On
Point
Those nations whose faith and
institutions are centered on God shall never suffer the ravages of war and
desolation. How shall our own nation fare as we cast aside, day by day, every
vestige of that abiding faith that made us a most cherished nation among the
nations of the earth? If America can be saved, that salvation shall not occur
through political measures. It is the common heart of America that must be
turned back to her God and Benefactor. If America can now be retrieved from
sure ruin, it must happen one heart at a time.
Jerry L. Ogles
Anglican Orthodox
Presiding Bishop
Big government is not a
‘necessary evil’. It is just evil. Like the ring of Sauron, it lures in the
weak with promises of power, but this power is a ruse. Each side of our false
left/right paradigm, Democrat and Republican, thinks that if only THEY were the
bearers of the ring they would ‘finally use it for good’. But once in their
possession, they are overtaken, overwhelmed, and corrupted by personal
temptation.
Brandon Smith
American commentator
Big Government: An Unnecessary Evil That Should Be Abolished,
31 March 2013
Propers
The Propers for today are found
on Page 170-171, with the Collect first:
The
First Sunday after Easter.
The
Collect.
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LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our
sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the
leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of
living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dru Arnold read the Epistle which
came from the First General Epistle of Saint John, beginning at the Fourth
Verse of the Fifth Chapter:
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hatsoever is born of
God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that
Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus
Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that
beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit,
and the water, and the blood[1]:
and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of
God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his
Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that
believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record
that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and
he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Hap Arnold read the Gospel for
this Sunday which came from the Twentieth Chapter of the Gospel of Saint John
beginning at the Nineteenth verse:
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he same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were
assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith
unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his
hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then
said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so
send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto
them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted
unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Sermon – Hap Arnold - Time and Action
Jack is in Guam this Sunday, he wrote most of this sermon
before he left. Hap made a few modifications.
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
We are in the Easter Season which consists of Easter
and the following four Sundays, until we get to Rogation Sunday. This is a time we should work on
centering our lives on the central figure in our religion, Jesus Christ.
Consider these words from the
Collect:
… Son
to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to
put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in
pureness of living and truth …
God sent Jesus to be The
Christ, The Messiah, The Savior, The Lamb to be sacrificed for our sin. He gave His earthly Life, He went down
into Hell, that we might be justified before God at our accounting. Not that we might be perfect, but that
we might be accounted perfect at our judgment day. Yet we are not made perfect. Just because we are going to be
accounted as perfect does not mean we are. Thus we must ask God’s help that we can put away the
infection, or leaven, of evil in our hearts so that we can serve the Living God
here. Without His Help, we cannot
remove the hate and evil from our hearts.
We need His Help so we can move forward.
Paul continually tells us we
must be reborn as a new person in God.
We must put on the New Man and put the Old Man behind us. We must endeavor to leave our old habits
behind as we strive to make new practices into habits. We cannot follow the direction of Jesus
towards God without the help of the Holy Ghost. The Trinity in practice. If you believe in Jesus, you must believe in God and you can
do neither without the help of the Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost, we are
like men who desperately need glasses to see. Without the Holy Ghost as our correcting
lens, we cannot see what He wants us to see in order to act.
When Jesus came to the
disciples on Sunday evening, He breathed the Holy Ghost into their hearts. He gave the disciples the power to pass
His Forgiveness on to their followers.
As ministers of God, we follow the disciples, but we have not the power
to forgive, except as we find in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We do have the ability to tell you that if you repent, that
is “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of
one's life,” then God will forgive you. Through our Lord, if you repent, He has forgiven you.
The key word here is repent! We must “go and sin no more!”, as Christ
told the lady who was an adulterer. We repent not only in word, but we must
repent in our deeds also, so that we can truly show the world that we have
faith. If we do not repent, then we do not have faith in Him. We must have
faith in Him, so therefore, we must truly and earnestly repent of our sins and
do our utmost best to “go and sin no more.” That is all that He asks, is us to
actually DO our best, not just say that we are doing our best.
So what to take from all this?
For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3.16
If you get that, you have the
Holy Ghost in your heart. If you
open your heart, He will breathe the breath that sends The Comforter to you.
Then you shall have the knowledge to act the way He wants you to act. You will
have surefire knowledge of the course that He wants you to take.
When the time comes, 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
First Sunday
after Easter
7 April 2013,
Anno Domini
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him,
Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him
again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He
saith unto him, Feed my sheep.17 He
saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third
time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou
knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed
my sheep.18 Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither
thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands,
and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19
This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had
spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20
Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which
also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth
thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man
do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that
he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.23
Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not
die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to
thee? 24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things,
and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And
there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the
books that should be written. Amen. (John 21:15-25)
The
First Sunday after Easter.
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only
Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so
to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee
in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
In completing today's devotional in the Gospel of St John, we come to a
glorious sunset on the Gospels – a sunset that gathers all the beauty and color
of Christ into one intimate moment with His disciples – and with us. The Gospel
of John is my favorite book out of all the other sixty-five books of the Bible
and, although they are all equally important in expressing a vital message to
us, I nonetheless feel so warmed and strengthened in reading John's accounts of
these remarkable titles: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. (1:1), Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world. (1:29), This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory.
(2:11), Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of
merchandise. (2:16), There was a man of the Pharisees, named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus bynight.
(3:1-2), The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every
one that is born of the Spirit. (3:8),And he must needs go
through Samaria. (4:4), There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw
water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (4:7), Rise, take
up thy bed, and walk. (5:8), The hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
( 5:25), And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when
they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking
on the sea. (6:18-19), I am the bread
of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst. (6:35), And
the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when
they had set her in the midst. (8:3), I
am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but
shall have the light of life. (8:12), and the fountain of
beautiful stones continues flowing throughout the remainder of John's Gospel. I
ambitiously believed that I could summarize the beauty in less verses, but see
that I cannot for the book is too full –so, I fell short of my purpose.
Though John closes with a sunset of glorious beauty and truth, we are
sure to have the privilege to revisit the Day Star and Son of Righteousness at
any moment simply by opening our Bibles and learning of Him! The great glory of
a sunset is that the Sun must set ere we can witness an even more brilliant
dawn and Sunrise.
Though today's text is about all of the disciples, including you and me
– it is more centered on that one disciple most grieved by his denunciation of
Christ and whose guilt bears down upon his shoulders like a huge and powerful stone.
He boasted of going the distance with Christ, but Peter had fallen asleep
thrice in the Garden the night of Jesus' betrayal, and it was Peter who
conspicuously denied the Lord of Heaven three times during the night of
Christ's mock trial. You will recall on the last denial, the cock crew as
Christ had prophesied, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter
said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake,
the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered
the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before
the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept
bitterly. (Luke 22:60-62) Can you imagine those tears of grief shed by
Peter? Do you believe Peter wept only briefly and felt restored? I think not!
Peter dwelt upon his denials for the three days that Christ was in the Tomb,
and all of the following week, before seeing the Lord on the Shores of Galilee.
There was a dark and heavy stone in Peter's heart that had not yet been rolled
away. Do you know that when we wound the Lord grievously that His love is
constant still? The Lord made a special provision for Peter in the Angel's
message at the open Tomb: And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a
young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they
were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of
Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place
where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that
he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
(Mark 16:5-7) Did you note, fellow lover's of God, that the Angel tells them to
carry the message to Peter in particular. Why? Because Christ wanted Peter to
know that He remembered him in love, and held a special regard for his hurt.
Peter and the other disciples have come to the shoreline of the
tranquil Sea of Galilee for a breakfast of the Lord's own preparing. As they
sit and eat, Peter may have felt a guilt that prevented his looking into the
eyes of the Lord whom he loved. 15 So when they had
dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son
of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?
"Do you love me, Peter, not simply with a brotherly love as you feel
for your true friends and brothers, but with a greater love of sacrifice and
care for the Good Shepherd of the Sheep?" It is apparent that Peter
knew not where such a question was leading, but it certainly was a leading
question. He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. It is impossible to love the Shepherd
without, at the same time, loving the little lambs for whom He gave His life.
Do we, friends?
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith
unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Peter may be a bit perplexed at the
repetitive question, but he answers Christ in the spirit of knowing that
nothing is hidden from the Lord. It must be pointed out here that lambs who are
well-fed will become grown sheep. For the Christian life to be full of beauty
and service, it is important that we reach the little children for Christ so
that they may become grown children for Christ.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto
him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest
all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Yes, Peter was grieved the third time Jesus
asked this question for the memories flooded his soul of his third denial
outside the court of the High Priest. But, in spite of Peter's weakness, he
KNEW that Christ could see his heart full of love for Him.
You will note in the three questioned addressed to Peter, the Lord did
not refer to the disciple's title in the same manner as He did in Matthew 16:18
(Thou art Peter) – a Stone of
the Rock of Israel. I believe that Christ did not annul that title; He only
withheld its use due to the need for Peter to be reconciled and fully
converted.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When
thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but
when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall
gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This statement reveals that Peter, being
fully converted, will indeed do that which he boasted of doing earlier before
his courage failed him. But I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy
brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into
prison, and to death. And he said, I tell
thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice
deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:32-34) Peter's mind was
attentive to every Word now that flows from the lips of Christ. He knew, deep
in his grieving heart, that Christ had forgiven him and extended the honor for
Peter to die a like death as his Lord. Peter will die the same death, and drink
from the same Cup, as our dear Lord and Savior. 19 This
spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had
spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved
following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is
he that betrayeth thee?
We are often no sooner restored to our favored place in Christ than the devil
sets into our hearts a bit of covetousness or greed. Peter is following Christ
to a place apart from the others who are gathered around the fire when he
glances back and sees following that one disciple that love compels to follow
Jesus regardless the summons. Though humility restrains him from mentioning his
own name in the Gospel he records, I will tell it – it is John,
and I love him for his humility and love!
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall
this man do? Peter
knows that Christ has forgiven his failures and restored him as an apostle, but
he also knows of the special measure of love the Lord holds for the younger
John. Peter, out of a tinge of jealousy, asked if this man perhaps will be as
blessed as Peter is with Christ. "What shall HE do?"
Such a question is not pleasing to our Lord. None are worthy of their calling
(me very assuredly most of all). But when God calls us to a service, He will
enable us to perform it. If, in the heat of battle, a field commander orders a
battalion forward to the line of battle, it would be most inappropriate for
that battalion commander so ordered to ask, "But what of the 3rd Battalion? What will they do?" What
another battalion, or officer, will do under command of the Field Commander is
of no concern to the one receiving orders. His only duty is to obey the order
addressed to him. What God has commanded of you will fill your plate enough
without concerning yourself over the calling of another. 22 Jesus
saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I
come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that
disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? We learn from
this last verse that we are not to read meaning into the Words of Christ which
does not exist. God's Word is simple, and direct, and needs no addition of
meaning by our feeble hands.
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote
these things: and we know that his testimony is true. All who know Christ, then and now, know of
the veracity of this testimony given in the Gospel of St John and recorded by
the very hand of John. It is very important to be a Bible scholar and to learn
the words and meaning of scripture diligently, but it is even more important to
know that the testimony of God's Word is true and above question.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which,
if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could
not contain the books that should be written. Amen. As we admitted in the devotion for John 20,
the books, banks, mines, and seas of the world could never hold all of the
works of Christ as Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. He created the seas,
the dry land, the vegetation, the animal life, and you and me. He created the
Sun, Moon, and Stars. His works precede, and will succeed, the Creation in
Eternity. Is it improbable that man could ever account for all of these
mysteries and sciences put into play by the same Finger that wrote upon the
sands outside the Temple when a woman taken in adultery was maliciously brought
to Christ?
John concludes His Gospel with his customary `Amen' with which he
concludes most of his other writings. Have we said AMEN to all that God has
said? Have we read and studied His whole Counsel to us? If we would have more
of the Light of the World, we must read for effect so that the Holy Ghost will
have something wherewith to REMIND us. A flashlight needs a casing and a light
bulb (the WORD), but it also needs the battery (Holy Ghost) to make the Light
(Christ) of the bulb fully illumine our hearts. Have you done, friend?
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.
Bryan talks about the Johannine Comma and gives another excellent reason why if we ever
revise the Book of Common Prayer we use only the King James Version for all our
Scriptural readings and quotations.
You will enjoy this!
First Sunday after Easter
Consider the text of the Epistle for today (I St. John 5:4-12) as found
in the Book of Common Prayer. Now let us read the text as it is found in our
pew bibles. Did you notice any difference between the two readings? What we
have before us is a mystery that is some seventeen centuries old. It is
referred to in academic circles as The Johannine Comma because it begins with a
comma toward the end of verse 6 and picks up just after the first comma in
verse 8. The missing words are found in the Authorized Version, but they have
been omitted in all the newer versions save the New King James because, as the
argument goes, they are not found in the earliest manuscripts.
But wait a minute, is not the King James Version based on a sound
translation of the Greek, Latin and Hebrew? And if that is so, why then would
these missing words, i.e. “the Comma,” not be in the older manuscripts? Liberal
scholarship claims they were perhaps added by an overzealous monk and really
should not be included in the epistle text. Well, in my book, if modernist scholars
and seminarians are against it that is a good sign that it is likely a valid
portion of Scripture, and not the add-on which they believe it to be. Still, we
should be cautious in our handling of God’s word so lets consider the reasons
for its inclusion.
In the mid 19th century, an English professor of divinity and seminary dean named John
William Burgon supported the inclusion of “the Comma” based upon:
1.
Evidence
of its use in antiquity;
2.
Affirming
testimony of some twenty or more witnesses from the 3rd century
through the 6th century such as Tertullian, Cyprian, Athanasius and
Augustine as well as Jerome;
3.
Uniformity
of its presentation which transcends a singular locality, as its witness is
spoken of by writers in North Africa, Asia Minor, Southwest Asia, and in Europe
and at differing times;
4.
The
disputed words fit within the context of I St. John 5 which deals with the
concept of the Trinity of God; and finally,
5.
It
involves the particulars of the Greek language— grammar, syntax and the like— as
the wording of I St. John 5:4-12 begs for its inclusion.
Now these language difficulties are noticeable only to those who have
been schooled in Classical Greek. But for those of us who are not so well
versed, an omission of “the Comma” will leave us without an important
supporting text on behalf of the Trinity. Suffice to say as one writer noted,
“Its all Greek to me,” nevertheless such things do matter.
Turn in our bibles to I St. John 5:4-12 and let us now examine the text
in question.
For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world even our faith (v.4). The beloved apostle
reminded his listeners that only those persons who are born again are in
victory over this current sphere of existence. The characteristic of a person
who has been regenerated is that he or she has received the gift of faith.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
(Hebrews 11:1). Without faith we cannot hope to have access to the Godhead. With
faith comes that support for our belief in God and acceptance of his word and
commandment.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus
is the Son of God (v.5)? The key to salvation in God is our belief in Jesus
Christ as his only begotten Son. The apostle posits this question to his
hearers to challenge them: Do you believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of
the living God? Only through him is salvation attainable, for as the apostle
Peter noted, there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved (Acts 4:12).
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by
water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness,
because the Spirit is truth (v.6). Matthew Henry wrote concerning this passage,
“We are inwardly and outwardly defiled by the pollution of sin in our nature.
For our cleansing from this we need spiritual water. ... Upon his death, his
side being pierced with a soldier’s spear, out of the wound there immediately
issued water and blood. This the apostle saw. This water and blood are
comprehensive of all that is necessary to salvation. By the water our souls are
washed and purified. By the blood God is glorified, his law is honored. By the
blood we are justified, reconciled, and present righteous to God.” And so, by
the shedding of his own blood, our Lord provided the means by which mankind
might be freed from Adam’s curse: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive (I Corinthians 15:22). The Holy Ghost has carried forth
that testimony to all who have been regenerated in the name of our Lord for as
the apostle Paul reminds us that, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16).
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (v.7). This is the heart of
Johannine Comma as it clearly describes the Godhead as being God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
And there are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, and the
water, and the blood: and these three agree in one (v.8). Read together, verses
7 and 8 are complements of each other, but verse 7 is the stronger and clearer
expression of the Trinity of God. The emphasis of a record in heaven and a
witness in the earth gives us a better understanding of the nature of the
Trinity. In heaven, the Godhead is expressed differently than the witness of
the Godhead on the earth. God the Father did not come in his glory to earth or
everyone would have died. God the Son came upon the earth bearing the image of
the one true and living God while also bearing his distinct nature as being
fully man and fully God. In heaven the Holy Ghost is present with God the Father
and God the Son while on earth he comes to all who are called of God to both
indwell and witness to them. He descended from the Father onto the Son at his
baptism on earth, while in heaven the Spirit can proceed from both the Father
and Son as a personal companion to every true believer.
The remaining verses of our epistle lesson ought to give all those who
have embraced those new bible versions a reason to reconsider their choice. If
we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the
witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a
liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is
the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life (vv. 9-12). The new versions have sought to reduce the divinity as
well as the character of the Godhead. The early heretics sought to depict Jesus
Christ as being more man than God, while the modernists want to strip him
completely of his divine nature because they do not accept Jesus Christ as
being the only begotten Son of God. Ergo, the witness of men in their
error-filled new bibles cannot measure up to the truth of God’s witness in the
King James Version. God has preserved his witness to us by using this important
translation of the scriptures into our language. The witness of the Johannine
Comma is the most succinct description of our God. Where the witness of men has
sought to teach lies as truth, God has supplied his own witnesses which affirm
the truth of his word written.
Satan has endeavored over the millennia to confound the truth of God,
but as the Scriptures tell us, Greater is he that is in you than he that is in
the world (I St. John 4:4). God has prevailed in the past, God is prevailing at
this present, and God will continue to prevail. We need only trust in his word
written and give him thanks for the Holy Ghost who guides us into all truth and
away from the error of the wicked (St. John 16:13; II St. Peter 3:15-18).
Let us pray,
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LORD our
God, who hast kept thy word to mankind and hath provided us with thy most holy
Spirit; grant us such a filling of him that we might better serve thee; grant
us also that thy word would be so written on our hearts that we might become
better witnesses of thee in this sin-darkened world; and this we ask in the
name of him who is the incarnate Word, and who, with thee and the Holy Ghost,
art ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
Roy Morales-Kuhn, Pastor - Covenant of Grace Anglican Chapel -
Anglican Orthodox Church, USA Sermon for Passion Sunday
We
are in the Easter Season, the time’s comes from the central event of the
season, in fact the central event of not only the Christian Year, but the
History of the World. Since creation,
there has been no event so critical to our lives than the Resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ. By His Death,
death was defeated for us for all time.
Read as Pastor Roy talks about the FACT of Jesus’ Resurrection.
First,
a very short reading from the First General Epistle of Saint John, the Fifth
Chapter, beginning at Fourth Verse:
4 For whatsoever is born of God over cometh
the world: and this is the victory that over cometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that over cometh the world, but
he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
I would like to reflect on the epistle of
St. John as he writes about the reality of Easter. John writes of the promise to believers, that they become
victors and over comers of the world. The promise that whatever is born of God
[will] overcome the world give believers a great hope. Being born of faith into
God’s family gives us the power to overcome the world. The question answer
format that he uses in verses 4 & 5 serves to re-enforce the promise of the
victory he writes about in those two previous verses. Who overcomes the world,
he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Now John explains the symbolism
of the water and the blood
6 This is he that came by water and blood,
even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the
Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7 For there are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness in
earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
The key significance of this
passage is the spiritual fact of salvation. We come to the Father through the
sacrifice of His only Son, that sacrifice includes the spilling of innocent
blood. This blood of the perfect lamb,{Jesus Christ} foreshadowed many times in
the Old Testament, is shed for the remission or forgiveness of sins, for all
who accept God’s perfect gift.
Now John reaches back in memory
to the day of Christ’s crucifixion, when as a witness of Christ’s death on the
cross, John saw Christ’s pierced side issue blood and water. Everyone standing
there at the cross knew that Jesus was dead. The water (serum) separates from
the heavier hemoglobin or red blood cells at the time of death. The blood and
water signified Christ was dead. He would be taken down from the cross that
afternoon before Sabbath started and prepared for burial. This witness of
Christ’s death takes away the argument of those who don’t believe Christ died.
The “swoon theory” people try to explain the resurrection by saying Christ
never really died, he just fainted away, a death-like faint. That way these
nay-sayer can explain what is a miracle as simple science. Christ really wasn’t
dead, he just fainted, was placed in the tomb and later revived and came out of
the tomb, having never really died. There are way too many questions about the
“swoon-theory”; who unwrapped Jesus that Easter morning? He was bound in yards
of linen grave clothes, his head was wrapped up separately. Who rolled the
heavy grave stone away? The blood and water description points to Christ’s
death, not a severe case of the vapors.
The water symbolizes the baptism
of believers, the ingrafting of believers into the family of God by an outward
sign of an inward event, that being the turning or converting of the heart of
the sinner to God. When Christ was baptized who called witness to the event
? The Father certifies his Son
Jesus, the Holy Spirit descending as a dove and of course Christ as he comes up
out of the river. John writes that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit bear
witness to this event, not only in heaven but also on earth. Notice John
signifies that the three are one, not only in verse seven but again in verse
eight. Yes, I know that the word Trinity is not used, but the concept of
Trinity is there, the mystery of Trinity is there, the reality the three are
one, they bear witness to the fact, the record is in heaven ; the witness is on
earth.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the
witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son.
10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath
the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because
he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life.
In the last four verses of this
passage from John’s epistle, we read of the confirmation of our faith, we find
the witness of God is greater than the witness of men, this witness testifies
of God’s Son. So now we understand we must make up our minds, we believe that
God gave his Son for our salvation and by imputed power; eternal life, because
this eternal life is in his Son Jesus. Very simple fact, he that hath the Son
hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Do you have the Son of God ? Then, you have life eternal.
Let us pray:
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lmighty Father, who
hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our
justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness,
that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the
merits of the same thy Son Jesus Chris our Lord. Amen.
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OST merciful God, who art of purer eyes than to
behold iniquity, and hast promised forgiveness to all those who confess and
forsake their sins; We come before thee in an humble sense of our own
unworthiness, acknowledging our manifold transgressions of thy righteous laws.*
But, O gracious Father, who desirest not the death of a sinner, look upon us,
we beseech thee, in mercy, and forgive us all our transgressions. Make us
deeply sensible of the great evil of them; and work in us an hearty contrition;
that we may obtain forgiveness at thy hands, who art ever ready to receive
humble and penitent sinners; for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, our only
Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.
For the Armed Services,
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O
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LORD God
of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and
protect the soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, coastguardsmen and contractors
of our country; Support them in the day of battle, and in the time of peace
keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant
that in all things they may serve without reproach. Preserve all who serve therein from the dangers of the sea,
and from the violence of the enemy; that they may be a safeguard unto the
United States of America, and a security for such as pass on the seas upon
their lawful occasions; that the inhabitants of our land may in peace and
quietness serve thee our God, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
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