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| A house divided against a house falleth. |
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 –
Two wars necessitated vast curtailments of
liberty, and we have grown, though grumblingly, accustomed to our chains. The
increasing complexity and precariousness of our economic life have forced
Government to take over many spheres of activity once left to choice or chance.
Our intellectuals have surrendered first to the slave-philosophy of Hegel, then
to Marx, finally to the linguistic analysts.
As a result, classical political theory, with
its Stoical, Christian, and juristic key-conceptions (natural law, the value of
the individual, the rights of man), has died. The modern State exists not to
protect our rights but to do us good or make us good — anyway, to do something
to us or to make us something. Hence the new name ‘leaders’ for those who were
once ‘rulers’. We are less their subjects than their wards, pupils, or domestic
animals. There is nothing left of which we can say to them, ‘Mind your own
business.’ Our whole lives are their business.
I write ‘they’ because it seems childish not
to recognize that actual government is and always must be oligarchical. Our
effective masters must be more than one and fewer than all. But the oligarchs begin
to regard us in a new way.
C.
S. Lewis
Willing Slaves of the Welfare State
The
Observer July 20, 1958
The world and our country is changing; the
key to all this is as General Dwight D.
Eisenhower said late on the evening before D-Day, “It is not that God is on
our side; it is that we are on God’s side.” We must make this our personal statement and that of the
AOC.
Have you
ever noticed how statists are constantly “reforming” their own handiwork?
Education reform. Health-care reform. Welfare reform. Tax reform. The very fact
they’re always busy ”reforming” is an implicit admission that they didn’t get
it right the first 50 times.
Lawrence W Reed
TO MARY WILLIS SHELBURNE: On disagreeable,
nasty people; and on avoiding obsessing about their bullying.
10 March
1954
I am sorry
things are not better. I am very puzzled by people like your Committee
Secretary, people who are just nasty. I find it easier to understand the great
crimes, for the raw material of them exists in us all; the mere
disagreeableness which seems to spring from no recognisable passion is
mysterious. (Like the total stranger in a train of whom I once asked ‘Do you
know when we get to Liverpool’ and who replied ‘I’m not paid to answer your
questions: ask the guard’). I have found it more among boys than anyone else.
That makes me think it really comes from inner insecurity—a dim sense that one
is Nobody, a strong determination to be Somebody, and a belief that this can be
achieved by arrogance. Probably you, who can’t hit back, come in for a good
deal of resentful arrogance aroused by others on whom she doesn’t vent it,
because they can. (A bully in an Elizabethan play, having been sat on by a man
he dare not fight, says ‘I’ll go home and beat all my servants’). But I mustn’t
encourage you to go on thinking about her: that, after all, is almost the
greatest evil nasty people can do us—to become an obsession, to haunt our
minds. A brief prayer for them, and then away to other subjects, is the thing,
if one can only stick to it. I hope the other job will materialise. . . .
I too had
mumps after I was grown up. I didn’t mind it as long as I had the temperature:
but when one came to convalescence and a convalescent appetite and even
thinking of food started the salivation and the pain—ugh! I never realised ‘the
disobedience in our members’ so clearly before [Romans 7:23]. Verily ‘He that
but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it, hath already committed
breakfast with it in his heart’ (or in his glands) [Matthew 5:28].
I shall
wait anxiously for all your news, always praying not only for a happy issue but
that you may be supported in all interim anxieties.
Jack Lewis
The
Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III
Right
and Wrong are not a matter to vote on or calculate the monetary cost thereof
Caspian [said], “I want to know why you have
permitted this abominable and unnatural traffic in slaves to grow up here,
contrary to the ancient custom and usage of our dominions.”
“Necessary, unavoidable,” said his
Sufficiency. “An essential part of the economic development of the islands, I
assure you. Our present burst of prosperity depends on it.”
“What need have you of slaves?”
“For export, your Majesty. Sell ’em to Calormen mostly; and
we have other markets. We are a great center of the trade.”
“In other words,” said Caspian, “you don’t need them. Tell me
what purpose they serve except to put money into the pockets of such as Pug?”
“Your Majesty’s tender years,” said Gumpas, with what was
meant to be a fatherly smile, “hardly make it possible that you should
understand the economic problem involved. I have statistics, I have graphs, I
have—”
“Tender as my years may be,” said Caspian, “I believe I
understand the slave trade from within quite as well as your Sufficiency. And I
do not see that it brings into the islands meat or bread or beer or wine or
timber or cabbages or books or instruments of music or horses or armor or
anything else worth having. But whether it does or not, it must be stopped.”
“But that would be putting the clock back,” gasped the
governor. “Have you no idea of progress, of development?”
“I have seen them both in an egg,” said Caspian. “We call it
‘Going Bad’ in Narnia. This trade must stop.”
CS
Lewis
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
In the
cold, dark winter of our souls, God sent Light and warmth to us in the Person
of His Beloved Son, Jesus, knowing full well that His Son would be murdered by
the keepers of the vineyard. How could God send His Beloved as a ransom for the
miserable and stubborn creatures that rebelled time and again against his
Sovereignty? There is only one explanation— unmerited Love and Grace!
Jerry L. Ogles
Presiding
Bishop 20th and 21st century Anglican Orthodox Church
World Wide
The
illusion of international law is pervasive. It tells us that the world does not
have to work the way that it really does if only we hold hands, think good
thoughts and pledge to wage war no more. Its advocates pretend to be sober and
sensible, but they might as well be counterculture hippies trying to levitate
the Pentagon. There is no exit strategy from reality. The moral high ground is
no substitute for battleships and peace doesn’t come from pieces of paper, but
from weapons and men willing to use them.
Daniel Greenfield
21st
century American commentator
(The
End of International Law, 3-16-2014)
Rejoice in
the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4
This know
also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
II St. Timothy 3:1
For we have
not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
II St. Peter 1:16
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers:
special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought
prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in
the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of
Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be
read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The
Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in
the New Testament. The Gospel is a
reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as
a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in
our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the
service in our church is read by an ordained minister or our Deacon Striker.
The propers are the same each
year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook,
falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White
Season, where it is put off. Red
Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in
red, are special days. Most of the
Red Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development
of the church, others to special events.
Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be
used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
The Propers for today are found
on Page 128-130, with the Collect first:
The Third Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
W
|
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.
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.
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.”
B
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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.
J
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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 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 our stated
desires. Actions! Not just
Dictions, but Actions! There can be a distinct difference between the two.
Think about the Gospel.
It is very important to be unified in our worship and
maintain 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 teammates.
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.
It is the natural part of the history of the Bible. We have to choose to
follow God, as there is no other reasonable option which will give us the
result following God will result in. 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. We have to make it crystal clear
in our actions, to tie it into the theme of acting. We have to let our faith
shine in word and in deed to make it count. We do not have true faith if we do
not act upon the words that we speak on our lips, of believing in Christ and
His Father.
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. He came to light up the world that was for Him, and
that which was against Him, to identify friend from foe.
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 sins 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. Otherwise we
will have been for the worse than if we never had heard the Good News. It is
not a gift to selfishly lock up, but to share and give to others. That is the
true joy of the Good News. It is most certainly more blessed to give than to
receive in this case.
You must grasp that 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. We will always slip up in our lives,
that is in our fallen nature. But we have to get up and get back on track,
using the Holy Gospel to guide us like the instruments in an aircraft. We cannot trust our feeling, but only
our instruments (God’s gift of Holy Scripture). 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
Third Sunday
in Lent
23 March 2014,
Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)
The Third Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
W
|
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.
A
|
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.
Gospel of St Luke 11:14-27
J
|
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.
Christ
presents to our hearts, minds, and eyes a very stark lesson on the power of
sin, darkness and death.
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.
A person is
possessed of a devil, or evil spirit. This person has all his faculties of
speech and communication, but the presence of an invited and evil guest into
his heart has deprived him of the ability to use his God-given powers to speak
and to communicate. It happened 2,000 years ago, and it has been happening in
all intervening times to include the modern day.
Note the
wonder of the people at the restoration to health of the formerly possessed
person. The world is always surprised and misinterprets the works of God.
When we hide
the Word of God in our hearts, we are strengthened against the Arch Enemy of
our Souls – the Devil!
Ps 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine
heart, that I might not sin against thee.
However, when
we have a divided heart to admit even a small and cherished sin to remain in
our hearts, it will grow and take possession of the whole organ.
Allowed sin
always masters a man in time. The man may loathe his master, yet he obeys him;
he may fear his master, yet still he does his hateful bidding.
Light always
overcomes darkness because light is a positive value. Darkness has no real
force. It is the absence of virtue – of righteousness. Even a tiny candle will
dispel a roomful of darkness. But we must light the candle!
God has given
us His Word to light our way and illumine our dark hearts.
Ps 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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.
The modern
church seeks signs and wonders! They must have always some present wonder and
presumed miraculous sign to legitimize their faith, but what saith Christ?
1 The
Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would
shew them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for
the sky is red. 3 And in the morning,
It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the
signs of the times? 4 A wicked and
adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given
unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and
departed.
We have been
provided enough evidence for our faith and more in the birth, life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ – a well-documented historical event of history.
The doubters
accused Christ of using the power of Beelzebub to cast out devils.
What does
this term, BEELZEBUB, mean? Lord of the flies – another word for DEVIL.
When a dead
body, or even excrement, is exposed to the light of day, flies cover it and lay
their eggs thereon. Later, maggots appear on the dead.
These
unbelieving and wicked observers accuse Christ of bringing a lower form of life
from filth. But Christ never resurrected maggots, but totally restored and
healthy human beings. His power was the Creative Power that created man in the
first occasion in Eden.
BEELZEBUB:
“The Lord
of the Flies” is a book by British novelist William Golding and, for some
reason, is required reading in most American schools.
William
Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a sordid tale about a group of kids who are
stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes.
The story is
set during the Atomic War and plenty of references are made to the fact.
However, the real key to the story lies in the role of Beelzebub, Lord of the
Flies. Beelzebub has a central role in the story as he represents the
Beast, or evil, that dwells within all humans.
The Beast
cannot be hunted and since it dwells within all humans, humans are all guilty
because mankind is sick.
The
destruction of mankind is a point that Golding makes apparent often in this
novel. He establishes early on that Beelzebub is a force within all humans that
drives them to destroy and maim. (a perfect description of Satan as well as the
sinful nature in all men and women born upon this earth)
Simon, a
loner who knows that the evil in every man’s heart can only be fought by reason
and virtue is murdered sadistically by all the others.
This book is
an unhealthy book for one primary reason:
It ignores
the God Equation and offers a human, rather than a spiritual, remedy.
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.
Christ knows
our hearts. He sees our nakedness always. Nothing is hidden from Him –even our
thoughts and motives are revealed as a book written.
Christ says:
“…..a house divided against a house falleth”
If you ask
the average historian who said this, they would tell you, Abraham Lincoln; but,
today few realize that Lincoln was simply paraphrasing the Bible.
It is
ridiculous to allege that good can result from the spirit of evil.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom
do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
I was once
involved with a local Korean minister who desperately wanted to acquire a new
building for the church, but he did not want to inform the people of the plan.
He knew, since they were paying for the building, that they might object to the
cost. I advised him to inform the people and conduct prayer services to
determine the Will of the Lord in the matter and to enlist the support of the
people.
He became
upset with me and later told a mutual friend: “That brother Jerry is good man,
but He too much Bible!”
No one has
ever, before, or after, paid me such an unintended compliment.
When you
launch out courageously into the deep waters of God’s Word, there will always
be the nay-sayers who gather to condemn you and impute false motive to your seeking.
But, just as Father Noah did, keep building the Ark of Hope and Faith.
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.
Compare with Luke 9:49-50
49.
And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name;
and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said
unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not
against us is for us. (Luke 9:49-50)
If a Roman
Catholic minister stands and condemns homosexual marriage and abortion of
innocents, will we today stone him for being a Roman Catholic?
This might be
Christ’s response to the book, Lord of the Flies -
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.
We are unable
to clean and garnish our own hearts. This is the work of God, through His Word,
and the working of the Holy Spirit.
If we
renounce our sin of lust and greed, and remove them from our repertoire of
sins, soon a greater and more wicked bag of sins will inhabit the place left
vacant.
God’s Word,
being Light, is necessary to dispel the darkness from our hearts. We are unable
of our own strength and merit.
The book which
I mentioned, obviates this principle and would leave men more destitute of
virtue than before the attempted amendment.
If we have
not yet surrendered our souls, unconditionally, to Christ, we are set for
a fall to a lower point than before our feeble resolution to better
ourselves.
Human reason
is not the answer. We need God in our lives. We need His Word in our hearts. We
need the old heart regime to be filled with goodness – not simply devoid of
evil.
A vacuum
always draws on the environment. It always seeks to be filled. If we presumably
empty our hearts of evil, we cannot keep them empty. Something will force its
way in and occupy by force our Soul’s bastion. But if Christ resides there,
there will be no room for the devil.
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.
Christ is not
interested in elevating our human image – He seeks to alter it completely – to
restore it to His own intents and purposes evidenced in the Garden at Eden.
Hearing and
knowing God’s Word is not enough for as James has said:
19 Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and
tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is
dead? (James 2:19-20)
Saving Faith
will always be reflected in our daily lives – the things we say and do, the
manner in which we love and respond to those in great distress.
Remember that
the Love of Christ was not simply a fondness, but a sacrificial, compassionate
love that always expressed itself in action. When He saw, He had compassion.
Let us do
likewise.
Roy Morales-Kuhn,
Bishop and Pastor - St. Paul's Anglican Church - Anglican Orthodox Church
Bishop Roy is pastor of the biggest AOC
parish West of the Mississippi and is in charge of the Diocese of the
MidAmerica.
Third Sunday in Lent
23 March 2014
There
was no sermon from Bishop Roy as Bishop Jerry is visiting to attend an open
house for Roy’s parish and he delivered the sermon.
But,
there is something to be done here; Bishop Roy asks that each of you pray for
St. Paul's Anglican Church in Moberly, Missouri to reach in to their community
and deliver the gospel to those in whose lives it is missing, to help the
injured and become a beacon for the Gospel not only in their area, but to the
ends of the world that all might come to know Christ. They realize that is a tall request; but if you don’t aim
high, you fall short.
✟
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:
Savouring
Christ
Psalm 34, Zechariah 1:1-17, Mark 8:27-9:1
Third Sunday in Lent
March 23, 2014
Thou savourest not the things that be of God.” How those words must have stung
Peter. He had left status and
prosperity to sleep on the ground, go hungry, and eventually die on a cross for
Jesus. I can almost hear Peter
thinking, “I have sacrificed everything for You, and You say I savour not the
things of God? What more do I have
to do? What more can I give? If I savour not the things of God, no
one does. If I savour not the
things of God, then savouring the things of God is impossible.” But Peter lived two thousand years
ago. He lived in another era, and
another culture. Why should we care about him or what he savoured? Because if Peter, who sacrificed so
much and knew so much about God, savourest not the things of God, maybe it is
possible for people today to think we are following God, and yet savour not the
things of God. Maybe it is
possible for people today, maybe even some of us, to know the Bible, know
theology, have all the right answers about religion, and yet savour not the
things of God. And, maybe it is
possible that some of us do savour the things of God, but want to excel in it
still more. So today let’s talk about savouring Christ.
The first things we can say is that to savour Christ is to delight in
Christ. Every cook knows about
savoury. It’s a spice, native to
Europe and highly valued for seasoning foods. People once liked savoury so much they used its name to
describe any food that smelled or tasted good. They even used it to describe people, as in, unsavoury
character. So to savour something
is to find great pleasure in it.
It is to delight in it, and place great value on it. To savour Christ, then, is to find our
pleasure in Him, delight in Him, and place great value on Him. He Himself tells us just what this
means. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind.
That word, “mind” is especially relevant to this subject because to
savour Christ is to be of like mind with Him. The word Jesus used in Mark 8:33 is the same word Paul used
in 2 Corinthians 13:11, which says, “be of one mind.” So Christ is talking here about being in agreement with
Christ. That’s where Peter had problems.
Peter thought he was following General Jesus, not Saviour Jesus. When Jesus told him about the cross,
Peter said, “You can’t die on a cross, General. You’re going to lead the war that makes Israel a world
empire.” Peter’s mind was at odds
with the mind of Christ. And don’t
we often have the same problem?
Don’t we also imagine things about Christ, and accept them as Gospel
truth? There have been several
movements among theologians to re-write the Bible. The people involved simply remove the words of Scripture
they don’t like, and re-edit the Bible to present a Jesus more in accord with
their views of what they think He should have been and should have said and
done. One of these groups was
called the Jesus Seminar and consisted of people with doctor’s degrees from all
the right schools, who held high level seminars in which they told each other
how intelligent they were and how much better they knew Jesus than Paul and
John and Peter knew Him. But you
don’t have to be a theologian or go to their seminars to re-make Jesus. You can do that at home, with no
theology degree, and little knowledge of the Bible. In fact, the less you know about the Bible and the real
Jesus, the easier it is to make up your own Jesus.
So how do we become like minded with Christ? We must accept Him as He is, not as we want Him to be. We have to accept Jesus as He is
revealed in the Bible. If you want
to grow in Christ, and excel still more in savouring Christ, seek Him in the
Bible. Let the Bible dwell in you
richly. Feed on the milk of the
word, and on its strong meat. Then
you will know Christ as He really is, and knowing Him as He really is, you
cannot help savouring Him.
To savour Christ we must focus on Christ. Peter was focused on Peter. He wanted Israel to be free of the Romans. He wanted peace in his homeland. He wanted the Jews to be able to keep
what they earned, rather than pay heavy, heavy taxes to the Romans. Don’t we sometimes make the same
mistake? Aren’t we often so
focused on our desires that even when we call upon God it is to convince Him to
give us the things we want? I’m
not talking about the prayer of faith that lays our needs before God and trusts
Him to provide for us. That kind
of prayer is God focused. I am
talking about being so focused on our needs God becomes more of a magic genie
than our Lord and God. That kind
of prayer is entirely self-oriented.
It is actually not prayer at all.
And in this busy world, so many things demand our attention that we
hardly have time for God. At
least, that is what we tell ourselves.
The words, “Be still, and know that I am God,” seem to speak to a
special need of our era. 1
Corinthians 2:16 tells us we have the mind of Christ. It is right here in this book, the Holy Bible. Let those who would savour Christ
savour His word.
To savour Christ is to be inclined towards Him. This is something like focusing on
Christ, and yet it is different.
It means we are going to focus on Christ and we are going to incline our
hearts and minds and lives in His direction so that our course of life is to
move toward Him. When I was a
child people often used the word “inclined” to indicate the direction of their
thoughts. “I’m inclined to agree
with you,” was a common phrase.
That’s the way I’m using it now.
I’m saying we need to incline ourselves to agree with Jesus. We need to incline ourselves to move
toward Him. We often ask God to incline
Himself toward us. ‘Incline thine
ear to me, and hearken unto my words,” we say with David in Psalm 17:6. Let us also say what he wrote in Psalm
119:112, “I have inclined mine heart to perform Thy statues alway, even unto
the end.” Then we will savour
Christ.”
--
+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.
Third Sunday in Lent
In his first epistle to the church at Corinth, St. Paul penned the
following: I thank my God always... for the grace... which is given you by
Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him... so that ye come
behind in no gift; waiting for the coming our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also
confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord...
(1:4-8). It should be understood that those who are indwelt by the Spirit of
God have been given spiritual gifts which God in his infinite wisdom saw fit to
endow them with for their work in his service. It should be further understood,
that all who are filled with the Holy Ghost have been regenerated and become
new creatures in Christ. And as new creatures in Christ, they will seek to do
his will through the keeping of God’s commandments.
In our gospel lesson (St. Luke 11) we read where a woman called out to
our Lord saying, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou
hast sucked (v.27), to which our Lord replied, Yea rather, blessed are they
that hear the word of God, and keep it (v.28). The clearest presentation of
God’s expectation for us is found in Exodus 20:1-17, for there we find the Ten
Commandments. These were written in stone by the very finger of God himself
(Exodus 31:18). And even though the commandments are recited as part of our
service of the Lord’s Supper; still, it is fitting that in this season of Lent
that the church should hear an exposition of the Ten Commandments for the
edification of all.
As Christians, we have been commanded to, love the LORD thy God with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deuteronomy
6:5). When we speak of loving God, we first have to recognize the reality of
God. The First Commandment sets forth his existence. He alone is God, and we
are to have no other gods before him. That has more to it than meets the eye.
Some will claim that God exists, but then they create other gods such as their
jobs, lifestyles, philosophies of life, sports teams, etc. And therein lies the
problem because anything which one puts ahead of God becomes their true god. In
keeping this commandment, we must not only accept that God is, we must accept
his word written. If one has other things that are more influential— which
command greater respect and allegiance— then such a person is in violation of
this commandment.
The Second Commandment prohibits the making and worshiping of graven
images. While similar in tone to the previous commandment, it nevertheless
condemns the formulation of any image of the divine for the purposes of
worship. Remember what the children of Israel did with the golden calf (Exodus
32:1-6). They credited that idol with their deliverance out of the hands of pharaoh.
And very many Christians, past and present, have broken this commandment as
well. Even a cursory reading of this commandment makes it clear that any
statue, icon, image or impression which is held up and revered, is just as much
an idol as those produced by pagan humanity for their worship. These are hard
words for many because they cling to a man-made tradition that originated
shortly after the creation of the Christian Church. Said tradition requires its
adherents to worship, venerate and adore those artifices of human construction
so named above as if they possessed some divine nature worthy of adoration. The
devil loves to subvert the word of God with the word of man acting in the place
of God and represented as being from God.
The Third Commandment condemns the use of God’s name in a vain or
frivolous manner. God desires for us to call upon his name in our public
worship of him and in our private devotions to him. But what he will not
tolerate are the ways his name has been trashed in our public discourse. Have
you noticed that there is hardly a movie or tv production today that does not
violate this commandment? In fact, it is a rare event indeed to attend a public
gathering and not hear someone uttering a curse which includes the name of God.
If we love our heavenly Father, why then would we misuse his name and make it
into a curse against others? How is our love for him, who gave his only
begotten Son to be crucified on our behalf, revealed in that sort of behavior?
Job’s wife wanted him to curse God and die for well they knew that such was
worthy of death. But Job did not sin with his lips against God (Job 2:9-10).
And if we have been regenerated by the Holy Ghost, we will heed this
commandment and not take the name of our God in vain.
The Fourth Commandment calls on each of us to keep holy the sabbath
day. God desires that we should pause and reflect on the good which he has done
for us. It is not a day to fulfill our lusts and worldly pursuits.
Unfortunately, that is not what a growing number of people do today. Ambrose
Bierce once penned in his profane dictionary the way the unregenerate treated
this commandment when he quipped: “Work not on sabbath days at all, but go to
see the teams play ball.” How does such behavior honor God and increase our
fellowship with him? If we are truly born-again, we will honor God by being
present in his house on the Christian sabbath to worship him, and afterwards,
to rest and consider all that he has done for us. Have you been clothed, fed,
and sheltered, then give thanks to God because it all came from him. Keep his
day holy.
The Fifth Commandment calls on each of us to honor our parents and
includes the promise: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD
thy God giveth thee. God expects us to honor him as our heavenly Father, and as
he has appointed our parents over us, we are to honor them as well. Godly
obedience requires us to be respectful and honorable souls at all times
remembering to whom we are accountable. Willing obedience is rewarded of God
with long life and good health.
The literal rendering of the Sixth Commandment is: Thou shalt do no
murder which prohibits the taking of human life without just cause. God made
this clear to Noah when he said, Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his
blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man (Genesis 9:6). Murder may
take many forms. Abortion is the systematic murder of the unborn in the womb.
The womb is the place where new life is formed and sustained. Abortion makes
this place of life’s beginning to be the foyer of a tomb rather than the entry
way to a productive life. Likewise, suicide, or self-murder, is, in some cases,
beyond the sanction of God. Murder in every case, therefore, is man playing
God, for only God alone decides the time of our birth and our death. The
regenerate person will respect the lives of others and will not take human life
without a reasonable and proper justification. One may take the life of another
in necessary self-defense, or in defense of others, or while participating in a
just war against tyranny or aggression, or while acting in the capacity of
authorized officer of the state in executing its lawful acts (Romans 13:1-10).
We should bear in mind that even contemplating the death of an enemy is a
violation of this commandment because murder first begins in the heart before
it ever comes to pass in reality (St. Matthew 15:19).
The Seventh Commandment condemns all extramarital relationships and
behaviors. God created the institution of marriage, and this commandment
protects the marriage bed (Hebrews 13:4). Further, it was given to protect the
family and especially the children who are supposed to be the products of a
godly union before him. The wails and cries of those who, in our time, have
been affected by the dissolution of marriages, as well as those who were born
outside the bonds of marriage into fragmented households, must be deafening in
heaven. And God, long ago, condemned adultery and fornication precisely because
of the misery that they inflict on all involved. God did not create marriage
and the family to have them destroyed by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eye and the pride of life. The family is supposed to be a place of refuge from
the ills of this world; but it cannot be so when the specter of adultery looms
large there.
The Eighth Commandment is simple enough: Thou shalt not steal. God gave
us the concept of private property rights with this commandment. We are to work
for the things we have and respect the right of others to have their things as
well. St. Paul wrote on this subject saying, Let him who stole steal no more:
but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that
he may have to give to him that needeth (Ephesians 4:28). Theft impoverishes not only the victim but the soul of the
victimizer. Success in thieving contributes to more thieving. Where does the
thief get his mandate to steal? Is it not of himself and his darkened heart? Is
it not on account of the whispered hiss of the serpent and father of lies
telling the thief he will not be found out? Most thieves are eventually ruined
by their own vain understanding of things. Just as with any other malefactor,
the thief will be ensnared by his own mischief and trapped by his own
compulsion. And ultimately, whether caught in this life or not, all thieves
will have to face the final judge who will cast them into perdition should they
come to him, after death, in unrepentance.
The Ninth Commandment condemns bearing a false witness against your
neighbor. Matthew Henry once said of this commandment that it “forbids speaking
falsely in any matter, lying, equivocating...devising and designing to deceive
our neighbor [and to unjustly prejudice his reputation].” Such persons as the
busybody, the tale-bearer, the whisperer of ill deeds without warrant fall
under the rubric of this commandment . The Scriptures say that all liars shall
have their part in the lake of fire. God is deadly serious about the bearing of
a false witness for it stirs up strife to no good purpose (Proverbs 6:16-19;
Revelation 21:8). God desires
for men to be at peace with one another. Bearing a false witness does not in
any manner contribute to the attaining of that state of peace amongst men.
The Tenth Commandment: Thou shalt not covet means that we ought not
desire the goods, or the spouse, or the reputation etc. of another so much so
that we would break any of the other commandments to acquire what our eyes have
seen, or our heart desired which belonged to another. Has not God given to all
as he pleases? Did you ask and not receive of the LORD so then you decided to
take from others, first in your heart and then in word and deed? Look at what
you have and then ask, would you like it if others did the same to you? Reflect
first before you lust after another’s goods or possessions or relationships.
God would rather us come to him and seek that which is good than to suffer us
to act as David did regarding Bath-sheba, or Ahab concerning Naboth’s vineyard,
or Cain in his jealousy toward Abel his brother. In Leviticus 19:18, God
commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves which goes hand in hand with
latter portion of the Ten Commandments. When our Lord was asked which was the
great commandment of the law, he responded saying, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is
the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets (St.
Matthew 22:37-40). Coveting puts
greed in our hearts and that inordinate desire will never be sated as the Devil
will come and tempt us with such again and again and again until we are
destroyed. If we truly love God, we will avoid the deception of covetousness.
The Ten Commandments are benchmarks which our Lord has set before us
that we might know his pure and perfect will. We who have been regenerated by
the Holy Ghost know that apart from his assistance, we could not hope to keep
them. They are perfection and we are imperfection. They are absolute and we are
ambivalent. They are ethereal and we are earthly. God has set his standard
before us to teach us of our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24). And our Lord
Jesus Christ expects us to abide by them, not of our own efforts; but through
the power of the Holy Ghost the Comforter whom he has sent to guide us into all
truth.
Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us keep to these
commandments and when we falter in them to confess our sins to God in the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord. For we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world (I St. John 2:1-2). Do this and live.
Let us pray,
F
|
ather, we beseech thee to assist us in the keeping
of these thy Ten Commandments as well as all other aspects of thy moral law
which we as Christians are expected to obey; for this we ask in the name of him
who kept thy law and became sin for us, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
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