Who are we?

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

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity


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 some great ones to share.  On to the On Point quotes –

Niceness
‘Niceness’—wholesome, integrated personality—is an excellent thing. We must try by every medical, educational, economic, and political means in our power to produce a world where as many people as possible grow up ‘nice’; just as we must try to produce a world where all have plenty to eat. But we must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world—and might even be more difficult to save.

For mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to pro- duce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature. Of course, once it has got its wings, it will soar over fences which could never have been jumped and thus beat the natural horse at its own game. But there may be a period, while the wings are just beginning to grow, when it cannot do so: and at that stage the lumps on the shoulders—no one could tell by looking at them that they are going to be wings—may even give it an awkward appearance.
Jack Lewis
Mere Christianity

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:13-15

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 14:12

A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
St. Matthew 13:57

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
St. Mark 10:15

And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s
I Corinthians 3:23

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
I Thessalonians 5:6

As sinners never think they have sin enough till it brings them to hell, so saints never think they have grace enough till it brings them to heaven.
Matthew Henry
17th and 18th century English pastor and author

All things are safe in Jehovah’s hands; what we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and in that day of days towards which we are hastening.
Charles H. Spurgeon
19th century English pastor and author
Morning and Evening, p. 481

Sometimes violence, even murder, isn’t the worst thing you can do to a fellow human being. Stealing his soul, taking over the management of his conscience and his mind— those are worse... Once the State consolidates its power to order what you think, it will know no restraint. If someone else can decide what you believe, you aren’t human anymore; you aren’t even you. You are at best a child, with no power, no dignity, no autonomy. It isn’t even being done with legislation anymore. Who needs law, when anything a bureaucrat says, or a pressure group, has all the force of law?... Let Congress debate endlessly, to no purpose, while executive orders, bureaucratic fiats, and threats by special interest groups fundamentally transform America... The State’s satanic lust for power will never be slaked until the human race isn’t human anymore— just a herd of two- legged cattle to be driven wherever the rulers and the experts please.
Lee Duigon– 20th and 21st century American novelist. Page 3 of 11

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.

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 214-215, with the Collect first:

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

L
ORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle for today came from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians beginning at the Fourth Verse of the First Chapter.   Paul tells the people of Corinth he thanks God they have been the beneficiaries of His Grace, that through Jesus they might have salvation, that through Jesus their sins would in the end be forgiven.  He also pointed out that if they would follow Christ in both their words and deeds, as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in them, through their actions, they would be “In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge…”  For by acting on Christ’s words, we not only gain entry in to heaven, but are far more likely to prosper here on earth.  This prosperity is not the mega wealth sometimes associated with “prospering”, but rather the surplus of resources over our worldly desires and the true happiness that comes from loving and helping others.

I
 thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today’s Holy Gospel came from the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Thirty-Fourth Verse.  Pharisees who had heard how Jesus confounded the Sadducees, feeling they were superior to the Sadducees, came together to confound Him.  An expert in the law, of which Pharisees were very fond, asked Him a question, trying to trick Him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”  Jesus answered, “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 neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Thus, He provided the Summary of the Law we hear every Sunday.  The Pharisees made their earthly living by providing guidance on how to get around the 613 Mosaic Laws with as little inconvenience as possible.  They were astounded when Jesus boiled the intent of those laws down to two sentences.  They were much more comfortable getting around laws than complying with ones that might inconvenience them.

Apparently tiring of the game with the Pharisees and wishing to confound them instead, Jesus asked them, saying, “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He?” They say unto him, “The son of David.”  For the scripture is clear that He should be of the House of David.  As God, Jesus has been from the beginning, so he queried them, “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”  Not grasping the concept that God was, is and always will be, they could not answer and “from that day forth” no one would “ask him any more questions.”


W
hen the Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 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 neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

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
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
Saint Andrew’s Anglican Orthodox Church
19 October 2014, Anno Domini


The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

L
ORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Matthew 22

W
hen the Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 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 neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
Many Bible scholars of our day promote these two Commandments as new commandments instituted by Christ, but they are not. Christ is simply quoting the Old Testament Commandments of Moses day:
Deut 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deut 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Deut 13 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
Lev 19 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Silences the Pharisees about the Messiah
Christ was always the master of every crisis and every challenge:
Matt 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
This is one reason they (the Jewish rulers) literally hated Christ. He interfered with their money greed …… selling in the Temple…house of prayer, but a place of thieves.
Who is my Neighbor ….good Samaritan….etc
Now Jesus will also present them with a dilemma they should already have known being Masters of the Pentateuch:
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
Psalm 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool
Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Now these snails crawled away to plan how further they might have Him put to death.
Psalm 58 Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. 8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. 9 Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. 10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Snails love darkness. They hate Light. They also hate salt.
Matthew 5 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
A common enemy always unites various sects and interests together against it.
Jesus was a common enemy to the superstitions and power struggles of the Times, just as He is a common enemy of the political and economic structures of our time.
Though politics and financial interests are not found in the same common bed in normal circumstances, they both ally themselves against the True Gospel of Christ.
Text books promote evolution. News outlets say we must respect the religious faith of Moslems, Buddhist, and Hindus, yet, with one voice, they press for condemnation of Christian Faith in our society.
Those who accept the biblical authority that condemns adultery, homosexuality, drunkenness, are considered smug and made to look ridiculous in movies and news specials.
Nothing has changed in the world’s contempt for Christ since He first ministered as a boy in the Temple at Jerusalem.
HERODIANS, Sadducees, Pharisees, who were constantly at war with each other, made temporary peace alliances with each other in order to destroy the Man, Jesus. He was both Man and God. Instinctively, these culprits recognized this from their study of ancient biblical texts, and the testimony of His works. Yet, they found Him contemptible to their world of power and money. They all hated Him alike.
They cunningly contrived questions to entangle Him in His speech and in His knowledge, however, they always lost.
The last of the three questions put to Jesus, and the one question with which He turned the tables and silenced His questioners, are our subject. In the former, Jesus declares the essence of the law or of religion; in the latter, He brings to light the essential loftiness of the Messiah.
As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Our Love for God crowns our love nature. The underside of that love is love for our fellow man. The Pharisees remained ‘gathered together,’ and may have been  preparing another question, but Jesus had been long enough interrogated. It was not fitting that He should be catechized only. His questions teach. He does not seek to ‘entangle’ the Pharisees ‘in their speech,’ nor to make them contradict themselves, but brings them full up against a difficulty, that they may open their eyes to the great truth which is its only solution. His first question, ‘What think ye of the Christ?’ is simply preparatory to the second. The answer which He anticipated was given, — as, of course, it would be, for the Davidic descent of the Messiah was a commonplace knowledge and universally accepted.
One can fancy the Pharisees smiled complacently at the attempt to puzzle them with such an elementary question, but the smile vanished when the next one came.
What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
Why do teachers often ask questions?
If they ask a question, and you know not the answer, why does a teacher often ask you another question?
The reason is to provide a guided discussion to help you discover the answer which is already a part of your knowledge.
How are Snails like sinners? Both hate Salt and Light. They both love darkness, and eat from the labours of others.
Here is the new commandment Christ gave:
John 13 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
These are important words and an  identifying command to us.
He gave it the night He was taken in the Garden to be crucified. It is the only new commandment.
But it is not written on tables of stone, but on the soft sinews of our hearts.
Love will release us from condemnation:
Proverbs 10 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
Do not try to argue away your sins and wickedness as the Pharisees. It is easy to love when we have compassion. And when we feed love in our hearts, hate will die of starvation, and our sins will cease.
Jeremiah 31 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Do you love God and His Word? Do you agree to follow Christ in all things.
Be richly blessed now and forever!

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold
Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California
Todays sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and talked, as is oft the case, of the need for action, not simply diction.

Consider the words of the Collect, “…grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God …”

When you hear the word GRACE, what do you think of? 

Help;
Heavenly dispensation;
A gift freely granted;
The free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

The word can be any of these, it comes from Middle English: via Old French from Latin gratia, from gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’ and is related to grateful.
In this case we are asking God’s help, for which He charges nothing, except our faith and loyalty to Him, to withstand the temptations of this world.  We ask for help to withstand what?  Actually, what we are looking for is help to not follow our own devices and desires.  This seems like an odd request, until considers the fact that our own devices and desires are the root of all of our troubles. We are naturally incline to the sinful things that separate us from Our Lord. We are simply requesting help in combating the evil desires of our heart that would separate us for all eternity if they were left unchecked. The We are asking for help to make His Will our will.  To help us to do what will make us happy. For we know that we ourselves will not do what His Will is on our own volition, but rather we must ask that God plant the seed of His Will on our hearts so that we will do it.
Paradoxically, we are asking for help to do not what we want, but what is best for us. There is a difference between what we want, and what is best for us, as there is a difference between the words want and need. What we want and what is best for us are not necessarily interchangeable.  We are asking God’s Help to make us want to do what He wants us to do, so that not only will we have “fun”, but be happy!  For, being happy is far more important and helps our spiritual lives more than the temporary state of fun. Fun will only last a few moments, happiness will last forever. On the surface, it does not really seem all that reasonable, but here we are imperfect creatures with free will! The free will sometimes or rather most of the time seems more like a curse than a blessing, at least to me. For I feel that with it, I am more tempted to go the wrong way than the right way, but when I go the right way, it then comes to me that it is a blessing.
So, when Paul writes the people of Corinth, it is not just them, but us for whom he thanks God we have been the beneficiaries of His Grace, that through Jesus we might have salvation, that through Jesus our sins would in the end be forgiven.  We are not made perfect by Jesus.  That is a common misconception by non-Christians.  It would be convenient if we were made perfect.  And there would be no point behind Christianity if that we had been made perfect. Would we have to have a “New Testament” if we were molded into cookie cutter perfection? If this was so, then there would be no need for the letters of Saint Paul, James, Peter and John to the early church, for they as us, would have no need of them. If we were made perfect, then there would be no strife in the word today I believe, and thus no reason to even have any of the parables that Jesus gave.  This is simply not so! While we are accounted as perfect before God in the final judgment, we are not perfect at all.  If anything, we are more conscious of our imperfection.  As a side point, none of us is perfect, none of us is better than others; however, some of us are clearly worse than others.
Which takes us to Paul’s next point; if we follow Christ in both out words and deeds, as the testimony of Christ is confirmed in them, through our actions, we will be “In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge…”  For by acting on Christ’s words, we not only gain eternal salvation, but are far more likely to prosper here on earth.  This prosperity is not the mega wealth sometimes associated with “prospering”, but rather the surplus of resources over our worldly desires and the true happiness that comes from loving and helping others.  It will make us far more happy than say for instance people like Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, etc, that have far more money than even they know what to do with, and money cannot provide true happiness. Only God and Jesus can step in and fill that role, if we let him into our hearts.
But, not everyone is content to take Jesus at His Word.  After the Sadducees lost their round with Jesus, the Pharisees, feeling they were superior to the Sadducees, came together to trip Him up. However, as we know ourselves, one cannot trick God, and if you try, you will come out looking like a fool. An expert in the law, of which Pharisees were very fond, asked Him a question, trying to trick Him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”  Jesus answered, “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 neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Thus, He provided the Summary of the Law we hear every Holy Communion. 
The Pharisees made their earthly living by providing guidance on how to get around the 613 Mosaic Laws with as little inconvenience as possible.  They were astounded when Jesus boiled the intent of those laws down to two sentences.  They were much more comfortable getting around laws than complying with ones that might inconvenience them. They could be closely compared to Lawyers today as a matter of fact, in the striking amount of dishonesty that is in their profession (no offense to the good lawyers!).
Apparently tiring of the game with the Pharisees and wishing to confound them instead, Jesus asked them, saying, “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He?” They say unto him, “The son of David.”  For the scripture is clear that He should be of the House of David.  As God, Jesus has been from the beginning, so he queried them, “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”  Not grasping the concept that God was, is and always will be, they could not answer and “from that day forth” no one would “ask him any more questions.” Like I mentioned earlier, the result of their attempt to trick the Son of God made them look like absolute fools.
There have always been and always will be people who want to pick nits with the intent of avoiding doing what should be done, thus making it seems acceptable to do what they want to do.  You can see people every day who fill the shoes of the Pharisees, insisting on complying with arcane and useless rules and regulations while studiously avoiding doing what God so clearly asks, that is to be a Christian and do as Christ asks us to do.  You can see this as the government attempts to supplement the rule of God with the rule of man. When a group of men believe that they have the right to control other humans with the rule of man and disregard the rule of God, you know that a society is in trouble. Ask Sodom, Gomorrah, Rome, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan how that worked out for them in the end. No country has ever fared well when it replaces God with the rule of Man. We are to be Christians, not “good”, to do what God asks, not Go with the Flow!  When you think about being a Christian, think a bit about these quotes from GK Chesterton:
 “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
 “The word "good" has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.”
 “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”
 “Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.”
 “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

 G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
We are called to a new and different life, we ask the Lord, in His Grace, to lead us and follow us, to keep us always.  Our goal is to do the Lord’s will, not to avoid 613 laws or to replace him altogether.  To do what is right, no matter how hard that may be and be humble.

Action, not diction, is what counts.  It is by your actions you are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God.


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 Epiphany. 

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
12 October 2014
Epistle. 1 Cor 1:4-8 • Gospel. Matthew 22:34-46

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

L
ORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I
 thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

W
hen the Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 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 neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

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.

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Take a look at what St. Paul wrote to the Galatians (Chapter One, verses 1-12)

1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Note the following: I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. What did the apostle mean by the phrase another gospel? Matthew Henry observed that the apostle “calls it another gospel because it opened a different way of justification and salvation from that which was revealed in the gospel, namely, by works and not by faith in Christ. Yet he adds that you will find it to be no gospel at all.”

When we look about us through eyes which have been illuminated by the Holy Ghost, we find that the specter of another gospel has displaced the true gospel of our Lord in many denominations. No longer do ministers and pastors teach that God’s word written is the true and inspired word which he gave to the prophets and apostles of old. Now we have a new understanding. Now we have a new Jesus. Now we have a new way of living. The one true gospel of our Lord, which called for all to Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (St. Matthew 4:17b), has now been replaced with, to use a current political chant, “Yes-you- can.” Yes you can be a better person. Yes you can serve in any capacity within the church without regard to the very words of Scripture. Yes you can choose to do what you want to do, live like there’s no tomorrow, and support any cause regardless of its ends and goals. Yes, you can do it all because God will save everyone without regard to their faith, their religion, or their way of life.

The Bible tells us that it was the atoning work of Jesus Christ who opened the way of salvation for all who would believe on him. The Bible also makes it abundantly clear that there is nothing we can do to wipe away our sins apart from accepting Christ’s finished work on the cross at Calvary. Without his blood upon us, God will see only our wicked natures, and will regard all our works as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). God has set forth in his word the debilitating effects of original sin, as well as the dire need of mankind for a Redeemer kinsman. God has supplied us with but one road to redemption, and it begins with the solemn recognition that we are in a fallen state of sin and destined for perdition unless we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. But there is more. We cannot truly be assured of our salvation unless we are obedient to God’s word and commandment as found within the Holy Bible.

Now, that will not be an easy task as the devil is ever industrious to keep as many as he can from embracing God’s word as truth (St. John 17:17). He tempted our first parents to sin against God in the Garden when he assumed the form of a serpent. And since that time, he has utilized his human agents to inhibit God’s plan for redemption both before and after the first advent of our Lord. Yet in spite of the efforts of the evil one, God sent forth his messengers who prophesied of his plan for the redemption and restoration of mankind through his chosen one— his Messiah.

When at last the time of the Messiah’s coming was revealed, Satan was there to tempt and test our Lord. Rev. EM Bounds once wrote concerning this event, “...in the wilderness, Satan did not come as he came to Job, in frustrating storms of distress, but in the form of apparent sympathy and friendliness. It may have been in the disguise of a saintly hermit...If thou be the Son of God...command these stone be made bread (St. Matthew 4:3).” The devil tempted our Lord to demonstrate his power (vv.5-6). He went even further to seek worship from him in exchange for the kingdoms of the earth (vv.8-9).

Unable to defeat our Lord in the wilderness, Satan then tried to discourage him with the meanness and pessimism of the religious elites. Under Satan’s influence, these human puppets mocked our Lord’s good deeds and miracles; accused him of fomenting rebellion against Rome; and charged him with blasphemy against God. They also convinced a sizeable number in Jerusalem to call for his crucifixion while at the same time calling for the Roman governor to release the murderer Barabbas. But whatever the Devil’s plans were at Christ’s death and burial, they surely “went the way of the Dodo” with our Lord’s resurrection. Whether Satan realized it or not, his kingdom had been beaten (Colossians 2:9-15).

In spite of our Lord’s victory, Satan has continued his campaign of luring souls away from Christ. He has done this via his corruption of the various denominations of Christendom much as he did to the Aaronic priesthood (see II Chronicles 36:14; Ezekiel 8); the kingly offices Israel and Judah; as well as the hearts and minds of the people (see II Chronicles 34:24-28; 36:15-16), not in some direct frontal assault, but by deceit.

Now God did not leave us uninformed concerning Satan’s schemes for in the Book of Acts (20:26-31), we are supplied St. Paul’s warning to the Ephesian elders. First the apostle set the record straight when he said, For I have not shunned to declare unto you all that counsel of God (v. 27), and afterwards he warned them to Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock , over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore, watch, and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears (vs.28-31). The Lord had informed the apostle that demonic influence would find its way into an unwary, and sleepy- eyed church and that is why he admonished them to watch out for it. Sadly, we know from history that the later bishops failed to heed the apostle’s instruction. Consider our Lord’s parable of the foolish virgins who did not take sufficient oil with them (St. Matthew 25:1-13). They represent that portion of the church which will be unprepared to meet the Lord upon his return. For instead of doing what their counterparts had done, they made no provision by taking extra oil and took their rest. Who else but the devil would insinuate such an alternative program to that of being prepared for the Master’s return?

Currently, Satan has gained control over a sizable segment of what passes for the Christian Church because its sleepy-eyed overseers have simply rolled over and gone back to sleep rather than run this intruder and his minions out of their denominations. Over the past century or so, Satan has used his various puppet leaders to gain control over a fair number of seminaries. For within these institutions a host of ministers— both past and present— were tutored in the false tenets of the Devil’s version of Christianity. And what do his disciples peddle, but that very thing which St. Paul spoke against in our epistle lesson: another gospel? Without a doubt, those so trained up in Satan’s schools of theology pose a very serious danger to the lay people— both in the pews, as well as in the Sunday school rooms— of those churches where they have been posted. For it is through these so-called ministers and pastors, bishops and elders, that Satan’s false gospel has been brought inside the door of the church house for the sole purpose of gutting the truth of God’s word written as well as poisoning the minds and hearts of those who have unwittingly accepted it.

And these faux shepherds are also peddling every other sort of infidelity. Many have spoken in favor of same-sex relationships, and have even given their assent for such persons to become ministers and bishops within their denominations in spite of God’s plainly stated condemnation of such behavior (Leviticus 18:22). Some have also advocated infanticide which clearly violates the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13). Some have even embraced a false universalism which does not conform to the exclusive nature of the gospel. And last but not least, many churches no longer use the old King James Bible in favor of the more user-friendly new versions which remove such things as St. Mark 16:9-20 leaving their readers with a verse which reads, and they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid (v.8) rather than, So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen (vv. 19-20). What a feeling of hopeless to end a gospel message with the former rather than the latter. But that is what the devil wants all Christians to do any way— to flee in fear and trembling. And to that end, he will continue his campaign to prevent those sheep who are under the direction of his false ministers from hearing the word of God unless its his version which has been edited so that the true message will be reduced to a mere figment of what God intended.

And should a congregant question one of his clergy minions concerning Satan’s false teachings, the Devil is ready to dialogue through his puppets. “By all means, go and tell everybody but don’t be dogmatic. Teach them to love the world, and the things that are in the world.” To which the observant Christian might respond, “But didn’t God say in the Bible that we are not to love the world and the things in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (I St. John 2:15-17)?” The word world used in this passage is kosmos and it refers to this world system dominated by Satan. Undeterred by the presentation of God’s word the Devil’s puppet minister might respond, “Shouldn’t you rather love those you do not understand, or who are different from you? Shouldn’t you relax your fundamentalism which has no standing any longer in this church or, for that matter, in the one over there on the corner, or those down the street and across town? Check it out. The church has moved on since you were a child. We’re much more open now. You need a good dose of tolerance and a willingness to be more inclusive. Does not the word say Judge not (St. Matthew 7:1)?”

That last comment usually silences the inquirer because very many Christians are not fully schooled in what our Lord meant by that statement. We have been called to make righteous judgments and not hypocritical ones (St. John 7:24). We have been called to discern what the truth of God’s word means and that requires us to study and properly handle it (II St. Timothy 2:15). The Devil will take full advantage of our ignorance so as to mask his real intentions. The English politician Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” And St. Jude reminded us, ...that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (vv.3-4). So it should be incumbent on all true and faithful Christians to know where their church leaders and denominations stand in relation to the truth of God’s word written. Unfortunately, their silence is deafening.

It is still not surprising to find within the various apostate-leaning denominations those who still love the Lord, but who have had their voices silenced in order to remain within their respective churches. The Devil has made it hard for them to leave those church bodies into which they were born and were baptized; where they spent their childhood, were confirmed, were married, and where many lovely and godly relationships were formed. Satan enjoys tugging at their heart-strings and trotting them down memory lane all in the hope that they will remain where they are and not seek out a church where the truth of God is preached, taught and lived.

But sentimentality is a poor trade for the truth of the gospel of our Lord and it certainly cannot save. God’s word is clear. In II Corinthians 6:14-18 the apostle Paul wrote, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. The above is self- explanatory. It says in rather straight-forward and unambiguous language that if a Christian finds himself or herself in league with unbelievers (which includes apostates and those who endorse another gospel), he or she is commanded to come out from among them. In no way, shape or form, are we as believers to have unity with those who are in opposition to the truth of God’s word written. If a church body, or denomination cannot be turned, then the true Christian must obey the voice of the Lord and forthwith leave that fellowship. It may mean that families will be divided (St. Matthew 10:34-37), but better that than to deny the truth of God’s word written and suffer the consequences for doing such.

Does the word say God will pardon the willfulness of the impenitent? Will he give those a pass who stayed in those places where his word written was denigrated and twisted by Satan’s messengers? Will he accept the excuses such as, “My friends and family have attended this church for a long time”, or, “I cannot be buried next to so-and-so if I were to leave”, or, “I have gone to this church all my life and I am comfortable here”, or, “I have my social network here”? Do you really think that is going to matter to God? I can tell you in absolutely clear language, NO, IT WILL NOT!
God expects obedience to his word written. It does not matter what people will say now.  Their excuses, their friendships, their associations, their social networks, their burial plots will not save them from being cast into perdition. All that truly matters is our faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. Many will hear on that grim day of judgment his words , I never knew you: depart from me, ye workers of iniquity (St. Matthew 7:23b).  And to that end, the Devil is counting on his minions and fellow-travelers to hold the ambivalent Christian in his or her pew, for in so doing he has chalked up a victory over them. And sad to say, he has won so many victories within today’s denominations that frankly he must feel like he’s “in the winner’s circle”.

We all love correction, don’t we? We are so accepting of those who have told us that the things we were doing were outside the bounds of the Christian faith? No, we really did not like being reminded that what we were doing was in error. Cain did not like it when God tried to set him straight. Neither did the children of Israel, who killed the prophets because they told them the truth of what was coming if they did not turn. The same is true for people today. But the principal difference between the regenerated Christian and those of the unregenerate is that while all may not like being told they are out of step with God, the regenerated will use that occasion as a time for correcting their behavior and for repentance, while the unregenerated will go their merry way in sin until the last. The born-again Christian will submit to God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and will trust that God will forgive and remember no more his or her sins. The Devil would have us to believe another gospel which embraces an assortment of self-help schemes, do-it-yourself projects and just plain ole feel-goodism. Beware Christian, as these are works of deception from the father of lies. Reject them and live that true life in Christ Jesus. Obey his commandments. Come forth and be received of him as he gave St. Paul to write, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Let us pray,

F
ather, we appeal to you for thy divine assistance, that you would keep us from all that the world, the flesh and the devil would have us to suffer; and make of us a people truly fit for thy kingdom and zealous for thy word; for these and other needful things we ask in the name of him who came to seek and save the lost, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Have a blessed week, Bryan+