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 Advent
14 December 2014, Anno Domini
The Third Sunday in Advent
The
Collect.
O
|
LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first
coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the
ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready
thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable
people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy
Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
The
First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
A
|
LMIGHTY
God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us
the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son
Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he
shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent,
until Christmas Day.
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of
Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him,
Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and
said unto them, Go and shew John again those things
which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor
have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the
multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into
the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft
raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say
unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my
messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not
risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of
John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law
prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is
Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like
unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17
And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have
mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say,
He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and
drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of
publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. (Matt 11:2-19)
John the
Baptist has been imprisoned for a terrible crime – that of proclaiming the
truth. He had told King Herod that to live in concupiscence and adultery by
marrying his brother, Philip’s wife – Herodias. Can you imagine? Today, John
would be accused of that disarming act of being “too judgmental” yet John
simply proclaimed God’s judgment from His Word! We walk daily among many Herods
and Herodiases who would, if they could, cast us into prison for revealing
their sinful lives to them. “For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold
upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's
wife: for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful
for thee to have thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against
him, and would have killed him; but she could not: For Herod feared John,
knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard
him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” (Mark 6:17-20) If you cannot abide the message, then by all means kill the messenger.
The messenger is killed today by accusations of being too judgmental; thus the
church has become sterile and impotent in dealing with sin. Instead of being
salt and light to the world, the church has heard the world and agreed not to
judge against the sins of the world.
What is the
first characteristic of John the Baptist that comes to mind when his name is
mentioned? For me, I think of a Voice Crying in the Wilderness – “For this
is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying
in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
(Matt 3:3) What is this Wilderness?
Wilderness - a wild or uncultivated state. (Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary) The greatest and most desponding of
wildernesses is not geographic, but spiritual. Bread and water are in short
supply in a geographic wilderness, but so, too, in a spiritual one – there is
lacking the Bread of Heaven and the Water of Life on the neon-lit streets of
most American cities. As one walks those streets, he sees a wanton decadence and
lust in the vacant faces of those he meets. There is no one with which he can
fellowship concerning the riches of Christ for all are spiritually penniless.
On those streets, the only mention of Christ is as a ‘Voice Crying in the
Wilderness.’
The text today
falls into two sections. The first: reveals a faltering faith of the great
witness (John) and Christ’s gentle response to this man of faith. (verses 2-6) The second: Christ provides a witness to
John of the truth of His ministry. We are not to consider John weak in faith
for that is clearly not the case. John has been imprisoned and treated with
dishonor. His life is in peril daily, yet he continues to believe under harsh
conditions that exceed our ability to comprehend. But any of us have moments when
we need a reassuring word, and this is the moment when John sends for
confirmation.
“Now when John had heard in the
prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him,
Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” This is not for
the benefit for John’s disciples, but for his own comfort of reassurance. He is
giving his very life on preparing the way for Christ’s ministry, so a
reassuring word under these circumstances is reasonable. John is in prison in
the gloomy fortress of Machaerus that Herod had built to serve as a sinful
pleasure house and an impregnable fortress in the savage hills of Moab. The
halls of pleasure and impregnable walls have collapsed, but the dungeon area is
still discernible with the holes in the masonry to serve as witness of the
chains of its victims (John included).
“Jesus
answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do
hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in
me.” Christ gently gives counsel to John’s disciples to go and give
testimony of all that has been prophesied and fulfilled in the ministry of
Christ. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the
deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:5-6) “The
Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach
good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound.” (Isaiah
61:1) These are prophecies
written seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, so we are emboldened in
our faith to see their complete fulfillment – so was John. I love that phrase
from Isaiah regarding the proclamation of Liberty to the captives. As a nation,
God has favored our founding and our place as a nation among the nations of the
world; but He has also made available to every man and woman of every land this
Liberty from the captivity of sin if they will but come to Him. Jesus tells
these things to John’s disciples so that John will have his faith confirmed,
but to us, too!
“And as
they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What
went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what
went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear
soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?
yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.” These are all
questions whose import is every whit as directed to us today as to the
disciples around Jesus. When we go to prayer service, do we go to see some
amazing performance of a man preacher? These services are seldom called prayer services today, but
more often ‘Celebrations” or “Festivals.” Such terms describe experiences
intended to uplift man; prayers and worship uplift Christ! Do we expect our
clergy to wear the latest fashion in clothing? My father told me any man given
to frequent changes of fashion in attire is also likely to be blown about by
every wind of doctrine. We have evangelists today clothed in $2,000.00 suits,
wearing great diamond rings, and sporting gold, Rolex watches appealing for “seed
money” from widows and elderly who barely can supply their pantries with bread.
I can almost smell the scorched fires of their punishment to come. John is no
mere prophet, but the chosen messenger of God to herald the coming of His only
Begotten Son!
“For this is he, of whom it is
written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy
way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there
hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is
least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (see also Malachi 3:1)
Christ extols the virtues of John after his disciples depart. He desires that
no honor be lost of John’s character in sending his questions to Christ. The
character of Christ is quite different from that of men: Christ gives acclaim
to the Baptist after his disciples have departed. Man gives flamboyant acclaim
to men to their faces, but often critical stabs to their backs. Though John
stands high above the mark in the company of men, he is well short in the
Kingdom of Heaven to which he aspires – as are all of us.
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all
the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” The battle is hot
and the mournful cries of the battlefield are full of the painful suffering of
the saints. The path to the Kingdom is not a self-willed, demonstration of
manly power (as is today in the modern church), but a gentle following of that
Great Shepherd of the Flock. The wolves stalk the flock seeking every
remunerative opportunity to shed blood and get advantage. This describes the
Kingdom of Matthew 13:31-32. Those ‘birds’ lodging in its branches are demons,
and they most often win the higher positions of honor in the tree.
“And if
ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to
hear, let him hear.” Christ is generous in sharing great mysteries
to those whose ears are open in humble faith to hear. Amazingly, the worldly
wise can never grasp the simplicity of truth uttered by Christ. But if we have
ears (open ears, believing ears, trusting ears, hearing ears) to hear (not just
the Words but the Spirit speaking) understand these mysteries. “Behold, I
will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and
the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth
with a curse.” (Mal 4:5-6) Please note
the last word of the Old Testament: CURSE. The law is a curse to those who do
not believe. Note the last word of the New Testament: AMEN (hearty approval). “Even
so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
(Rev 22:20-21) There is a glorious difference in our
prospects from the Old to the New Testament. Jesus Christ makes ALL the
difference!
“But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like
unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And
saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto
you, and ye have not lamented.” Donald Frasier wrote (in Metaphors
of the Gospel) that Jesus “pictured a group of little children playing at
make-believe marriages and funerals. First, they acted a marriage procession;
some of them piping on instruments of music, while the rest were expected to
leap and dance. In a perverse mood, however, these refused to respond, but
stood still and looked discontented. So the little pipers changed their game,
and proposed a funeral. They began to imitate the loud wailing of Eastern
mourners. But again they were thwarted, for their companions refused to chime
in with the mournful cry and to beat their breasts.” These non-participating
children are non players. They never like the tune or the narrative, but stand
jeering on the sidelines. Have our churches become such dead events of
observation?
“For John
came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man
came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber,
a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”
The world will always find cause to condemn the people of God and to kill the
prophets. Either they are too pious, or they lack piety; either they are too
hot, or they are too cold; either they are too bold, or not bold enough; either
they are too spiritual, or not spiritual enough. If we are the Children of
Wisdom, we shall have ears that hear and know. We dare not stand on the
sidelines jeering, but become active responders to the pipe. “The Lord GOD
hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word
in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth
mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was
not rebellious, neither turned away back.” (Isaiah 50:4-5)
Are we
rebellious children jeering those who labor, or are we those who, taking to the
plow, never cast an eye right, left, or back, but plow a straight row for
Christ? (Luke
9:62)
