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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

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Sermon Notes - Third Sunday in Lent - Saint Andrews Church - 28 February 2016, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

If you enjoy this, the entire AOC Sunday Report is RIGHT HERE!

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.

A
nd 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. 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. 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. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 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. 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. 
     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.  (Luke 11:14-27)

            It has become quite convenient to blame our sins on Satan, but that old Serpent has enough sins to his credit that we need not add our own to his hell-borne repertoire. Even though Satan initiated a temptation to our parents in the Garden at Eden, he could not have consummated the deal had Adam and Eve refused to disobey God. As George MacDonald has wisely observed, "The one principle of Hell is – ‘I am my own!’” The devil does not send us to Hell; in fact, he lacks the power to do so. We send ourselves to that unenviable place.

            In today's text, our Lord teaches us of the paralysis caused - not only by our own sins, but those committed by the society around us to which we become heirs. Sin is pain and utter darkness. Its end result is death of the spirit though the soul has a destination of its own making (unless that soul has been, by the grace of God, saved and redeemed). The death of sin blinds our eyes, stops our ears from hearing, locks our jaws, and covers our consciences with calloused flesh.

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. There are a variety of demons that afflict the soul of man - these are the outcast angels of Heaven who chose to follow Lucifer rather than obey God. These unembodied spirits inhabit the netherworld of this life and seek to perform their cursed master's will.

            In the text, our Lord Jesus is casting out a certain kind of demon, or evil spirit, that rendered its victim dumb. 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. In fact. many Christians today suffer from a limited affliction of this demon - they fail to speak out on issues of Gospel truth and remain silent when evil triumphs.

            It is worthy of note at the wonder of the people at the restoration to health of the formerly possessed person. The world is always surprised at the mercies of God and misinterprets the His works - either through ignorance or intention. But when we hide the Word of God in our hearts, we are strengthened against the Archenemy of our Souls – the Devil!

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (Psalm 119:11)

            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 that is tolerated 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. Those wills that we consider FREE, are actually in bondage to Satan for the will of man is corrupt. It is only when we accept the Will of God in our lives that we are free indeed.

            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! If the candle of our souls remains unlit by the Holy Ghost, we remain in the same darkness of those without a candle. God has given us His Word to light our way and illumine our dark hearts.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.    (Psalm 119:05)

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.

            When I observe the presumed signs and wonders of the charismatic churches, I am saddened to see the sinner go away with greater burdens than he brought to the service.

            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 among the multitude of Scribes and Pharisees accused Christ of using the power of Beelzebub to cast out devils. They spoke more our of jealousy than unbelief. If the people believed and followed Jesus, what would happen to the economy of their own cozy little positions?

            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.  This is the kind of life these doubters accused our Lord of creating. These unbelieving and wicked observers accuse Christ of bringing a lower form of life from filth. But Christ never resurrected maggots, but totally restored 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 human hearts, humans are all guilty because mankind is sick. Of course, there is a cure for that affliction. Is there a Balm in Gilead? Yes! It is the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in purchasing our salvation.

            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 – is a loner who knows that the evil in every man’s heart can only be fought by reason and virtue. He 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 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 his 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 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 an 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 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 (an impossibility), 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. We are created after His own image, are we not? 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.