Anglican Orthodox
Church sm
Worldwide Communion
Quinquagesima Sunday
February 15, 2026 – Sunday Report
Quinquagesima Sunday
The propers are 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 1540’s 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
saint’s 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 in the
Book of Common Prayer page 122-124.
The Collect for Quinquagesima Sunday
O LORD, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are
nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most
excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without
which whoso-ever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only
Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
Epistle for Quinquagesima Sunday. I Corinthians xiii. 13.
THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not
charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have
the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and
though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me
nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part,
and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put
away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to
face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And
now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is
charity.
The Gospel for the Quinquagesima Sunday. St. Luke xvii. 31.
THEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets
concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto
the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall
rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid
from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass,
that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way-side
begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they
told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou
son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he
should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have
mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and
when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do
unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto
him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received
his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw
it, gave praise unto God.
On Point
The Purpose of the Bible (Pasche)
"And
that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make
thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2
Tim. 3,15.
The Bible
often refers to history and different forms of government, to geography and
natural science, to poetry and the wisdom of life. And what it says of these
things is absolutely reliable. Yet it was not given for the purpose of teaching
us things like these, which man is left to find out by experience and by
advancing in knowledge. Neither is the Bible simply to be a text-book of
morality. True, the Bible teaches morality. It contains the Ten Commandments,
which teach a perfect morality, showing man “ how he ought to walk and to
please God” and to be holy even as He is holy. And yet the purpose of God in
giving man His Word was not simply to improve his earthly character. His
purpose was another, namely: “to make us wise unto salvation through faith which
is in Christ Jesus.”
The purpose
of the Bible is to show us Christ, the Savior. It represents Christ as the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world; as the great Mediator, in whom
the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. The Holy
Scriptures testify of Christ. He is the Sun that lights up the sacred record
from Genesis to Revelation. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee
the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” There is life in the
Word. It testifies of Christ as our Teacher, Redeemer, and Lord, and therefore,
by searching the Scriptures, we have eternal life. The Word of God is the power
of God unto salvation. Everywhere in the Old as well as in the New
Testament the central theme is: salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. All that
Scripture teaches has this one object — to make man wise unto salvation, that
is, to lead him to a true knowledge of his sins, but, above all, to make him
know his Savior and to kindle faith in him, to instruct him to walk in the way
of righteousness after having accepted Christ, and to keep him therein in true
faith to his blessed end.
Oh, what a
blessed purpose Scripture has!
Prayer
O Lord
Jesus Christ, who didst say: “ Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me/’ behold, without Thee
we can do nothing; for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God; they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them. We beseech
Thee, therefore, enlighten the eyes of our understanding and give us the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation that we may behold wondrous things out of Thy Law.
Teach us to know what is the hope of our calling, so that we may be made wise
unto salvation, setting our hearts on things above and not upon things on the
earth. Amen.
We are fortunate
to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the
Collect and sermon notes.
Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under
ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:
Bishop Ogles
Blog:
https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com
Bishop Ogles
You Tube Channel
that is free to subscribe: all of his videos at:
Monday Evening
Meditation: Facing your Giants
Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/width560-height315-srchttpswww_9.html
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VF0-ssfiXg
Tuesday Evening
Meditaton: White than Snow
Bishop’s Blog: You Tube link: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/youtube-video-player_10.html
Friday Meditation: Art
Source
https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/youtube-video-player_13.html
Sermon for Quinquagesima
February
15th
Video preached from St. Andrew’s Church
A Must
See and Hear!
Please click on the below url to watch the Video Sermon:
Bishop’s Blog Link: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/youtube-video-player_15.html
You
tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PddWQ3sw8_M
† Jerry Ogles
Bishop Jack Arnold
Anglican Orthodox Church of the United States
Training and Education Department
Diocese of the West - Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California
Bp
Jack brings the Collect,
Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying
message in the Scripture for this Sunday.
Good
morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at
the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they
share the common message of action as we prepare for the real meaning of Lent,
which itself is a season of preparation. Let us start by reading today’s Collect:
The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the
Sunday next before before Lent.
The Collect.
O LORD who hast taught us that all our doings without charity
are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most
excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without
which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only
Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… that all our doings without charity are nothing
worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift
of charity …
In the Collect, we acknowledge to God that if we have
not charity, nothing we do is worth anything; we then ask Him to send the Holy
Ghost into our hearts with the precious gift of charity. Webster tells us that Charity is love; universal benevolence; good will;
the word which properly denotes love. What it really means is Love in Action! Like many areas of our
Christian development, we will never fully get there. But if we never try to
put Love into action, we will never even get close to getting there. The key
principle is that word action! It is one thing to say nice things and be
sympathetic, and yet no action results from pure sympathy alone. What we need
to truly have is what Christ had for us, compassion. Compassion, or charity, is
action driven by love in its purest form. As followers of Christ, we are called
to have compassion for those around us and to put love into action every chance
we can get. We will fail from time to time on this, but as long as we do our
best to regroup and refocus on God’s Word and focus on putting that compassion
into our lives, then all will be well with our souls.
What is Charity to us? Simply put, it is the purest
form of love there is and derives from God’s love for us. Without God’s love in
us, we cannot hope to have any form of charity towards our fellow humans. God
has given us love to enable us to act on His behalf here on this Earth. Without
the love that God gives us, we cannot hope to be able to perform good works for
Him. Before we even received this pure love from God, we are naturally very
angry and prideful beings, that do not have any sort of compassion for our
fellow humans. When we receive this pure love from God, our very nature is
transformed into sons and daughters of God who have great love and compassion
for our fellow humans. We find that we need to have this love in our hearts, if
we are to do anything on this earth for Him.
In connection with the Collect which talks about one
who is brought before God without love in his heart is a dead person. And not
just in eternity but in life, a person with no love is a dead person
walking. Paul makes this very point in
his Epistle, saying that no matter what talents we have, without the Love of
God in our hearts, it is all for naught.
You can be the best in your profession or have a super unique talent,
but in the end if we do not have the Love of God in our hearts, our talents are
ultimately wasted. Recognizing this, we must call upon the Holy Ghost to enter
into our hearts, souls and minds and rejuvenate our souls with charity, that we
might go forth and spread forth God’s love through the known world.
Having Love in our hearts is a must if we are to
perform actions for Him here in this world. In order to have love in our
hearts, we must be open to the Holy Spirit. Only then can we truly receive His
Love to spread around. And do not fret, there is an unlimited supply of love
for everyone. When Paul talks about God’s great plans, he uses the phraseology
“through a glass, darkly”, which is very interesting inasmuch as CS Lewis uses
a variation to describe earth as compared to heaven. He calls earth The Shadowlands and says in
heaven all is clear and bright, not dark and muddled as here on earth. So, here our understanding is limited, it
will not always be so. That will be fulfilled when we pass those Pearly Gates
into heaven, and in order to do that, we have to have faith, and act in good
works with charity.
As they were coming in to Jericho, Jesus told the
disciples of what was to come, yet they could not grasp their leader would
submit to such treatment on their behalf. One of the reasons they could not
grasp it is that they did not yet have the Holy Spirit in their heart to help
grasp the words that Jesus spoke. They were still under the mistaken impression
that Jesus came to conquer the physical things of this earth, instead of His
real mission which was to reclaim those lost souls who were still under the bondage
of sin and Satan. Once the resurrection occurred, they were then able to look
back and realized what He was speaking of as they had entered into Jericho.
When Jesus heard him, he turned and asked what the man
wanted. MY SIGHT! No generalizations, no beating about. The blind man asked of Him what he truly
wanted. Ask and it shall be given unto you.
He lacked sight, not vision. Nor,
it might be added, did he lack faith. We should ask God to have to sight and
hearing that we might see, hear and act upon the Word. To some, the faith he
had might seem a blind faith, but it was one he acted on and gained what he
lacked. Will we have the faith to act?
True love is Faith, Hope, Charity.
There is but one way to heaven.
That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path
does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits. Open
your heart to the Holy Ghost, use His Power to follow our Lord to God who
awaits in heaven.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God -
Live of God - Act of God
+Bishop Jack Arnold
Yves M. Méra, Bishop of France
AOC
France Anglican Orthodox Church
Worldwide
We are fortunate to have a sermon from the Presiding
Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church of France and the Administrative Coordinator of Europe and Africa. As you will read, he is an excellent writer. The sermon is easy to read and provides much insight.
SERMON for the Sunday of
Quinquagesima
1 Corinthians
13:1-13; Luke 18:31-43
THE LOVE
OF JESUS
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is
sprinkled with good feelings. But feelings are deceptive. Feelings do not
always take the truth in account. Now Jesus IS the Truth (John 14:6): “Jesus
said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father but by me.” And when Jesus teaches us the Truth, it can hurt, so much do
we tend to delude ourselves: God loves us, it's true; “God is Love” (1 John
4:8), this is true. But God is just and holy. God is perfect. And He hates sin
(Romans 1:18): “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”
And sin is disobedience to the Law of God (John 14:20-21): “At that day ye
shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.”
Beloved, you will have yet understood: We do not know
how to love in the same way as Jesus loves us (1 John 4:9-11): “In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten
Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
Pagans, and even Jews at the time of Israel's
decadence, took themselves for God the Father and sent their children to death
by fire on the stake at the feet of the statue of Moloch... In their good
feelings, they thought that they were thus proving their love and their spirit
of sacrifice; They showed off that they loved their God more than their own
children... but they were practicing a hypocritical sacrifice, passed on to an
innocent child, used as a scapegoat. But the true God had forbidden this kind of
sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21): “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass
through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I
am the LORD.”
There is, however, some truth in this horrible and
cruel rite: Christ came into the world as an innocent child, ready to be
sacrificed to take away the sin of faithful men. But the parallel ends here.
Since the time of Adam and Eve, our sin - which is our inability to observe the
Law of God - has made us all impure and therefore unfit for any work of
reparation and reconciliation with the Holy God. As French priest of the 17th
Century St. Vincent de Paul said, "When God needs a victim, He sends over
His own Son." (Psalm 51:16-17): “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else
would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise.”
And this is the prayer that the Eternal Father expects
of each of us (Psalm 51:9-12): “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all
mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit
within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit
from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free
spirit.” Many things are said in Psalm 51:
1. Our sin makes us ashamed: “Hide thy face from my
sins”
2. Our desire is to get rid of them: “and blot out all
mine iniquities.”
3. Our sacrifices are useless, ineffective, and vain:
“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in
burnt offering.” So, there is nothing we can do to get rid of our sin by our
own means. We are like Lady Macbeth, who kept washing her hands, stained with
the blood of her crime, over and over again but the stain was always coming
back again.
4. Our sin leads us into depression: “Cast me not away
from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the
joy of thy salvation.” And from the depths of our distress, we turn to God to
save us: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite
heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
5. Then we have the certainty that our prayer will be
heard, for this is what God expects of us: “Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me"
6. Finally, we have this assurance that God Himself
assists us, personally, by breathing into us His Holy Breath - the Holy Spirit:
“’and uphold me with thy free spirit.” We are thus recreated, restored to
perfection in the state of Adam before his fall (Genesis 2:7): “And the LORD
God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul.” We are not a body with a soul,
but a soul with a body.
Beloved, remember this: Entry into the Kingdom of God
is not free. You can't earn it, nor can you buy it like a ticket for a
merry-go-round entrance at the fun fair. Our access to Heaven has a price,
however: the price paid by Jesus dying on a cross. All Christ expects from us
is to believe in Him, and to obey Him with the ability that His Holy Spirit
gives us and pours into us, and to love our brethren. And it is our love for
our Christian brothers and sisters that testifies to our salvation in Christ (1
Corinthians 13:3-6): “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me
nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” You have heard it as I have myself :
" charity... rejoices in the truth ." And the Truth is Christ, the
Word of God incarnate in Jesus (John 1:1-4): “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made
that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”; (John
1:14): “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.”
So, yes; let us love one another, but in Truth.
Indulgence and laxity have no place in Heaven, but in hell. In hell, everything
is allowed, absolutely everything. It is even permissible to believe in God.
But the only thing that is not allowed is to love God and our brothers in
Christ! Satan does not reject believers, but he redoubles his cruelty to those
who repent too late of their sin (Hebrews 9:27): “And as it is appointed unto
men once to die, but after this the judgment”
My dear brothers and sisters, let us learn to love as
God loves us. Let us learn and warn those around us that they are in peril if
they do not repent of their evil way, and trust in Christ to save them (Isaiah
65:2): “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which
walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts”
But we prefer to stay at peace with our loved ones...
we tolerate, we accept, and we are not far from approving those “which walketh
in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts” says Isaiah. Rome even
goes so far as to bless them, with a fake blessing that sends them straight
into hell, especially if straight they are not willing to be... Let us pay
close attention to this: it is not a question of arguing about mere little
things, but of rescuing from hell those whom God has predestined to salvation.
Let us sow the Good Word everywhere, in worship as well as on social networks.
In the end, the Angels of God will sort them out. (Psalm 115/1): “Not unto us,
O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy
truth's sake.”
All men are spiritually blind, until they open their
hearts to the Truth that is in Christ. In Jericho, Jesus healed the one blind
man who implored him, without paying attention to those around him, rebuffing
him. And he cried out at the top of his lungs, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy
on me!” (Luke 18:38). And in verses 42-43: “And Jesus said unto him, Receive
thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight,
and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave
praise unto God.” Here we see that the best testimony is that of a healed
sinner, whose life is transformed by the power of God: “and all the people,
when they saw it, gave praise unto God.”
All the people are amazed at what they see, and begin
to praise God. But of all this people, few will be saved, for the same people
who praise him in Jericho will demand his death in Jerusalem. (Luke 13:34-35):
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are
sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen
doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until
the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord.”; “Ye shall not see me” what does this mean, but that Christ blinds up
those who oppose Him. Not only does He not heal them, but He abandons them to
their fate, the fate they wanted. Christ came to speak to them about the Way of
salvation, which is the way of holiness, but they did not want it. For they had
not received the Holy Spirit of God in them, being too proud. They thought that
being descended from Abraham was enough to be saved, even without partaking the
faith of Abraham. (Romans 4:3): “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed
God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” And Jesus repeats it to
anyone who will listen: "thy faith hath saved thee". Without faith,
therefore, it is impossible to be saved. Don’t you even dream about it!
Alas, three times alas, our contemporaries no longer
believe themselves to be sinners, and no longer know that they are lost,
because the main stream and big Churches forget to preach about sin, about the
perdition that follows, and about the hell to which it leads. They believe that
they can attract the good graces of the crowds by promising them a bright
tomorrow, despite a present lived in plain ungodliness. This is not the way of
Truth, the way that Christ taught us. And if this is not the way of Truth, then
it is the way of lies and error. Think of it, my brothers. And if you do not
have the strength to undeceive the liars and those who follow them by word of
mouth, at least let a reproachful silence on your part make them understand
that you are not walking in the same way as them. Following French persecuted
sister of a Reformed pastor Marie Durand, who was locked in at the Tower of
Constance for her biblical faith during 38 years, “RESIST!” (This she engraved
on a stone with her fork, for her fellow-prisoners to read). Amen.
Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France.
Rev Bryan Dabney
of Saint John’s AOC Vicksburg, Mississippi
We are fortunate
to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon.
If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth,
espouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend
it to your careful reading.
Sermon Text
for Quinquagesima Sunday:
In our epistle lesson (I St. John 2:15), we are
admonished to Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. This is
one of those trying passages for many because the fact is they do indeed love
the world with its several and sordid attractions. The Rev. Matthew Henry
observed that, “the world draws down the heart from God, so the more the love
of the world prevails the more the love of God dwindles and decays.” Consider
also the epistle of St. James who rebuked the worldliness of those around him
when he wrote, From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in your members. Ye lust, and desire to
have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts...know ye not that the friendship of the world (kosmos) is enmity with
God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world (kosmos) is the enemy of
God (St. James 4:1-10)”. To help us better understand what has been
written, let us examine what the Scriptures mean by the expression: the world.
To begin with there are several Greek words which can be translated as the
world with the most used Greek word in the New Testament being kosmos. This
word refers to a world system or order. With that in mind let us re-examine our
epistle lesson from I St. John 2, only this time let us substitute the Greek
word “kosmos” for “ the world”: Love not kosmos, neither the things that are
in kosmos. If any man love kosmos, the love of the Father is not in him.
One bible commentator has noted that this word
“kosmos” had an “ethically bad sense of usage” for Christians because it refers
to “Satan's ordering of the world of unbelieving mankind upon his cosmic
principles of force, greed, selfishness, ambition and pleasure. While this
system appears outwardly religious, scientific, cultured and elegant,” it is
more gild than gold. What lies beneath its facade is a boiling pot “seething
with national and commercial rivalries and ambitions...upheld in any real
crisis by armed force and dominated by Satanic principles.” As our Lord warned
his hearers in the “Sermon on the Mount”, No man can serve two masters: for
either he will hate the one, and love the other...You cannot serve God and
mammon (St. Matthew 6:24). Our Lord was referring specifically to the wealth
of this material sphere. And the Holy Ghost, who guides us into all truth (St.
John 16:13), also informed the apostles and saints of old that an inordinate desire
for earthly things will blind the unregenerate to the benefits of the gospel of
Christ leaving them open to demonic deception (II Corinthians 4:3-4).
Let us consider also the words of St. Paul to his
faithful student Timothy when he wrote that, ...godliness with contentment
is a great gain. For we brought nothing into this world (kosmos) and it is
certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be
therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a
snare...for the love of money is the root of all evil... (I St. Timothy 6:
6-10, 17-19). Here again we see the word “kosmos” translated as “the world”.
Dr. Merrill Unger has supplied us with the distinction
between the word “kosmos” in Greek literature as opposed to its meaning in the
Scriptures. He observed that in the former it “signified...an apt and
harmonious arrangement or constitution.” While in the latter, it was used “to
portray the whole mass of unregenerate men alienated from God, hostile to
Christ and organized governmentally as a system or federation under Satan.” He
then went on to supply several points concerning the orderings of our world order.
First of all, “Satan is its directing head.” On
several occasions our Lord referred to Satan as the prince, or archon, of this
world. An archon was a ruler or governmental chief in the Greek language
(St. John 12:31; 14:30 and 16:11). St. Paul referred to Satan's status as an
archon of the supernatural realm (kosmos) (Ephesians 2:2). He also
identified Satan in a religious sense as the god of this world (aion) or
age (II Corinthians 4:4). St. John noted that the present world system (kosmos)
is under the control of Satan (I St. John 5:19). As Professor Unger observed,
“Satan's leadership as [an archon ]...extends to both the celestial and
terrestrial spheres, and these two realms interact in the events that transpire
upon the earth.”
Secondly, “the world system itself is wholly evil.”
While some may be loathe to speak out against the world in light of
human progress in our modern age. Still, most people tend to forget about
mankind's fallen state (Romans 3:10, 23). God's standards are beyond the
comprehension of the unregenerate masses (Isaiah 55:8-9). And, man's many
advances would in no way cover his egregious acts of violence and depravity
which, after all, are the products of his ever-active cheerleader and agent
provocateur: Satan (Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 20:2-3).
Thirdly, “it is limited and temporary.” God has
appointed a time in the future when he will put an end to human history and
bring on the judgment of Satan's kingdom (Daniel 7:19-28; 8:19; St. Matthew
28:20; I St. Timothy 6:13-14; St. James 5:7; II St. Peter 3:10-14; St. Jude
14-15; Revelation 19:11-16; 21:1-7 and 22:12-14).
Fourthly, “it is characterized by pride, lust and
war.” The current world system employs numerous temptations to lure mankind
into the snare of sin and keep him there by appealing to his petty desires and
selfishness (St. James 4:1-10). Often these cravings result in conflicts of
every sort. Our Lord warned his disciples that those in the end times would
witness an increasing level of violence and warfare which would be accompanied
by famines, disease and earthquakes in different places (St. Matthew 24:6-7).
And last but not least “the Satanic world system
present a perpetual peril to the child of God.” The Devil and his minions
possess the capacity to tempt and ensnare a Christian (St. James 1:13-15). They
might also fetter a believer in the body such as through a disability (St. Luke
13:10-17). They might, via divine permission, take a believer's possessions,
health, family and life (Job 1:9-12; I Corinthians 5:5). They may sift a
believing Christian as wheat (St. Luke 22:31-32). They can hinder the prayers of
even the elect of God (Daniel 10:12-13). They might stir up trouble and
persecution against the people of God (Acts 4:25-27). They might buffet a
Christian (II Corinthians 12:7). And they have the power to inflict physical
death (Hebrews 2:14).”
When we look about us and see the nature of things,
the beauty of earth and sky, the changes of the seasons, we cannot help but
stand in awe of these wonders of God’s creation. But we ought not to bear such
feelings for the current world system which is passing away. God is going to
remake his creation. Consider the words of St. Peter in his second epistle
(3:10-13) when he described the coming cleansing of the world, But the day
of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be
dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein
the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
In closing, we are to rejoice in the goodness of God’s
creation without worshiping it, or extending to it an everlasting permanence
which he did not intend for it to have. We have a response in our prayer book
where we say “as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world (aion)
without end, Amen.” These words come straight from the Scriptures (Ephesians
3:21) and does not refer to the current world system. It applies to the
physical, earthly sphere not this sphere of mortal existence apart from God.
Our terrestrial sphere will be transformed much as we will be transformed. God
will remove from us the imperfections of this mortal life and give us new,
immortal and perfect bodies fit for his new heaven and earth.
Scripture tells us that all mankind has been appointed
once to die and then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There is only one way to
obtain salvation for our souls and that is through a lively faith in Jesus
Christ and obedience to his word and commandments. The world, the flesh and the
devil are our ever-present adversaries. They will attempt to turn our hearts
from the Godhead. Dear listener, resolve today— right now— to belong to Christ
alone and to resist the snares and temptations of this world system. Be
resolved that today you will join with Christ and then seek to resist those
things which the Devil will use to lure you out of God’s straight and narrow
way into the broad path which leadeth to destruction. Therefore, love
not the world.
Let us pray,
Father, we thank you for the blessed assurance that
all who truly believe on thee in the name of thy dear Son are saved and beloved
of thee; help us to daily show forth thy praise and avoid the temptations and
snares of the world, the flesh and the devil; for these things we ask in the
name of thy Son and our Saviour, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have a Blessed Week,
Bryan+
Roy
Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor
Saint Paul's Anglican
Church - Diocese of the Midwest Anglican
Orthodox Church
Suffragan Bishop of the AOC
Holy
Communion – Quinquagesima Sunday
The
Epistle: 1
Corinthians 13:1-13; The Gospel: St. Luke 18:31-43
O LORD, who hast taught us that all
our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour
into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and
of all virtues, without which whoso-ever liveth is counted dead before thee.
Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
“What does love have to do with this?”
As we reflect on the two selections of
scripture for today, let’s ask a question that seems to be answered in both
texts. ‘What does love have to do with this?’
When we read the great ‘love’ chapter of 1st
Corinthians 13, we see where Paul outlines what is really the single most
important aspect of God’s love towards mankind. He writes of gifts,
ministries, great acts of charity, giving all to the poor, etc., he keeps
focusing on the most important aspect of it all. Love, as the King James
renders it, ‘charity.’ 1Though I speak with the tongues of men
and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And
though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be
burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
None of these acts of giving, gifts of
prophecy, discernment of mysteries, even having all faith, none of it is
important with out the Love that is the foundation of our salvation by the once
and for all gift of Christ’s death and resurrection to render that salvation
final. We are nothing without the understanding that God’s love is what
has bought us and redeemed us from eternal damnation.
It is a nice use of this chapter in faith-based
marriage ceremonies, but in truth, it is far more than just good thoughts and
actions. It is in fact, the very real aspect of God’s love towards his
creation, mankind, and the covenanted salvation promised at the Garden after
the Fall. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which
is in part shall be done away.
Then Paul concludes this chapter with the
very familiar ‘faith, hope, charity’. But we must read the entire verse, ‘...but
the greatest of these is charity [love]...’ And as we should
understand, that love [charity] is what God displayed in the once and for all
sacrifice of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but
the greatest of these is charity.
Now let us
look at the Gospel connection of this love theme.
In this
passage from Luke chapter 18 starting from verse 31, Jesus outlines the plan,
proclaimed by the prophets, declared several times by Christ himself, what now
must be done to fulfill God’s plan.
31Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are
written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be
mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the
third day he shall rise again. 34And they understood none of
these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things
which were spoken.
As a modern reader, who has the entire
narration, sometimes we tend to smirk at the reactions and remarks of his close
followers. They vow to never let Jesus be arrested, they vow to fight to save
his life, they say ‘surely none of this will transpire’. Several times
Jesus gently rebukes them and on one occasion, openly shouts down the remarks
of Peter. ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’
And yet, as Jesus indicated in the
previous four verses, these things must happen in order for prophecy to be
fulfilled. Then in a very merciful way, Jesus demonstrates his Father’s love
toward a social outcast. We read how the crowd tried to hush the blind man,
they tried to get him to stop asking Jesus to help him. Twice the blind man
called out ‘Jesus, thou Son of David’. The Holy Spirit revealed to the man
with no sight, who it was walking by. The Son of David, this is one of
the phrases that the psalmist David used several times to refer to the coming
Messiah, Jesus Christ.
35And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto
Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36And
hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37And they
told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38And he cried, saying,
Jesus, thou Son of David, {the Holy Spirit revealed to this blind man who Jesus
was *} have mercy on me. 39And they which went before rebuked
him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of
David*, have mercy on me. 40And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be
brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41
Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And
he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42And Jesus said unto him, Receive
thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Notice
this. This blind man, led by the Holy Spirit, asks for Jesus to heal him. Jesus
does AND also tells the newly sighted man, that he has been saved from his
sin. 43And immediately he received his sight, and followed
him, glorifying God: From this miracle that Jesus performed on this
blind man will cause those who were following along with the crowd to praise
God. ...and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
How do these two passages connect the theme
of God’s love. Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth is about the all
consuming Love that God poured out on his creation, made in his image, all
pointing back to the greatest gift ever given to these creatures, mankind, by
an ever loving God. Then the good doctor Luke relates the every looming
sacrificial death of Christ in Jerusalem, foretold by the prophets, and then to
add emphasis; the miracle of the blindman receiving his sight. All
this comes back around to point to the love of God for his creation.
As we approach the 40 days of Lent, let us
use the time to read God’s Word, to reflect on the great sacrifice of His Son,
Jesus Christ, and the promise of Salvation from the great Resurrection of
Christ Jesus from the grave. He overcame death, he completed the covenant
God made with Adam and Eve in the Garden, all was settled during that final
True Passover over two thousand years ago on that hill called Golgotha.
Let us
pray:
O LORD
Jesus Christ, who didst endure unto the end, and whose courage never failed in
the midst of great dangers: Grant that inspired by Thy example I may trust
completely in Thy promise to be with me even unto the world's end, and that so,
amidst all dangers I may have a heart inflamed by Thy courage, and a spirit
inspired by Thy faith; through Thy mercy, O our God, who art blessed, and dost
reign, and govern all things, world without end. AMEN.
O GOD,
whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive; Receive our
humble petitions; and though we be tied and bound with the chain of our sins,
yet let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us; for the honour of Jesus
Christ, our Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
+ Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
The Rev. Don Fultz
Rector of St. Peter’s AOC located in the AOC National Office
We are grateful to have the sermon for Quinquagesima from the Rev. Fultz today:
Quinquagesima
Sunday
St. Luke
18, 31-43
In the Gospel
reading this morning we have two accounts by St. Luke.
In his first account, St. Luke tells us that Jesus
calls his 12 disciples together and tells them they must go to Jerusalem so
that all things written by the prophets concerning the son of man should be
accomplished. Then He tells them He
would be “…32delivered into
the Gentiles, mocked, spitefully entreated and spitted on:…33scourged him, and put him to death: and on the third day
He shall rise again.”
Jesus knew well his principal end on earth from the
beginning of his life. He was to be the sacrificial lamb for our
sins. He was to die on the cross for the
atonement of our sins just as it was foretold in the Old Testament by the
Prophet Isaiah in chapter 53: 5-7. His
love towards sinners is strikingly shown in His steady purpose of Heart to die
for them. St. Paul tells us in Romans
5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us.” All
through his life Christ knew that He was to be crucified.
There was nothing in His cross and passion which He
did not foresee distinctly long before it came upon Him. Just as he foretells in the Gospel reading
this morning to his disciples. However,
we are told in v. 34 that His disciples did not understand: “…none
of these things; and this saying was hid from them, neither knew them the
things which were spoken.” His disciples
were in a state of spiritual blindness to what Jesus was telling them.
It is true that they had experienced some insight
about Jesus, such as when Jesus asked them who they thought He was, and Peter
responded by saying “The Christ of God.” (Luke 9:20)
However, they were like many other Jews who were so
intent upon the Old Testament prophecies which speak of Christ’s Glory and
Kingdom when they spoke of the coming of the Messiah. They overlooked those
which speak of his sufferings. They didn’t fully understand God’s plan of
salvation. There are many today that
don’t understand the suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ due to
their own self-love and a desire of worldly objects.
We live in a day when false doctrines about Christ’s
death abound on every side. Let us see that the crucifixion of Christ is really
the foundation of our own hopes, and that Christ’s atoning death for our sin is
indeed the whole life of our souls. Just
as St. Paul tells us in Gal. 6:14: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and
I unto the world.”
The second account of Luke (v35-41) tells us of the
healing of a blind man by Jesus. You will find parallel passages in Matthew 20:
29-34 and Mark 10: 46-52 with some differences and additional detail. Both
Matthew and Mark agree that the healing took place after coming out of or
departing from Jericho. Matthew tells us that there were two blind beggars that
were healed. But like Luke, Mark only
refers to one blind beggar being healed but gives him a name of Bartimaeus,
that is, the son of Timaeus. Matthew Henry in his commentary on Mark 10:46,
says “some think he was the son of a blind man which made the case worse, and
the cure more wonderful. “
Luke tells us in 18: 35: “And it came to pass, that as He
was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging.” The man was not only blind, but poor with nothing to subsist on,
nor any relations to maintain him.” (MH comments) He had no means of supporting
himself as he couldn’t see to work. So,
he sought the place where his pitiful condition was most likely to attract
notice. It was the piety custom of the Jews to give alms to the beggars and
other poor and placed himself by the road side, in order that travelers might
see him and give him help. The road to Jericho was a very heavily traveled
road. It was a direct route to Jerusalem. Especially those traveling from Galilee
and other parts of Northern Israel. Most Pious Jews would not travel through Samaria. It was the week
of the Passover, Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the last time.
The story before us shows the wisdom of his
conduct. Luke tells us in v. 36 and 37:
“And
hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37And they
told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.” The poor man, referred to
as Bartimaeus in Mark, couldn’t see but He was very inquisitive. He used his sense of hearing to his benefit, just as
Jesus tells us in the Parable of the sower and seed, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
(Matthew 11:15) By asking questions, He was making use
of other people’s eyes.
And we are told in Luke 18:38 “And he cried saying, Jesus, thou
son of David, have mercy on me.” Bartimaeus was doing what the prophet
Isaiah tells us to do in 55:6 “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call
ye upon Him while he is near.” Then we are told in Luke 18:39: “And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace;
but he cried so much the more, Thou son of
David, have mercy on me.”
Bartimaeus gives us a lesson in praying. He was
praying like St. James tells us to do (James 5:16) using effective fervent
prayer which means we do not quit easily. Fervent prayer means we purposefully
spend sufficient time in intercession. Fervent prayer also means we cry out to
the Father, sometimes in tears, with our heart and soul. God promises all
believers that if we live righteously and pray fervently, our prayers will be
effective and produce significant results.
I love the story about King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38 who
was sick and close to death. The prophet
Isaiah came to him and said “…Thus, saith the Lord, Set thine house in
order: for thou shalt die, and not live.” (Isa 38:1). Wow, most of us probably would have
just given up at that point. But not Hezekiah, “Then Hezekiah turned his face
toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord” (Isa 38:2). He
pleaded his case telling the Lord: “…I have walked before thee in truth and with
a perfect heart, and had done that which is good in thy sight.” And then we are told he sorely wept. (Isa 38:3) Guess what! The Lord heard
his prayer and saw his tears and told Isaiah Go and tell Hezekiah, behold: …“I will add unto thy days fifteen years.” (Isa 38:4-5).
This was exactly what Bartimaeus was doing he was
pleading his case to Jesus by calling out to Him. He was asking for mercy and pleading to the
compassion of Jesus with a penitent heart just like King David does in Psalms 4
and 6.
He was in a desperate situation, Jesus was near and he
believed that He was the Messiah and could heal him of his blind condition. He
was not going to take no for an answer. He was pleading his case before Jesus
and asking for his mercy.
Obviously, Bartimaeus had some faith as he called
Jesus the son of David. It was prophesized in the Old Testament that the
Messiah would come from the seed of David. (2nd Samuel 7:12-14)
His faith may have been weak and mixed with imperfection.
But it made him cry to Jesus even in a louder voice in spike of the rebukes. Then
we see that the desire of his heart was granted.
We are told in Luke 18:40-41 “And Jesus stood and
commanded him to be brought unto Him; and when he was come near, he asked him. 41Saying, what
wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?... Though
his blindness was obvious, Jesus wanted Bartimaeus to verbalize his need. And he said, Lord, “…That I may receive my sight.”
And in Luke
18:42 we are told; And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee.”
It is interesting to note the in Mark’s account, we
are told when Jesus called, Bartimaeus didn’t hesitate, He cast off his outer
garment and leaped to his feet. This was a long type cloak most likely with a
hood, typically worn by beggars. It was probably the most expensive item he
owned. This action by Bartimaeus symbolizes a complete transformation, as He
sheds his old identity as a beggar and embraces a new one in Christ. St. Paul
tells us in 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, He is a
new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.”
Bartimaeus believed and trusted in Jesus and for that
reason received what he asked for and more.
Not just his sight, but also salvation of his soul. Jesus saith unto Thomas: “…Blessed are they
that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
St. Paul tells us in Romans 10:13,
“For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved.
Those seeking salvation should remember the example of
the faith of Bartimaeus. Compared to the Apostles, this man could, in fact,
see. He had spiritual insight! He knew who Jesus was perhaps better than his
followers did. But his desire was also to
see physically.
He believed in his heart that Jesus was the Messiah
and could heal him of his physical blindness. He was also cleansed from his
sins due to his saving faith. The only way to salvation is through Jesus
Christ. One must come to him for pardon of their sins.
The same Jesus still lives today who heard the blind
man’s cry, and granted his request. He
will never go back from His own words as John 6:37 tells us: “Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.”
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem to die. He most likely had many things on his mind. However, He still had time to stop and heal this
poor blind man that was suffering. He not only cleansed and opened his eyes; he
cleansed and opened his heart. Then, what did he do after his sight was
restored? We are told in v. 43: “And
immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God: and all
the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.”
We should always be thankful and praise God when He answers our personal
prayers or prayers of others. St. Paul tells us in 1 Chronicles 16:34 “O
give thanks unto the Lord, for He is Good; for his mercy endureth forever.”
He felt deeply gratified. He wanted to show his
gratitude by becoming one of our Lord’s followers and disciples. He had
witnessed himself that Christ was a Master worth following. He could now say, I was blind, and now I see.”
(John 9:25).
In closing, this was the last healing miracle Jesus
did before his death on the Cross. Could it be that this last healing is a
picture of all other healings before? All the prior miracles Jesus worked in
the sight of many people pointed to what things will be like in the Kingdom of
God. He healed disease and handicaps because in the Kingdom of God there will
be no sickness.
He raised people from the dead because in the Kingdom
of God there will be no death. He ministered to the poor because in the Kingdom
of Heaven there will be no poverty.
Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that
we can be included in his heavenly Kingdom. All we have to do is humbly confess
our sins and follow Him just like Bartimaeus, the poor blind man.
In the name
of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
Rev. Don Fultz+
Rev. David McMillan
AOC Minister at Large
Alabama
We
are Fortunate today to have a sermon from Rev. David McMillian
The Way of Love
Deuteronomy 10:12-15,17-11:1; I
Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 18:31-43
Quinquagesima
(Pre-Way
of the Cross which begins Wednesday or Lent)
I
Corinthians 13 - A More Excellent Way
This chapter of Scripture hardly needs any introduction. Its uses are
practical right now in our lives. We need to be exhorted and encouraged to
follow this way of doing things for in the end we will feel better about
ourselves and God will be pleased.
Luther summed it up well when he said on
this passage, “Justification of necessity precedes love. One does not love
until he has become godly and righteous. Love does not make us godly, but when
one has become godly love is the result.”
We learn first that “nothing beats love.” Vs 1-3 The Apostle
starts out with a series of hypothetical impossibilities. “Though I
speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become
as sounding brass , or a tinkling cymbal.” And having the tongues
things will not impress God either…the tongues of men and angels.
Hypnotizing people by our words is saying only and must be accompanied by doing
good as well. Without love this is just noise. NO LANGUAGE IS
EARTH OR HEAVEN IS TO BE COMPARED WITH THE PRACTICE OF LOVE.
Having all knowledge is nothing
either with love. “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” (1
Corinthians 8:1) Having all faith is nothing either without
love. Doing deeds of love without love is nothing either. Deeds of
suffering also without love he says are nothing. All of this shows that
apart from love what we do is nothing at all.
Secondly we learn what an attitude of love is and is not in vs.
4-7. The Corinthians were impatient, discontented, envious, inflated,
selfish, unmindful of the feelings and interests of others and
resentful. Sound like a place you would want to spend time in?
Unfortunately, this is all too true of our relationships and practices. We
are exactly the above and if our Lenten lists mean anything they should include
some of these statements about our continuing bad behavior. In contrast we
learn that love “suffers long”
. A. Peter asked how many
times he should forgive and we hear the answer in Matthew 18:21.
B. Love is kind. A loving person reacts with kindness toward
those who ill treat them.
C. Love does not
envy. Others can succeed and I will not be unhappy about it.
D. Love is not proud, or conceited.
E. Love does not behave rudely.
F. Love does not seek its own.
G.
Love is not provoked (not quick tempered
or another says “It is not touchy.”)
H. Love thinks no evil. “Love does not keep
a ledger in which to enter up wrongs to be dealt with someday later
on.” G. Campbell Morgan.
I. Love does not rejoice in iniquity.
J. Love rejoices in the truth.
K. Love bears all things. Love does not easily give way---it endures
L. Love believes all things. Moffatt “ always eager to believe the best”
to see the best in others
M. hopes all things . forward look. A refusal to take failure as
final.
N. Endures all things. Verb here is active positive.
Fortitude. Endurance of the Soldier in battle.
Jerry Bridges express love
in I Cor. 13 in terms of motivational statements:”
----I am patient with you because
I love you and want to forgive you.
----I am kind to you because I
love you and want to help you.
I do not envy
your possessions or your gifts because I love you and want you to have the
best.
I do not
boast about my attainments because I love you and want to hear about yours.
I am not
proud because I love you and want to esteem you before myself.
I am not rude
because I love you and care about your feelings.
I am not
self-seeking because I love you and want to meet your needs.
I am not
easily angered by you because I love you and want to overlook your offenses.
I do not keep
a record of your wrongs because I love you and “ love covers a multitude of
sins.”
Lastly, follow the way of love. I Cor. 13: 8-13 and 14a. This means we
should have dedication, consecration, effort and persistent zeal. I Cor.
13:8 says charity or love will never fail. There is a good illustration
of this in the book Pursuit of Holiness: “Suppose you were meditating on I Cor
13, the great love chapter. As you think about the chapter, you realize
the importance of love and you also see the practical outworkings of love: Love
is patient and kind and does not envy.
You ask yourself, ‘am I impatient or unkind or envious toward anyone?’ As you
think about this, you realize you are envious toward Joe at work who seems to
be getting all the breaks. You confess this sin to God, being very specific to
name Joe and your sinful reaction to his good fortune. You ask God to
bless him even more and to give you a spirit of contentment so that you will
not continue to envy Joe, but will instead love him. You might memorize I Cor.
13:4 and think about it as you see Joe at work. You even look for ways to
help him. Then you do the same thing tomorrow and the next day and the
next till finally you see God working a spirit of love in your heart toward
Joe.”
Conclusion-
Let’s ask God to help us keep our responsibility to grow in love in a practical
way. We can decide to pray over our need to grow in love. We can think of
people who may need our time, our interest, or our money, and plan to meet
those needs. We can admit our failures to love in specific situations and
bring those failures to the throne of God in confession and dependence upon Him
for His help in the future. Let us do this!
Rev. David
Mc Millan
AOC
Worldwide Prayer List –
I have received updates from a few and those will be the first added to
the list. Please send all prayer requests and updates to aocworldwide@gmail.com for
future reports. If you would like to be removed from list just respond with
remove in the subject line.
Prayer Needed:
Judy Fauble –
end stage Alzheimers – pray for Judy and family
Family of Richard Hallberg – mourning the loss of Richard
Audrey Beebe
- who fell and broke her hip. Other health issues also. Please pray for her
recovery.
Colby Landry - cancer. Please pray for his wife, Leah and
their family at this time of trial.
Persecuted Christians - subject to persecution and imprisonment for
their faith.
Bobby Bryan -
suffering with cancer and cardiac issues.
For an increase in the true faith in Jesus Christ here and across
the globe.
David – Hip Bursitis
Bobby Bryan –
cancer and cardiac issues
Ophelia – crippling arthritis pain
Dennis Potrikus - fall with bad knees – recovering his rehab
Richard
Bailey – Brain Cancer
Donna – ongoing radiation and Chemotherapy. Pray for successful remission
Roy – Bulging disc – upcoming surgery
Michelle – metastasized lung cancer – treatment ongoing – 50% positive remission
Extended Issues need
continued prayer;
Laurie with long Covid Symptoms - Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations,
breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing
depression to settle in.
Malcom Allred – Cancer
Treatment
Keep Praying for the following:
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