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 a few great ones to share. On to the On Point quotes –
"[T]he propitious smiles of Heaven, can
never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and
right, which Heaven itself has ordained."
George
Washington
First Inaugural Address, 1789
Putting our hand to this plough
and looking back will prove that we were unworthy of the kingdom. If there be a
hundred reasons for giving up your work of faith, there are fifty thousand for
going on with it. Though there are many arguments for fainting, there are far
more arguments for persevering. Though we might be weary, and do sometimes feel
so, let us wait upon the Lord and renew our strength, and we shall mount up
with wings as eagles, forget our weariness, and be strong in the Lord and in
the power of his might....
As the rain climbs not up to the
skies, and the snow flakes never take to themselves wings to rise to heaven, so
neither shall the word of God return unto him void, but it shall accomplish
that which he pleases. We have not spent our strength in vain. Not a verse
taught to a little girl, nor a text dropped into the ear of a careless boy, nor
an earnest warning given to an obdurate young sinner, nor a loving farewell to
one of the senior girls, shall be without some result or other to the glory of
God. And, taking it all together as a mass, though this handful of seed may be
eaten of the birds, and that other seed may die on the hard rock, yet, as a
whole, the seed shall spring up in sufficient abundance to plentifully reward
the sower and the giver of the seed. We know that our labor is not in vain in
the Lord.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
"The Cause and
Cure of Weariness in Sabbath-School Teachers”
8 November 1877
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty: and base things of the world, and things which are despised,
hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that
are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.
I
Corinthians 1:27-29
When bank-tellers are trained to identify counterfeit currency, they
are asked to count hundreds of genuine bills. They are never asked to study a
counterfeit bill. When asked why, the supervisor explained that when the teller
knows the genuine article intimately, any counterfeit will immediately feel
abnormal. So it is with biblical approaches to Indian beliefs and traditions.
We start by training ourselves to know what the Bible teaches, and allow
scripture and the Holy Spirit to transform our minds. Then we will be able to
discern what traditions and practices can be allowed, those that must be
discarded and those where the answer lies in the conscience of the believer.
Rev.
Dr. Joshua Raj
Bishop in the Anglican Orthodox Church
20th and 21st century Canadian
medical doctor
A Biblical Approach to Indian Traditions and
Beliefs, p. 196
You
can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.
Robert
Heinlein
20th century American author.
After
the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box.
Italian
proverb
Propers
The Propers for today are found
on Page 212-213, with the Collect first:
The
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
|
O
|
LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy
Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve
it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dru Arnold read today’s Epistle, which came from
Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, the Third Chapter beginning at the Thirteenth
Verse. Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, prays that the people might “be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be
able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth,
and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye
might be filled with all the fullness of God.” More simply put, Paul asks that we open our hearts to
God and to Christ, that they might work in our hearts the miracle of love.
|
I
|
DESIRE that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is
your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant
you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that
ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be
glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen.
Hap Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which started in
the Seventh Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Eleventh
Verse. Jesus was going into the
city of Nain with his disciples and many followers. “When he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there
was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow:
and much people of the city was with her.” In those days, a widow with only one son had little, a widow
with no son was in deep trouble.
Taking compassion on her and also the opportunity to make His power
evident, He came to the bier, and touch it said, “Young man, I say unto thee,
Arise.” The young man arose and
began to speak; whereupon Jesus brought him to his mother. Not surprisingly, news of this event
was spread “forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the region round
about.” Like the young man, we are
dead to eternity until we hear the command “… Arise.” If we hear and act on that command, we have eternal life,
just like the young man, it starts right then!
|
A
|
ND it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went
into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much
people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead
man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much
people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion
on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they
that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And
he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his
mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a
great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And
this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the
region round about.
Sermon –
Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel
together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Consider the words of the Collect, “…let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because
it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy
help and goodness …”
When the Collect talks about the church, just like
last week, it is not talking about buildings; it is talking about us. Each of us; all of us and
together. We need God’s help
(pity) to keep the group of us together following His Will, for without His
Help (Holy Ghost) we are doomed to utter failure. We can see this in the church today with many churches
leaving the Bible that has been used for over 2,000 years with new fangled
translations that mangle His Word, they leave the theology that Christ has set
for us wth New Age pagan theology. This proves the truth of this collect, that
without His help, we are doomed. With His Help, we are set for success for
evermore. He offers, do we accept?
That leads us to Saint Paul’s point: If we will open our hearts to God, He
will send the Holy Ghost to fill our hearts with Love, Courage, Inspiration,
Tenacity and Confidence, to mention just a few helpful additions to our portfolio.
In short, all of the things that will help our character development. It will,
as Calvin’s dad says in Calvin and Hobbes “build our character.” If we will
open our hearts to Him, our ears will hear the command “… Arise.” When we rise, we rise with the
confidence of immortals and can conquer any obstacle. But, without an open heart, our ears will never hear the
command directed to our soul, “… Arise.”
We will be dead to eternity.
Open your heart to our Lord and arise. Arise; go forth with Love, Courage,
Inspiration, Tenacity and Confidence to fight the battle our Lord leads us
into.
All Jesus asks is that we follow Him. That is all follow Him. But, words mean something. The word follow is very important.
I have heard my dad say many times in the military
fighter world the strongest acceptance and recognition of excellence that can
be given is, "You lead; I'll follow." For to do so is to put your life in the other's hands. Literally, completely and without
question. It is a matter of putting
the light on the star and hanging in there. It is said by few to an even smaller number. When you break out of the cloud after
an hour of GE-28 Volt burning in your
retina and see the runway or pop over the ridge after a half hour of dodging
trees and triple A and the target is right there in the reticule, it is all
okay. Sometimes in between, it
does not seem like it will turn out that way. What makes you keep the light on the star is trust. Just like the Marines in World War II,
they had to put their trust in their squad/platoon/company leader that they
would be able to outfight the Japanese for example. Even through the hell of
battle, they surely must have felt relief when they were able to finally push
the Japanese out of the islands. Like them, we have to trust God to get us
through whatever hell the enemy can throw at us. I see this as another aspect
of that truth. The numbers are
different in the case of God. We
all (unlikely to happen) need to put our lives in the hands of a small number
(that would be ONE).
We need recognize who has the ability, the power, the
perfection in leadership and have that trust to say, "You lead; I'll
follow." I believe that is what Jesus expects from us in regard to our
entire life. We may get out of position or even go lost wingman on the odd
occasion, but he expects us to Our very best to follow His lead and stay in
position. Hard to do if your eye
is not padlocked on Him.
I might add, as ministers of our Lord, we have a
similar responsibility to those who would follow us here on earth. And we have to work even harder, for
created by a perfect God, we are imperfect creatures with free will. A problematic combination. We must strive for a correct attitude,
heading, stability and predictability in our path so that we can be followed
towards that final destination that marks a successful mission.
Heaven is at the end of an
uphill trail. The easy downhill
trail does not lead to the summit.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
Bishop Ogles’
Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get
copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.
Today is one of those Sundays.
Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will
give you a lot to consider in your heart.
Sermon Notes
Sixteenth
Sunday after Trinity
Saint Andrew’s
Anglican
Orthodox Church
15 September 2013,
Anno Domini
The
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
|
O
|
LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy
Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve
it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
A
|
ND it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went
into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much
people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead
man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much
people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion
on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they
that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And
he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his
mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a
great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And
this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the
region round about.
Who are the dead? & Who are the
living?
11 And
it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many
of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to
the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of
his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
The dead: Those who reject Christ as Lord and
Savior. Those who have no forgiveness for their sins…those for whom there has
been no redemption for sins. That includes all the world which dwells in utter
darkness.
ALL were dead in trespasses and sins before being
made alive in Christ by the Holy Spirit: And you hath he quickened, who were
dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to
the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience (Eph 2:1-2)
The dead hear not. Who stopped their ears? Not God.
Not even Satan. They themselves have chosen to be dumb to the reality of God.
This son of the widow is dead, but death cannot exist
in the presence of the Fountain of Life.
Jesus knows the importance of a son or daughter to a
widow. The boy is all his mother has.
The widow made no audible request of Christ, but
Christ knew her abject sorrow and took compassion on her as He always does with
those who face calamity.
13 And
when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
Jesus never desires our sorrow, but our joy in
life. He neither wants us to ‘fear’ or to ‘weep’. Fear not, I am with thee always, even unto the end of the
world. Or “Hagar, why weepest thou?”
The desire of Christ is always for our extreme joy in
Him. And Christ knows there is no real joy, or life, apart from that which He
offers.
He sends no one to Hell. The lost, due to their
rejection of Him, send themselves to Hell.
14 And
he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. When God
is at work, we had best stand still and see the marvelous works that His hands
perform. Stillness is a vanishing quality in a world bent on technology and
pragmaticism. As God said to Job in Job 37:14 “Hearken unto this, O
Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God”
Or Psalms 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I
am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
So those who bore the body remained motionless while
God worked.
And he said, Young
man, I say unto thee, Arise.
Though the ears of the Rabbi’s maiden were closed in
the lock of death, the young girl heard the voice of Christ. Though Lazarus lay
long dead in a stone cold tomb, the voice of Christ, his friend, penetrated the
bars of death and were heard in newness of life. So with this young man.
And he that was dead sat up, and began to
speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Was dead! No longer dead because he had heard and
responded to the voice of Christ. He sat up and began to speak. Once you have
heard the voice of Christ whisper in your ear a personal message, you cannot
fail to speak out. You do not keep it a secret.
Have you heard that voice? Has your dead ears
responded in life?
When were you dead, and have you been called to life?
Have you listened? Did you respond by unashamedly speaking out?
We were ALL dead prior to responding in faith to the
grace of Christ. All lost. All dead.
Howe many are righteous?
Roms 23: 10 As
it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the
way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no,
not one.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God;
ALL? Does that include you and me?
Yes, ALL!
What is the condemnation to those who sin such as you
and I have done?
Rom 6: 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from
righteousness. 21 What
fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of
those things is death. 22 But
now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit
unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What remedy is there for all of us who are born under
the condemnation of sin?
Rom10: 8 But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that
is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. 10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. 11 For
the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Christ is the great Creator and Giver of Life. Death
will not exist in His presence. So we must insure our salvation that we may be
present with him.
How?
Know that the wages of sin is death
Admit that we are dreadful sinners and cannot save
ourselves through any good works.
Repent of our sins and turn away from the desires of
the flesh.
Receive Christ as you Lord and Savior – not simply
Savior, but Lord of your life as well.
How many of us present today have taken a ‘dry’
shower, or a ‘dry’ swim, or walked in a ‘dry’ rain?
Is it possible to get into the water, or to come into
contact with a fountain of water, and remain dry?
There is a River of Life, which makes all alive who
bathe therein and drink from its fountain:
John 4: 13 Jesus
answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of
the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life
When we are IN Christ, all our sins are covered by
His blood. When we are IN the River of Life, we are wet with that water of life
all over. We are baptized in newness of life.
Your eternal destiny depends upon which choice you
make at the crossroads of life – will you be fearful and unbelieving? Or will
you partake of the Tree of Life and Fountain of Living Waters?
Rev 21: 5 And
he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said
unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is
done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Simple decision – John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have eternal life.
Have you, too, believed unto salvation? 2 Cor 6:2 (For
he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation
have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day
of salvation.)
Bishop Dennis
Campbell’s Sermon
Bishop Dennis is a brilliant
speaker. He is able to take
biblical precepts and make them perfectly understandable, even to me. Oft he provides the text of his sermons
and I take the utmost pleasure in passing them on:
Christians
Continue
Psalm 145, Ephesians 3:13-21, Luke 7:11-17
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
September 15, 2013
All doctrines have a practical application to everyday Christian
life. The doctrine of salvation, for example, is not just about being
saved and going to Heaven, but about how we live and what we value here and now
and every day. In fact the doctrine of salvation includes every other
doctrine, for it is almost a summary of the entire Bible. One part of the
doctrine of salvation is so important that a proper understanding of it leads
to great peace and faith in the believer’s life. But an improper understanding
of it leads to fear, worry and theological error in almost every other aspect
of understanding the Bible. I am talking about the old question, can I
loose my salvation? Is it possible for a real, true believer, a person
who has been born again into a new life with Christ, a person who has been
cleansed of all sin and restored to fellowship with God and God’s people, a
person who has been adopted into the family of God, to loose all of those
benefits, in short to be lost again?
So today we are talking about something very important today. The
doctrine we are talking about is often called, the perseverance of the saints.
Simply stated, it says real Christians stay Christians. They never leave
the faith, and, once saved, never become lost again. The Bible does not
say we will not have doubts, or fall into sin, or have times of fear. It
does not say we will never consider leaving the faith. It simply says God
holds us in His hand and nothing can pluck us out of it. And, by His power
and grace, He will keep us in the faith and get us to Heaven. Article
XVII of the Articles of Religion, states this doctrine in clear and Biblical
terms. After telling us of our justification, adoption into the family of
God, being remade into the likeness of Christ, and empowered to live as God
wants us to live, it says we “at length by God’s mercy… attain to everlasting
felicity.” God takes us to Heaven, the place of eternal joy.
Most of our meditations on perseverance tend to focus on the fact of
perseverance, but today I want to talk about the how of perseverance. We
persevere in the faith because God preserves us. It is He who sought us
when were going our own ways like lost sheep. It is He who called us to
come to Him and be saved. It is He who carried us back to the fold.
And it is He who keeps us in the fold. Before I start on how God
preserves us in the faith, I want to talk about why He preserves us. For
that we turn to Luke’s Gospel, chapter 7.
Nain was a small village about 18 miles south west of Capernaum, where
Jesus had recently been teaching and ministering. We have been reading
His ministry in Capernaum about in last week’s readings in Matthew. Going
to Nain was part of a planned preaching tour of Galilee. Christ intended to
leave Capernaum for such a purpose, as we see in His words to Peter in Mark
1:38, “Let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also: for
therefore came I forth.” Christ made several preaching missions through
Galilee, and this may have been part of His first trip.
As He entered Nain a funeral passed Him. The only son of a widow
had died. In those days a widow often lived with her son or
daughter. It was the Jewish social security system of the time, and it
worked very well. This woman was probably poor and had depended on her
son for her home and food. Her situation looked bleak. She would be
reduced to begging for food, often going without the necessities of life.
But Jesus had compassion on her. We need to say here that Jesus
has compassion on all of us, according to His purpose and our needs.
Seldom does He raise people from the dead, no matter how deep our grief may be
at their passing, no matter how great the cost to our financial security and
comforts. He raised the dead only a few times, each time to make a point;
He is the Lord of Life. He has the power to raise the dead. Since
only God has that power…, Jesus is God. Making this point is part of His
intention in this passage too, but He also has another: He intends to show His
compassion. This is not the first time the Bible speaks of His
compassion. Matthew 9:36 says “when he saw the multitudes, he was moved
with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad, as
sheep having no shepherd.” In Mark 1:41 a leper had come to Jesus, “And Jesus,
moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched him, and saith unto him,
I will, be thou clean.” Jesus is touched by our sufferings and
trials. He Himself was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He
suffered hunger and weariness. He suffered temptation, though He never
sinned. He wept at the grave of Lazarus. He fed the hungry and
healed the sick. Finally, He laid down His life to save us from the worst
disaster that could ever befall us, the disaster of eternal hell. He has
compassion on us and His compassion is usually expressed in standing
with and comforting us with His promises of Heaven and eternal joy. It is
usually not expressed in miraculous healings, raising the dead, or
delivering us from the troubles we have caused for ourselves and others.
He does deliver, but it is usually by the slow process of sanctification rather
than a sudden and miraculous transformation of circumstances. So here is
the point; Jesus is able and willing to preserve us in the faith. Truly,
nothing is able to pluck us out of His powerful and loving hand.
This leads us to an important point in Ephesians 3. Here God is
delivering and preserving the Church, which, by the way, consisted of many
congregations, each with their own pastors, under the direction of a
bishop. So we are talking about a lot of Christians and a lot of churches
in Ephesus and the surrounding area. And here is how Paul prays for
them. He asks God to strengthen each Christian with might by His Spirit
in the inner man. He asks not that they be delivered from their
illnesses, persecutions, or the normal trials of life. He asks God to
strengthen them so they will be enabled to persevere through the trials.
He asks that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith. In other words,
may they, by faith, trust the word of God that Christ does dwell in them.
He is never away from them. He is never just in Heaven. He is in
them. May they know this by faith. He asks that they may be rooted
and grounded in love, that is, love for God and love for others. I wonder
how many of our troubles would just disappear if we loved one another as we
love ourselves. I wonder how much better we would get along at home and work,
and especially at Church if we were willing to just love and let love guide our
thoughts and actions. I am talking, of course about love for one another,
not love for ourselves. Self love is the cause of most of our
problems. Self love is the source of sin, pride, greed, laziness. Love
of God and love of neighbor is the cure, and that only comes to us as the gift
of God’s grace as He makes new creatures out of those who believe in Christ.
It is through these things, the might of
the Spirit in the inner man, Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith, and knowing
the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that we are filled with all the
fullness of God. And that fullness of God is how He gives us strength to
persevere. It is how He preserves us, both individually and collectively
as His Church.
Rev Rick Reid of
Saint Peter’s Sunday Sermon
We are happy to have a
sermon from Reverend Rick Reid, minister of Saint Peter’s, whose congregation
is right at the Worldwide Headquarters of the Anglican Orthodox Church. Rev Rick has all the resources and challenges
right at hand. I think you will
enjoy his sermon.
In this morning’s Epistle to the Ephesians,
we hear Paul say: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The word “cause” means, “reason, For this cause or reason,
I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we stop to consider everything our Lord
has done for us, and how He has changed our lives, it should motivate us to go
to Him in prayer.
God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross
for our sins, and then welcomed us into His family. Our love for the Lord ought
to manifest itself in a passionate desire to come into His presence, and to
spend time with Him in prayer.
The Bible tells us many things about Prayer.
Did
you know that prayer is a command? Jesus told us in St. Luke’s Gospel: Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to
pray, and not to faint.”…or….cease
….Paul also told the Thessalonians 1 Thes. 5:17,to “Pray
without ceasing.”
Prayer
Is Also A Duty: Paul told Timothy: 1 Tim. 2:1-4,“I
exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in
authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Prayer
Is A Gift: Heb. 4:15-16, “For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace
to help in time of need.”
Prayer
Is A Privilege: St. Paul told the Philippians: Phil. 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.”
Prayer
Is A Promise: As we hear God say in Jeremiah
33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and
shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
And again in Isaiah 65:24, “And it shall come to pass, that before they
call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
Jesus told us in John’s Gospel (16:23), “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,
he will give it you.”
We must make prayer a priority in our lives.
We have much to pray about, and we have a God Who invites us to come to Him in
prayer. We should humble ourselves before the Lord and ask Him to help us make
prayer a passion in our lives.
Paul was Passionate in His Prayer. When
Paul considered these things, the power of them literally brought him to his
knees. He says, “for this cause, I bow my knees.” Bowing the knees to pray is
common for us, but for a man of Paul’s heritage, it would have been quite
uncommon. Typically, the Jews would stand when they prayed. Their arms raised,
with the palms turned toward Heaven. If you have ever seen photos or footage of
the Jews praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, you know what that looks
like.
To bow in prayer in that day was very
uncommon. The Bible records several postures for prayer in the Word of God.
Abraham stood - Gen. 18:22b-23, “…but Abraham stood yet before the
LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous
with the wicked?”
David sat - 1 Chron. 17:16, “And David the king came and sat before the
LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast
brought me hitherto?”
Jesus stretched out - Matt. 26:39, “And he went a little further, and fell on
his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Bowing during prayer was usually done in
periods of extreme humility, or extreme distress. For instance:
·
Ezra knelt when he confessed the
sins of the people - Ezra 9:5-6.
·
Daniel knelt when he learned
that King Darius had signed into law the prohibition of prayer - Dan. 6:10.
·
Paul knelt with the elders from
Ephesus before he departed - Acts 20:36.
·
Solomon knelt before the Lord at
the dedication of the Temple - 2 Chron. 6:13-14.
Kneeling
in prayer indicates two very important truths.
1.
It is a sign of submission to One Who is being far greater than we are. When we bow before the Lord we are
acknowledging His glory, His power and His authority over our lives. We bow in
prayer before Him because we understand that we are in the presence of One who
is far higher in rank, glory, and authority that we are. Bowing before the Lord
in prayer is a sign of humility and submission before the Lord.
2.
It is a sign of intense passion and emotion. In the scripture we
just heard, we can see the emotion and the passion that drove the individuals
to pray.
Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by the
circumstances and needs of life that kneeling becomes the natural posture that
we adopt before the Lord. When Paul thought about the great truths that
had been revealed to Him, he was brought to his knees in prayer and worship
before the Lord. What a blessing it is when the Word of God stirs our hearts to
worship
But in reality, God is not concerned about
the posture of your body. I do not think the Lord cares whether you pray
kneeling, sitting, standing, lying down, walking, or driving. God is more
concerned about the posture of your heart.
Whether we kneel physically or not, we should
always be kneeling before Him in our hearts as we acknowledge His glory, His
greatness, and His wonder.
To the only wise God our
Saviour be glory and majesty, dominion and power; both now and ever. Amen
Rev Bryan Dabney
of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to
have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you
want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the
truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I
commend it to your careful reading.
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
Our sermon hymn for today, Crown him with many crowns (Hymn #352,
1940 Hymnal) supplies us with several reasons that we should crown our
Lord with many crowns, and principal among them because he is King of all. But
did you know that all who are born-again believers will also receive one or
more crowns from our Lord and Saviour when he sits in judgment of our lives
here in the flesh? The scriptures speak of five different crowns which will be
given to those whom the Lord shall deem worthy to receive them. They are: 1)
the Incorruptible Crown, 2) the Crown of Life, 3) the Crown of Glory, 4) the
Crown of Righteousness, and 5) the Crown of Rejoicing.
The Incorruptible Crown is found in St. Paul’s first epistle to the
Corinthians where he explained, Know ye not that they which run in a race run
all, but one receiveth the prize?... Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible (9:24-27). The corruptible crown which the
secular runner received as an award was a wreath of made of laurel leaves. The
apostle referred to it as corruptible because it was made from materials which
were not meant to last. It was literally a crown for that moment, for following
the next race another one would be given, and another in the race after that,
and so on. The apostle reminded Christians that upon the completion our race in
this mortal life, we will receive a crown from our Lord which will never fade
or fail if we run and faint not. It will be ours for eternity and will be our
badge of honor, which like all the others, we will gladly cast them at the feet
of our Lord and Saviour in honor of his great gift to us via his saving grace.
The Crown of Life will be given to those believers who have been
faithful to our Lord unto death (Revelation 2:10). As Matthew Henry noted, “The
life so worn out in his service, or laid down in his cause, shall be rewarded
with another and a much better life that shall be eternal.” When one reads the
accounts of the early church fathers who served God unto death, we find listed
men such as St. Paul, St. Peter, St. James, St. Andrew and St. Thomas. In fact
most of the disciples as well as a host of early Christians were martyred for
the faith. Add to them the Reformation saints who perished rather than reject
the truth of God’s word written. Inclusive within that number are our Anglican
fathers, such as Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper and Latimer, who chose the stake over
their acceptance of the doctrine of the “real presence” in the Holy Communion.
We could also include all those men and women whose lives were used up in
service to our Lord in the mission fields over the centuries: spreading the
good news to those in remote regions of the world where the light of Christ had
yet to pierce and who labored even in the face of death to preach the word of
God to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. What graciousness
they shall receive at the hand of our Lord we can only imagine and that poorly.
The Crown of Glory will be given to those church elders, bishops,
priests, pastors and deacons who properly tended their flocks. As St. Peter
noted in our epistle lesson for today, Feed the flock of God which is among
you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither being lords over God’s heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away ( I St. Peter 5:2-4). The
Lord has promised good to them who love him and who feed his flocks which are
scattered across the earth. Pastors and bishops are supposed to love God and
preach rightly the truth of God’s word written. Those who do will be blessed
with the gift of this crown.
The Crown of Righteousness will be given to those who love the Lord’s
appearing. As St. Paul wrote in second epistle to St. Timothy, Henceforth there
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love his appearing (4:8). The Bible tells us to fix our hearts on the
coming of the Lord. The wise virgins of St. Matthew’s gospel (25:1-13) have
been supplied as an apt example for us. The regenerated Christian will make
provision for his watch, and should he nod off to sleep, he will eagerly awaken
to go and greet our Lord at his coming. Ergo, as the apostle has written, all
who will do likewise will receive this crown.
The Crown of Rejoicing will be given to those who have happily brought
souls to Christ. In his first epistle to the Thessalonian church, the apostle
Paul penned these words: For what is our hope, or joy or crown of rejoicing:
Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming: For ye
are our glory and joy (2:19-20). Because the regenerate Christian bears fruit—
bringing others to the Lord as he has been called to do— the same shall receive
of the Lord a crown of rejoicing on account of that joy in their hearts upon
seeing others entering the fold of Christ. Do we tell others about our Lord? Do
we desire that others be saved? Do we pray for those who are lost that perhaps
God will influence them to come to him either by our witness or that of another
regenerated believer? If we love the Lord, then we will also seek to bring
others to him, and we will rejoice with them in their victory over sin and
death.
While salvation is a gift of God to all who are born again of the Holy
Ghost, the awarding of crowns is merit-based as we will be judged on how well
we performed our duties in our Lord’s service. Consider the parable of the
Talents as found in St. Matthew’s gospel (25:14-30). The Lord will extend to
those who are faithful a hearty Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter into the joy of thy lord (v.21). God has plans for all who are of his
elect beyond the precincts of this life. Therefore be faithful and not fearful.
Be considerate of God’s word written and follow it. Stand fast and contend for
the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Be strong in the Lord and
the power of his might. Do all these things for a crown awaits you in heaven
with our Lord’s greeting. Such is my hope and my prayer for each of you in
Christ’s name.
Let us pray,
|
G
|
racious and loving God, assist us by means of the
Holy Ghost that we might live each day praying for and looking for the coming
of thy dear Son; that we would not miss the joy of the marriage feast which thy
wilt prepare for all who love his appearing; for this we ask in the name of him
who wears many crowns, and who is our Lord, our King and our Saviour, even
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
A
Short Story with a Long Message
Sometimes, it is useful to
stop and just remember how much has changed in America (and, indeed, the
world). Remember when stories, such as the one below, was common fare in
elementary school textbooks? Today, most students in the 4th grade
would not be literate enough to read it and the balance would have no interest
whatsoever in what happened hundreds of years ago. That is an indictment on our
culture and our values - values which have been neglected by parents and
educators to the detriment of our children. Before I was able to read, my mother
used to recite this story and others like it to my eager ears. Wouldn't it be
nice if such stories again became a part of our culture?
Bishop Jerry Ogles
CORNELIA'S JEWELS
By James Baldwin
One bright summer morning, in
the city of Rome many hundred years ago, two boys stood watching their mother
as she strolled with another lady through the garden of their home.
"Did you ever see a lady
as pretty as our mother's friend?" asked the younger boy, holding his tall
brother's hand. "She looks like a queen."
"But she is not as
beautiful as our mother," said the elder boy. "She has a fine dress,
to be sure; but her face is not noble and kind. It is our mother who is the
queenly one."
"You are quite
right," said the other boy. "No woman in all of Rome is so queenly as
our own dear mother."
Soon Cornelia, their mother,
came down the walk to speak with them. She was simply dressed in a plain white
robe. Her feet were bare, as was the custom in those days; there were no rings
on her hands and no chains glittering about her neck. Long braids of soft brown
hair, coiled about her head, were her only crown, and a tender smile lit up her
noble face as she looked into her sons' proud eyes.
"My sons," she
said, "I have something to tell you."
They bowed before her, as
Roman lads were taught to do. "What is it, mother?" they asked.
"You are to dine with us
today, here in the garden; and then our guest is going to show us those
wonderful jewels you have heard so much about."
The brothers looked shyly at
their mother's friend. Was it possible that she had other rings besides those
on her fingers? Could she have still more gems than those which sparkled in the
chains about her neck?
When the simple outdoor meal
was over, a servant brought the jewel box from the house. The lady opened it.
How dazzling to the eyes of the boys were the jewels they saw there! There were
ropes of pearls, white as milk and smooth as satin; heaps of shining rubies red
as glowing coals; sapphires as blue as the summer sky; and diamonds that flashed
and sparkled like the sunlight.
The brothers looked long at
the gems.
"Ah!" whispered the
younger, "if our mother could only have such beautiful things!"
At last the jewel-box was
closed and carried carefully away.
"Is it true, Cornelia,
that you have no jewels?" asked her friend. "Is it true, as I have
heard it whispered, that you are poor?"
"No, I am not
poor," answered Cornelia, and as she spoke she drew her two boys to her
side. "Here are my jewels," she said proudly. "My boys are worth
far more to me than all the gems in the world."
The boys never forgot their
mother's pride in them, or her great love. Years later, indeed, when they had
become famous men in Rome, they often thought of this scene in the garden. And
even today the world still likes to hear the story of Cornelia's jewels.
Apocryphal
Story - A Laconic Answer
Many miles beyond Rome there
was a famous country we call Greece. The people of Greece were not u-nit-ed
like the Romans; but instead there were sev-er-al states, each of which had its
own rulers.
Some of the people in the
southern part of the country were called Spar-tans, and they were noted for
their simple habits and their brav-er-y. The name of their land was La-co´ni-a,
and so they were sometimes called La-cons.
One of the strange rules
which the Spartans had, was that they should speak briefly, and never use more
words than were needed. And so a short answer is often spoken of as being
la-con-ic; that is, as being such an answer as a Lacon would be likely to give.
There was in the northern
part of Greece a land called Mac´e-don; and this land was at one time ruled
over by a war-like king named Philip.[103]
Philip of Mac-e-don wanted to
become the master of all Greece. So he raised a great army, and made war upon
the other states, until nearly all of them were forced to call him their king.
Then he sent a letter to the Spartans in La-co-ni-a, and said, "If I go
down into your country, I will level your great city to the ground."
In a few days, an answer was
brought back to him. When he opened the letter, he found only one word written
there.
That word was "IF."
It was as much as to say,
"We are not afraid of you so long as the little word 'if' stands in your
way."
From James
Baldwin's Fifty Famous Stories Retold – 1896 – Sent by Bishop Jerry
Public
Schools, the Constitution and the Future by Dave Jolly
Shared by Bishop Connor
(AEC):
America's Schools: God? NO!
Pledge of Allegiance? NO! Muslim Poem? YES! I've been accused of hating the
public school system in America because I am constantly writing negative
articles about it. Hate is not the
word I would choose. I don't hate
public schools, I hate what they have become and what they are doing to
America's children.
One hundred years ago, the
progressive liberals saw the public schools as a tool to indoctrinate America's
children into their way of the thinking.
They realized they had the kids for 6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 9
months of the year for 8-12 years.
This is more time than parents or anyone else would spend with them,
giving the schools the greatest influence on generations to come. When families got busier and both
parents started working, the progressive liberals grew bolder in what they
could push in the public schools because parents were too busy to check what
their kids were being taught.
What I see in the public
schools today is anti-America, anti-Christian and anti-parent. Schools are pushing materials that
teach homosexuality is normal and to say anything against it is hate language
and not to tolerated. Kids are
being taught sexual relations are okay as long as they take precautions and if
they accidently get pregnant, Planned Parenthood can help them murder their
baby without the parents knowing.
Think about it, a student is not allowed to bring aspirin to school, but
they hand out condoms without parental knowledge or approval and send kids to
Planned Parenthood to get abortion pills.
Further examples of the
agendas being taught in the public schools can be found in the following recent
articles: Peter Badalament, Principal of Concord-Carlisle High School in the
Boston suburbs chose to read a Muslim poem to the student body on September 11
instead of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Supposedly, a student had been scheduled to recite the
Pledge of Allegiance over the PA system, but the student could not make it due
to an internship. Badalament was
unable to recite the Pledge himself (shows his lack of patriotism, doesn't it),
so he chose to read the Muslim poem later in the day. In a second example, a
class at Lucy Elementary School in Memphis was given an assignment to write
about an idol of their choice. One
ten year old girl in the class chose to write about God and how he created the
earth and how she is trying to do the best she can to be a good Christian. The girl's teacher quickly told her
that this was not acceptable because it had to do with God and He wasn't
allowed at a public school. Only
after the parents complained to the school district was the matter resolved,
but I've heard of many teachers telling students the same thing.
In fact, the law allows any
student to freely discuss their religion and beliefs in public schools, but
many schools trample on those legal rights and deny students their freedoms. In
another example from the college ranks, a lecturer in Arabic Studies at San
Diego State University handed out a map of the Middle East that omitted
Israel. In the place of where
Israel exists, the professor's map listed it as Palestinian Territories. I've
written in the past about schools in Texas that taught the Boston Tea Party was
a terrorist act and Allah was God Almighty. Students have been given assignments to design a new flag
for socialist America. Kids are
being taught globalism instead of American history, pride and patriotism. Then there were a number of instances
last year where teachers and school administrators came down on students and
bullied them in class because they wore Romney T-shirts. Oh, what about the textbook that showed
up in Florida public schools that had a whole chapter devoted to Islam while
completely ignoring Christianity or Judaism?
The list of public school
atrocities against Christians, conservatives and American patriotism keeps
getting longer day by day. No, I don't hate public schools. I hate the liberal progressive agenda
it is forcing on our children in an overt effort to subvert America as it has
stood for over 200 years. The
public schools are putting more effort and money into brainwashing our kids
instead of teaching them what they should be learning. That's what I hate and that's why I
strongly advocate private or home schooling as a much wiser and safer
alternative to public education.
Read more at
http://godfatherpolitics. com/12535/americas-schools- god-pledge-allegiance-muslim-
poem-yes/#SfM04037yBV65QTf.99
No comments:
Post a Comment