The Propers for today are found
on Page 128-130, with the Collect first:
The Third Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
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E beseech
thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and
stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our
enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is
followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday.
The
Collect.
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LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the
sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite
hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our
wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and
forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the
Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
Dru Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came
from the Fifth Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians beginning
at the First Verse. He echoes the advice
of St. James in his general epistle to be Christians, not just claim to be
followers of Christ, when James wrote, “But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
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E ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But
fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named
among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor
jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye
know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man
deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of
God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as
children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For
it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever
doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and
arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Hap
Arnold read this morning’s Gospel which comes from the Eleventh Chapter of the
Gospel of St. Luke beginning at the Fourteenth Verse.
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ESUS was casting out a devil, and
it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake;
and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through
Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a
sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom
divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a
house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom
stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub
cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be
your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the
kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace,
his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and
overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and
divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that
gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man,
he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will
return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept
and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked
than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that
man is worse than the first. And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a
certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is
the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea
rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time
and Action
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… look upon the hearty desires
of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be
our defence against all our enemies …
In the Collect, we ask God look in to our hearts, see
our desire to be His children and defend us against evil.
Today’s Epistle and Gospel share the same theme. You must walk the talk.
Thus, when Paul tell us to live our lives as we
represent our desires to God, he tells us to make our actions match out stated
desires. Actions!
Think about the Gospel.
It is very important to be unified in our worship and
mutual support; a team always beats individuals. That is not to take away from individuality, but rather to
note that we need to remember whose side we are on and work together with our
team mates.
There are two phrases particularly worth remembering,
“a house divided against a house falleth” and “He that is not with me is
against me.” Middle ground exists,
but it is quicksand. Any feeling
of safety there is illusory. We
must take sides. And, we cannot
keep with those who oppose the side we choose. We must decide who we will follow. One man cannot serve two
masters, also fits here I find. We cannot say we love and serve one side, but
serve another truly. We have to choose which one we are going to love or serve,
God or mammon (things of this earth/Satan). We cannot be wishy-washy here, we must take a stand and declare
it unto the world, and let them know that we are not for their ways, but we are
against their ways.
Christ himself came not to unite the world, but to
divide it, father against son. He came to divide, that is that we would choose
the opposite side of the world, which for them is mammon, and our side is that
of God and righteousness.
You must keep constant vigilance against backsliding,
for a fallen Christian is in worse shape than one who was never exposed to The
Word. The Epistle and Gospel both
talk about the curious dichotomy; you are saved by faith, your faith alone
saves you, not what you do; yet if you have faith, you must act on that
faith.
When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior
and repent of the sin of your former life, you are forgiven of your sins. But, you must understand, this is not a
signal to keep on sinning and keep on saying you repent. You must truly change a new leaf and
start on the new course of life with Christ, and not slip back into the old
man. You must receive the Word, hear it, and act upon it and spread it joyously
to others, in order for your faith to have any meaning at all.
Rather your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your savior
and your repentance is the beginning of your life as a New Man in Jesus.
Will you slip?
Without doubt. But, when
you do, will you again repent and continue to do your best to follow the Word
of God, the Light and the Truth?
Indeed, if you are a Christian that is what you must do. You are called to believe and act on
those beliefs to the best of your ability. If you do not, then prepared as you were for life, you will
so be prepared for the pit. As you
read Luke, remember the second half of the Book of Luke is The ACTS of the
Apostles, not thoughts, wishes, prayers or meditations.
For, “blessed are they that hear
the word of God, and keep it.”
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
The Third Sunday
in Lent
3 March 2013,
Anno Domini
The Third Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
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E beseech
thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and
stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our
enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is
followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday.
The
Collect.
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A
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LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the
sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite
hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our
wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and
forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the
Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to
pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief
of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from
heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom
divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a
house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his
kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them
out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of
God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21 When
a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when
a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him
all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23 He that is
not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry
places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house
whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and
garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more
wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of
that man is worse than the first. 27 And it came to pass, as he spake
these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto
him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God,
and keep it. (Luke 11:14-28)
In
our Collect today, we learn that the boastful braggart need not appeal to God
for defense because he believes that he does not need it. It is the humble in
heart who may petition God for their defense, believing that He will grant it,
and so shall it be. This is another Gregorian Collect that was composed when
the enemies were at the gate. The Church has survived, and the prayer answered.
It has a direct bearing on a defense from the spiritual powers of darkness that
assail us daily; and it has a relevance to the Gospel text we read today from
Luke 11:14-28. If we may consider the world a jungle (and it is definitely so
from a spiritual perspedctive), we pass through that jungle with a thousand
hungry eyes watching our every move. At the first stumble (at sin) those eyes
are inform vicious claws and teeth to attack. That is the devil's way, and it
has not changed an iota since that Old Red Dragon fell from Heaven as
lightning. He has never, and WILL never, be anything other than the mortal
enemy of your soul. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1
Peter 5:8) If it pleases you to sin, just be ready for the devouring lion. As
God said to Job from out of the whirlwind (regarding that dragon, Leviathan): Lay
thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. (Job 41:8) The
same is true of Satan – his power is beyond that of man to oppose. Only God can
win the battle against such a vicious creature.
We
find Jesus in today's text working a miracle of God in casting out a demon.
Please remember that demons work for Satan and under his power and direction.
They are the fallen angels which the tail of the great Red Dragon drew with him
to earth at his fall. Man cannot fight such power as discussed earlier. So we
need a power greater than that of the Devil – there is only One – GOD! If a
disciple will exorcise a demon, he must do so in the Name (by the power and
authority) of Jesus Christ. Satan has all kinds of soldiers, and many of those
soldiers are human. Let us observe three stark facts revealed in today's text
regarding those who witnessed the good works of Christ.
1)
There were many in the multitude
that marveled at the works of Christ and freely admitted that only the promised
Messiah could perform such miracles. And all the people were amazed, and
said, Is not this the son of David? (Matt 12:23)
2)
Others in the crowd, however,
were more casual observers – much like those we see filling the pews of the
mainline churches every Sunday. They really did not WANT to believe so they
asked for MORE than a miracle in overpowering Satan. 16 And
others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. Those who
lack faith always seek a greater sign regardless the miraculous wonders they
have already observed. Worship to such people is more a matter of entertainment
than of than of solemn and reverent audience before God.
3)
The last group are those who
were forever present to find fault with every move Christ made. They are still
with us today - 15 But some of them said, He casteth out
devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. Matthew tells us
who those culprits were, in case you have not guessed: 24 But when
the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by
Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (Matt 12:24)
Be not deceived, the same people gather about
you when you perform good works of love for Christ. You have many, as the
villagers of Sychar, who will believe even a woman of ill-repute when she has
been touched by Christ. They will hear and believe the testimony you give of
how Christ has changed your life (if the evidence bears it out). Others will
search for ulterior motives in your action – they will want you to do something
that they consider `impossible.' But Satan's best adherents are those who have
a stake in the battle – his adherents. The Pharisees comprise the largest
contingent of that group in our text today. Livid with jealousy over their
little profit-producing empire of the Temple, they seek every means to
undermine Christ. Of course, a favorite tool of the devil is to always begin
with a question. Or, they will assign false motives or causes for a miracle.
Let us examine a cardinal charge the
Pharisees made against Christ: 15 But some of them said, He
casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. This
name for the Lord of the Flies derives from an ancient Philistine god. I find
it rather amazing that one of our required-reading texts in public schools
today is "The Lord of the Flies". Beelzebub is its true name and the
Jewish religious leaders used it to refer to Satan himself. It was thought that
the fly covered dead bodies and later, miraculously' life emerged from those
dead bodies in the form of maggots and, later, flies. What a blasphemy against
the Lord of Heaven! But the tactic is still used today when we see, on very
rare occasions, an honest politician attempting to honestly address a problem
involving the public largesse. He is labeled as one who is trying to starve the
poor, murder the elderly, and reap profits for himself. How does Christ address
these beleaguering imbeciles?
Though many may believe that Abe Lincoln was
very original in his comment – "A house divided against itself cannot
stand" he was only plagiarizing (without giving credit) the words of
Jesus: 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to
desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his
kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
No
military general would ever field an army comprised of half loyalists and half
traitors. In the face of battle, every heart must be on the side of the cause
else the possibility of victory is reduced commensurate with the numbers of
traitors in the ranks. Satan is no fool – he is a cunning old genius. Even if
he could do so, he would never allow righteousness in his ranks. This is what
Christ represents – the perfect righteousness and power of God. God Himself has
already proven that He will not allow evil in His ranks. When it reared its
prideful head in Heaven, the rebel was cast out.
How
strong do you consider that Finger which scattered the stars and distant
galaxies into their places in space? 20 But
if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is
come upon you. Rarely has that Finger written on
earth, but it has written. Can you count the times? Can you tell me how often
that Finger has written on clay? Would you believe FIVE times! If you have
difficulty finding those five times in the Bible, ask me and I shall tell you.
That same Finger has more power than a million and more suns. If we see that
Finger defeated the hosts of Hell in casting out demons, do we not recognize
that God is Omnipotent and the devil cannot stand against Him?
Who
do you consider to be the most powerful politician today? Obama? No, he is only
a small tool to that greater politician – his name is Satan. He owns the hearts
and minds of more people than all the churches combined. 21. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are
in peace: 22 But when a stronger than
he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour
wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. Christ
calls Satan the "prince of this world."
(John 12:31) Christ is the Prince and Lord of Life that does not perish,
but the Prince of the world shall suffer as the world that is destroyed.
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 2:2) I hope that you,
Listener, are not disobedient before God for, if you are, the just quoted verse
tells us that you have the WRONG spirit. We all had our bodily homes kept by a
strong man (Satan), but a Stronger Man has come and taken over the premises of
our hearts if Christ has made His abode there.
Perhaps we need a house-cleaning, but we ALSO need occupancy! 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh
through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return
unto my house whence I came out. 25 And
when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he,
and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter
in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Have you ever gone on a strict diet of small servings and no sweets? How did
that work out for you? After a grueling few weeks (or days) you are famished!
You return to the old diet of heavy foods with a vengeance and wind up doing
more damage that the good you did for a time. Before we come to Christ, there
is a repulsively wicked spirit in our members. It dominates all we do, think,
and say. It is comfortable there in our hearts, but it cares for no good thing.
You cannot evict that demon. No other man can evict that demon for you. It must
be the Lord Jesus Christ who calls him out just as this text relates. When that
wicked spirit is gone out, he will surely return if the One who evicts him is
not at home in your heart. Jesus must take the place of the demon. He took the
place of the demon in your heart on the cross at Calvary, did He not?
So
Christ has answered the henchmen (Pharisees) of Satan in three distinct ways.
This is the same approach we should take when confronted by the evil of error:
1) He argued from the rational and scripturally reasonable point of view. Why
would Satan be divided against himself? God and Satan are at opposite ends of
the pole. Reason from Scripture is our fortress against error. 2) He
argued from the premise of Godly power. Who is greater, God or his creature,
Satan? Finally, Christ argued from the point of accomplished results. Is the
heart safe in the hands of Christ?
Though not a part of our text today, the following two verses of the text have
much bearing here: 29 And when the people were gathered thick
together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and
there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30 For
as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this
generation. (Luke 11:29-30) Do not we see men and women of otherwise
sound sense running from tent to tent of the modern wonder-workers seeking
after a miracle and sign? These fools are promised the wealth of the world if
they will only send all of their wealth to the evangelist. But do we need a
sign to believe? Has the sign not already been provided? Like Jonah, Christ was
in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. He arose from the
heart of the earth for you and me. What more do we need to know? Are we not an
evil and adulterous generation if there ever was one? Please notice that it is
never the God-fearing people who desire a sign, but those opposed to the Kingdom
of God: 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees
answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he
answered and said unto them, An evil
and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be
given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the
whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth. (Matt 12:38-40)
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:
The Temple
Psalm 25, Deuteronomy 6, 1 Corinthians 3
Third Sunday in Lent
March 3, 2013
Several "3:16's" in the Bible express significant Biblical
truth. The best known is the well
beloved John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." Probably second, in
terms of being well known and well beloved, is 2 Timothy 3:16, "All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Most people know these verse, and I
suspect and hope that you know them by heart. There is another 3:16, found in our readings for this
morning. It is 1 Corinthians 3:16;
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?"
"Ye are the temple of God." I want to call attention to something that, at first, will
seem very obvious, yet, I think is habitually overlooked by most readers of
this verse. I want to call
attention to the word, "temple," and I want to emphasize that it is
singular, not plural. It is
"temple," not "temples." Now let me call attention to the word, "ye." Ye is plural. Old England, like the Old South, had a plural form of
"you." "Ye" is
that plural form. So Paul was
addressing many people, but he said of them that "Ye," plural, are
"the temple," singular.
Paul has been writing about the divisions and strife that existed in the Corinthian Church. The Corinthians had a difficult time following Christ. They lived in the time before most of the New Testament had been written, they probably did not have a copy of the Old Testament, and, even if they had, they would not have understood it because they were Gentiles. They were of a culture that was completely alien to the Bible. Theirs was a culture of sensual indulgence. Even their religions were primarily about sensuality and sensual experiences. And everything was all about "Me;" whatever seems right to "Me," and whatever feels good to "Me." In fact, it was a culture very much like our own.
It took a while for those who converted to Christianity to put their
pagan ideas, values, and religious views behind them, or even to know they
should be put behind them. So
their pagan ideas followed them into the Church. This was partly a calculated, intentional thing; and it was
partly just because they didn't know any better. When they heard about God they thought of Him the way they
thought of pagan idols, and they tried to worship Him as they had worshiped their
pagan gods. They made Christianity
all about having religious experiences.
And they made it all about "Me;" my faith, my beliefs, my
salvation, my worship, and my relationship with Jesus. This is the natural tendency of people,
and we still see it in the lives and views of Christians today. We're still trying to make Christianity
all about experiencing God, my own personal faith, my beliefs, my salvation, my
worship, my interpretation of the Bible, and my relationship with Jesus, as
though it is only about "Just
Jesus and Me."
There is some truth in me-centered religion. A person must have personal faith in Christ. A person must
be personally saved, personally read the Bible, personally worship God, and
personally walk with Jesus. But me
centered religion leaves out the very important fact that individual faith,
salvation, worship, understanding of the Bible, and relationship with Christ,
are lived and practiced in the context of the wider Body of Christ, which the
Bible calls the Church.
In contrast to me-centered religion, the Bible presents a God-centered
faith. One of the clearest
statements of this is found in Ephesians 1:9 and 10, which tell us the purpose
of God is to bring all things together in Christ. God's purpose in building and sustaining this universe, and
in sending Christ to the cross, and in sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in the
Church, is to bring all things together under the Lordship of Christ. Thanks be to God, Ephesians 1:11 tells
us we have an inheritance in Him.
We have a share in His Kingdom, "according to the purpose of Him
who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will," but we need to remember that the
Kingdom is about God and for His glory.
It is not about us or our glory.
The Bible also presents a unified Church instead of me-centered
individualism. In other words,
instead of a highly individualised faith of independent Christians following
God as the Spirit leads them, or, more correctly, as they think the Spirit is
leading them, the Bible presents a view of a unified people following and serving
God together as one person. This is a major part of the teaching of 1
Corinthians 3. The language and
intent is a little different from that in Ephesians 1, for, while Ephesians
refers to all things in general, 1 Corinthians refers to the Church specifically. But the idea of being brought together
under Christ is found in both passages.
1 Corinthians describes the Church as the temple of God, the place where
God dwells. The Church is one, and all the Christians together form the Temple,
the Church.
This is not just a nice idea built on an isolated text. It is taught throughout the New
Testament and Bible. Deuteronomy
6:4, for example address Israel as one body. "Hear O Israel," not "Hear O Israelites. Look
also at 1 Peter 2:5 which says "Ye" (plural) "as lively stones
(plural), are built up a (singular) spiritual house," (singular), "an
(singular) holy priesthood" (singular). The point is that God is building a spiritual house for Himself,
by putting Christians together to form a spiritual home for Himself. Peter does not say God is collecting
stones for a rock collection. Some
people collect rocks, and they have a story to tell about each rock. God is not collecting rocks, He is
building a spiritual house, a Temple for Himself. That Temple is the Church. You and I are stones in it. God gathers us, shapes us, chips off the parts He doesn't
want, sticks us into the mortar and we become part of the temple. And in this Temple we become one. We are a unity. We are not just rocks, we are the Temple.
So the Bible teaches a unity of believers. We are one body.
We are one building. We are
living stones in a living building
We are members of one another.
We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism. God grant that we may always hold and practice the faith in
unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
--
+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.
Sermon for Third Sunday in Lent
As Christians, we know from our study of the scriptures that God has
called on all men to receive his free gift of grace (see St. John 3:16). We
also know that those who choose to reject his gift of grace are, ...condemned
already because [they] hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God (St. John 3:18b). And further, while we know that God is love beyond our
understanding of that word (St. John 4:8b); he is also holy, just and
righteous. And because he is those things, his nature demands that his creation
be those things as well.
When God told Abraham, ...I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be
thou perfect (Genesis 17:1b), he was setting forth the standard by which all
would be judged of him. Yet being perfect is not something that mankind has the
capacity to do under the best of conditions unaided by the Holy Ghost. So we
should not be surprised that there is absolutely no hope of pleasing God
without a new nature— without being born again. There is but one way to receive
God’s free gift of salvation, and that is to believe on the name of Jesus
Christ as your Saviour and live in accordance with his word and commandment. If
we are living in disobedience then we will suffer the wrath of God.
In the Epistle for today St. Paul admonished, For this ye know, that no
whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with
vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the
children of disobedience. Be not ye partakers with them (Ephesians 5:5-7). In
another epistle he noted that, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them;
for God hath shewed it unto them (Romans 1:18-19). It should be clear from
these passages that God will punish the wicked, not for their ignorance of him,
but on account of their knowledge of him.
Imagine, if you will, that there is a raging fire approaching your
town; and while it is some distance away, you can see a smoke cloud rising over
its location. So being a good citizen, you pick up the phone and call the local
fire department. After looking at the smoke cloud, the fire chief says, “Well,
that could be anything from a farmer burning off a field to another citizen
burning some trash. We’ll just wait and see.”
Hours later, you see the cloud drawing closer and you notice that it
has expanded, so you take a few pictures of it to show the chief and the town
council. They look over the images you took and, without going to see for
themselves, they simply take the fire chief’s advice, “So-in-so here is just a
wee bit excited and overly anxious. It is not a threat.” None of them seem interested
in taking the time to go and look, nor do they see the danger as reflected in
the images you supplied.
Of course, the fire is drawing nearer every moment. You press them to
take action, but they treat you as an alarmist. Needless to say, the fire will
continue to spread, eventually reaching the town. To rephrase the noted Spanish
philosopher, George Santayana, “People never believe in wildfires until the
flames actually overtake them.” The public officials knew there was a fire.
They knew because anyone can look at a smoke cloud and reason that, “where
there is smoke, there is flame”. They could see from the pictures that there
was a fire and that it was pretty large in size. Though they were not ignorant
of the fire, they were, however, influenced by a powerful figure to ignore its
potential harm.
This has been a reoccurring drama in the story of man regarding his
“so- to-speak” ignorance of sin and its principal agent. That is where Satan
and his messengers come in. They have sought over the millennia to deceive
mankind: to put them in a state of denial concerning the truth of God’s word
written. In the Old Testament, the Devil convinced the majority of people in
Israel to reject the word of the prophets; while in the New Testament, he
managed to turn the Jews against the words and works of our Lord at his first
advent as well as the ministry of the word since his ascension.
But no man can truly plead ignorance of God’s presence much as the town
council in our hypothetical situation could not plead such with regard to the
approaching wildfire. Again, the apostle Paul reminds us, For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they
are without excuse (Romans1:20). God says that by virtue of his creation,
humanity can see his handiwork which has been affirmed by the variety and
complexity of the things which are before them. As the noted British scientist,
Lord Kelvin, once opined, “Mathematics and dynamics fail us when we contemplate
the earth, fitted for life but lifeless, and try to imagine the commencement of
life upon it. This certainly did not take place by any action of chemistry, or
electricity, or crystalline grouping of molecules under the influence of force,
or by any possible kind of fortuitous concourse of atoms. We must pause, face
to face with the mystery and miracle of creation of living creatures.”
And yet, in the face of all that God has done in nature, the unregenerate
block such from their thoughts, and why? Sir Arthur Keith explained: “Evolution is unproved and
unprovable. We believe it because the only alternative is special creation
which is unthinkable.” And Julian Huxley once said: “I suppose the reason we
leaped at The Origin of Species was because the idea of God interfered with our
sexual mores.” Notice the key
words in each quotation regarding rejection of godly understanding that it was,
“unthinkable,” and that it, “interfered.”
Every sinner would rather not think about the existence of God
especially when he or she is living in disobedience to his expressed word and
commandment. Does the adulterer contemplate God’s wrath while in the act of
adultery? Does the murderer remember the commandment of God, Thou shalt do no
murder? Does the burglar, the robber ,the thief as well as the greedy in the
politics, gaming, and business dwell on, Thou shalt not steal? But to a person,
they know that what they are doing is wrong.
It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which the unregenerate will
go to in their denial of the one true and living God. They will embrace every
false notion of God, and bow before every image or idol that comes along. And
on account of such behavior God will darken their hearts (Romans 1:21-23).
Satan desires worship from mankind. Over the ages, he has sought to redirect to
himself all the worship and glory which mankind was supposed to render to the
Godhead. St. Luke’s gospel account of the temptation of our Lord in the
wilderness records Satan’s testimony: All this power [speaking of the kingdoms
of the world] will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered
unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore, wilt worship
me, all shall be thine (4:6). St. Paul also confirms the same when identified
the forces behind idolatry: What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or
that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to
God... (I Corinthians 10:19, 20a). The First and Second Commandments of the Law
state, I am the LORD thy God... Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them, nor serve them... (Exodus 20:2-6).
And humanity’s situation has not changed from the time of the apostles.
Mass man, or the bulk of unregenerate humanity, worships all sorts of things.
You name it, and it can become an idol given a certain mindset on the part of
the worshipper. But when human beings fall into idolatry, God takes away his
hand and the evil one comes to infuse his wicked nature into those who have
fallen under his spell. And wickedness knows no limits. God has long ago
established boundaries regarding the relations between men and women (see
portions of Leviticus 18-21). So, when men and women choose to act in ways that
are beyond God’s laws for life— whoremongering, inordinate desires of the
flesh, idolatry, etc.— they are, in essence, replacing the will of God with
their own, and in so doing they will suffer God’s wrath. They cannot set aside
their sins or cleanse themselves through self-deification, that is, to assume
that they have the power to create their own rules for life that are bidding upon
the Universe, even the very words of God himself. They willfully have forgotten
that only through a heart-felt confession to God in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ can their sins be forgiven and forever removed.
It is vitally important that Christ’s ministers teach the whole counsel
of God to their congregations, as the apostle Paul proclaimed, For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The
just shall live by faith (Romans 1:16-17). Unfortunately, a growing number of
preachers will not mention the judgmental aspects of God’s word for fear of
scaring off their church members. In that cause, they are content to preach the
false gospel of “feel- goodism”. This message appeals to the unregenerate who
salve their souls with its appearance of Christ-likeness, all the while living
in disobedience to the expressed will of God. They have been so deceived by the
evil one, and so hardened against God’s word written that they will stop their
ears concerning his warnings regarding their particular lifestyle choices. Just
as the town council from our hypothetical did not want to face the fact that
there was a wildfire approaching; likewise, those who are so fondly attached to
their sins do not want to hear about that fiery eternity which awaits them if
they do not repent and turn unto to Christ.
I ask you to recall that moment when you came to Christ. You came to
see your old life as God saw it: filthy, rotten, and depraved. You had to admit
that each of you were slaves to the evil one. You had to face the fact that you
were dead to God. But when you came to know Jesus Christ as your Saviour,
everything changed. You were transformed. You were made whole in the eyes of
God. You were born again of the Holy Ghost. You became citizens of God’s coming
kingdom and your names were inscribed in his Book of Life (Revelation 21:27).
St. Paul tells us as much in his first epistle to the Corinthian church: Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but
ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (6:9-11). And in his epistle to the
Romans we are comforted with the following, There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit (8:1).
We Christians have been called to proclaim the “good news” of Jesus
Christ to those who are as yet in their sins and trespasses, that they might
come out from among the wicked and be made clean by the blood of Christ. We
also have been called to remind those of our fellowship that a new life in
Christ excludes a continued participation in wickedness. God has called us to
make a new beginning— a fresh start— so if we have been born again, we will
abstain from all appearances of evil (I Thessalonians 5:22). Only then can we
avoid the wrath which is to come: that all-consuming fire of our righteous and
holy God.
If you have not already done so, I appeal to you to ask our gracious
God to forgive you of any unconfessed sins. Daily confession and prayer ought
to be part of all your life, not just on Sundays or on Wednesday evenings. God
is with you always and everywhere so include time for him in your day.
Thanksgiving and lifting up the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is always
good. And remember to, as the old hymn goes, “Count your blessings, name them
one by one. Count your many blessing see what God has done” because we have
truly received a gift of inestimable value in Christ Jesus our
Saviour and it will protect us from the wrath to come.
Let us pray,
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ather, we thank you for your free grace; and so
comfort and fill us with the Holy Ghost, that we might daily communicate the
good news of salvation to others, that they too might also escape thy wrath to
come; and this we beg in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
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