Verse of the Day

Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity



On Point
Someone asked, where do the quotes come from?  The answer is from the people who uttered them.  But, how did you find them?  Oh, that.  Most are from Rev Bryan Dabney, a few from other places, but overall mostly from Bryan.  He always has a few great ones to share.  On to the On Point quotes –

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
St. John 6:35

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
I Corinthians 3:9

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Revelation 1:7

Come into the lifeboat of the one true church. This old world will soon break into pieces! Hear you not the tremblings of it? The world is but a wreck hard upon a sandbank. The night is far spent — the waves are beginning to rise — the wind is getting up — the storm will soon shatter the old wreck. But the lifeboat is launched, and we, the ministers of the gospel, beseech you to come into the lifeboat and be saved. We beseech you to arise at once and come to Christ.
JC Ryle
19th century Anglican bishop and author
(Holiness, p. 284)

The ... problem of the Bolsheviks was that ... they were truly captivated by utopian delusions ... [All] utopians ... advocate systems and ideas that can only work with imaginary idyllic humans, but never with real human beings. When they discover that real human beings refuse to knuckle under and behave according to utopian expectations, the utopianists respond with violent rage. The greatest strength of capitalism is that it actually works with real human beings ... Capitalism does not require idyllic fictional humans in order for it to work. The most violent terrorists and oppressors of others have always been the utopians. The French Revolution turned violent and the guillotine was introduced [in an] attempt to terrorize actual humans into behaving according to the expectations of the utopianists. The leaders of the Soviet Revolution were no slower or more squeamish in following the same route.
Dr. Steve Plaut
21st  century professor of economics.

Propers
The Propers for today are found on Page 206-207, with the Collect first:

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

A
LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen

Dru Arnold read the Epistle, which came from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Third Chapter beginning at the Fourth Verse.  Paul reminds  us through the Grace of God we can be able ministers of the new testament, on our own we can be in the end no good.  If we are able to completely follow the Law, with good intent, we can through that please God, but inasmuch as that is impossible we fall short.  The letter of the Law, which cannot be complied with is death.  But following the spirit of the Law gives life.  That is Jesus’ message, for in the Law is death and in the spirit life.  For if there is glory in administering the Law, how much more glory is there in the spirit of the Law, which is Jesus’ message?

s
Uch trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
Hap Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel, which started in the Seventh  Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark, beginning at the Thirty-First Verse. Jesus came in to the coast of Decapolis[1].   The people brought unto him a deaf mute.  Jesus examined the man, put his fingers in his ears, touched his tongue and said “Ephphatha”[2], that is, “Be opened.”  What Jesus did here for the deaf mute physically is what he does for each of us spiritually.  Through Jesus, we hear the Word of God and are given the ability to speak it.  Conversely, there are none so deaf as those who will not hear and none so blind as those who will not see.  It is up to each of us to choose if we will remain blind, deaf and dumb or open our eyes to see, hear and speak the Word of God.  When we receive the gift of sight, hearing and speech we embark on a new life of freedom.

J
esus, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.


Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together and is partly addressed in the forewords above.  

Consider the words from the Collect, wherein we ask God … more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask …

We continually pray to God, asking Him for what WE want.  Yet, how oft do we listen to Him when He responds?  If we will listen to Him and DO what He asks, He will give us more than we have need of, more than we ask for, more than we can even desire.  Yet, it requires us to listen to Him, then ACT on what we are told.  When we ask His forgiveness, when He gives it, we need to accept it and live it; if we live in the past, we never will benefit.

God gives us guidance through the Holy Ghost, if we will but accept it.  He gives us the power to act in the spirit of The Law.  The Law or actually 613 little laws turned out to be in of itself a death sentence.  The Jews could or would not comply with the 613 Mosaic Laws, which brought them death.  Jesus gave us the summary of The Law, which through Him would bring life, everlasting life and happiness here on earth:

T
HOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Only two laws to comply with, which though simpler, are harder:

1.     Love God
2.     Love your neighbor like yourself

Think about it, if you do those two things, you will find you need no other real moral guidance.  If you understand the Big Picture, you know what to do on your part of the Little Picture to make your world line up with His World.  The problem is just like the Jews, we cannot perfectly follow those either. But we can at least do our very best to follow those directions and change course whenever we aren’t. Doing our best is all that God asks of us, not just saying we are doing our best when we aren’t.  But, happily for us, Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf accounts us as just before God.  So, now that we know that, who do we tell about it?  Do we let people know, or do we hide our allegiance to the Lord?   If you hide your allegiance, you really have none. But we must be open about our alligence and share the Good News with others, that they in time may come to seek the joys of His Kingdom. They may not understand right away, but the seed of the Lord may germinate and grow within them, so that within due course they may understand the Word and come to seek Him.

When Jesus opened the ears and mouth of the deaf mute, He did for him what the Holy Ghost will do for us, if we will but let Him open first our ears to hear, then our mouths to testify, communicate and direct.

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

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.  Today is one of those Sundays.  Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will give you a lot to consider in your heart.

Sermon Notes
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Saint Andrew’s
Anglican Orthodox Church
18 August 2013, Anno Domini

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

A
LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen


J
esus, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things

Two Spirits That Drive The Christian

The Seeking Spirit:

            Our text opens today following the visit of Christ to the coast of Tyre and Sidon where, we are told in verse 24, “He could not be hid.” Because He was SOUGHT out by a Syro-Phenecian woman who had HEARD of Him, came and fell at His feet pleading that He cast out an unclean spirit from her precious little daughter, her prayer was answered. This Christ did. The lesson, of course, is this: Christ can in no wise be hidden from those who seek Him. How may the “Light of the World” be concealed in the desert night? Moreover, He delights at being found by those who seek Him. As our Prayer of Collect says: He is “always more ready to hear than we to ask.” So Christ deliberately desires to give us that for which we ask – as long as we ask for those things that it is His will to grant. One of the characteristics of the spirit of a Christian is that of a SEEKER. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”  (Matt 7:7-8)

            No man comes to Christ if he has not sought Him out. So first and foremost, we must have a Seeker spirit. There must have been a great guilt that has impinged upon our consciences at some point, evoked by the Holy Spirit, to cause us to feel and know our absolute depravity and sin.  Even a dying child, or a dreadful disease, may awaken us to our great need – ‘the soul’s sincere desire.’ Some, like the lost sheep, know not where to seek; so they bleat and scurry to and fro in the wilderness rocks until their cries are heard by the Good Shepherd who comes to them in their loneliness and fright. Shouldn’t we, if able, be like those Greeks who came to Philip at Bethsaida, and desired of him, inquiring: “Sir, we would see Jesus!” (John 12:21 (KJV) But, like the lost sheep of the parable, are not able to go to Him, so they cry out where they are. Some are blind, cannot see, and are BROUGHT to Christ so that the scales may be removed from their eyes and they may see. How does such faith come? “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Have you both heard and believed from the Word of God? Someone must have TOLD you. Have you told others?

            Now, in order to share good news, one must be the recipient of Good News – the Good News that is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! Knowing a truth of imponderable benefit to others must compel us to speak out. Have we remembered the Lord’s very last prayer before His ascension? “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt 28:19-20) Have you gone to those who have not heard, who cannot see to come to Christ?

            Now Jesus returns the shore of the Galilean Sea – to Decapolis. We are told that, without the news of His coming being published in the newspapers or broadcast on radio, men brought a fellow to Christ who could neither see nor speak. How did they know that Christ was coming? Perhaps bad news does travel rapidly, but Good News travels with the speed of light – the Light of the World. Every place that Christ went, healing and doing good, the witnesses heralded his name and movements everywhere. The news was simply too good to keep silence. It is impossible to know Christ and keep silent. There are no secret Christians!


The Missionary Spirit:

            Once we have seen, heard, and known Christ, there is a second spirit that must evince itself – the MISSIONARY SPIRIT! So how is Christ greeted on His arrival at Decapolis on the coasts of Galilee? Men bring to Him a friend who was both deaf and had a speech impediment. Such impediments of speech are common to those who have not, and cannot, hear. All who have not heard the Gospel are also handicapped from speaking it to others. These men who brought this deaf man to Christ had already heard of Him and knew that He was able to heal. So they put feet to their faith and brought a man who could not have heard of Christ. Faith is like a newborn babe – it cannot lie still. It must exercise itself and cry out and, thereby, GROW! Our own faith is increased when we share that faith with others and observe the resulting miracle!

            32 “And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.” Men, who were able to know of Christ by HEARING of Him, now bring one to Christ who had no such benefit. I love the spirit of love and compassion that is generated in a heart full of faith. Please note that these men ask nothing that would be shocking of Christ. They do not make demands in their prayer such as the modern church advocates. They besought (pleaded) only that Christ “put His hand upon” the deaf and dumb man. Why were they not more specific? Do our prayers have to be specific in detail? Not at all! In the Lord’s Prayer, we simply ask that His will be done. If the will of Christ is done in our lives, it will be enough! These men could not demand that Christ restore the man’s tongue and loose his ears. So, they knew that the mercy of Christ would do all things needful. We never inquire or suggest the means by which Christ should answer our prayers, we should settle always for the happy result and not the means. We might properly remember that “His ways are not OUR ways, and our ways are not His ways.”

            There is no secret formula or incantation whereby the miraculous works of God are produced. The simple and mysterious manner in which Christ healed this man could be replicated precisely a thousand times by mere men with no such result. The power was not in the MEANS, but in the LORD! 33 “And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue.”  The example here is one of intimacy. We would sooner drink from the same glass as our child than that of another’s. When we are healed, it is a matter between the one being healed and the healer. So Christ took the man away from the multitude. Our greatest healing from sin is ALWAYS a matter of our coming face to face with Christ and apart from the multitudes. Christ touched the man by placing His fingers in his ears, and spit and touched His tongue. The man was not repelled by this intimate touch. His great need was to speak and hear – not to worry about the means. Many of my own prayers have been answered in amazing and surprising ways – almost never the way I expected. Jesus is a Lord of surprises. He will answer our prayers in ways that will result in our greatest benefit and in ways that we could never have imagined. When we pray, we must expect to be touched by Him, and we must expect to receive Him into our innermost being.

            Christ did all things in perfect fellowship with the Father. When we undertake to serve God with a great work, even though our intentions may be commendable, we must first look to God. 34 “And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” Even our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten of the Father, looked to His Father in all of His works and miracles. He did so because, first, He wished to have His Father’s concurrence in all things; and, secondly, He desired to glorify the Father in all that He did. So must we! Do we boast of our success at organizing a worship service that attracts man, or our success at Bible studies that attract many? The glory is not ours, but belongs to God. In healing, Jesus ALWAYS took compassion on the person who sought it. The Good Samaritan was the only one who took compassion on the poor Jew who lay dying on the Road to Jericho. He felt the pain of the Jew. Jesus feels our pain as if it were His own. He makes Himself One with whomever He touches to heal and forgive.

            What was the results of the Lord’s command of “Ephphatha!”?   35 “And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.” When Christ speaks a single word to our hearts, the response is immediate – just as immediate as Paul’s being struck down on the road to Damascus.  The mystery of god is at work in opening eyes that they may see, or even in blinding the eyes that we may KNOW Him as Paul was blinded on that Road. Once our eyes have been opened to the beauty of the Lord, our tongues shall also speak plainly of Him -  “….the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

            The counsel of our Lord in the next verse may seem a bit strange, but it has a great lesson secreted in its heart. 36 “And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it.” Please tell me: was this not a bit improbable that a man could be healed of speech and hearing and should remain silent about it? Do you really believe that Jesus intended that they MUST not tell anyone? Remember the young man, blind from birth, whose sight Jesus restored and commanded to tell no one? Or do you remember the leper that Christ healed whom He commanded, “Tell no man!” What profound truth was Christ conveying with such counsel? I believe the answer to that question is apparent based on what I know of the loving Lord. How can a man who has been unable to speak keep silence after having his speech restored? It is natural and irresistible that the first thing such a man will do is practice his speech, and tell every soul how he recovered it. The same with the blind man who was healed. How can he go home to his parents and not tell them the obvious – that once he was blind, but now he sees? Or the leper, who was forced to separate himself from friends and family, not tell all that he no longer has leprosy and why?

            Jesus is making this point: Once the power of god has worked a marvelous work and a wonder in your soul, how can you keep silence even if commanded by God Himself! Jesus is saying to us, “Though I command your silence from telling others all that I have done in healing your guilty soul and your body, you cannot bear to keep silence.” Once you have known Christ and His Gospel, it will be IMPOSSIBLE for you to keep that secret! You must proclaim the good news from the roof tops!

            When Christ has forgiven your sins, and received you by adoption into the family of God, all people will see the change and wonder of that marvelous work come over you.  37 “And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” When Christ works a miracle in your life, it is seldom solitary – it is a healing of all ills the first of which is your deadly disease of sin. He practices ‘triage’ in addressing our most serious affliction first – and that most serious affliction is always sin, for its end is eternal death and darkness.




Rev Rick Reid of Saint Peter’s Sunday Sermon
We are happy to have a sermon from Reverend Rick Reid, minister of Saint Peter’s, whose congregation is right at the Worldwide Headquarters of the Anglican Orthodox Church.  Rev Rick has all the resources and challenges right at hand.  Speaking of at hand, here is his sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity (last week, but it got in late):

Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted

St. Luke xviii. 9.

In our Gospel reading this morning Jesus told a parable. In the parable, a Pharisee “stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess’”Luke 18 11-12, Another man, a tax collector, “standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner! Jesus stated the hated tax collector was the one who returned to his home justified, “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Another time Jesus noted some who were invited to a wedding feast choose the best places.  He instructed them instead to seek the low places and allow others to exalt them; once again:“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:7-11).

The real problem with each of these individuals is they thought too highly of themselves.

When Jesus was at the house of Simon, a Pharisee, a woman who was known to be a sinner came in and began to wash His feet with her tears, wiping them dry with her hair, and anointing them with a fragrant oil. Luke 7:36-38

When a Pharisee saw this, he thought to himself, “This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is, who is touching Him, for she is a sinner” Luke 7:39.

Jesus, knowing his thoughts, told a story of two debtors who were both unable to pay their debts (Luke 7:41-42).  The point of the story was to show the Pharisee though this woman was indeed a sinner; so was he.

Neither the woman nor the Pharisee had the ability to pay for their sins, and they were essentially the same, in God’s eyes. (Luke 7:44-48)

The Pharisee's problem was he thought himself more righteous than the woman. So confident in his self-righteousness that he could not see his own sin.

This, you see, is the root problem of self-righteous. If you cannot acknowledge your faults, you cannot fix them. 

It is typical of those who can neither find fault in themselves or accept the fault found by others that they have no problem finding numerous faults, real or imagined, in others.  This is not only blatant arrogance but public display of another fault on their behalf, yet characteristically they see that not either.

The self-righteous of consider themselves and their personal ideas and ideals gifted from God, while paying no attention to God and His Word.  In their mind, God's Word is not the standard, and not even Christ is the standard; their standard is THE standard.

This ego centric standard was manifest in the religious leaders who sent officers to arrest Jesus, but could not do so.

Saint John tells us those same officers, after hearing Jesus, said, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46).  When the religious leaders heard this, they said, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.

Once again they revealed their obvious self-righteousness, holding themselves up as THE standard, denigrating the common people who believed in Jesus.

There are Christians within the church today, who have a high regard for themselves and their opinions. We have all probably seen them with our own eyes and heard them with our own ears.  The writer of the book of Hebrews instructs us to “fix our eyes" on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).  When we look at Jesus, we will not be looking at others, and worrying about whether or not they match up with our own righteousness or lack thereof.

We must look to Christ for THE standard and realize we have no ability, let alone right to set the bar.  We will never be perfect, only through Him can we be accounted as so.


Charles Inglis (Ĭng´glĬs, Ĭng´gəlz), 1734–1806, was an Anglican Bishop who immigrated to America in 1755 from Ireland.  He wrote he knew who he was [a sinner] – he knew where he belonged [afar off] – he knew how he felt [ashamed] – he knew what he needed [mercy] – he knew from whom to get it [God] – and he knew when he got it [that he went down to his house justified], just as in the parable that Jesus told.

God cares not how much we have accomplished or how good we think we are.  He does care if we did our best to do His Will.

The essence of God is Love.  Our concern should be that of the publican, we are great sinners; in Jesus we have a great savior!  Be not like the Pharisee, concerned about how well you have done, while failing to notice how you have failed.

How will we come before God?  Pleased with our miserable performance or as sinners in need of His Mercy, His Help, His Forgiveness, His Accounting on our behalf.

Come now, miserable offenders, if we come as the repentant tax collector…we can all go down to our homes justified, and be exalted in due time, for as St. James said:

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. James 4:10

St. Peter said: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time –

How will you leave here and come before the Lord? 

Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon.  If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the truth and live the truth.    This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.


Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

In our Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 29:18-24) we were treated to an interesting set of verses that speak not only of a near-term event in Isaiah’s day, but of something that is even beyond our present, and which is drawing ever nearer as I speak. Look again at verse 20 wherein we read that, For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off.
In the prophet’s day, the Assyrian king Sennacherib was preparing his army to march against King Hezekiah of Judah. The Assyrians were well known by the 8th century BC as a cruel and vicious people. They were approaching the land of Judah with an army which likely exceeded of two hundred thousand strong. The bulk of that force would eventually lay siege to Jerusalem. In the face of so great a host, the LORD informed the prophet that he would preserve the city and turn Sennacherib back. In a later chapter (37:33-37), the prophet set forth the details of the invasion and siege by the Assyrian army, as well as its destruction. What a relief it must have been for the people of Jerusalem to see the corpses of the Assyrians who only the day before had been preparing for their initial assault upon their city. This miracle was accomplished by one angel who passed through the Assyrian camp and slew the whole lot of them. Sennacherib’s military campaign against Judah was further complicated by news that the Ethiopian king, Tirhakah, was approaching to do battle with him. The Assyrian king was then in command of a much smaller force which had been besieging another town. Finding the bulk  of his army destroyed, the king retreated to his own land only to die at the hands of two of his sons (37:38).

The scorning commanders of the Assyrian army as well as the army itself were defeated by him who has never known defeat. The mocking comments by Rabshakeh — or “chief cup bearer” of the king (36:2-20) — were brought to nought with the destruction of the Assyrian army assigned to take Jerusalem. God had been angered by the Assyrian king’s hubris, while at the same time he was pleased by King Hezekiah’s humbleness (37:1-7). Humility on the part of the kings of Israel and Judah was a rare commodity and God rewarded Hezekiah for his recognition that he, the LORD, was his sure defence in the face of such an overwhelming force.

Throughout the history of mankind, God has acted against Satan’s minions who have sought to harm those who are of the camp of God. Sennacherib’s campaign against the kingdom of Judah is just one example for us to consider. Others, such as Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:17-19); Haman (Esther 3:1-13); as well as the wicked rulers of Edom (Obadiah 10-14) had also lifted up their hands to harm Israel and, as a result, were brought down and ruined. Just as Jeroboam (I Kings 12:25-33)and Ahab (I Kings 21:17-26) had sought to turn the people of God from his worship and to follow after false deities, so too did God judge and destroy their houses.

God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23), but he will pour out his wrath upon all who are so involved, which includes those who would harm his own. The prophet Nahum was given to prophesy of the coming destruction of Nineveh which was the capital of ancient Assyria (3:7). Isaiah prophesied against Damascus (17:1) saying, ... it shall be a ruinous heap. Ezekiel prophesied against the great city of Tyre (26:1-6) saying, ... I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. . . Jeremiah prophesied against the wickedness of Moab and said that he, ... shall be destroyed from being a people (49:42) on account of their idolatry and their trust in riches. All of the above at one time or other had taken advantage of God’s people either through the transmission of idolatry, or of conquest, or of meanness. While these are Old Testament examples, in the New Testament, God has promised to bring vengeance upon those who persecute his church (See II Thessalonians 1:5-10; and St. Jude 14-15).

In the future, God is going to deal with those who have rejected his Christ and who will attempt to destroy the descendants of Jacob. God loves Israel with an everlasting love. He promised their forefathers that he would, in spite of their stiffnecked and refusenik attitude, eventually restore them. The LORD gave the prophet Jeremiah to proclaim to those same disobedient and backsliding people of his day that, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers ... which ... they brake ... but this shall be the covenant that I will make ... after those days, saith the LORD. I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people (31:31-33).

The prophet then wrote the following: Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and stars for light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever... If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that have done, saith the LORD (31:35-37).

Other prophets such as Ezekiel (36:16-38), Daniel (9:20-27), Micah (4:1-13; 5:1-15) and Zechariah (2:8-12; 8:1-8) were given to speak on the matter of the regathering and reclamation of the nation because from it would come the Messiah — the deliverer for all mankind. All who will love and seek after him, will be freed from their sins and trespasses. And all, therefore, who trust in him shall never be confounded (I St. Peter 2:6). But Satan and his minions have sought to undo the eternal plan of God to restore his creation and vanquish evil for ever. So we should not be surprised to see the devil using his puppet rulers upon the earth to short-circuit God’s plan of redemption. As Sennacherib was dismayed and forced to retreat, so shall the same happen to all who come against God’s plan and purpose for his people in Jesus Christ.

Are there days in your life when the forces of darkness seem to surround you? Do you hear the taunts and the malicious remarks of those who bear not the blood of Christ upon them? It may seem that such people will overwhelm you but be of good cheer, . . . because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (I St. John 4:4). We have the Holy Ghost the Comforter. We have the Spirit of the living God within us. Yes, we will face trials and tribulations, but we know who our Lord is and what he has promised that he, . . . will never leave [us] nor forsake [us] (Hebrews 13:5).We also know that on a predetermined day in the future, God will bring his judgment upon the wicked under the leadership of the Beast of Revelation (13 & 14). The apostle Paul noted that this man of sin and son of perdition (II Thessalonians 2:3) whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming (II Thessalonians 2:8) will opposeth and exalted himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (II Thessalonians 2:4). The arrogance and hubris of this man of sin will exceed even that of Sennacherib in his pronouncements to King Hezekiah. The same force who was behind the wicked Sennacherib will thus find his masterpiece of evil in the Antichrist.

The Bible tells us that people like Sennacherib will come and go. The vicious, the hateful, and those that vex our souls and dampen our spirits will be present with us as long as we are in this world. But we know in whom we trust. We know that our good and gracious God has not left us without a comforter. We know that at his right hand is our Saviour and he will do for us in ways that we can hardly perceive beforehand, but will, nevertheless, be made abundantly clear through their operation before our eyes. So let us trust in Christ Jesus our Lord and lean upon him. For in his strength we find strength. In his love we find grace. In his forbearance we find mercy. And in his righteous judgment we, who were formerly fit subjects of God’s wrath, are now justified by the Saviour’s blood. Let us therefore go forth and proclaim his message of salvation to all that they too might turn unto him and be saved from his wrath to come.

Let us pray,

O
 Holy and righteous God, whose mighty hand no power can turn away; protect us from all the evil plans and designs of the devil, that we might better serve thee in this life as we look for that life to come; and these things we ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have a blessed week, Bryan+

A Confederate Soldier’s Prayer
This comes from "Devotions of Soldiers of the South" by Anna Marie Cummins-Greer, 1873.  It is the finest summary of what should recognize in our daily lives I have ever come across.

A Confederate Soldier's Prayer
Author Unknown,
(found on the body of a Southern soldier on Manassas Battlefield)

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.



[1] Decapolis - ten cities=deka, ten, and polis, a city, a district on the east and south-east of the Sea of Galilee containing "ten cities, " which were chiefly inhabited by Greeks. It included a portion of Bashan and Gilead, and is mentioned three times in the New Testament (Matt. 4: 25; Mark 5: 20; 7: 31). These cities were Scythopolis, i. e., "city of the Scythians", (ancient Bethshean, the only one of the ten cities on the west of Jordan), Hippos, Gadara, Pella (to which the Christians fled just before the destruction of Jerusalem), Philadelphia (ancient Rabbath-ammon), Gerasa, Dion, Canatha, Raphana, and Damascus. When the Romans conquered Syria (B. C. 65) they rebuilt, and endowed with certain privileges, these "ten cities, " and the province connected with them they called "Decapolis. "
[2] Ephphatha the Greek form of a Syro-Chaldaic or Aramaic word, meaning "Be opened", uttered by Christ when healing the man who was deaf and dumb (Mark 7: 34). It is one of the characteristics of Mark that he uses the very Aramaic words which fell from our Lord's lips. (See 3: 17; 5: 41; 7: 11; 14: 36; 15: 34. )

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity


On Point
Someone asked, where do the quotes come from?  The answer is from the people who uttered them.  But, how did you find them?  Oh, that.  Most are from Rev Bryan Dabney, a few from other places, but overall mostly from Bryan.  He always has a few great ones to share.  On to the On Point quotes –

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
St. Matthew 7:15

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
II St. Timothy 4:7

All the good we do is done by the power of his grace, and all the good we have is the gift of his mercy and therefore he must have all the praise ... Do you ask where he is? He is at the beginning and end of everything and not far from any of us.
Rev. Matthew Henry
17th and 18th century English pastor and author

Take away free will and there will be nothing to save; take away grace and there will be nothing to save with.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
12th century French theologian and scholar

There are myriads of professing Christians ... [who] Sunday after Sunday ... allow the devil to catch away the good seed that is sown on the face of their hearts. Week after week they live on without faith, fear, knowledge or grace, feeling nothing, caring nothing, taking no more interest in religion than if Christ had never died on the cross at all. And in this state they often die and are buried and are lost for ever in hell. This is a mournful picture but only too true.
JC Ryle
19th century Anglican bishop and author

The problem with wealth is not in having it. It is when it has you. It is how we get it, how we guard it and how we give it. It can be used for good or for bad.
Greg Laurie
20th and 21st century American evangelist

I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within.
Douglas MacArthur
20th century American general officer and war hero

The government turns every contingency into an excuse for enhancing itself.
John Adams
Founding Father and 2nd President of the United States

Washington proclaimed that a “threat” was discovered that al Qaeda ... was going to blow up US embassies ... Washington did not explain why al Qaeda, a recipient of Washington’s largess, was going to turn off the money spigot by attacking US embassies ... Once you give a moment’s thought to Washington’s claim, you see that Washington is proving its impotence by hyping such non- existent threats. Officially, the US has been at war with al Qaeda since 7 October 2001. The “superpower” has been battling a few thousand lightly armed al Qaeda for almost 12 years, and what is the result? Despite Washington’s claims to have killed al Qaeda’s top leaders ... Washington is losing the war. Al Qaeda has grown so powerful that it not only fights in Syria, with Washington’s help ... but also has prevented the US military from occupying Afghanistan. Moreover, in addition to [its] success against the “superpower” and the chaos that [it] continues to produce in Iraq, al Qaeda now is so powerful that it can shut down US embassies all across the Middle East and North Africa. The “threat” which was supposed to boost the NSA’s position actually proves Washington’s powerlessness. We can only pray that soon al Qaeda shuts down Washington itself. Imagine the sense of American liberation if Washington simply was shut down, or even better if [it] could be put under Punjab’s magic blanket and disappeared. For the 99 percent, and the rest of the world, Washington is nothing but an oppressor.
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
20th and 21st century American statesman, political commentator and author (Washington Thinks You Are Stupid, 8-7-13)

Propers
The Propers for today are found on Page 204-205, with the Collect first:

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.
O
 GOD, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dru Arnold read the Epistle, which came from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, the Fifteenth Chapter beginning at the First Verse.  Paul tells us he is delivering the message he received, the Good News of the Saving Grace of God through Jesus.  He points out that if he, who had been Saul the Persecutor of Christ’s Church here on earth could be saved by the Grace of God, then salvation was open to all who would act on their wishes.  Thus all who believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus will be saved, if they do not depart from that course.

He recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus; noting the various witnesses to the resurrection, including himself.  He goes on to say, if he, who he categorizes as the least of the apostles, not even meet to be called an apostle due to his persecution of the Church of God, can be forgiven and work the Work of God, who cannot?

B
rethern, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 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; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.”

Hap Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which started in the Eighteenth Chapter of the  Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Ninth Verse.  Jesus tells a parable to an audience which apparently consisted of some self-righteous people, which likely fits each of us.  The parable is that of a Pharisee[1] and a publican[2] both of whom pray in the temple.  While the Pharisee might well have been a “better” man than the publican, he clearly was not the man he thought he was, for he “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.”  Quite the holy fellow.  The publican, quite aware of how much he fell shot of God’s perfection stood “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.”  Jesus told his audience, “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.”  None of us is truly good, we can only strive to be better and look to our Lord to help us.  Only through Christ will we be accounted as just before God.

J
esus spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 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.

Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is mainly contained in  the forewords above. 

Consider the words from the Collect, wherein we ask God … who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; …

Once again, this Collect is kind of a follow-on to the last few weeks’ Collects.  First, we acknowledge God’s power which is manifested not in terror but in mercy and pity on our failures.  This is important to note; with all the power in and of the universe, God chooses to manifest His Power in showing infinite mercy and kindness to us, not in causing us more tears.  Rather, He is there to comfort and help us.  He does not act as a human would in His position, but rather being a merciful and mindful God to us. He realizes our struggles and gives us resources to us to help with those struggles. Thus, the Collect goes on to ask His Help in following His Commandments that we might gain the good that comes from that following.  And we would hope that we recognize the good that comes from that following and choose to repeat doing the following as opposed to going astray such as our tendency is.

As imperfect creatures of free will, the norm is to choose what we want, not what we need and come to calamity.  We are each grievous sinners, some worse than others, none better.  Yet, we come before God all equal.  In equally big trouble, some more, none less.  It is only through faith we are saved. 

This is the point Saint Paul is making when he says that first he gave unto us[3] that understanding he got directly from God as to the role of Jesus Christ.  He recounts some of the factual information about Jesus’ time here on earth after the crucifixion, the descent into hell and the resurrection.  He notes the various witnesses, still alive or recently passed away.  He makes the point that we must spread the gospel so that others might believe.  He tells us we are saved by faith alone.

Our faith?  Partly, but not chiefly and not first.

We are saved by the perfect faith of Christ, our only mediator and advocate before the Father.  The perfect faith of Christ allowed a single sacrifice to be made at one time, to right the account the sins of all mankind for all time.  This is the faith that saves us and our faith in Him allows Him to operate in us.  One of Paul’s points in today’s Epistle was that if he, the previous Chief Persecutor of the church could be saved by Jesus’ that option was available to each of us.  All we need to do is repent and follow.  Thus, we need to Lead, Follow or Get out of the Way towards Christ and God’s grace.

The other point is that Jesus is real, He is Who He says He IS.  He is not a fictional character, he is not a great teacher.  He is THE SON OF GOD and He came to save us, body, heart, mind and soul.  Just as we are real sinners, He is a real Savior.

If that is not enough to turn your heart, consider the parable of the publican and the Pharisee related by Saint Luke.  The man who was proud of his performance was not the example Jesus chose for the one justified, rather the one who acknowledged his failures and asked God for forgiveness and help.

Let us ask God for the help we need to follow His Will.  For we must have His Help to act as we must here on earth!

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

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.  Today is one of those Sundays.  Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will give you a lot to consider in your heart.

Sermon Notes
Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
Saint Andrew’s
Anglican Orthodox Church
11 August 2013, Anno Domini

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O
 GOD, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

B
rethern, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 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; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.” (1 Corinthians xv. 1)

J
esus spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 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. (St. Luke xviii. 9)

            Once more, the Prayer of Collect calls us to a dependence upon mercy and grace rather than a reliance on the work of our own hands. For it is by grace that we are saved and not of our works. The Epistle of the Day complements both the Prayer of Collect and the Gospel reading in its revelation of grace as being the sole agent of labor in the ministry of Paul, and of all who call upon the Name of the Lord.

            I have preached and written often on the Gospel passage from Luke 18 - of the Pharisee and the publican. But with each visit to this account of Christ, my heart is stirred in new and mysterious ways in seeing its beauty and truth.

            This parable was spoken in the closing days of our Lord’s earthly ministry. The lesson Jesus teaches is one that is hard for man to grasp when viewed through the eyes of the flesh. If we can grasp the point of this parable, it must be through the eyes of the Spirit and of the humble heart. The purpose of the account is presented in its opening line: “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” Do any here trust that they are righteous? If so, we are not unlike the hypocritical Pharisee about whom Christ speaks. Before we can ever be saved, we must first recognize that we are hopelessly lost and unable to save ourselves – it is upon the Mercy Seat of God that we must cast our appeal for deliverance. If we believe that the Scriptures are true – and we MUST – there is none righteous. “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12) While it is true that none may enter heaven under the condemnation of sin, it is also true that God has provided a means whereby we may be accounted righteous – that is through the redeeming and atoning blood of Jesus Christ! The PRIDEFUL will be the most difficult to understand that they can never earn their salvation by doing good works since even GOOD WORKS are sin to the unsaved.

            All who do not know Christ are truly walking dead, or, as Boris Karloff would claim - ZOMBIES!  Have you ever been dead and required resuscitation? Have you been dead and brought back to the land of the living? If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, surely, you were once dead and are now made alive. Read these verses from Ephesians 2: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Eph 2:1-2) and “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:4-6) So now, the question I asked earlier takes on a deeper and more significant meaning, doesn’t it? Have you, friend, been dead and made alive? Pride makes it very hard to admit that we were, indeed, dead in time past. A dead person can do nothing to help themselves for they are DEAD. Only the revitalizing and life-giving Spirit of God can make a DEAD person live! So we can do nothing to save ourselves – it is a work of Grace through Faith!

            So we come to the example of two men who have come to the Temple for the same reason – to pray. “10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.” These two men represent the whole of the professing church today. One of these men is a fancy-dresser and a hypocrite. The other is a sin-laden and humble publican. They both have come to the RIGHT place for the RIGHT purpose; but there is a difference that separates the two through which you could drive Napoleon’s army. To all appearance, the Pharisee is a devout and righteous fellow, but there is a darkness about him that lies unrevealed to the observer – it is a heart that is ‘full of itself’ and not of Christ! Each man prays, but the prayers are vastly different. Let us read on:

            “11 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.” Though it is not stated specifically, the impression is that the Pharisee stood with proud posture. His words reveal truly his self-pride. “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” (Matt 6:5) Notice how the Pharisee prays: “prayed thus with himself.” His prayer never got any higher than the pit of the heart from which it sprang. He prayed just as many professed Christians pray today – to be heard of men, not to be heard of God. And WHAT did the Pharisee pray? “God, I thank thee.” This is well and good. I believe if some of our prayers ended at the salutation, they might be more Godly. But WHAT did the Pharisee thank God for? “. . . I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” Oh, I see! “Thank God that we are so very good and pious!” It would seem that God needs to forgive nothing in this Pharisee since he is so righteous, but wait! There is none righteous but God! So, regardless of his personal faith, something, in the eyes of the Pharisee, makes this publican, and all men, less righteous than himself. What is it? It is a smug religious self-righteousness that has prevailed in the prideful hearts of lost men from Cain until our own day – especially, our own day! NO one is as good as pretty, innocent, little-old ME! Just look at my clean washen hands and noble posture.

            Unfortunately to his own soul, the Pharisee is not finished damning himself in the eyes of God for he continues: “I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” Though this may be true, it is a false righteousness. He is boasting of that false righteousness. Jesus has clearly counseled on the ways in which we must fast: “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” (Matt 6:16-18) The moment we boast of our righteous acts, they become egregious sins! This Pharisee, like many of his fellows and Christians today, was a flaming hypocrite! But to those standing by, it is perhaps true that he was regarded as more righteous in the eyes of the crowd. Do you pray to the crowd or to God? Do you live unto Him, or unto THEM? How long do you labor for the fancy words to impress the listening crowd?

            Now comes the prayer of a man who knew he was unworthy of the mercies of God – just as none of us are worthy! He came with a very pitiful opinion of himself, but a mighty high opinion of God! He is a man hated by the people for his perceived collusion with Rome as a tax collector. He is considered, along with Zacchaeus, as the scum of the earth, before Christ! He does not dare come so near the Temple as the ‘honorable’ Pharisee – “And the publican, standing afar off.” So he stands back at a respectful distance – not daring to set his foot upon the Holy ground that he believes surrounds the Temple. May I suggest that all approach God from a “far off” place for it is not our natures to be Holy? We return as the Prodigal Son – from a far country into the loving arms of the Father. This publican has missed the ‘self-esteem-building classes’ of our modern public schools. He esteems himself as nothing, and he regards God as the All-in-All! How can any sinner approach God in any other way? Would that the Pharisee could have followed the example of the publican!

            What was the outward attitude of the publican? Was it prideful and boastful? Would any person, raised up in the pride of their persons, come to God as does this publican? Observe his approach and plaintive cry: “. . . . would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” He makes no DEMAND of God as is so common in the modern charismatic services. He was in deep mourning for his sins. He was not good enough to look God in the eye. His sins had become an intolerable burden from which he desperately sought relief. Our Lord had this poor man, and you and me, in mind when He said: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)

            Please note the object of the publican’s prayer as opposed to the prideful boast of the Pharisee: “God be merciful to me a sinner .” He asks for NOTHING more than MERCY and Grace! Because he was humble and sincere, he uttered the very words which were entirely in the Holy Will of the Lord to grant. A sincere prayer of repentance is ALWAYS heard by the Lord and answered. It is the only prayer an unforgiven sinner can utter that is heard in Heaven. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” (Psalms 66:18) Have you ever been so overburdened by your sin that this prayer was evoked from a heart full of pain?

            What is the effect of the two different prayers? Does God regard persons and their social status in hearing prayer? What of the poor bum on skid row who, slowly dying in his filth and misery suddenly sees a Light in Heaven and makes humble and desperate appeal thereto? Will God save the wretched sinner in his filth, and reject the dignified and proud boaster? See what Jesus says of the two: “14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.” So much for pomp and circumstance! The prayer of the Pharisee was heard where it was sent “with himself” but not by God. The publican, being a desperate sinner, had his prayer heard and answered. He was forgiven and justified! “….the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)  “. . . every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Once more, we see that PRIDE is the mother of all sins.

            Though there are many stark truths to inform us in this text, there is one that stands out foremost – the proper means of prayer! We may pray beautiful and sophisticated words, yet the pride that motivated them sink them to the depths of the sea. We may pray with utter simplicity out of a sincere heart, and these simple and unpolished jewels of prayer may rise to the ‘third heaven.’ Attitude is everything. If the sentiment is not in the heart, it will not find a genuine expression through the lips.

            Are you resurrected in Christ today?

Bishop Dennis Campbell’s Sermon
Bishop Dennis is a brilliant speaker.  He is able to take biblical precepts and make them perfectly understandable, even to me.  Oft he provides the text of his sermons and I take the utmost pleasure in passing them on:

Christians Receive
Psalm 124, 125, 1 Corinthians 15:1, Luke 18:9
Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
August 11, 2013

Last Sunday I spoke to you about what Christians want. Today I would like to speak about what Christians get. The Title of the sermon is, Christians Receive." We are of course talking about what Christians receive from God as the gifts of His grace, and the very first thing we receive, which is the foundation upon which all else stands, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote in our first lesson for this morning, "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved." According to Paul it is the Gospel which causes us to stand before God. Stand is used here as it might be used when we say, "stand fast." We can picture ourselves as part of a great army facing a powerful, advancing enemy along the line of battle. But we do not run. We do not even tremble at the size and power of the enemy. We stand fast. When I thing of this metaphor in Scripture I often think back to the movie, "Three Hundred Spartans." The Spartans had gathered at a gap in the mountains called Thermopoly to try to stop the advance of the Persian army into Greece. As the three hundred Spartans stood in the gap, they faced several thousand of the best soldiers in the Persian army. I don't know if this happened in real life, but in the movie, the leader of the Spartans drew a line in the sand with his sword and said, "Spartans, from this line, we do not retreat." They did not retreat. They stood at the line of battle and fought to the last man. When the Bible says we are enabled to "stand" it means we also are able to stand in the face of the enemy. God has drawn a line in the sand, this line is the Gospel. It is the Bible. It is the faith once delivered to the saints. We stand on the line. From this line we do not retreat.

To stand is also the opposite of falling. We read in history, and in the Bible itself, of people falling before an enemy. We read of the fall of Rome, the fall of Jerusalem, and the fall of the great empires of the past. The Bible even tells us that God raises up empires according to His own will and purpose, and casts them down according to that same will and purpose. But to the Church He does not say we will fall before our foes. To the Church He promises overwhelming victory, accomplished through His power and grace. Thus, not only will we never retreat, we will also never fall. We will stand against all odds and all enemies. We stand in the Gospel.

Paul said we are saved by the Gospel. The world considers that an insult. The world does not want God to save it, it wants to save itself. And it only wants God on its terms. The Gospel is a stumbling block to the world. The preaching of the cross is offensive to its people. But we must take God on His terms, not expect Him to accept us on ours. And His terms are given in the Gospel, "by which ye are saved."

Saved means to be forgiven of our sins and restored to fellowship with God. It means to have our sins forgiven, and our status changed from criminals against God, to honoured guests in His House. It also means to be delivered from the self-destructive life-style, habits, thoughts, and actions that kill the soul and destroy lives.

I heard Rush Limbaugh say something very profound last Friday. I think it was the most profound thing he has ever said. He was talking about the things people do to gain recognition from others, and he said, in essence, that such recognition will not make anyone happy. In fact he said such people are looking for happiness in the wrong places. The things they turn to not only are incapable of giving happiness, but are also absolutely destructive of happiness in every way. I agree. The Bible agrees. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ wants to rescue us from those destructive forces and deliver us into a new life, which can and does bring joy to the soul. The Gospel saves us.

What is the Gospel that saves us? It is the Gospel of Christ. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4,

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

God entered human history and human life and human death. He experienced it all Himself, with no special treatment or exemptions. He lived by faith. He suffered. He died. He went to the grave. And He did it all for you. He did it to save you.

This brings me back to the point of my sermon, "Christians Receive." Christians receive all that Christ died to give us. Our sins are forgiven, all of them forever. No matter how bad you have been, or how good you think you are, those who believe in Christ are forgiven and our sins are removed as far away from us the east is from the west. Paul persecuted Christians before he was converted. Yet his sins, including the deaths of many Christians, were fully and completely forgiven. That is the promise of God to all believers. And that new way of life that I was talking about, the life lived in fellowship with God, restored to His ways and will, which is the only real life of happiness and joy, is ours also. It is given to us as a free gift. We have only a foretaste of it now, but we are only eating the appetizer. Or, in more Biblical language, we might say we are enjoying the earnest, the down payment, of the joys and bliss and heavenly treasures we can only fully know in Heaven. But we are enjoying what we have now.

And this leads me to the conclusion for today, Christians receive because God gives. He gives freely and generously and at His own expense. He gives that we may obtain what He promises, and that we may be made partakers of His heavenly treasure through Jesus Christ. I think John 3:16 sys this very well. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
--
+Dennis Campbell

Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia

Rev Rick Reid of Saint Peter’s Sunday Sermon
We are happy to have a sermon from Reverend Rick Reid, minister of Saint Peter’s, whose congregation is right at the Worldwide Headquarters of the Anglican Orthodox Church.  Rev Rick has all the resources and challenges right at hand.

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

The apostle Paul spoke of gifts from the Spirit often, in his letters. He gave detailed lists of what kinds of gifts there were, much like he did in today’s Epistle to the Corinthians.He also spoke of gifts differing in his letter to the Romans.

The word he used for these gifts was charismata, which is a Greek term, (in the plural), related to our word for grace. Like grace, charismata are given freely by the Holy Spirit.  But there is one thing expected of those who are given charismata: the gift is to be used for building up God’s people.

God gives us the charismata, so we can express the love of one another which is at the core of the Christian way of life.

A gift of the Spirit is something that God gives for the purpose of building up others, in a life of faith. It has been the experience of Christians the world over, that the Holy Spirit usually harnesses one's talents in the service of the purpose, for which the gifts were given.

Yet sometimes, the spiritual gifts seem to, not work along with a person's natural gifts. God used a person who stuttered, (Moses), to lead his people out of Egypt. He made a shepherd boy named David into a renowned warrior and king, and turned simple, uneducated, fishermen into leaders who left their mark on the course of history.

There are examples everywhere of people who don't have special training, who aren't highly skilled, and have no particular talent, but when the time comes for them to benefit others, the gift of the Holy Spirit is there.

Sometimes there's a spiritual gift that goes along with our natural abilities and the skills we have developed.

There is the gift of healing, and there are the natural healing processes, and the medical skills learned to assist those processes.

There is prophecy, and there is the ability to discover the truth, and the skill to figure out, how and when, to share it.

If you find that you have a talent, use it and develop it as best you can. But it takes the Holy Spirit working within the believer to put the natural, and the supernatural together with power to serve.

"The Holy Spirit not only unites us, but also ensures our infinite diversity in the Church: at Pentecost the tongues of fire were 'cloven' or divided, descending separately upon each one of those present.

The gift of the Spirit is a gift to the Church, but it is at the same time a personal gift, appropriated by each in his or her own way."

There are so many spiritual gifts, and so many ways to put them to use for the church and its mission, that no one gift, no one calling defines the Christian life. The Giver does. If you look at any one gift that way, you're putting a limit on the sovereign Holy Spirit in a way Scripture never does. Through the gifts, the fruit are borne.

As spiritual gifts are given to all who believe in Christ, something strange happens. Priests, pastors, theologians, and church leaders are no longer the sole rivers for the flow of God's grace. The Spirit gives just plain folks the power to give the love and grace of God to each other.

This was always true, but the Church of the past had mostly forgotten it. Faithful people do this every day in tough circumstances, when they reach out to help their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus said his followers would be known by their fruits. The fruits he spoke of were acts of love and marks of a Godly character.

The apostle Paul also discusses the subject of spiritual gifts in his letter to the Romans.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office…:So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another….Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith…;Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;8 ….Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.  9Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good….10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;….11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;…12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;…13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality….14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not…. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep………16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate… Be not wise in your own conceits. Romans 12:4-21

Paul is talking about the attitude of the believer in Christ, someone who is given to God. He then starts to speak against an attitude of not feeling better than anyone else. Each member has value in the Body of Christ.

Paul is not writing, just about the Spirit's gifts, but about the attitude taken when using them. Though the talk is spiritual gifts, the intent is more like that for the spiritual fruits .Paul is writing about the character that marks a Christian; the gifts are there for putting that character into action.Paul holds the gifts of the Spirit to be so important that when he teaches about other matters, he teaches about the gifts. The role the spiritual gifts play is so central to a healthy relationship to Christ that they affect everything else as well.

So let's face every new day ready to use the gifts God has given us, and be ready to serve in ways that we are not gifted, if that's what He asks.

Just know, that by being the person He has made us to be, we are bringing Him joy, and doing the work He has called us to do.

To the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen                                           

Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon.  If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the truth and live the truth.    This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.


Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

In today’s Holy Gospel lesson, our Lord had to contend with those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others (St. Luke 18:9). His parable of the Pharisee and the publican illustrates God’s disdain for those whose lack of humility has led them into arrogance before his throne.

The particulars of this parable are these: two men entered the temple for the purpose of prayer. The former was a Pharisee and the latter was a publican or tax collector. The former individual stood before God and recited his litany of supposed good things he had done for the LORD; while the latter stood afar off, having judged himself a sinner, smote his chest as he sought God’s pardon. Our Lord then closed with his appraisal of the two men and identified the publican as having left the temple justified because he had humbled himself before God while the Pharisee had not.

Article XII of our Articles of Religion states in part: “. . .that good works, which are the fruits of faith and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment. . . “ And Article XIV states: “Voluntary works besides over and above, God’s commandments ... cannot be taught without arrogancy ... for by them men do declare, that they do more for [God’s] sake than of bounden duty is required: whereas Christ saith plainly ‘when ye have done all that are commanded to you, say, We are unprofitable servants.’ “

Our Lord was often chided by the scribes and Pharisees for his teachings because they conflicted with their understanding of God’s word written. These gatekeepers of the truth had insulated themselves from the very thing they were supposed to protect and espouse before men, and they did so via the traditions of their fathers (see St. Matthew 23:1-39). Proverbs 16:5 states, Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD. Also Proverbs 20:6 says, Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? And again in Proverbs 22:4 we learn that, By humility and fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. And our Lord said (St. Matthew 18:4), Whosoever therefore will humble himself ... the same is the greatest in the in the kingdom of heaven.

Where was their humility? Clearly, they had none. It is one thing to correct an error, and to rebuke unrighteousness. Nevertheless, when we look at the comments made by the scribes and Pharisees against our Lord, they lacked the caring quality of a true teacher of God’s word which he had so often used in his discussions with them (see II St. Timothy 2:24-26). They saw no need to do those things which Moses and the prophets had called on them to do in order to preserve their own souls as they were only interested in defending their traditional understanding of things (St. Matthew 15:7-9).

Today, we find that the disease of pharisaism has infected many within the modern church. They will offer up to God their lists of “look-at-what-I-did-for- you-today” never once realizing that all their works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). They seem unable to humble themselves before God on account of their particular station in life. They may be well-to-do. They might possess the capacity to provide their families with the best of everything. And on account of these things, how can they humble themselves — or see their need for repentance — when the world they know has given them the impression that they have no need to repent or to humble themselves before God? The proper Christian, when presented with such thoughts of self-sufficiency and self-aggrandizement, ought to fall to his or her knees in humble reverence acknowledging the very God who made such wealth possible. Sadly, the numbers of those who might be termed a “proper Christian” are dwindling daily.

The publican, on the other hand, sought and received forgiveness because he humbled himself before the LORD. It is only when we come before God’s throne of grace — pleading with him to take away our sins so that we might be restored in our fellowship with him — that we experience his love for us. As with the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, so will our heavenly Father graciously receive and pardon all who come to him if, and only if, they come with a heart seeking his forgiveness. For only those who have a heart for God will be made right with him through private confession and amendment of life.

And so we have two men who entered the temple of God to offer him their prayers and petitions. The Pharisee came with pride, while the publican came in humility and regret for his actions. The Pharisee came to extol himself while the publican came downtrodden, and abased himself before God. The Pharisee sought to justify himself, while the publican sought God’s pardon and mercy. The Pharisee treated God as if he had done him a favor, while the publican sought God’s favor through his self-judgment and self-condemnation.

As we continue our worship today, it is my prayer that each of you will seek a closer walk with the Godhead. That you will ask the LORD to forgive you of your several sins and trespasses. That you will come before his throne of grace seeking his pardon with humble and contrite hearts. God sees our works both good and ill so there in no reason to lay before him in pridefulness those things we have done in his service — as if we could ever do even that which is expected of us. So let us come to him with hearts desiring to first be forgiven of our sins, and then to petition him for guidance in our Christian walk. Only afterward, are we to stand up and rejoice for we know that he is just and faithful to cleanse us of all unrighteousness in the name of his beloved Son. May our good and gracious God be pleased to send his most holy Spirit to comfort and fill you so that all your doings will be acceptable in his sight, and that Christ may be seen in you.

Let us pray,

F
Ather, grant to us grace sufficient to bring ourselves: our souls and bodies, into humble submission to thy will and pleasure; that we might have a more perfect fellowship with thee in this life, and for the life to come in thy eternal kingdom; for this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed week, Bryan+


[1] Pharisee - One of a sect or party among the Jews, noted for a strict and formal observance of rites and ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders, and whose pretensions to superior sanctity led them to separate themselves from the other Jews.
[2] Publican 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A farmer of the taxes and public revenues; hence, a collector of toll or tribute. The inferior officers of this class were often oppressive in their exactions, and were regarded with great detestation.

Literally a Publican is one who farmed the taxes (e. g., Zacchaeus, Luke 19: 2) to be levied from a town or  district, and thus undertook to pay to the supreme government a certain amount. In order to collect the taxes, the publicans employed subordinates (5: 27; 15: 1; 18: 10), who, for their own ends, were often guilty of extortion and peculation (defrauding the public by appropriating to one's own use the money or goods intrusted to one's care for management or disbursement; embezzlement). In New Testament times these taxes were paid to the Romans, and hence were regarded by the Jews as a very heavy burden, and hence also the collectors of taxes, who were frequently Jews, were hated, and were usually spoken of in very opprobrious terms. Jesus was accused of being a "friend of publicans and sinners" (Luke 7: 34).
[3] Though Paul was writing to the people of Corinth, the information is just as applicable to us, perhaps more so now than ever before.