SACRAMENT.

While Christ to day shows us his hands and his feet, let us show him ours, a living sacrifice, a reasonable service. These hands which partake of His body and blood, how holy they ought to be! They may be full of prosperity in business; they may give and receive the grasp of new friendships and love; some may be given in marriage. They may receive from God the richest blessing ever laid in them, all purchased, be it remembered, by those hands which were nailed to the tree. May we be able at the next communion season to show Christ our hands and our feet with joy and peace as now He shows us His. Some of these hands, now united in love, may be unclasped by death, maybe folded upon the bosom for the long sleep, and as they brought nothing into this world, carry nothing out. 

The Special Promise of the Fourth Commandment. (Pasche)

"Honor thy father and mother; which is the first command­ ment with promise, that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth." Ephesians. 6:2-3.

To make the path of duty over against parents and superiors easy and pleasant, God adds a promise, saying: “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee.” We see that according to the exact wording this promise was given to the Jews and therefore was only a temporary promise. But its meaning and application appertains to all men of all times, and therefore this promise is changed in the New Testament; it now reads: “that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth.” This promise of God ought indeed to encourage us and give us hearts that will melt with pleasure and love to­ ward those whom we should honor according to the Fourth Com­ mandment.

He who despises this gracious promise of God and does not obey his parents deprives himself of a great blessing, and it surely will not be well with him in the end. Woe to him that heeds neither the divine command nor the divine promise! Disobedient and rebellious Absalom, hanging with his hair enmeshed in the boughs of an oak-tree, with Joab’s three darts in his heart, is a warning example.

Let us strive, with God’s help, to obey His Fourth Command­ ment, so that we shall receive the promise He has added to it. 

DEEPER STUDY (from 'Devotions on the The Ten Commandments' to consider during Lent by Bishop Jerry L. Ogles

Commandment IV

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the

seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor

thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy

gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the

seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

Many Bible scholars today seem to believe that God’s issuance of the Ten Commandments was the mo-

ment of institution of the Holy Sabbath. I disagree for it is mentioned in Genesis: “Thus the heavens and

the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he

had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the

seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and

made.” (Genesis 2:1-3) Again it was observed in Egypt as well in the wilderness Journey prior to Sinai:

“And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sab-

bath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which

remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.” (Exodus 16:23) and “So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:30) 

    Though the Sabbath was not instituted at Sinai, it was, indeed, codified into the Table of the Law.

It is important to note that God begins this Commandment with the word, remember. It is important be-

cause God does not want us to forget, or take for granted, this serious Commandment. He tells us to re-

member the Sabbath for He knows that we will be inclined to disregard it. You may feel that you are

keeping the Sabbath today, but you may not be. Is Sunday the Sabbath Day? No, it is the first day of the

week. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week which the Spanish calendar still depicts as Sábado.

Sunday, by consensus, was set aside by the early church as an appropriate day to set aside to formally

worship the Lord, but it is not the Sabbath described in the fourth Commandment. The Hebrew Sabbath

began at sundown Friday evening and continued till sundown on Saturday. It is intriguing to know that

Jesus was laid in the Garden Tomb precisely at the beginning of Sabbath, and had already arisen before

light of day on Sunday (see John 20:1). So we do not know the precise moment that Christ broke the

bonds of death and rose from the grave. It could have been 4 A.M. or it could even have been at sun-

down on Saturday – the end of the Sabbath. One thing we do know is this: Christ kept that Sabbath Day

in the rest of death in the Tomb!

There have been numerous and voluminous works written to show that the Hebrew Sabbath was

changed from Saturday to Sunday, but all such attempts fall far short of success. The Sabbath was not

changed and still remains inviolate today for Christians. I realize that you are probably thinking that I am

proposing that we must still observe the strict observance on a Seventh Day Sabbath – no, I am not;

however, I believe that Christ became our Passover when He died a substitutionary death for us on the

brow of Calvary: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.

For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” (1 Corinthians 5:7) In the same sense, I believe that21

Christ became our Sabbath (Rest). Can we do any good works apart from Christ working in and

through us? No, we are incapable of such works.

None of our Christian labors are ours, but belong to Christ working in our members. “Neither yield ye

your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those

that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” (Romans

6:13) “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians

2:13) The only works we can take credit for are those of sin and disobedience, for the carnal man is

unable to please God. “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a

time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them

rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the

people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God

did from his.” (Hebrews 4:7-10)

The Greek word for rest in the above verse is ( or Sabbatismos (sab-bat-is-mos') which

means, ‘keeping Sabbath.’ In my own personal opinion, I understand the Sabbath not to have been

abrogated by Christ, but rather made more stringent. Not only do we keep one day in seven as Sab-

bath, but seven days in seven, for Christ is our eternal Sabbath. All that we do, think, and value is

centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, if we are devout and serious Christians. Our labors are His labors,

and we have that rest promised by God in Christ.

Though Christ has become our Sabbath rest in God, our physical bodies are not immune to weariness

and exhaustion. Therefore, the one day in seven principle for physical rest remains needful for the

mortal body. Governments from China to France, from Soviet Russia to Nazi Germany, have at-

tempted eliminate any day of rest at all in the week, but to no avail. The Sabbath Day was not only a

spiritual rest granted to ancient Israel, but a physical rest given to all mankind in God’s natural laws.

Our keeping of God’s Sabbath today is to allow Christ to labor in and through our members. If we

step back and allow Christ to work in us, we will discover that we have the attributes of the great Ea-

gle. We will not grow weary in good works because those good works came not of our labors but of

Christ. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator

of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He

giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths

shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall

renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and

they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)22

in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in

the sanctuary.” (Psalm 63:1-2) We will seek His face early – even before we prepare food for the

belly, we will seek to satisfy the void in the heart.

And not only will our search for God and glorying in Him be in the daylight hours, but also the dark

nights of the soul: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise

thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night

watches.” (Psalms 63:5-6) There are far too many of us who take a flippant view of our duties, and

love, for God. We believe that we can depend only upon a weekly sermon and reading of the Gospel

and we are set for a week of forgetfulness in the world. Really? No, we need the daily bread of the

Word, of prayer, and of dependence upon our Creator It is by His power and discretion that we receive

the next breath of life (did we labor for it?). And it is from His gracious will that our heart performs

the very next beat. None of the basic functions of life come as a result of our labor, but from God. He

continues those labors of His in maintaining our lives day by day, seven days a week. He is truly our

Sabbath Rest in every way.

There is no man to enforce the Sabbath. It is God who commanded it. His Voice thundered it from the

Smokey Heights of Sinai. That same Voice also thundered again on the Mount of Transfiguration:

“...This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard

it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise,

and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus

only.” (Matthew 17:5-8) Arise, be not afraid. The Law of God is no longer written on Tables of Stone,

but by Love upon the sinews of our hearts – written, not with pick and hammer, but by the Blood of

the Lord Jesus Christ!

 DAILY READINGS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller

December 4. Self-Sacrifice

"And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.." Luke 23:35

It was because He would save others — that He could not save Himself. The soldier in the battle cannot save himself — and save his country. The mother cannot spare herself — and save her child. Jesus could have saved Himself — but what would have been the fate of sinners?

Three little children wandered from home one afternoon. Evening found them playing by the sea-shore. It grew suddenly dark and cold, and they could not return. In the morning they were found, the two youngest sleeping warm and safe under covering of garments and sea-weeds, and little Mary, the elder, lying cold and dead, with her arms yet full of sea-weeds. She had taken off nearly all her own warm clothing to cover the younger children, and then carried grass and sea-weeds to pile upon them, until she died in her loving devotion. She did not save herself — because she would save the little ones entrusted to her care.

During a plague in Marseilles, the physicians decided that nothing could be done to save the people — unless a plague victim could be dissected, and the nature of the disease thus learned. But who would do such a perilous work? One physician arose and said that he would do it. Saying his farewell to his family he entered the hospital, made the dissection, wrote out the results, and in a few hours was dead. But now the physicians could treat the disease, and the plague was stayed.

These incidents illustrate Christ's devotion to death for sinners. Sinful men could not be saved — unless someone would suffer and die in their place — and Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for sins. In one sense He could have saved Himself — but then the world would have been lost. His death was voluntary. He gave His life for the sheep. We are saved — because He saved not Himself.

 

 

COME UYNTO ME

 The Christians Are the Pillars of a Nation (Pasche)

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Romans 8:28.

True Christians honor the magistrates and hold them in love and esteem. We honor them even in our public services by men­ tioning them in our general prayer every Sunday.

The Christians, furthermore, conform to the laws and never take part in a revolt. They also scrupulously pay the taxes im­ posed upon them and do their part as citizens to promote the general welfare of the State. They seek the peace of the nation. They spread the glad tidings of the Gospel of Christ, who is the Fountain of great blessings. Above,all, they endeavor to bring up their children as pious, God-fearing men and women, who, when­ ever their country’s call places them into public offices, will render a conscientious performance of their duties and an honest adminis­ tration of public affairs. For is it not true that that State and that city is best provided for whose citizens are actuated by Christian principles? Government has in Christians the best support as regards true morality, for they are the very sap and marrow of all true moral influence. Moreover, by their good example, Chris­ tians prompt the children of this world to display more natural uprightness and faithfulness in the performance of those things which their government demands of them.

The Christians are indeed the cause of all divine blessings showered upon a nation. If they do what is right, they can bring about so much, that the nation throughout which they are, as it were, strewed as salt does not become corrupt or ruined. The Christians are the pillars of a nation. They are the props and foundation of the state. They are the dam which keeps back the water of divine wrath. Take, for example, the citizens of Sodom. God agreed not to destroy the place if ten righteous people were found in it. The large city of Nineveh was spared by God because its inhabitants repented upon hearing Jonah. Whenever, there­ fore, a nation has been severely punished on account of its sins, it was because it lacked true Christians who stayed the punishing hand of God.

Prayer.

Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee that through theagency of parents and masters Thou dost even now, toward the evening of the world, maintain government, order, and peace on earth, and we beseech Thee graciously to guide and govern these Thy representatives that they may walk in Thy ways and wisely and properly fulfil the duties incumbent upon them for the welfare of all citizens. Teach us to honor those in authority, Thy minis­ ters to us for good, and enable us by Thy Holy Spirit to submit ourselves to every lawful ordinance of men for Thy sake. Amen.

 DAILY READINGS IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890)

December 3. Divine Forgiveness

"Father, forgive them — for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34

This was the first saying spoken by our Lord on His cross. It was uttered just when the soldiers were in the act of crucifying Him — driving the cruel nails through His hands and feet. It was a moment of excruciating, inconceivable anguish. Yet He uttered no cry of pain, no word of execration upon those who were causing Him such suffering — but calmly prayed for His brutal, pitiless murderers, "Father, forgive them — for they know not what they do."

The moment the sacred blood began to flow — the intercession for sinners began. The pleading was first for the ignorant heathen soldiers who were acting as executioners; but it was not for these alone. It certainly widened out, and took in all who had been concerned in the condemnation and crucifixion of Jesus. It was for the Jewish rulers and people who had rejected their Messiah. May we not believe that many of those who on the day of Pentecost and afterward were brought to repentance — were forgiven and saved because on His cross Jesus made intercession for them?

Then the prayer went out beyond the people who had a direct part in the crucifixion. From His cross, Jesus saw the lost world down to the end, and prayed for all His people. We know, too, that that word of prayer was but the beginning of an intercession that is going on yet inside Heaven, where Jesus pleads the merits of His own sacrifice, for the salvation of His people.

This word of Jesus teaches us a great lesson on Christian forgiveness. He prayed for His murderers! Just so, we should pray for those who injure us. There are some fragrant trees which bathe the axe that gashes them in perfume. So should it be with Christ's people. Instead of resentment and injury for injury — we should show only sweet, tender love to those who harm us!

Devotion on Hymns of the Church – Lo! He comes, an Infant Stranger- 27 November 2018, Anno Domini (reprint)

 

Devotion on Hymns of the Church – Lo! He comes, an Infant Stranger- 27 November 2018, Anno Domini (reprint)

WHO hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:1-3)

            This hymn does not appear in the 1940 Hymnal, but is a classic among Advent/Christmas hymns and carols. Written in 1833 by Richard Mant, the tune is the composition of Martin Madan entitled, HELMSLEY. It speaks of the commonality of appearance in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ at first Advent. He died a shameful death as well, but those points are the ones that raises His glory and purpose above every other. He was a Prince, a King, the Son of God – yet, He did not hesitate to offer His all on a cruel cross for us. He was a stranger whom we esteemed not.

Lo! He Comes an Infant Stranger

Lo! he comes, an infant stranger, of a lowly mother born,

Swathed and cradled in a manger, of his pristine glory shorn!

Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise the incarnate Word of God!

Lo! he comes, by man unfriended, fain with stable-beast to rest;

Shepherds, who their night-fold tended, hailed alone the new-born guest.

Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise ye Jesse's tender rod!

Lo! he comes; but who the weakness of his coming may declare,

When, with more than human meekness, more than human woes he bare?

Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise him, emptied of his might!

Lo! he comes, around him pouring all the armies of the sky;

Cherub-, seraph-host, adoring, swell his state and loudly cry:

Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise ye him, the living Light!

Lo! he comes, around him pouring all the armies of the sky; Cherub-, seraph-host, adoring, swell his state and loudly cry: Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise ye him, the living Light! There is much contradiction in the first coming of Christ and the second. Indeed, His first coming was attended by the singing of the heavenly chorus, but only a select few heard that divine performance; and these were mere lowly shepherds – not the royalty of the palace grounds. He came as a baby, but He also came in might. Even as a baby in a manger, He yet wielded the scepter of infinite Sovereignty. His title and claim was wrapped up in that of the Father, and the Father in Him. He came a Light shining in darkness and, of course, the darkness comprehended it not. Judah, and the entire world, was shrouded in primitive spiritual darkness ere the Son of God came as a child in a manger. He was born quietly and without ceremony in a small but historic hamlet called Bethlehem. Wherever His name is called in faith today, there you will see the Light that penetrated the darkness from the first day of Creation.

 Lo! he comes, by man unfriended, fain with stable-beast to rest; Shepherds, who their night-fold tended, hailed alone the new-born guest. Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise ye Jesse's tender rod!Indeed, He came by man unfriended. There was not even room found for Him in the Inn. Perhaps there is no room for Him today in the Inn of your heart, but I pray that there is. The beasts of burden, and of sacrifice, among which our Lord was born were privileged far above us to witness this glorious event. Without Christ in our hearts, we are worse than those beasts for they saw Him and knew Him if only for a night. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee. . . .   (Joel 1:20)If the beasts cry unto God, how much more should we who are endowed with greater spiritual awareness? Shepherds were the lowest of the lot in Israel; yet these were honored above kings and princes to witness that Holy Night and the Angel Choir. These poor men were the only witnesses of that first night of jubilation.

 Lo! he comes; but who the weakness of his coming may declare, When, with more than human meekness, more than human woes he bare? Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise him, emptied of his might! Not emptied of His might, but having that might held in reserve by the Providence of the Father. Yes, He was born among the beasts of the field, and laid in a manger – an instrument for the feeding of beasts. But He also came as the Bread of Heaven to feed our emaciated souls and to quench, as the Water of Life, our spiritual thirst. He was, at the same time, the poorest among us and the wealthiest! We can take nothing from the glory of His coming. That Angelic Choir that heralded His first coming shall return with Him in the Armies of Heaven to bring Judgment upon the dying world of sin and greed.

 Lo! he comes, around him pouring all the armies of the sky; Cherub-, seraph-host, adoring, swell his state and loudly cry: Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah! Praise ye him, the living Light! Unless we consider the bending of light near massive gravitational bodies in distant space, light always travels in a straight line. It does not make banking turns. It is steady as long as the Source remains steady. After 400 hundred years of darkness – from the close of Malachi’s prophecy until John the Baptist – the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.(Isaiah 9:2)

That Light came as a candle (a small baby); but was truly the Light of the World and the Sun of Righteousness! (see Malachi 4:2)As the Candle of the Lord burned during His ministry, He waxed greater in revealed Light for us. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (2 Peter 1:19)The faith of Abraham was born up on the Promise of a coming Messiah. But we today have a more sure Word in the accomplished event. The dawning of the day is a gradual revelation of more and more light until the Day Star (the Sun of Righteousness) arises in our hearts and we know and understand more fully.

Yes, He is the Light of the world; and He tells us that we who are the called according to His purpose are also the Light of the world, but not in the same sense as is He. He is the Light Source (as the Sun) and we bear His reflected Light (as the Moon). We must carry the Light always and every place. We must all be the Olympic Torchbearers for Christ. As they carry the torch of friendly competition from Mt. Olympus to every country wherein the world event occurs, we must carry the Torch of Christ to every nation, kindred, and tongue of God’s green earth. Perhaps we should begin, as did Christ, with our neighbors.

 

 

 The Duty of Loyal Citizens - a Message for our Time (Pasche)

"Render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom, to whom custom; fear, to whom fear; honor, to whom honor." Romans I3:7.

Loyalty to country requires constant readiness to serve. It calls for true allegiance, for willingness to sacrifice our own com­fort for the good of the nation. Loyalty may mean a hero’s grave; but for every one called to die for his country a thousand are called to live for her. And living for her means obedience to her laws and support of every effort to make her laws better. It means resistance to every form of corruption. It means active effort to clear the national life of every obstacle to freedom of thought and conscience. The loyal man knows that in America all men are equal and that an attempt to make classes among us is an act of disloyalty. We can all have a better, a healthier, a happier, a more powerful America if we all stand and work together, all truly loyal to our flag.

Indeed, there is much necessity for such loyalty. We read that men stuff ballot-boxes, bribe judges and aldermen, buy legis­latures, influence the Senate, and have even tried to assault the White House. All this strikes at the liberty guaranteed us by our Constitution. The excesses of strikers, the grasping greed of soul­less corporations and trusts, with their iron heel on the poor, — this, too, has its vital germ in disloyalty.

Is there no remedy to heal the diseases and sores from which the body politic is now suffering so acutely? These ailments can­ not be cured by human ointments. Salvation for the nation can be expected only if into the minds and hearts of the rising genera­tion are instilled the pure and simple principles of a true Bible Christianity. If we would help the State, we must begin with the family. But there is no other means of reforming the family than the Christian religion; when people once embrace that, then we may hope for improvement. It is the prime duty of loyal citizens to make their children citizens of the kingdom of God, to lead them to Jesus.

Prayer.

O Lord God, I beseech Thee to grant me grace not to take a dislike to my position of dependence wherein Thou hast, accord­ ing to Thy will and pleasure, placed me in this world. May I never become impatient and murmur against Thee because of it nor envy other people their superior station, but ever gladly and with my whole heart conform to this Thy will and walk as serving Thee, my God, in heaven, and not man. For Thy sake let me be loyal to the civil government, rendering to all members of it their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom, to whom custom; fear, to whom fear; honor, to whom honor. Amen.

 DAILY READINGS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller

December 2. The King of the Jews

"And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.." Matthew 27:37 

There was no other crime charged. He had done nothing amiss. Pilate had satisfied himself of that. He had examined Him, and could find no fault in Him — hence he would not write any charge on His cross but this, that He was the King of the Jews. The rulers objected to this, and wanted him to write that "he said" He was "King of the Jews;" but Pilate would not change a word, and there it stood above His head during all the agony and all the darkness "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

And so He was. The tablet told the truth, though erected to mock the people. He was the Messiah who had been promised all through the centuries. He was the King of whom David was but the type. He was the Christ who had been foretold by prophets, and waited for age after age by the nation. At last He came. Angels sang at His birth. His life had been one of great blessing and power. He had wrought miracles of mercy all over the land. He had taught, speaking as never any man spoke. He had fulfilled all the Messianic conditions. Yet His enemies had rejected Him; and at last they led Him out to Calvary and nailed Him on the cross! Still He was their King — their King rejected, their King crucified. His throne was His cross! His crown was the circlet of thorns that the soldiers had twisted and wound around His head!

It does not seem to us a kingly hour in our Lord's life, when He hangs on His cross dying — yet really it was the time of His highest earthly exaltation. He spoke of going to His cross — as going to be glorified. He was indeed King of the Jews. They crucified their King. He is our King too. How are we treating Him? Are we obeying Him? Are any of us rejecting Him? Are any of us crucifying Him afresh? We had better answer these questions.