ever open the eyes of the sinner to his plight! It is the spirit in which judgments are made that are attributed to false pride. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 When God says: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. (Prov 8:13), does this mean that the believer cannot voice that fear and indictment of evil to others?

            Conceit is nothing more than false pride – pride in self! Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. (Prov 26:12)  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14)  Herein is the greatest example of hypocritical pride in the Gospels. But did not our Lord judge the Scribes and Pharisees to be a generation of vipers and children of their father the devil? Yes, He did; yet, our Lord said He judged no man! How is this consistent with the text? It is consistent because Jesus did only the will of the Father and not His own. He judged with the righteous judgment of the Word of God, and we must do the same. It is a sin of commission to judge falsely out of pride; but it is also a sin of omission to fail to judge sin by the Word of God.       

There are two basic types of pride in the Bible, legitimate and sinful. The first swells from appreciation of God’s character and faithful action in our lives. Many of the Psalms praise God for His protection, provision, answer to prayer (Psalm 34:1-7), and unfailing love. When all else falters and fades away, He remains.

For those who persist in denying the authority to judge by the Word of God claiming it to be prideful, please expound upon the following verses: 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? (1 Cor 6:2-5)

Concluding Note

Judgment must be made in humility, knowing that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus was the epitome of humility, yet He pronounced the judgment of God with forceful impact. Even in judging things sinful from the Word of God, to do so proudly and with self-righteous manner is sin itself. We judge in love and truth.  Pride in the things of God is pure praise and worship. Boasting of one’s own accomplishments – even in doing the labor of the church – is sin. If we build the church, it is not God’s Church. If God builds the Church, we have no place to boast.

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.  (Psalm 127:1)

The Transfiguration of our Lord – 6 August 2020 Anno Domini

 

The Transfiguration of Christ.

[August 6.]

The Collect.

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 GOD, who on the mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thine only-begotten Son wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistering; Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may be permitted to behold the King in his beauty, who with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen. 

The Gospel

Matthew 17:1-9

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ND after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. (Matt 17:1-9)

            This event (Transfiguration) is filled with both mystery and symbolism. It is a physical manifestation of a divine and spiritual truth. We note that the chapter begins, “And after six days…” – six days after what? It was six days since, in chapter 16, Jesus had rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan…” when Peter rebuked Christ for his plan to go to Jerusalem and be offered up. Peter spoke out of pure ignorance of the necessity of the event. Christ was not comparing Peter to Satan, but charging that Satan was speaking through Peter. Six days after sharing the terrible news of His coming Passion, the Lord now invites His trusted three witnesses to a mountaintop experience on the peaks of Mt. Hermon.

            These three were the close disciples of Christ. Is there a significance in the three (and not four, or five, or six) being invited? Three witnesses sealed the certainty for the sake of proven testimony in both the Old and New Testament periods. Jesus was about to present a proof of His resurrection before it ever happened. He had just predicted His crucifixion in Chapter 16, now He will lighten the hearts of His disciples with this wonderful observance of His glorified body. The witnesses will stand to testify of the event following the crucifixion. “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.” (Deut 17:6) “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”  (Matt 18:15-16)

            Though this event reveals the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a prophecy as well to the transfiguration of all who are the Elect of Christ. Those who belong to Christ will likewise be transformed at the Last Day into glorious bodies of light. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”  (Matt 13:43)  This mystery cannot be understood by all, for Christ adds the familiar qualification, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Either at the moment of Death, or at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall also be transformed. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor 15:51-55)

            The high mountain probably relates to the snow clad Mt. Hermon, the highest in all the region. This was a confidential sharing in His glory as a witness to His coming resurrection. He took the disciples apart to show them. Sometimes, He takes you and I apart from the crowd to speak to us of things the greater number of disciples may not yet comprehend. But He never reveals anything to us that is not clearly laid out in His Word.

            “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.” Moses had been buried for more than 1400 years, and Elias (Elijah) had been translated without the pains of death more than 900 years earlier. One (Moses) had suffered death; the other (Elias) did not die but saw the coming of the Lord. That represents all to whom Christ now speaks. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” Moses also represented the law, and Elijah represents the prophets – all written in the Law and Prophets fulfilled on that mountaintop experience. The lonely grave of Moses somewhere on Mt. Nebo lies empty today as I pen this devotion. Someday, your grave will likewise lie empty. The Christian, like Christ, needs only a borrowed tomb; and the Christian, like Christ, will someday be changed and transformed into a glorious appearance of light.

            Perhaps out of senseless amazement at this sight, Peter impetuously says: “. . .  Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” Moses and Elijah are here by the power of God, not by their own power or righteousness. Sometimes, men begin to worship their preachers instead of the One who is being preached. They build altars of elaborate buildings for them and forget the Lord whom they profess to worship. They wish to build memorials to fallible men and not Temples to the infallible God. 

            God will settle that issue promptly, but reveal another mystery in the process. “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” This is perhaps the same Glory Cloud that receives Christ at His ascension. It is a Holy Presence that enshrouds and then reveals. God spake from the cloud. He will have no intermediary between Himself and man, except His Son, Christ Jesus. “Hear ye Him!” We may stand in the best of company of ministers and Christian family, but in the end, we all face the Lord Jesus Christ alone. “And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.” When His people are fearful, Jesus always touches us and says, “Be not afraid.” “And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.” Moses represents the Law and could not offer help. Neither could the prophets represented in Elijah – only Christ came and died for our sins! These three disciples were just like the woman taken in adultery who,  after all the charges of her soul’s enemies, stole a glance up and saw no one but Jesus. 

            “And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” This was a mystery reserved, temporarily, only for His trusted disciples – Peter, James, and John. For some reason not revealed to us, the Lord desired that no man knew of this until His offering was accomplished. Perhaps such general knowledge of this event would have stirred up so much opposition to His crucifixion that it would have been difficult to see it through.

            We know from this event that there remain mysteries for which the time is not appropriate for revealing their full meaning to us. There are many mysteries in the Bible that have not been fathomed by the most scholarly of theologians notwithstanding their incessant claims to have grasped it all. One thing we know for certain: Christ was transfigured on the mountain in the presence of three witnesses. He appeared with the Lawgiver, Moses, and the prophet, Elijah. Both the Law and the Prophets were represented. To fully know Christ, we must know all of that which prefigures Him in the Law and the Prophets. And in the final analysis, He is the fulfillment of all that is in the Law and the Prophets. He is the Purpose of those two. We know, too, that all whose names are written in the Book of Life shall be likewise transformed into glistering garments of light at His appearing. Have you checked your wardrobe lately?

With Open Eyes – 5 August 2020 Anno Domini

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HEN the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.   (Numbers 22:31-35)

            Of all five senses, the most important, by far, is that of sight. Some 80% of learning, especially in young people, comes via the media of sight – a picture literally is worth a thousand words. To be blind is great disability to learning. Moreover, the joys of a multicolored sunrise or the blooming of a spring rose goes unnoticed by the blind. Physical blindness is a handicap that must be accommodated both in greater reliance upon the other four senses as well as assistance from others around us. The blind cannot find a new path without another’s assistance. They cannot read popular road signs, and there are no road signs in Braille.

            How similar is this to the spiritually blind! They cannot see God because they are spiritually blind. We are all born that way, more or less. There is no point in losing our patience or anger when others to whom we witness simply cannot see our points of the Gospel. They are BLIND! 

            Those who are physically blind will not simply trust any stranger who comes along – trust must be established before they will trust you to take them to their desired destination. The same is true of the preaching of the Gospel. Shouting, screaming, pulpit pounding, Bible-slapping will avail nothing to the spiritually lost and blind. As our Lord Jesus said, If the blind be leaders of the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Matthew 15:14 As good salesmen of a product, we must be thoroughly knowledgeable and convinced of the quality of the merchandise we market. The same is true of the Christian professor. We must be thoroughly grounded in faith, knowledge and wisdom in evangelization. We must establish trust by our living witness and example. The love must be genuine and unfeigned. Then in love, we teach and preach, share and minister. But the results of our sowing is not our concern in the end – it is the work of the Holy Spirit. Even an illiterate Christian, convinced of the truth of the Gospel he knows, can often lead one to Christ though only by the concurring witness and testimony of the Holy Ghost. We do not need to use a profusion of technical theological terms – just teach as Christ taught in simple language and moderate voice.

            If the intercession of God is required to open the eyes of the pagan prophet, Balaam, He can open the eyes of any lost sinner whom He has chosen from the foundation of the world!

            Do we need proliferation of witnesses to the above point? What of Hagar in the Wilderness? 14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.16 And she went, and sat her down opposite to him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat opposite to him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What disturbs you, Hagar? fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in your hand; for I will make him a great nation.19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. (Genesis 21:14-19)  Note, the well of water was there from the beginning, but Hagar could not see it for her tears – then her eyes were opened and she saw it. The same happens to the lost sinner whose eyes the Holy Ghost opens and gives spiritual vision.

            The eyes of sinners are always opened at some point to the plight of their ways. What of our first parents at Eden: 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Once they had disobeyed the Lord their God, they became intensely aware and ashamed of their sin.

         Similarly, our precious Mary Magdalene (John 20) was blinded by tears at the Garden Tomb until the Lord called her name. And we too, may be blind until we hear the Lord call our name.

            What of our friend Saul who persecuted the Church of God in Acts. He was guilty of the stoning of Stephen and a multitude of other Christians. Yet, he was chosen by God to be a useful tool in His Kingdom. God told Ananias to go to Paul after he had been struck down by the Lord on the Road to Damascus and lay hands on Saul and heal him. Ananias resisted: 9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem: 9:14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on your name. 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 9:16 For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto you in the way as you came, has sent me, that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. (o. pneuma) 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. (Acts 9:13-18) Do you feel that any are so blind as they cannot be made to see the beauty of the Lord when God touches that person? God renamed Saul, Paul – one of the greatest Apostles.

            There is another set of eyes that are always opened and everywhere – the eyes of the Lord: 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9) He KNOWS the Way. He KNOWS the Truth. He KNOWS the LIFE for He is the Giver and Sustainer of Life and no secret is kept from His eyes.

            Who can we follow, even in our limited vision, more trustfully than the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life – and no other can meet that high standard?

            Before we can see, our eyes must be opened. Perhaps we are sleeping along with the greater majority of the Church. We are the Virgins without provision of oil. If we have healthy spiritual eyes, they are useless unless we OPEN them to see the great error prevailing in the Church of today and deceiving many. Certainly, Fanny Crosby had no physical vision, but her spiritual vision surpasses that of the most enlightened Christian who sees primarily with physical vision and clouded spiritual vision.

            The physically blind become more sensitive in other senses to compensate for the lack of vision. So must the spiritually blind resort to diligent study, loving kindness, sacrificial compassion, and prayer to hone the spiritual eyes to see that which escapes the casual bystander.

            The deep, heart-felt yearning to know and love God are the genuine evidence of the presence of the beckoning of the Holy Ghost to your soul. It is not a work of the lost, but of the Spirit. He draws, incessantly, until the Christian fish has been brought to shipboard. 119:18 Open you mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. 119:19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not your commandments from me. Consider all the wonders of God’s wonderful works that escape the eyes and knowledge of the lost, or casual Christian. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you is treasured counsel given by our Lord and Savior. Our search begins with ‘seeking’ and then in ‘knocking’ at the very door of faith – finally we find our Haven of Rest in the Ark of Christ ere the storm devastates all that is left behind of worldly ruin; and we are drawn to that Ark just as surely as the animals that went in unto Noah.

            What of your spiritual eyesight, Friend? Have you measured that vision against the claims of Christ to study and show yourselves approved of God? Perhaps we need regular vision checkups of preaching and hearing to confirm our vision needs no corrective biblical lenses.

Hymns of the Church - I'd rather have Jesus - 4 August 2020, Anno Domini

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ND Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. *19 ¶ And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.  (Exodus 32:15-24)

The Story Behind I'd Rather Have Jesus (quoted from GodTube)

I’d Rather Have Jesus is a song written by Rhea F. Miller with the tune written by George Beverly Shea. This poem, penned in 1922, was left on a piano in the Shea home by Bev Shea who wanted her son to find it and change the trajectory of his life. 

The lyrics, I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS, inspired George so much and conveyed to him about his own goals and ambitions in life. He sat at the piano and began singing them with a tune that seemed to fit the words. Shea’s mother heard him singing and requested him to sing it at church.

George’s life direction did change. He was presented a popular music career with NBC, but years later chose to work with evangelist Billy Graham and sang this hymn around the world.

I could not find any previous commentary on this hymn in my collection, so I trust this is not a repeat.

I’d rather have Jesus

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold; 

I'd rather be His than have riches untold; 

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands. 

I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand

Chorus:

Than to be the king of a vast domain 

Or be held in sin's dread sway. 

I'd rather have Jesus than anything 

This world affords today.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause; 

I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame. 

I'd rather be true to His holy name 

[Chorus] 

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; 

He's sweeter than honey from out the comb; 

He's all that my hungering spirit needs. 

I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead 

[Chorus]

1 I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I'd rather be His than have riches untold; I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand. Where do you place your greatest trust and hope – in your own righteousness, riches, relationships, political power? None of these will suffice for true happiness either in this life or the world to come. Were it not such a serious violation of God’s Commandment, Aaron would make me laugh at his ridiculous excuse of the Golden Calf – he just threw the gold into the fire and out came this golden calf! Wow! Did he really expect Moses to believe that poor excuse? Don’t we all make silly excuses for disobedience to the Commandments of God? Are they not more ridiculously weak in view of the fact that God knows our hearts intimately and He cannot be deceived?

            Every blessing and pleasant gift comes from God. We often allow our own sensual and greedy desires to eclipse the Light of God’s Word in our lives. Anything that we allow to come between us and our Lord will block our fellowship with him. I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. * 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

2 I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause; I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause; I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame. I'd rather be true to His holy name [Chorus] One of the salient shortcomings of the modern church is the pride and arrogance of the leadership – both clergy and laity. They love to be acknowledged as building a great work in buildings, grounds, treasures, and souls brought into the church. God does not measure the fidelity of a church by growth or possessions – He judges by the hearts and faithfulness of her people whether 10, 100, or 1,000. How many times have we heard the boast – I built that little church from 100 to hundreds of souls.?  If the Holy Ghost did not build it, that church is null and void regardless of its prominence or size.

             3 He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He's sweeter than honey from out the comb;  He's all that my hungering spirit needs. I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead [Chorus] A friend of mine in a nearby city has a sign in his study that reads: He who has the Lord Jesus Christ and many things, has no  more than he who has the Lord Jesus Christ Alone. How absolutely true. The spiritual hunger that gnaws deep in the heart of every lost person may be defined in simple terms – the absence of faith and knowledge of the Lord. Regardless of wealth or station, there does exist a God-shaped vacancy in every heart that only God can fill. The peace and comfort He gives is not reliant on any environmental considerations – it resides in the hidden chambers of the heart of the believer, and only the believer can understand that. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY One we can follow all the way to the Gates of Heaven.

Chorus

Than to be the king of a vast domain  Or be held in sin's dread sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today. In the Wilderness ordeal of our Lord following baptism, the Lord was severely tempted by Satan. Satan offered Him the kingdoms of this world  - something he had no real power to offer – if Christ would only bow down and worship him. He will offer us, too, more than he is able to give. In fact, Satan never intends to give us anything but the fires of Hell because he is a liar and the father of lies. The amazing weapon we can use as a defense against the depraved spirit is the same our Lord used – It is written!  12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

AOC Sunday Report - Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Happy Eighth Sunday after Trinity!  The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE!

There are great sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy (Bishop Broken Beaver) and Revs Jack and Bryan.  They cover similar Scripture and draw some similar conclusions, but no way are they repetitive.  I am so confident you will enjoy them that for a limited time we are offering a triple your money back guarantee (bearing in mind there were no charges made).

This week is no exception, there are many people who need your prayer.  Please start with Shamu, Bob, Betsy and work out from there.  Pray for our countries which engaged in a fight for freedom and assailed on all sides.

There is a superb, nay EPIC, week ahead, but you need God's help to find see it, though it is right in front of you.  The Holy Ghost is there, take His Help.

Have a super week,

Hap

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

United States of America

Sermon Notes - Eighth Sunday after Trinity - Saint Andrew’s Anglican Orthodox Church - 2 August 20120, Anno Domini

The Eighth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O

 GOD, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The Collect for today is extraordinary in its depth of meaning and its appeal to the absolute and unconditional sovereignty of God. 

The Collect for today is extraordinary in its depth of meaning and its appeal to the absolute and unconditional sovereignty of God. 

            Archbishop Cranmer re-crafted the introduction of this Collect to reflect that reformed view of the omnipotence of God Almighty in things heavenly as well as things temporal. It is also such a comfort to know that the One who “sticketh closer than a brother” shares that omnipotence in the Triune Godhead. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matt 28:18) God is never taken by surprise either in Eden or in our own times. This Collect, like all others, is not intended for a limited application of collecting our thoughts before worship. It is a prayer that may be uttered every minute of every day with equal impact. Our mortal minds pray for those things, which in the wisdom of God are hurtful to us, to be put away from us – not merely those things which WE consider hurtful (there may be a difference). The prayer also appeals to God to grant us those things that are, in every way, profitable for our eternal souls and not simply those things that are glossy and well-decorated and that appeal to the world alone. Finally, we ask all these things be granted through Jesus Christ who loves us with such a love of whose depth we cannot comprehend. We love Him because He FIRST loved us.

The Epistle

Romans viii. 12.

B

UT the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ²⁴ And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
¹  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. ²  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. ³  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. ⁴  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ⁵  For every man shall bear his own burden. ⁶  Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. ⁷  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The Gospel

St. Matthew vii. 15.

B

EWARE of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

            The ancient Lectionary takes us to the question of inheritance as the children of God, and also the KIND of children we should be in the production of fruit. The epistle teaches us, in no uncertain terms, that there are no people more chosen of God than those who have been adopted, through the blood of Christ, into His family as sons and daughters. Of course, in following Christ, we must not follow Him all the way to Bethany and then stop short of Calvary. We must take up our crosses daily and follow Him all of the way down the Via Dolorosa – the Way of Suffering – if necessary.

            Our sermon text is taken from the Gospel lesson in Matthew 7, beginning at the 15 verse. In this passage, we discover the strong similes and metaphors of false prophets being like wolves in sheep’s clothing; and of trees that bring forth the fruits of their natures, and some that must be cut down for failure to produce fruit. And our text concludes with a dire warning to those who proliferate in the Christian community today – hypocrites!  We will address the text in three parts: 1) False Prophets – who are they and how shall we recognize them;  2) The trees of good and bad fruit – how shall we distinguish them; and 3) Hypocrites – who are they and how to know them.

False Prophets

In our text, we read: BEWARE of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. First of all, what is a prophet, and how shall we know them?, "And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:21-22) So, do you believe that prophets of the Lord are similar to fortune-tellers in forecasting future events? Not at all, but a prophet of the Lord will say those things that the Lord has spoken in the Spirit. The prophet of today will not speak a word contrary to those uttered by the prophets of old, for God does not change. Any who know and believe the Word of God are prophets of sorts. How can that be? Because the Holy Word of God tells us what God’s judgment is against all kinds of sin. If we judge by God’s perfect standard of righteousness, we can conclude, as a prophet, the mode of God in dealing with such sin. A prophet speaks, preaches, and teaches the will of God as recorded in Holy Scripture – and nothing beyond what God has uttered in Holy Scripture.

            We are to confirm every word spoken from the pulpit by Holy Scripture to see if these things be true. I can assure you with every bone of my body that I will never intentionally teach something contrary to the Word of God INTENTIONALLY; however, I am a mortal man, and mortal men are subject to errors of judgment and understanding. Therefore, a well versed and informed Christian must test all things spoken by me, or any other clergyman, by that Plumb Line of God’s Word. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.  (1 Thess 5:21) A true Christian will study the Scriptures diligently, in fact, so well that he will be able to recognize errors and inconsistencies in doctrine being preached. He will therefore not suffer deceit. The false prophet speaks smoothly and convincingly. He ACTS like a loving Christian, and he may even use the Word of God, but wrongly to achieve some deceitful purpose. He will emphasize the offering plate far more than the cross of Jesus. He may have a wonderful smile to hide hideous and sharp teeth beneath. The false prophet is a minister of the devil and, like his mentor, is a ravening wolf. He doesn’t kill just to eat, but out of sport. America has a disproportionately large number of such scoundrels let loose in our pulpits today. BEWARE, friends.

The trees of good and bad fruit – how shall we distinguish them

We are told to use sight and taste. If it looks like an orange, it tastes like an orange, then it MUST be an orange. Oranges do not grow on apple trees. The kind of tree determines the fruit. The kind of heart determines the soul of a Christian, or an imposter. The fruit described relates to our works as sons and daughters of God. Are our works worthy of the title, Christian? We have misapplied grace and faith to the exclusion of good works in our day. Surely, we know that works are not the means of our salvation; but just as surely we should also know that our salvation should be evidenced by works worthy of the Name of Christ. “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance.” (Luke 3:8a)  “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James 2:17-18) There has been a growing error being taught over the last several decades that all a sinner needs to do is “call upon the name of the Lord” and that ends the struggle. While it is true that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, it is not true that a mere utterance of that phrase will suffice. The utterance must be a genuine and sincere confession of faith from the heart and not the head. It must be followed with evidence of salvation. A new man must be in evidence following the confession.

God gave us ‘hands’ for a reason. The head is our legislative branch, the hands our executive branch, and the heart our judicial branch to determine right and wrong. It is the hands that produce fruit. They cultivate, plant the trees, and care for the trees. At due season, they harvest the fruit. In the ancient Holy Land, trees were taxed – not the fruit of the trees; therefore, the lord of the vineyard will cut down a tree that does not produce in order to save revenue. The economy of Heaven is not unlike the same. If we produce no fruit, of what earthly good are we? The mind conceives a good project to perform. If it is in conformance to that Mind which was in Christ, the Judicial Branch – the Heart – will uphold that decision of the Legislative Branch. It is then that the Executive Branch (hands) completes the good work willed by the head.  If our hands are idle, we had best find productive labor for them in short order; else we starve or shall be cut off.  Faith is the electrical impulses that connect the three branches across the synapses of Wisdom, Love, and Action.

In the Museum of Amsterdam hangs a painting of several old Dutch Burgomasters who had distinguished themselves by some notable service to the people and community. In each of the paintings, there may be as many as a dozen faces and, though the canvas is a bit crowded for space, the hands are also depicted in every case. All one sees are heads and hands. In spite of a lack of space, the artist was very careful to include the hands with different gestures of each and in detail as complete as eyes and noses of the heads. I believe the point of the artist is to depict the full character of the men honored. The heads alone did not reveal complete character – what they thought, what they saw, what they felt; but the addition of hands depicted that the good works of these men followed the good thoughts that they conceived. The same is true of the Christian who has taken on the Mind that was in Christ.

            There is a wonderful discussion of the head-only Christian in the classical work, The Choir Invisible, by  James Allen Lane:

Some time, wandering in a thinned wood, you may have happened upon an old vine, the seed of which had long ago been dropped and had sprouted in an open spot where there was no timber. Every May, in response to Nature's joyful bidding that it yet shall rise, the vine has loosed the thousand tendrils of its hope, those long, green, delicate fingers searching the empty air. Every December you may see these turned stiff and brown, and wound about themselves like spirals or knotted like the claw of a frozen bird. Year after year the vine has grown only at the head, remaining empty-handed ; and the head itself, not being lifted always higher by anything the hands have seized, has but moved hither and thither, back and forth, like the head of a wounded snake in a path. Thus every summer you may see the vine, fallen back and coiled upon itself, and piled up before you like a low green mound, its own tomb; in winter a black heap, its own ruins. So, it often is with the poorest, who live on at the head, remaining empty-handed ; fallen in and coiled back upon themselves, their own inescapable tombs, their own unavertible ruins.

            Our hands must follow the good will of the mind in finding good works upon which to light and to grasp in order to bear fruit pleasing to the Lord of the Vineyard.

Hypocrites – who are they and how to know them

First of all, let us get our vocabulary understood. What is the meaning of hypocrite? The word is derived from the Greek text - (hupokrinomai); an actor under an assumed character (stage-player), i.e. (figurative) a dissembler (“hypocrite”):- hypocrite. (Strong’s) Those who are constantly performing great things and seem to be very godly often harbor a vacuum for faith. All of the good works, good acting, and posing of the hypocrite will gain no favor at all in Heaven. Good works do not exist apart from faith. The hypocrite that says all of the right things and lives like the world is only an actor. By the same token, every man that shoulders a weapon and wears an impeccable uniform is not necessarily a soldier. We see churches in America that are supposedly ‘filled with the Holy Ghost.” They make a great show of ‘supposed’ spiritual gifts and demonstrations.  The worship is not peaceful, but exhausting. Many of the same people who were so moved by the Holy Spirit on Sunday morning are seen to be moved by the spirit of the bar on Monday.  What is wrong with this picture? First, their worship is not reverent and worthy of the Church. Secondly, their hearts were only ‘acting’ as hypocrites in being shallow on faith and big on appearances. How is your heart, friend?

            May we be a people wary of false prophets and so thoroughly knowledgeable of the Word of God that it will be quite difficult to deceive us.

            Let us be careful of wandering too far from our protecting Shepherd and into the mountain crevices where wolves lurk. Be careful that the church you attend is one that places Christ at its heart and center – a Church that is reverent in worship and true to Scripture in its teaching and doctrine.

            Let us be sure that the works of our hands represent the thoughts of our hearts and not become stale salt that has been in the shaker so long that form clumps that cannot be applied properly. Are we thus?

Eighth Sunday after Trinity - Propers, Explanation and Rev Jack's Sermon

The Propers for today are found on Page 199-200, with the Collect first:

The Eighth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O

 GOD, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The Epistle came from Paul’s letter to the Romans, the Eighth Chapter, beginning at the Twelfth Verse. Paul tells us to live out our lives as Jesus instructed us to.  If we live as we want, we die and are gone.  If we live as Jesus commanded, we will live through to eternity.  Life is not about here, it is about doing well enough here so we can get there.  If we want the fruits of the heirship we have been given, we must live the part: 

B

RETHREN, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Today’s Holy Gospel started in the Seventh Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, beginning at the Fifteenth Verse.  Matthew records the warning that so few heed. Many leaders talk a good line, but how do they actually act, particularly in private?  For it is private when none are looking that we are revealed.  If you want to get to heaven, you have to act the part, not just talk about it.

B

EWARE of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

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 the words from the Collect, wherein we ask God who … ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; … to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us …

We must understand in our hearts that God does indeed “ordereth all things” here as well as in heaven. Even though it might not seem like it at times, we have to understand ultimately He is in control of all of the Universe.  Once we understand that, then we can ask Him to keep us away from those things hurtful to us and incline our hearts towards those things that are good for us.  This is one of the many things for which we need the inspiration of the Holy Ghost in our hearts.  Without His Help, we cannot recognize the help we need.  We tend to think of ourselves as perfectible by our own work, without the need to depend on others (Him).  The problem is, it does not work.  The collect recognizes that on our own we could not find what is profitable for us and that we tend to stray towards those things that are hurtful for us. Therefore, we need God as our infalla]ible guide to steer us towards those things which will help us and not harm us.

Today’s Collect, Epistle and Gospel all come together with one theme. That theme is that if we listen to Him in word and in deed,  God will protect us from hurtful things and will lead us to profitable things. Profitable not in the sense of being Bill Gates rich, but profitable in the sense that whatever God and the Holy Spirit will lead us to will be beneficial for our spiritual well being as well as our physical and mental well being. Paul mentions before receiving the Holy Spirit or the spirit of adoption, we were under Satan’s bondage. We have been released from that slavery to Satan and are now free peoples under Christ’s banner. We are not called to freedom from sin just to re-enter our previous state, but to be the new men of Christ.  This means setting aside the previous things that hurt us spiritually, physically and mentally and focusing on pursuing a way of living that would honor God. That means examining our spiritual, physical and mental aspects of our lives, seeing what we need to do to improve it to follow His Word.

His Word brings us to another point. Which is does the Bible you use match the real Word of God?  It is not the grammar or style that counts, but the facts, the points, the real message of Scripture.  The Authorized Version comes from the Received Text and is reliable.  Make certain the version you use loses nothing in the translation. Many modern versions use corrupted manuscripts omitting a large number of verses that corrupt the message of the New Testament, and in the case of John 3:16 for example, dilute Jesus Christ’s status as the only begotten son of God. The newer Bibles also are copyrighted so “Man” owns it, and not the author of Scripture, God our Father. In this case, these newer Bibles are not Bibles at all, but doctrine books of men set on not following Scripture.

So, once you let the Holy Ghost into your heart, then take the direction He Offers, read and understand Scripture, you will know what you are supposed to do.  Then, you need to actually act on that knowledge.

In the Gospel, Jesus covers similar ground.  He points out that if we are of the good tree, our actions will produce good fruit. Before, we were of the bad tree and that is why we produced nothing good. He also points out that not everyone that claims to be a Christian will get into heaven. He says only those who DO the will of God and actually ACT upon His Words will get into heaven and not just those who say they are doing the will of God. He talked about the wolves in sheep’s clothing. He talks about many that have hijacked the church of God and have turned it into a temple of thieves and followers of the Devil rather than soldiers and followers of Christ. This Gospel lets us know that unlike us, Jesus is not fooled by those who have deception in their hearts. Those false prophets might fool many but they will never fool God. Another reason for us to ask the Holy Ghost into our hearts that He might give us the wisdom to root out such false teachers in the Church. The whole point of all of today’s readings is that we need to act in a manner that is in accordance with Christ’s teachings. 

Action counts.  For by their actions ye shall know them.  

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