THE HIDDEN DOOR OF HEAVEN 

(by Bishop J Ogles)

 

The most precious possessions of mankind are always HIDDEN.

We hide our CASH, our JEWELRY, our CHILDREN, and our life's secrets.

Precious things are always HIDDEN.

Gold is never found lying around in common places, it must be searched out, labored for in mining, and safeguarded to the broker's deposit.

Cash is carried about on armored cars with armed guards in the locked bank compartment.

Diamonds must be mined, cut and polished.

Rubies are hidden in fields of stone and dirt. All things precious are also rare.

Our souls are hidden from view deep in the privileged chambers of our hearts.

Psalm 51:

⁵ Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

GOD hides His precious ones from the eye of evil:

Psalm 83:3
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

Isaiah 45:3
And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

Isaiah 48:6
Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

God has hidden Truths that He has shared with those who know Him.

1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

A person of great wealth has no need to boast of it, it is proven in the way that he lives.

1 Peter 3:4
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price

Our real beings are hidden in the dark passages of our heart. Only those who are invited may approach.

The same is true of God.

Revelation 2:17
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna , and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

The purpose of a door is to keep secure and secret that which is inside. We answer the door when someone knocks.. If they are accepted, we receive them into the privacy of our home.

Proverbs 8:34
Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

The DOOR of GOD is a HIDDEN DOOR!

Not just anyone may enter, only those who know and understands His voice.

The ARK that NOAH built had a DOOR. Only God could shut that door to the wicked outside.

Isaiah 26:20
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church. The Church is the Bride. Please insure that we are not as the five hapless virgins who had no oli (Holy Spirit) in their lamps lest the door be shut in our face:

Matthew 25:10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

 

Luke 13:25
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are :

 

John 10

¹Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

²But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

³To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them

So where is the Door and how do we find it?

 

⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

⁹I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

¹⁰The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Christ is nowhere to be found in the modern churches. He is outside, while the sinful hypocrites are within:

 

To the Seven churches in Revelation He says:

⁷ And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

⁸I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

⁹Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee .

Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

 

What can we do to make this door open to us? We must give Christ the keys to the door of our hearts. Allow him free reign in our hearts. He will admit only good into the chambers of our hearts and not bad.

 

The Hidden Door is Christ!

 

He spoke in parables that those whose hearts were wicked would not understand, but His elect would understand.

 

Such truths even the angels in heaven have sought to know, yet we are privileged to be partakers thereof.

 

Matthew 13:

 

Why speakest thou in parables?

¹¹He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

 

1 Peter 1:12
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

 

Does Jesus dwell behind the Hidden Door of YOUR Heart?

 

 

 

Sermon for the Second Sunday after Easter.(Bishop Ogles)

The Collect.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given thine only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life; Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:11-16)

 

            What a wonderful subject is today’s text after the sorrow of the cross, and the glory of resurrection morning! It encourages us to know that our Good Shepherd has been over all the rocks and crannies of life, the well springs of rivers and seas, and through the dark valley of the shadow of death. He suffered all that His lambs can ever imagine, even death of the cross. Yet, He walked up to the gate of death and hell and battered down the door freeing captives that were held by the bondage of sin – you and I among them!

 

            So the sheep may feel complete confidence and satisfaction in that Good Shepherd who knows the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and is, Himself, that Way – that Truth – that Life. He knows the mountain trails because He has made the mountains. He knows the still waters for He is the Water of Life. He knows the place of resting peace and safety for His sheep for He is the very Ark of security and salvation.

 

            Our Lord Jesus Christ confirmed all that God had promised in long ago prophecies of a Redeemer. He is explicitly described by the aging King of Israel, David, in the 23^rd Psalm. It matters not to you or me how Good Jesus is as a Shepherd unless He is our Shepherd; and David KNEW Christ to be his Savior and Shepherd. The Good shepherd will see that His sheep lack nothing that is essential for their health and wellbeing. He knows better than they the good way, and He will urge them from the dangerous and treacherous mountain gorges with His gentle staff and cajoling Voice. All of His sheep may proclaim with David: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want!”

 

            The leading verse of our text reiterates an often overlooked and grand truth of the Gospel – Jesus is the Great I AM! He is David’s Shepherd as much today as when David, under the tutelage of the Holy Ghost, penned those lines of the 23^rd Psalm. He was as much your Shepherd yesterday and today as He shall be in a million years or more. He dwells in the eternal Presence.

 

            The preceding verse of John 10 relate another great truth: Jesus is the Door by which all must enter into the fold. There are no other doors to the sheepfold. Not only is Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life, He alone is that Way, Truth, and Life. In our day, a different Jesus is being preached from the greater number of pulpits of the world – a Jesus who is lax on sin, and who seems less divine than a member of the Triune Godhead should be. There are several reasons for this downgrade of faith, I believe:

 

1               Many clergymen today have chosen the ministry as a career field rather than having been effectually called of God. If they are not called of God, they lack authority – and it shows! Their sermons are sterile and worldly, and they lack any reproach for sin.

 

2               Many men who ARE called to the ministry delay their response far too long than is efficacious to take advantage of the many years wasted by their hesitation. God chases them over hill and dale until they finally surrender, or are taken out of the world. Such men are a waste of spiritual enlightenment.

 

3               Compromise with the world is a leading cause of the luke-warm condition of the modern church. The old classic hymns, so reaffirming of biblical faith and doctrine, are relegated to the dustbin while the light and unscriptural little ditties of the modern composer of rock music has taken their place. It is not only the words that lack spiritual truth, but the music itself which is sensual enough to be very much like that which is played in bars and night clubs. This is referred to by the sponsors of such music as ‘relevant.’

 

4               New Bible versions are pointing away from the central figure of the Good Shepherd, as Lord, and made Christ simply a fairly good teacher lacking divinity. The commonly received text of the Bible upon which the courageous Reformers relied is replaced with spurious manuscript evidence that lacks credibility on the face of it. A diminishing respect for the Truth and Holiness of God’s Word has clearly led to many grave shortcomings of the modern church.

 

5               Consumerism and profit motive are also big players in the diminishing faith of our age. False and deceptive ministers have made the House of the Lord a house of merchandise instead of a House of Prayer. Enlarging the monetary treasury of the church has become far more important than repentance and contrition of the sinners heart. Those who give the most money are viewed as the most righteous. This is not always the case since many who lack the wealth of others do so because they have shared their wealth with the widows, orphans and destitute of means.
 

 


 So what does this have to do with the text today? It has everything to do with it! We have failed to follow the Good shepherd in our day. His Voice has not changed since the day we first heard Him call our names, yet we have forgotten to recognize that loving Voice. One problem may be that we disagree with the Voice of our Lord. When He calls us from the sinful and dangerous way, we believe that we are safe and continue to seek grass in places where wolves and predators lurk. He has defined sin in the most serious and clear terms, yet we have called good evil, and evil good. 


 

Our Lord’s definition of a good shepherd is one who will sacrifice even His life for the lowly sheep: “the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” There are far more under-shepherds who are willing to lay down their lives on the foreign mission fields of the world than we have today in America; in fact, it happens often is countries today that are hostile to the Good Shepherd. If the under-shepherds are not willing to die for their flocks, how does our Lord classify them? “But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.” It is a fact that we have an exceeding number of hirelings today, and too few true shepherds of the flock of Christ.  The sheep are left to wander in barren places and are kept only for the fleecing of their wool, or the consumption of their very souls.


 

The Good Shepherd was promised by God most profoundly in Jeremiah 23:  1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. 2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. 3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. 5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jer 23:1-6) This passage is both a prophecy of the Good Shepherd, but also a condemnation of the hireling shepherds that populate the churches as those demons that live in the branches of the Mustard Tree. 

 

An earnest seeker of the Word of the Lord is more likely to learn a false gospel in the modern church than the pure and unadulterated Word of the Lord. 16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. 17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. (Jer 23:16-17)

 

The great contrast of our Lord as Good Shepherd with the false pulpit dandies of our day is this: Our Lord is a Shepherd who is completely GOOD. “14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Our Lord and shepherd knows our simple hearts thoroughly, and far better than we, ourselves, know them. HE KNOWS US! There is no question, either, in the heart of the sheep of the Goodness of their Shepherd, for His sheep also KNOW Him! None other has laid down His life for us – the sinless for the sinful – as our Good Shepherd has done. This the world cannot comprehend. Why would a rational Shepherd die such a horrible death for mean and lowly sheep? The trade-off to the world does not make sense. Well, truly, it does not make worldly sense; but it makes abundant heavenly sense when the great love with which our Lord has loved us a His sheep is taken into consideration. Love is a quality that is unknown to the world. It cannot weigh it, spend it, or measure it. So it remains unknown to the world.

 

Our Lord delivered this counsel of His role as the Good shepherd to the Jews gathered about the Temple in Jerusalem.

 

A small number believed, but a greater number hardened their hearts against our Lord and the words of His Father which He spoke. It will always be the case. The number of believers that Christ claims at His return will be woefully few. Remember that only eight souls were saved out of the millions who died in the Great Deluge of Noah’s Day. Thank God that there are sheep of the Good shepherd’s other than those few to which He spoke. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. It is my prayer that all who hear the words of this sermon are a part of those “other sheep” of the Lord’s. He has a pitiful few in every land and nation, but when gathered from the four quarters of the world, they will constitute a happy fold – perhaps that Camp of the Saints to which John the Revelator makes mention. The devil will gather the armies from all over the world to destroy the people of God, but he will suffer a blistering (literally) defeat:  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Rev 20:9)  

 

 

 ARTICLE VI OF THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES OF RELIGION

by Bishop Ogles

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. * 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5

Our reformers wisely put forth, in the beginning of their confession of faith, those doctrines on which the Church universal for fifteen centuries had agreed, and which are the foundations of the Christian faith.

Accordingly the first five Articles treat of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Redemption of the world, the Sanctification of Christians, and the Judgment of all men. Unity on these points was of old times considered to constitute Catholic Christianity; and by declaring her orthodoxy on these Catholic doctrines, the Church of England, in the very front of her confessions, declares herself orthodox and Catholic.

This done in the first five Articles, she, in the next three, treats of the Rule of Faith, the Scriptures, and the Creeds deduced from them.

Accordingly the first five Articles treat of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Redemption of the world, the Sanctification of Christians, and the Judgment of all men. Unity on these points was of old times considered to constitute Catholic Christianity; and by declaring her orthodoxy on these Catholic doctrines, the Church of England, in the very front of her confessions, declares herself orthodox and Catholic.

The Three Creeds were deduced from them.

I will now quote Article VI

ARTICLE VI.

Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation.

HOLY Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite necessary to salvation.

In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical books of the old and new Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.

THE CANONICAL BOOKS (OLD TESTAMEN)

This Article gives us a list of the 39 Books of the Old Testament

And also of the 27 Books of the New Testament

There is also a list of the Apocryphal Books which I will not discuss since they cannot be used for doctrinal

truth.

THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE FOR SALVATION.

THAT we may see the force of the words of the Article on this important subject, it will be necessary to consider what opinions were opposed by it. Those opinions were the doctrines of the Church of Rome concerning Scripture and Tradition. It will be well therefore to begin by setting the statements of the Church of Rome and those of the Church of England one against the other; and when we see wherein we differ, we may then proceed to show which is in the right.

THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE FOR SALVATION.

The Roman Position

The Church of Rome, both in her Council, and by the mouth of her most eminent divines, asserts that Scripture does not contain all that is necessary for faith and morals; but that there is need of a traditional doctrine, an unwritten word, which is handed down by unbroken tradition in the Church, and which she, the Church of Rome, esteems with the same feelings of piety and reverence with which she receives the Holy Scriptures. 

It is not merely an Hermeneutical Tradition, i. e. certain doctrines handed down from early times, which are useful for clearing up and explaining obscurities in Holy Writ; nor is it an Ecclesiastical Tradition, i. e. Tradition concerning Church discipline, rites and ceremonies; but it is a traditional revelation concerning doctrine, in matters of faith and morals, which is not to be found in Scripture, and which is equally certain, equally Divine, and equally to be embraced and reverenced with Scripture itself.

Now the Doctrine on the sufficiency of Scripture as opposed to that of Rome:

POSITION OF REFORMATION CHURCH OF ENGLAND

Scripture, according to the Church of England, rightly interpreted, contains all that is necessary to save the soul. From it, by fair and logical inference, may be deduced everything which ought to be imposed as an article of faith. It will be seen, hereafter, that she does not despise nor underrate the light of learning, nor the light of antiquity, but that, as the ground of appeal, she maintains the supremacy, and the sole supremacy, of the written word of God. [4]

Now in proving the soundness of the Anglican, in opposition to the Romish position, we may proceed in the following order.

We may prove —

 I. That Scripture is in favour of it; —

 II. That Reason is in favour of it; — 

III. That the

Primitive Fathers are in favour of it.

I. Scripture is in favour of the doctrine of the Anglican Church, namely, that the written word of God is sufficient for salvation, containing all necessary articles of faith, and rules of life.

Here we may dismiss the arguments from Scripture, which have been brought to prove that Scripture does not contain all doctrine necessary for salvation and godliness. We proceed to consider those passages which appear to prove the direct contrary, namely, that all things, of necessity to be believed, are contained in, or may be deduced from, the written word.

The following are Just a few of the texts commonly alleged: —

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it.” Deut. iv. 2.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Ps. xix. 7.

“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” John v.39.

“From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. . . . . All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. iii. 15‒17

But the reason why we rest our faith upon the written word is this: We know that it came from God; but we have no certain knowledge that any unwritten tradition did. The former we know to be the mid-day light, the other may be but an ignis fatuus (Will-o'-the-Wisp), and lead us into error.

“These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name.” John xx.

The Scriptures prevent our wandering into error:

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelatiuons 22:18-19

RUTH - Providential Care

 

11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. 15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. (Ruth 2:11-16)

 

            Ruth has asked Boaz a question of profound meaning. It is the same question I have so often asked God when I reflect on such a great salvation that I have been granted by grace through Christ: “Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?” This was no pretended affectation on the part of Ruth. Simply look on the circumstances. Ruth is now a very poor young widow who has only recently come to live in Bethlehem. In order to acquire food for nourishment for herself and Naomi, she has come to glean in the fields around Bethlehem. Seemingly by chance, she has chosen the field of Boaz, a very important figure in the city, and even a near kinsman to Naomi. Moreover, Ruth is from Moab – a place that is hateful to the people of Israel. When you answered the call of Christ, there was nothing of worth in your soul to make you a choice disciple. You, too, were a poor, ragged, helpless stranger from a world that was in rebellion against God. It is no surprise that Ruth is shocked by the hospitality and cordiality of Boaz. We are all shocked by the same from Christ.

            Boaz has not acquired great influence, honor, and wealth by being unwise. He can choose the soil that will produce a good harvest, and he sees that in Ruth. He is ready to give an answer to Ruth. “And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband.” The important people of Bethlehem have the ear of Boaz. The news has spread like wild-fire that Naomi has returned from Moab bringing with her a virtuous young widow of her son, Mahlon. It has been whispered in his ear all that is known of this fine young woman. Boaz is much impressed by Ruth’s character and, now, her beauty and virtue. It is one thing of great nobility to honor one’s husband all the days of his life; but it is yet another to continue that honor after his passing as Ruth has done for her mother-in-law, Naomi. Such devotion and loyalty is almost beyond our comprehension. Boaz recognizes this as a mark of distinction for character and human virtue. Boaz continues, “ . . . and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.” Not only has Ruth remained fast by the side of Naomi, but she has given up the heritage she enjoyed in Moab – leaving her friends, family, wealth – all to come with Naomi among a people who were strangers to her.

            “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” Acts of kindness toward the people of God are accounted acts of kindness to the Lord Himself. “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: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?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.” (Matt 25:35-40) Ruth has been that source of solace for Naomi. We will see, a bit later, how the blessing of Boaz comes to pass in full. Trusting in God, we come to trust under the protecting wings of His only Begotten Son just as Ruth will do by Boaz. 

            Here is what Adam Clarke says about verse 12: “This is spoken with great modesty and piety: The kindness I (Boaz) show thee is little in comparison of thy desert; God alone can give thee a full reward for thy kindness to thy husband and mother-in-law, and he will do it, because thou art come to trust under his wings—to become a proselyte to his religion. The metaphor is taken from the young of fowls, who, seeing a bird of prey, run to their mother to be covered by her wings from danger, and also to take shelter from storms, tempests, cold, etc. It is evident from this that Ruth had already attached herself to the Jewish religion.” —Adam Clarke's Commentary

            “Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.” What a lovely woman is Ruth! No one is like God, or possessing of the righteousness of His Son, Jesus; yet, He comforts us and woos us to His beloved side. We are not good enough to inherit the blessings of Heaven, but we are enabled to do so anyway through the merits of Jesus, our Savior. Jesus forever spoke friendly to the sinners whom He encountered along the way and reserved His wrath, only, for the Pharisees and religious leaders who were hypocrites.

            “And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.” If there were ever a Cupid, then the heart of Boaz has become a pin-cushion for his arrows. He has never met such a lovely creature as Ruth. Every word she utters is like icing on the cake. That is how love is, is it not? It was not customary to feed the gleaners of the field with the same provision of the reapers, but Boaz, and God, makes exceptions for the objects of His love. Being servants of God, we can feed His people with morsels, but He will fill to the uttermost. “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:24) Ruth did not consider herself of the same good quality of the other women reapers for as she did not sit along with them, or in the midst of them, in the row with them, as ranking with them, but on one side of them, which was an instance of her great modesty. Ruth was given so much that she was “sufficed” and even took the leftovers to her mother-in-law, Naomi. (see Ruth 2:18)

            When one comes to trust under the wings of the Lord, she will be fully protected. After Ruth rose up and left, hear what Boaz says: “And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not.” God does not only consider our present needs and security, but looks out for future dangers as well on our behalf. Reaping, even among the sheaves, means partaking of the full harvest itself and not only of the droppings from the reapers. God is like that to His Elect people. 

            Boaz was a man of God and, therefore, demonstrates a Godly character. The next verse is so much like God that it must have been taught Boaz by God: “And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.” When we put our trust in the Lord, suddenly wonderful things happen. Those things may not be apparent to the world, or what the world places a value upon, but the recipient of the blessings of Heaven are well aware of their worth. Leave no provision to chance, but cast handfuls of blessing on purpose before Ruth that she may gain far more than a gleaner is party to receive. 

            Whether you know it or not, God casts “Handful’s on Purpose” before those who love and serve Him. Have you not noticed the joy and peace in your heart when you give a secret gift to the poor, the needy, or a little child? God will not allow secret deeds of kindness to go unrewarded. You cannot even count the value of the return on God’s grant to you. Do I speak of wealth – no, not only. Do I speak of power – no not only? Do I speak of health and strength – no not only? We may receive the first, but the latter rains of love and joy will outlast and out-value every other. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt 6:33) Have you reaped more than a gleaner is entitled to do?

 THE FAMILY ALTAR

April 19.

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit

the kingdom of God." 1 Cor. 15:50.

The question is often asked: Why must we die at all if

Christ has really abolished death? Why can He not take us to

heaven just as we are, without letting us die first? The Apostle

Paul here gives us the answer. He does not deny the resurrection

of the body, as unbelievers, who tear his words from their connec-

tion, brazenly assert. On the contrary, in this fifteenth chapter

of First Corinthians, Paul vigorously upholds and defends the

resurrection of the body, and conclusively proves that it must

take place. When he declares that flesh and blood cannot inherit

the kingdom of God, he uses the words in the same sense in which

our Lord applied them when He said to Peter (Matt. 16, 17) :

"Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father

which is in heaven." "Flesh and blood" here means our sin-

corrupted nature in the utter depravity of all its powers. We

children of Adam are so poisoned by sin that we cannot in our

present state inherit the kingdom of God, the life eternal. Sin,

evil, cannot dwell in the sight of the holy God. (Ps. 5,4.) . But

this corruptible, that is, this mortal body, can put on, can be

clothed with, incorruption and immortality, and shall do so in

the resurrection of the dead. (V. 54.) There is no doubt in Paul's

mind about that blessed fact. Hence he cries out (w. 19. 20) :

"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men

most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and

become the first-fruits of them that slept." Through Christ's

resurrection death is now become only a sleep for us. Let us learn

to look at death in the light of Holy Scripture — as a sleep from

which we shall awake in the image of our Lord's glorified body

and in which we shall cast off forever this vile, evil, sinful nature

of ours. (Phil. 3, 21.) What a glorious, change that means!

Christ is risen, we are risen!

Shed upon us heavenly grace,

Rain, and dew, and gleams of glory

From the brightness of Thy face;

That, with hearts in heaven dwelling,

We on earth may fruitful be,

And by angel -hands be gathered,