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The center of the Traditional Anglican Communion; adhering to the Holy Bible (KJV) in all matters of Faith and Doctrine, a strict reliance on the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion, The two Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, the Two Creeds, and the Homilies and formularies of the Reformation Church of England.

Verse of the Day

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Devotion for Wednesday after the Third Sunday after Trinity - 27 June 2012 Anno Domini



31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matt 25:31-46)
Collect
Third Sunday after Trinity
O
 LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may, by thy mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

        Do you have any plans for where you will be and what you will be doing at the Lord's Second Coming? If so, you may as well cancel them for the schedule of activities is already set in concrete. Regardless your spiritual state, you shall be gathered for a grand meeting on that morning that burst upon the world with brilliance of  Light and Infinite Power. The event will be similar to the choosing of sides on the school play ground but with far greater consequences. At the time of the His Coming shall the Holy Angels bring before Him all nations, tribes, and people for a division of the spiritual sheep from the goats? At that moment, we will have no time to alter our behaviors or reputations to be like sheep, for, if we are goats, goats we shall remain. Sheep follow their masters, but goats have their own head and will follow their own desires. Jesus reveals that which differentiates goats from sheep in conduct, in love, and in fidelity to those who are admitted into the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. Have you known those distinctions, and do they exist in your life?    
        31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: Please note the preposition with which this verse begins, and note that it is the word WHEN and not IF! His coming has been long settled in the Councils of Heaven – He shall certainly come. The only mystery that remains unrevealed to us is that mystery comprehended in the word WHEN? Christ shall not come alone for every dignitary of a great Kingdom travels with a royal entourage.  The Holy Angels shall be among His great and divine delegation. Remember back in sleepy little Bethlehem how a precious little baby was born to be our Savior? He came in the glow of tender love and consolation. But now, at this Second Coming, He shall come in great power trailing (as says Wordsworth) the clouds of glory – and leading the armies of Heaven. (see Rev 19:11-21) At that moment, the time of decision will be past and the gates of mercy closed for those who have played the fool with the Word of God.
          32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. These are of those people among the nations and kingdoms, I believe, that have mingled together in the kingdom of heaven indistinguishable, as in the other parables, until the time of harvest coming, as well as those of the world who never graced the doors of the church. Professor John Broadus, Chaplain to the Army of Northern Virginia during the War Between the States, illustrates this event as follows: "The morning after reaching Palestine, when setting out from Ramleh, across the plain of Sharon, we saw a shepherd leading forth a flock of white sheep and black goats, all mingled as they followed him. Presently he turned aside into a little green valley, and stood facing the flock. When a sheep came up he tapped it with his long staff on the right side of the head, and it quickly moved off to his right; a goat he tapped on the other side, and it went to his left. Thus the Savior's image presented itself exactly before our eyes." 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. The right side is the place of honor; the left the place of dishonor.
        34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Christ, for the first time and  just hours before His blessed Passion, makes reference to Himself as the King which title He rightfully holds above every title of man. He has used the common animals of the shepherd to illustrate His dividing of the saved from the unsaved. Even though the sheep and goats pictured are of the same flock and grazing ground, He makes application to the truly Chosen of God (sheep) and all others – either pretenders to the kingdom or those totally without – as goats. It is of particular interest to note that the kingdom to which Christ refers was prepared for these exact sheep from the foundation of the world. He knew them long before they saw the light of day at birth.
        35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Please note carefully the reason that Christ claims these particular sheep for His own. At the sum total, it is because they have a like nature with Himself! They have fed the hungry, they have given water of life to the thirsty, they have entertained strangers and provided lodging, they have given attire to the naked, and they have visited the sick and those in prison. All of these classes that were shown compassion represent the Lord Himself for it is on His behalf that these things were done to widows, orphans, and all in need. Jesus knows well our hearts, and He makes no mistake in knowing which heart has taken on the nature of His own great and pierced Heart.  A great old preacher of the past, Dr. Horatius Bonar, gives us an example in a dream he experienced: Bonar dreamed that the angels took his zeal and weighed it, and told him that it was an excellent zeal, that it weighed out at 100% - all which could be asked. He was greatly gratified by the result. Next they wished to analyze that zeal. They placed it in a crucible and tested it in various ways with this result: 14 parts were selfishness, 15 parts sectarianism, 22 parts ambition, 23 parts love to man, and 26 parts love to God. He awoke humbled, and determined on a new consecration of his life to God! The outward appearance makes no impression on the heart of God. It is the Inner Heart of man that decides the issue.
         37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? The elect of God are never set on themselves and over proud of their righteousness imputed by Christ. They will always and forever be amazed at the grace of Christ in granting them salvation based on none of their own works and solely upon His own. We often wonder, even though we have surety of it, how this mystery can be!
        40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me He still speaks to those on His right hand and, by extension, the same right hand of the Father. We have a lesson herein that many churchmen will find offensive. The church feels that it has the sole prerogative to receive your alms and offerings and to dispose of them according to the will and intent of the committees. however, it is clear to me that one can most directly give to Christ through the direct application of love demonstrated in these verses. Christ is represented here, as the stranger who was entertained unawares, in the hungry child, the naked beggar, the homeless traveler, and the thirsty vagrant. When love and kindness are shared with these, it is a direct gift and favor to Christ. The other obligations to support the ministry of the Church is not obfuscated, but made clearly a parallel duty of the Christian. We are not just Christians on Sunday morning, or just in the shadow of the Spire, but everywhere and every day.
         The King will now address those on the side of dishonor: 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Bear in mind that these represent not only the abject and open sinners, but also those in the church who have borne their testimonies in hypocrisy, and their piety for the praise of men. Their boastful public prayers and positions of power in the church have been their only reward, for their hearts were never moved to the consolation and comfort of the poor and disadvantaged. These false professors will readily take the lead in the line for the upper seats, but shun lifting a finger for the private needs of the poor.
        44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? These posers have loved pride and privilege, but have failed to have a heart that can love both God and man. In fact, it is impossible to love God and forsake love to others of His creatures.
        45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. No one will cling to Christ simply because they fear Hell, nor will any cling unto Him simply for reward of Heaven.  No mother would lay down her life for her only child simply to share in the future prosperity of that child – it is all of love. Love is enough to drive the most forlorn of sinners to the mercy seat of Christ, and bind him there until the disposition of his soul has been finalized by grace. Even if He kills us, we shall LOVE Him! So spoke the sorrowful Job: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…. (Job 13:15)
        46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. `There are none righteous, no not one" can also be spoken of each of us; however, if we are in Christ, our sins are covered by that white robe of righteousness that He offers to all who come to Him for His free grace He offers. Those "righteous" referred to here are those who have received the imputed righteousness of Christ and not any whose personal works are all righteous. Those goats (the pretenders to Christ and the outright rebellious sinners) will go into everlasting punishment. Is this fair? It is altogether fair and just for God is a God of justice, but also because those on His left hand were complicit with that Red Dragon (Satan) who rebelled against God and was cast down. If the soldiers of the Victor share in the spoils of Heaven, so shall the troops if the fallen share in the bitter fruits of defeat and despair. To which family do you belong, and to which Army do you bear allegiance, today?