Today we celebrated the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity. No sermon from Bishop Jerry, he is now in Macedonia, sadly he missed Alexander by a few millennia, but Paul only by a couple. Things have been going very well there. There is now an Anglican Orthodox Church of Serbia complete with ministers, deacons and congregations and probably by the time you read this an Anglican Orthodox Church of Macedonia. All is going exceptionally well. He has many exceptional Christians and will be providing a complete after action report on his return. In the mean time, please, each of you pray for his doing his very best for our Lord, a good result and his safe return. A pleasant trip would be nice, also!
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. Some from Bishop Jerry, many from Rev Bryan Dabney, a few from other places, some from Rev Geordie Menzies-Grierson, but overall mostly from Bryan. He always has some great ones to share. On to the On Point quotes –
Vote
Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual -- or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.
Samuel Adams
Boston Gazette, 1781
An elective despotism was not the government we fought for; but one in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among the several bodies of magistracy as that no one could transcend their legal limits without being effectually checked and restrained by the others.
James Madison (1788)
Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust must be men of unexceptionable characters.
Samuel Adams
Letter to James Warren, 1775
The principle of the Constitution is that of a separation of legislative, Executive and Judiciary functions, except in cases specified. If this principle be not expressed in direct terms, it is clearly the spirit of the Constitution, and it ought to be so commented and acted on by every friend of free government.
Thomas Jefferson
letter to James Madison, 1797
On Feeling
I think the thrill of the Pagan stories and of romance may be due to the fact that they are mere beginnings—the first, faint whisper of the wind from beyond the world—while Christianity is the thing itself: and no thing, when you have really started on it, can have for you then and there just the same thrill as the first hint. For example, the experience of being married and bringing up a family cannot have the old bittersweet of first falling in love. But it is futile (and, I think, wicked) to go on trying to get the old thrill again: you must go forward and not backward. Any real advance will in its turn be ushered in by a new thrill, different from the old: doomed in its turn to disappear and to become in its turn a temptation to retrogression. Delight is a bell that rings as you set your foot on the first step of a new flight of stairs leading upwards. Once you have started climbing you will notice only the hard work: it is when you have reached the landing and catch sight of the new stair that you may expect the bell again. This is only an idea, and may be all rot: but it seems to fit in pretty well with the general law (thrills also must die to live) of autumn & spring, sleep and waking, death and resurrection, and “Whosoever loseth his life, shall save it.”
Jack Lewis
The Collected Letters of CS Lewis, Volume II
The man who measures things by the circumstances of the hour is filled with fear; the man who sees Jehovah enthroned and governing has no panic.
G. Campbell Morgan
All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.
J. Hudson Taylor
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Isaiah 5:21
... Be not afraid, only believe.
St. Mark 5:36
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
I Corinthians 3:16
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
II St. Timothy 1:7
It is fitting and right beyond doubt that buildings set apart for Christian worship should be worthy of the purpose for which they are used. Whatever is done for Christ ought to be well done. The house in which the gospel is preached, the Word of God read, and prayer offered up ought to lack nothing that can make it comely and substantial. But let it never be forgotten that the material part of a Christian church is by far the least important part of it. The fairest combinations of marble, stone, wood and painted glass are worthless in God's sight unless there is truth in the pulpit and grace in the congregation. The dens and caves in which the early Christians used to meet were probably far more beautiful in the eyes of Christ than the noblest cathedral that was ever erected by man. The temple in which the Lord delights most is a broken and contrite heart renewed by the Holy Spirit. Without the truth in their pulpits, the most beautiful buildings are simply historical museums.
JC Ryle
19th century Anglican bishop and author
Someone should tell [the president] that “1984” is not an instruction manual.
Steve Stockman
21st century American congressman.
The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a grand scale.
Thomas Jefferson
18th century American patriot and president
When a small man casts a long shadow the sunset is near.
Lin Yutang
20th century Chinese academic and author
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers: special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
The Propers for today are found on Page 218-220, with the Collect first:
Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity
The Collect.
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RANT, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for this morning came from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, the Sixth Chapter, beginning at the Tenth Verse. In these passages, Paul gives his clearest definition of the spiritual war between the forces of Satan and those who would follow God. It not only assures us that there is a spiritual war, but it warns us that apart from utilizing the weapons which God has provided for us, we are hopelessly underpowered. This passage tells us what our divine weapons are. Beyond this, these weapons imply the nature of the struggle which we are in. The weapons which God has provided for us are those weapons which best repel the attacks of Satan, and thus we can learn a great deal about the nature of Satan’s opposition from simply considering each of the weapons at our disposal.
After a consideration of the war in general, we will then proceed to examine in more detail each of the weapons Paul mentions, and the offensive strategy of Satan which they imply. May God give us open hearts and minds to understand the spiritual war, and the means which He has provided for our defense.
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Y brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The Holy Gospel came from the Fourth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. John beginning at the Forty-Sixth Verse. This is a telling of the story of the healing of a Jewish nobleman's son Capernaum through the faith of his father. When the man came to him asking for help, he responded as he often did to Jews, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” The man persisted and because Jesus saw faith in him, he said, focusing his attention on faith in God, “Go thy way; thy son liveth” or "Be on your way. Your son is alive." In other words: "Do not worry. My Word can heal your son at a distance." The boy was healed in the very instant when Jesus spoke the Word. The father believed this Word. So did his household, wife, children and servants. More than one person was healed on that occasion.
This miracle shares characteristics with the previous healing of the Centurion’s son:
- Jesus has just come back to Galilee.
- Someone comes to him with a request.
- Indirectly Jesus seems to refuse at first.
- The person persists.
- Jesus grants the request.
- This leads another group of people (his disciples, the nobleman’s household) to believe in him.
Note the necessity of trusting in Jesus as the giver of life. Of the text, Luther wrote: "Although the Lord performed miracles and signs to make Himself known and to lead people to faith in Him, the underlying purpose was to focus their attention on the Word rather than on the signs which served merely to attest the truth of His testimony. Faith must rest on the Word of God." Another Lutheran theologian wrote: "In affliction faith is practiced and chastened. If a person does not see, taste and experience the help and grace of the Lord, then that person learns to trust the Word and nothing but the Word. That is the true faith, trusting the Lord for its own sake. Such faith comes not from flesh and blood. It's the Lord to which faith clings. That almighty Word works faith."
Jesus led this nobleman from a "miracle" faith to a true faith in His Word. He does this to us also.
"Be on your way. Your son lives." This Word of Jesus was not only a prophecy. It had the power to heal the sick boy. And this Word took the nobleman's worries away.
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HERE was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judæa into Galilee.
Commentary on John 4:46.. For the 21st Sunday after Trinity
from A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments by Joseph Sutcliffe
4:46. A certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. Erasmus, following some others, reads regulus, a deputy, a prince, a lord lieutenant, a thane. He was a nobleman high in office, but his rank is not exactly known.
4:47. Besought him that he would come down, and heal his son. He was accustomed to command attendance; but now he does it with solicitation. Like Martha, he was not as yet acquainted with the omnipresence of the Saviour.
4:49-50. Sir, come down ere my child die. He was importunate, and would not be denied. His faith was real, though less enlightened than that of some others. He obtained however an immediate answer: Go thy way, thy son liveth. He believed the word, and on his return his servants met him with the joyful news that the fever had left his son at one o’clock, the very hour of the preseding day that the Lord had said, "Thy son liveth." So he and all his house believed on the Lord. — And shall one branch of our families be clearly converted to the Lord, and made happy in the joys of remission, and the rest of the family remain unmoved, and unconverted? What greater slight can such a family offer to the grace of God? What other means do they await to effectuate their conversion?
From Rev Geordie
Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold
Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California
Today’s service was actually held at the Seattle Tacoma airport, SEATAC or SEA, as the congregation was on travel from a wedding there. Still, that does not stop the Sunday service!
Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and talked, as is oft the case, of the need for action, not simply diction and are all tied together. Consider these words from the Collect:
… Grant … thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind …
We ask Got to pardon our sins that we might serve Him with peace of mind. That we might do His Work without having to worry about our fate. It is good to have a clear mind when you go into battle, to be free of worry that you might do your best. You do not want to have a foggy mind when you are doing an action that requires your best concentration, so that is what we are asking from Him. To give us clarity of mind that we might do what is right.
Paul gives his clearest definition of the spiritual war between the forces of Satan and those who would follow God. It not only assures us that there is a spiritual war, but it warns us that apart from utilizing the weapons which God has provided for us, we are hopelessly underpowered. This passage tells us what our divine weapons are. Beyond this, these weapons imply the nature of the struggle which we are in. The weapons which God has provided for us are those weapons which best repel the attacks of Satan, and thus we can learn a great deal about the nature of Satan’s opposition from simply considering each of the weapons at our disposal:
Clothing Truth; this our cloak, as well as our cover;
Breastplate or Armored Vest Righteousness; being at one with the One True and Triune God;
Boots The Gospel; the Word of God will get you there;
Shield Faith; able to not only ward off blows of evil, but quench the fiery darts hurled at us;
Helmet Salvation; we are saved already, thus we cannot be harmed by any of the forces of this world, the armored helmet of the gift of salvation given to us by our Lord will protect us in the end, the only time that counts;
Weapon Up to now, the equipment has been defensive or at least supporting; but to win a war, you need to be on the offense, our offensive weapon is the sword of the Holy Ghost, the Word of God!
Now, what to do? Clearly we are commanded to take the offensive, to “ride towards the sound of gunfire.” Where the fight is, that is where we must go. With the help of the Holy Ghost, we should open our “mouth boldly[1], to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” You don’t play the defensive in this spiritual battle, as in tactical warfare, nobody ever won a battle by being stuck on the offensive. You must go out and preach boldly and speak the truth and not worry about the consequences of doing so.
The Word spreads “by word of mouth” and by action. Your mouth, your actions!
Speaking of actions, Winston Churchill said, “Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”[2]
Churchill was not the first. God wants us to persist. Consider the case of the nobleman of Capernaum. The man asked Jesus for help for his son. Jesus did not immediately grant the request as He needed the man to persist to make a point for those around him. He responded as he often did to Jews, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” The man persisted and because Jesus saw faith in him, he said, focusing his attention on faith in God, “Go thy way; thy son liveth” or "Be on your way. Your son is alive." In other words: "Do not worry. My Word can heal your son at a distance." The boy was healed in the very instant when Jesus spoke the Word. The father believed this Word. So did his household, wife, children and servants. More than one person was healed on that occasion.
This miracle shares characteristics with the previous healing of the Centurion’s son:
- Jesus has just come back to Galilee.
- Someone comes to him with a request.
- Indirectly Jesus seems to refuse at first.
- The person persists.
- Jesus grants the request.
- This leads another group of people (his disciples, the nobleman’s household) to believe in him.
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Note the necessity of trusting in Jesus as the giver of life. Of the text, Luther wrote: "Although the Lord performed miracles and signs to make Himself known and to lead people to faith in Him, the underlying purpose was to focus their attention on the Word rather than on the signs which served merely to attest the truth of His testimony. Faith must rest on the Word of God." Another Lutheran theologian wrote: "In affliction faith is practiced and chastened. If a person does not see, taste and experience the help and grace of the Lord, then that person learns to trust the Word and nothing but the Word. That is the true faith, trusting the Lord for its own sake. Such faith comes not from flesh and blood. It's the Lord to which faith clings. That almighty Word works faith."
Jesus led this nobleman from a "miracle" faith to a true faith in His Word. He does this to us also.
"Be on your way. Your son lives." This Word of Jesus was not only a prophecy. It had the power to heal the sick boy. And this Word took the nobleman's worries away. As it will take ours away if we will let it.
We are asked to let God forgive us our sins and go to battle in this world with His armor. With Him all things are possible; when we depend on our own pitiful resources, the outcome is in doubt and the result unlikely to be favorable in the end. When you believe in our Lord and act on that belief, victory is certain in the end. Understand, the result here on earth may not be the one you want, but it is the one God wants for you. God expects you to accept His help and act with His help to gain victory over the prince of this world.
Consider also that God, through our Lord, offers forgiveness. Forgiveness lets you restart your life, regain your foothold, strengthen your soul. If you accept the forgiveness and go forward you can do great things. If you will not, and likewise you will not forgive, you will be bound by the prince of this world and doomed to failure. You will never attain the greatness of which you are capable with God’s grace and help.
Do what is right, I would say no matter if there is no one looking; but He is always looking. It is not that hard. Believe, take His help, act on the belief you profess, never ever give up.
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?
The time to act is NOW. Will you act? For whom will you act? Will you count the cost before you act?
Action, not diction, is what counts. It is by your actions you are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
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:
We Wrestle
Ephesians 6:10-20
Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
November 9, 2014
Most contemporary churches and preachers present a false view of the Christian life. In fact, the more “contemporary” a church, preacher, or sermon attempts to be, the more it usually strays from the Bible and the more distorted its message is. The Christian life they present is a carefree jaunt from one spiritual mountain to experience to another. Christians, they say, are delivered from the trials and tribulations of life. They will not feel pain, or depression. They will not grieve at the loss of friends and family. They will not feel loneliness. They will be healed of every illness. God will give them great success in their employment, and they will enjoy great material wealth. The tribulations of life are for the unbelievers and the weak in faith. In fact, most “Evangelicals” think tribulation is something that happens to unbelievers after the Christians are raptured out of the world just before the Return of Christ. Just for your information, the “tribulation” referred to in the book of Revelation is the tribulation of the Church by unbelievers, not a series of catastrophes visited on unbelievers by God.
The basic message proclaimed by most “churches” today, especially the more famous and larger ones whose sermons are published on radio and TV, is that God wants to deliver you from all suffering and sickness; all interpersonal, family, and marital problems; and all financial problems. He wants to give you perfect warm fuzzy relationship, perfect health, and material wealth. All you have to do is believe He wants to give it to you, and ask for it in faith, and it will miraculously be yours. This view of the Christian life is often called the “name it and claim it gospel” because it teaches that you can claim your miracles if you pray in faith. It is sometimes called the “prosperity gospel,” or the “health and wealth gospel” because it teaches that God wants to give you these things. It is often called “happy-clappy” because it teaches life is one big warm fuzzy feeling and because its worship services are boisterous combinations of rock concerts and football games. Almost every big name preacher, and every mega-church preaches this message.
How does this message connect with the teachings of Scripture? It doesn’t. The health and wealth, name it and claim it, happy-clappy gospel opposes and competes against Biblical Christianity, and it is just as false and heretical as those who deny the Bible’s authority and the Deity of Christ.
Look at our reading from Ephesians 6 as an example. Most contemporary preachers think it teaches that the armor of God protects us from all harm and all problems. In reality it teaches that the Christian life is a continuous and relentless battle against supernatural forces that will destroy you unless God protects you. When the Bible says, “we wrestle,” it’s not talking about a wrestling match, or even a childish fight on the play ground. It refers to hand-to-hand combat to the death. That’s what the Christian life is. And every Christian is called to be a soldier in the battle.
No soldier who goes into battle thinks he will not be shot at. He knows the enemy will shoot at him. He knows he may be wounded. He may loose an arm, or a leg. He may be horribly disfigured, or become an invalid for the rest of his life. He may be killed. He knows any kind of battle experience will change and haunt his life forever. Yet preachers and churches today tell Christians in the spiritual war they will never be wounded, never be hurt, never experience battle fatigue or shell shock or experience the horrors of war. If you have been taught, or believe that, I have bad news for you. Everyone will be wounded in this war. Everyone will be a casualty. By the time you get to Heaven you will have more purple hearts than you can count. You will have sorrow so deep you’ll think it will kill you. You will experience deep, deep depression and grief. You will bear scars and suffer pain all of your life. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I can’t. Suffering and death are part of every war, especially spiritual war. I am not saying you will not have joy. Thanks be to God He gives us joy and peace. I am saying you will also experience sorrow. It is a natural part of life. So, if you are suffering, it is not an abnormal thing. It is not a lack of faith. It is not that God has deserted you. It is part of the spiritual warfare all Christians face.
I can tell you this; in spiritual warfare, you are your own worst enemy. Your desire to please yourself rather than obey God, will cause you more grief and loss than anything the world or the devil can throw at you. The greatest part of your spiritual energy and courage will be devoted to overcoming your own desires and passions, and you will have moments of small triumph, and moments of crushing defeat.
The world is another terrible enemy. The world calls you to attach yourself to it; to make enjoying its treasures and pleasures the meaning of your life. The world doesn’t tell you its pleasures and treasures are transitory at best. In the end you will loose them all, and what will you have then? Isn’t it true that most of our griefs and fears focus on getting, and loosing earth’s pleasures and treasures? Much of your personal part in the spiritual battle will be wrestling with the world, trying to prevent it from becoming the focus and meaning of your life. And it will be a hard fought battle.
The devil is another terrible foe. He is skilled in battle and wise in the ways of war. He knows your weaknesses, and how to exploit them. His job is to get you to make yourself your god. He wants to get you tangled in the things of earth, and the fulfillment of your own lusts and pleasures. He wants you to put them first, above God. It is when you put them first that you fall into coldness and disobedience. You become self-centered, and heard-hearted towards God.
Beware of these enemies. For they do not come at you dressed in armour. They come dressed as friends bearing gifts. They are stronger than you, and they will conquer you unless God protects you and enables you to make it through the fight. Therefore, Christian, remember to put on your armor.
What is this armour of God? It sounds to me very much like what we call the means of grace. Verse 14 talks about having your loins girt about with truth. What is that if not the revelation of God in Scripture? How do you gird yourself with the truth if not by diligently looking into the Bible and letting it shape your thoughts and attitudes and life? Verse 17 talks about the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, again pointing us to the Bible. But here it is an offensive weapon to be used as Christ used it when tempted by Satan Verse 18 speaks of prayer in the Spirit. This is not some special prayer language, or speaking in tongues, or going into a trance. It is praying according to the will of God and trusting the Holy Spirit to bear your prayers to Heaven, and to interceded for you in those things too deep for words. These things are the means by which God feeds our souls and draws us into himself. They are the means by which God enables us to stand firm in the battle, quench the fiery darts of the wicked, and watch unto perseverance and supplication.
Others are mentioned here. Salvation; which is God’s entire work of justification, sanctification, and glorification. Without the helmet of salvation you will fall. Indeed, you are fallen already. The shield of faith refers to the doctrinal content of the Christian faith. These doctrines are great comfort to us in time of trouble. When facing trials we are cheered by the knowledge of God’s omniscience and omnipotence. When we sin we are cheered by the knowledge of His everlasting love and grace. When death claims our loved ones we are cheered by the reality of Heaven. When sorrows threaten to overcome us we are cheered by the hope of a place where sorrows will touch us no more forever. The Church is mentioned here. Verse 18 talks about all saints, and that is the Church, the people and body of Christ. The Church is a means of grace. Here we worship God. In the Church we are fed by the sacraments. In the Church we are fed on the Scriptures and the communion of saints. The Good Shepherd gathers His sheep into the fold, the Church, to keep them safe from wolves and robbers. Those inside the fold are called sheep. What do they call those outside of the fold? Mutton. A word to the wise is sufficient.
+Dennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
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.
Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity
In our gospel for today (St. John 4: 46-54), our Lord remarked that Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. He said this to a man who had besought him to heal his dying son. The man nevertheless persisted and our Lord sent him home with a message of encouragement that his son was alive. When the man returned home, he found that his son was healed at the very time when he had been appealing to our Lord for his assistance, and as a result he and his whole house believed on the Lord Jesus.
How many times have we heard the unregenerate say, “If only God would do this thing or that, I would also believe”, or “Why doesn’t God work explicit miracles in our world today?” I usually reply: “Would you really believe in God on account of their actual occurrence, or would you simply explain away his wonderful works as chance or an accident?” Experience reveals that the latter response will be given over the former because the unregenerate, by their very natures, cannot give any credit to God. They cannot because their master will not permit them to do so.
The Scriptures tell us that the LORD has used signs for a variety of purposes. He has used them to authenticate a prophetic announcement, as in Numbers 16: 28-33 wherein Moses said Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works... If these men die the common death of all men... then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end to speaking... that the ground clave asunder that was under them...
The LORD has used signs to strengthen the faith of those who were called to perform a given service and who were incomplete in faith or ignorant of the truth of God, as in the case of Gideon (Judges 6: 36-40). Gideon asked God to moisten a piece of fleece one night and to moisten the ground around the dry fleece the next. Such proved to him that he had the favor of the LORD in his calling to defeat of the Midianites.
The signs of the LORD have also been used to remind us of past blessings and encourage a continuing faith, such as when Joshua (Joshua 24: 17-18) reminded the children of Israel of all the signs and wonders which they had witnessed on their journey through the wilderness. The recounting of these events was enough to spark their faith for they had seen with their eyes the workings of God present with them. Elijah called the people of Israel to witness an awesome display of God when his offering was completely consumed by fire out of heaven along with the very stones of the altar on which his sacrifice was offered. Elijah never once put spark or flame to the wood of the sacrifice, and even had water poured over it which filled a trench that encircled the altar. And lo and behold the LORD consumed it all in a instant. As a result, the faith of many was renewed and a brief period of revival developed in the kingdom of Israel (I Kings 18:21-39).
Signs confirm God’s Word. In Hebrews 2:14 we are told that both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will... God confirmed unto his own the work of salvation. Our Lord Jesus Christ through the workings of the Holy Ghost raised Lazarus from the dead, turned water into wine, healed all manner of ill and injured persons, cast out devils and brought the light of the gospel of peace into a sin-darkened world. He confirmed the faith of many through his works the greatest of which was his resurrection from the dead. Why did Christianity grow and catch on like a wildfire? The testimony of the multitude of witnesses and the proof of the empty tomb spoke volumes and resonated with those whom God had called unto himself of all nations and tongues beginning in Jerusalem and continuing on to the uttermost parts of the earth.
But as we have noted, signs displayed to the unregenerate are not sufficient for them. One would have thought that after having witnessed the plagues that befell the Egyptians at the hands of Moses and Aaron, such would have quieted any dissent among the children of Israel. Yet, in spite of all that the LORD had done for them, only two men above the age of twenty from the original host which left Egypt— Caleb and Joshua— believed that the people could enter the land of Canaan and take it from those wicked people whom the LORD had promised to drive out from before them. Two out of so many. What a shame. Or, how about the disciples of our Lord at the Garden of Gethsemane? They ran from the scene when our Lord was taken by the temple guards and went into hiding as if their whole world had ended. They seemed to have forgotten the host of miracles which they themselves had witnessed while with the Master. Only after his appearance to them in their secluded retreat following his resurrection was their faith renewed.
I suppose for me, and perhaps for you, a sign and wonder which I am looking for is our being gathered together with our Lord in glory. Nevertheless, we should look about us every moment for God works all manner of signs and wonders, many of which go completely unnoticed. Our very lives are a miracle of nature. Every child born into this world is a miracle— a sign and wonder of the power of God in creation. To think on the complexity of our bodies and how every system must work in the ways which it had been developed represents the thoughtfulness of our Creator God.
If we have received of God the gifts of the Spirit, we will be working in those areas of life in which we have been called. For it is through our efforts within those respective spheres that the hand of God can be discerned in changed lives, and humbled hearts. God desires our love and devotion and all who are called of him will give him those things. May each of you have the courage to heed his calling and live in obedience to his word and commandment.
Let us pray:
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ATHER, assist us, we pray, to see the signs and wonders which you perform daily all around us; that we witnessing the same will have our spirits enlivened to do those works which thou hast called us to perform; for this we ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
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