Worldwide Communion
Sexagesima
February 8, 2026 – Sunday Report
Sexagesima 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 118 -119.
The Collect for Sexagesima Sunday
O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Epistle for Sexagesima Sunday. II Corinthians xi. 19.
YE suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
The Gospel for the Sexagesima Sunday. St. Luke viii. 4.
WHEN much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way-side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
On Point
Divine Inspiration
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God". 2 Timothy 3:16.
Inspiration means 'breathing into'.
Thus on the Day of Pentecost the disciples were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. They spoke by inspiration. Similarly the Spirit moved the holy writers to speak and write and gave them the thoughts, and with the thoughts the words they were to utter. God operated with and through their minds and hands, and thus what they wrote was wholly the infallible Word of God.
However, the holy men of God who wrote and spoke were per mitted to retain their own individuality with all its marks and touches. The Holy Ghost filled the sacred writers in such manner as to let every one of them follow out his own line of investigation and to allow him to keep his own characteristic style. But though the Bible was written by a number of men; though we find in it a great variety as to form and contents; though the holy writers were shepherds, fishermen, physicians, priests, prophets, artisans, statesmen, generals, kings; men with a great diversity of culture, some writing prose and others poetry, — yet we note a most wonderful harmony of the entire Scriptures. This points to one Intelligence. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” “They spoke not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” This alone accounts for the fact that the Bible, though written by many, is strictly a unity.
The real Author of the Bible is God. The words of Holy Scripture are God’s own words. All that the Bible says is true. We may fully trust in all its historical and astronomical data as well as in all its prophecies, in the account given of the creation of the world as well as in all its records of heavenly things. In short, the whole Bible, from cover to cover, is true. God cannot err.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus Christ, reign in us and rule over us and bring into complete captivity every thought to the obedience of Thee and Thy Word that we may be ready to believe all that the holy men of God spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and increase in the knowledge of Thee, and be strengthened with all might, according to Thy glorious power, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Thee, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of Thy fulness. We thank Thee from our inmost hearts for the precious gift of Thy inspired Word. Amen.
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Jerry Ogles, Presiding Bishop – Metropolitan AOC Worldwide
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:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW3bgXBJFomPB5mZ4Oigxg
Tuesday’s
Meditation - Pilgrims and Strangers
Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/pilgrims-strangers.html
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll-utUKiX3k
Thursday Meditation: Blind Bartemaeus
Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/blind-bartemaeus.html
You tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBFbHjKQZhQ
Article 15 of the 39 Articles of Prayer
Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/series-on-thirty-nine-articles-of.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfCcAQxBCOY&t=8s
Friday Evening Meditation-The Chosen One
Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2026/02/youtube-video-player.html
You tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KunY2aLYVqQ
Lay Reader’s Sermon to be used on:
Sexagesima
February 8st
For Morning Prayer
Written by Bishop Jerry Ogles
First Lesson: I Corinthians 1:17-21, Gospel Lesson: Luke 8:4-15 12:12-31A
Mysteries of the Kingdom of God
“A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear..” (Luke 8:5-8)
The last verse of the above text is of profound meaning. I hope that the reader will understand, at least in a general sense, the meaning of the Seed and the four different kinds of soil. It is for certain that the world neither cares, nor is able, to grasp the depth of meaning here. Our Lord does not make reference to our physical ears, but rather to those of our spirit. The ears of the world are dead to the spirit. “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:17-21)
If we have put on that Mind which was in Christ, we do not need to be mind-readers to understand the mysteries He reveals to His people. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5) But He leaves no doubt in the mind of His people in further explaining what may appear arcane in His parables. For those who persevere in Scripture study and do not stop at the first paragraph, the Lord will add further meaning to fill our lapse of understanding, just as He does to this parable at hand. Both in Luke as well as the passage from Matthew:
“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:18-23)
Clearly, in this parable, our Lord refers to the Word of God being sewn abroad in the world without distinction of the properties of the hearts which hear it. It has its desired effect upon those who hear and believe, as well as those who hear and reject. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The Word of God always accomplishes one of two objects – it either convicts the hearer of the need to repent and turn to God; or, else, it convicts the sinner and renders him without excuse to declare that “no one ever told me” before the Judgment Seat of God. The Sower is Christ, or the ministers of His Gospel, in this parable. The sower is not as concerned about the reception of the Seed as he is concerned with the sowing at random.
The farmer sows seed in his field. Once sewn, he has little control over its germination in the darkness of the subsoil. Naturally, he will try to maintain an environment suitable for germination, but the germination itself is done at a far higher paygrade. This is also true of the Word of God. We should not become angry or frustrated that someone to whom we share the Gospel does not accept it. The acceptance was never our responsibility. Our responsibility is to sow the seed and to allow the Holy Spirit to perform the germination process in the dark chambers of the heart of the hearer. The process of conversion has never been a human approach of conviction – that is solely the role of the Holy Spirit following the Providence of our God who foreordains and predestinates.
The Word of God is likened to the very BEST of Seed. It is kept back as the favored quality of the farmer’s crop each year. Likewise, there is no Seed like unto that Word which God sows into the heart of man and causes to germinate in the darkness until the blade and bloom burst forth into the brightness of the Sun. “. . . . thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalm 138:2) “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” (Psalm 119:140)
The farmer must first prepare the good ground to receive the seed. Frequently, the ground is not suitable to bear fruit, but if that ground is all that is available to the farmer, he must sow and hope for the blessing. The ground must be broken and turned, weeded and fertilized. In comparison to the Word of God, this responsibility falls to the Church in creating a righteous fellowship where the Word of God is freely preached with power and strong conviction. The youth should be taught from earliest understanding. The aged should also feel the love of Christ from others of the church in their waning years. One aspect greatly neglected in churches today is the weeding process. Church discipline of lifestyle and speech must be enforced. The hearts of men are naturally hard as soil left without cultivation. Those hearts need softening by love and teaching.
The farmer, once the Seeds are sown, must cover the seed with nourishing soil to protect it from the hot sun and predators. Likewise, the Word of God must be hidden and covered in the coverts of our hearts just as King David did: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11) This by no means should be understood to mean that we hide our testimony or faith in Christ, but place that precious Word in the Safe-Box of our Heart to protect our souls from wicked inclinations and bad company.
We may share the Gospel to many people more than once without any apparent acceptance, but underneath the soil of the heart, that seed may be germinating (it is not instantaneous) and may sprout forth in times unexpected. When that happens, the farmer, and the preacher, are gladdened in heart.
Though we may not account them so, certain hardships of weather contribute to the germination process of the seed. Snow and frost may kill off menacing weeds from the surface under which the seed are germinating. It is true of the Christian life as well that trials and tribulations often strengthen faith and testimony.
Seed sown early in season will have better time to develop deep root systems and survive future adverse conditions. Youth, taught aright from the time of their first light, will have developed strong spiritual bones and muscles to face any future challenge to their faith. “Train up a child in the way that he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) The Bible tells us that children are like arrows in a man’s quiver. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5) Think about those verses! Arrows require cutting and preparing. They need to be made straight and polished to eliminate air friction and to enhance accuracy of flight. The need to be feathered with the guidance of the Holy Ghost for when they leave our bow. The aim of the arrow is critical, for once the arrow is placed in the bow, drawn back for discharge, and released, the archer has no further control on its destination. We must prepare our children as carefully as we safely shelter (in our quiver), prepare, polish, and aim our arrows. Once they are out of our care, we will exercise little influence over their direction.
Remember, too, that the farmer must be up early and home late in order to produce much fruit. Every hour of light must be taken to heart. The farmer works in the day while work is possible, for in the night, no man can work.
These are just a few physical illustrations of how seeds are like the Word of God. There are many, many additional ways that time and paper will not allow. It is my desire that the reader will embark on a tour of the fields of God to discover even other ways which illustrate the Seed of God’s Word in the natural environment.
In the Name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen
† Jerry Ogles
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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 Sexagesima Sunday:
In our first lesson for today, we heard the words of God to the prophet Isaiah, Now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down (v.5). God’s hedge protects and separates his people from the evils of this life. It’s composition and arrangement are such that no evil can penetrate it without his knowledge and permission. And in that light, God expects those who are under his protection— including their corporate formations such as government and their religious orders— to conform to his will and commandment. Therefore it is the duty of those so blessed to maintain their relationship and fellowship with God; for in so doing their hedge will be maintained against the wiles of Satan and his minions.
Consider the account of Job as found in the book which bears his name. It was said of Job that he was, perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (1:1). Now the Devil will use every opportunity he can to bring down a godly person. Witness his accusation before God against Job, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land (1:9-10). That is a rather straight-forward view of how God protects those who have been blessed by him according to his gracious favor. And God only took away his protection to show that Devil that he was right about Job’s faithfulness and that the Devil was wrong.
But in every situation, God will not accept sin and wickedness neither will he hedge those who do such things. Consider now the words of the prophet Ezekiel, Then he said unto me, Has thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them (8:17-18). Throughout the whole of chapter 8 of Ezekiel, God presented his case against those of the kingdom of Judah who were willfully violating his commandments. They had rejected the LORD their God, and had in his place adopted the idolatrous practices and behaviors of the nations around them. Notice the specifics of their idolatry which we have been supplied. Take the phrase they put the branch to their nose found at the end of verse 17. This refers to a Persian practice where the worshippers of the pagan Ahura Mazda held a branch or bundle of twigs in their left hand and appear to wave such before their faces. By the time of the prophet Ezekiel, God would no longer tolerate the Israelites’ adventures in proto-ecumenism via pantheism. As he warned the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah with a question: Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations (7:10)? Our LORD then said, And now because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake to you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not (7:13)... I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim (7:15).
The typical response to the aforementioned verses from those of the Modernist camp has been, “Oh, but those passages were for the children of Israel. Those are the violent words of the angry God of the Old Testament not the loving and caring God of the New Testament. Surely those passages do not apply today. They are much too harsh and too restrictive. We are expected to be tolerant, open, and accepting without judgment, you know, for that is what Jesus would have us do.” Really? Since when did the nature of God change? How did they get past the words of the prophet Malachi, For I am the LORD, I change not... (3:6)? And St. Paul noted in the book of Hebrews, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (13:8). God has been and ever will be the same God with the same unchanging message.
The Hebrews attempted to offer similar rationalizations, in response to the warnings of their prophets which were insufficient as they were demonic. And it should be noted that all pagan deities from across the globe have an eerie similarity which can be attributed to the influence of the evil one who is attempting to build a new tower of Babel— a religion that will unite all mankind against God. As St. Paul noted, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God, and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils (I Corinthians 10:20). We cannot keep the commandments of God, in particular, I am the LORD thy God... Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2-3), if we are involved in worshiping other things regardless of what they might be. We must remember that Satan has been encouraging mankind to violate God’s word and commandment since the beginning. His principal weapon has always been deception and through such he has whitewashed sin and given it an appeal which excites our flesh. Thus he makes, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life appear to be good and acceptable by twisting the morals and ethics of human beings so that good becomes evil, and evil becomes good (Isaiah 5:20).
As a result of the evil one’s handiwork, when a people turn away from God, he will, as the prophet Isaiah noted, take away [their] hedge... and break down the wall thereof, and [they] shall be trodden down. While there are many who claim to be Christians here and across the world, only a few have been truly born-again of the Holy Ghost. Their lives lived in disobedience to the commandments of God are ample testimony of their lack of a true and abiding faith. They remain unregenerated, and their lives reflect that sad truth. As one pastor has said succinctly: “They come [to church] as they are and leave as they were.” They are thus considered by God to be of the wicked and not his. Consider the following passages:
Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out... (Job 18:5). God has made it plain that he will put the dark light of every wicked soul in a place where it will never see his true light again (St. Matthew 25:30). As the world of the unregenerated continues to fall away from the prohibitions found in Scripture, we draw closer to that day when their national existence will be extinguished.
...God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). God has no love for sin and no toleration of it. We who have been redeemed know that God is love; but we also know that God is just and holy. He cannot go against his nature, and his nature is opposed to sin. If the host of unregenerated souls do not forsake their evil ways, then a righteous and holy God will reveal his wrath against their lands much as he did to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25).
...the seed of the wicked shall be cut off (Psalm 37:28). God will not spare even the descendants of those who have sinned, if they will not turn from the wicked ways of their fathers. With the removal of God’s hedge of protection, any cataclysm, any pandemic, any war could eventually mark the end to of their civilizations.
...the desire of the wicked shall perish (Psalm 112:10). God has called for a day of wrath and judgment to come upon those who love their sins and who would cling to them rather than turn unto his Messiah and repent. Apart from our recent return to sanity, this country was previously led by persons who were mired in sin and degradation. And said persons set into law and practice a multitude of shameful and ungodly acts such as abortion, legalized theft, murder couched in patriotic terms, as well as the licensing of an assortment of inordinate desires of the flesh which God has specifically identified as being abominable. So unless something is done to change this situation, God will not save any person or country that does not respect and honor his word and commandment.
...the name of the wicked shall rot (Proverbs 10:7). There is no state of nature into which human beings will ultimately come that is more foul than that of the grave. For it is there that their mortal form will waste away and will not be restored until the judgment. But the name of the wicked shall also decay and be as refuse fit only to be cast out. Any person or country which does not honor and serve the God of heaven and earth, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will have their names blotted out of his book of life. In the case of a nation or country, just the very mention of that land’s name will cause all who hear it to become disgusted. What a despicable end that would be for such a people.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD... (Proverbs 15:8). Those who claim to be Christians and attempt worship God without being obedient to his expressed will as found within the Holy Bible will one day find that their offerings and prayers were but a wasted effort and their future abode meet for their lack of faith. The false doctrine of ecumenism with its all-inclusive, one-size-fits-all religion does not have any standing with God. When our leaders attend prayer breakfasts, or other such gatherings where the unregenerate come together to be seen of men, and attempt to mingle the faith of the true Christian with that of other faiths; such will not be accepted in heaven. Our prayers are accepted only if they come from hearts truly broken by the knowledge of sin and from those who have embraced the Son of God as their Saviour. No country so founded as America can hope to be freed from the bondage of Satan without a true turning unto our Lord Jesus Christ who is the author of all liberty.
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it... (St. Matthew 16:4). There is no sign or demonstration from God that will change the mind of the unregenerate except the unalterable judgment of God at the Great White Throne. In that moment, every atheist, every agnostic, every adulterer, every murderer, every worker of iniquity shall see before them the Lord of Glory whom they had rejected and the burning cauldron that will be their eternal abode for rejecting his prescriptions for living.
Judgment is coming. And in that light, I implore all who hear, or read this sermon to make their commitment to God through Jesus Christ. Accept the free gift of salvation in his blood and turn from the wicked ways of this world so that you might be made fit for the life of the world to come. Make that choice while you still can. Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one so choose now to serve him who died and rose again that you might live forever within the hedge of his eternal kingdom.
Let us pray,
Holy and gracious God, who has given to us the light of truth within the pages of Scripture; grant that as we, who are born again of thy Spirit, may read and inwardly digest the same; and this we ask in the name of him who is thine only begotten Son, even Jesus Christ. 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
Sexagesima - Morning Prayer
Psalms 71; First lesson: Isaiah: 50:4-10; Second lesson: 2 Corinthians. 12:1-12
Total humility
4The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. 5The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. In this brief passage of Isaiah we find a foreshadowing of the coming suffering Savior. Isaiah as well as David both predicted the Redeemer who would suffer stripes, bruising, scourging, smiting and other humiliating actions, such as being spat upon and yet He would not fight back. The suffering Savior would bear our sins upon His body, He would gladly suffer in our stead in order to bring us to His kingdom. Wow. Who among us would do the same 7For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. 9Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
In these next three verses (7,8,9) we read Isaiah both writing about himself and also about the coming Messiah. He writes of the determination he has to show he can not be moved in his convictions. ‘I have set my face like a flint...and I know that I shall not be ashamed.’ In that passage he speaks of the strength he gets from the Lord God, ...will help me. He will not be confounded he will be strong like the flint.
Then in verse 8 Isaiah gives the message that Christ is justified by God and is protected from the evil that will assail him in the time of his ministry. From the temptation to Holy Week, some three and a half years of earthly ministry, Christ is attacked, harassed, threatened with death, yet he knows that God the father is with him. ‘...let us stand together: who is mine adversary?...’
Then again in verse nine we read that the Lord God will help me (him)..his adversary {he who condemns me (him)...} who is he? It doesn’t matter, because that adversary will wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. Those who are against us will eventually fade away. I like the image of a garment being fretted by moths, it just falls away to nothing. Those who attack us will eventually become nothing. “...lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.”
10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. In verse ten let us look to that great 17th century bible commentator, Matthew Henry. This is his take on this last verse:
I. Comfort is here spoken to disconsolate saints, and they are encouraged to trust in God’s grace, 1. Isa. 50:10. Here observe;: 1.What is always the character of a child of God. He is one that fears the Lord with a filial fear, that stands in awe of his majesty and is afraid of incurring his displeasure. This is a grace that usually appears most in good people when they walk in darkness, when other graces appear not. They then tremble at his word (Isa. 66:2) and are afraid of his judgments, Ps. 119:120. He is one that obeys the voice of God’s servant, is willing to be ruled by the Lord Jesus, as God’s servant in the great work of man’s redemption, one that yields a sincere obedience to the law of Christ and cheerfully comes up to the terms of his covenant. Those that truly fear God will obey the voice of Christ.
2. What is sometimes the case of a child of God. It is supposed that though he has in his heart the fear of God, and faith in Christ, yet for a time he walks in darkness and has no light, is disquieted and has little or no comfort. Who is there that does so? This intimates that it is a case which sometimes happens among the professors of religion, yet not very often; but, whenever it happens, God takes notice of it. It is no new thing for the children and heirs of light sometimes to walk in darkness, and for a time not to have any glimpse or gleam of light. This is not meant so much of the comforts of this life (those that fear God, when they have ever so great an abundance of them, do not walk in them as their light) as of their spiritual comforts, which relate to their souls. They walk in darkness when their evidences for heaven are clouded, their joy in God is interrupted, the testimony of the Spirit is suspended, and the light of God’s countenance is eclipsed. Pensive Christians are apt to be melancholy, and those who fear always are apt to fear too much.
3. What is likely to be an effectual cure in this sad case. He that is thus in the dark,
(1.) Let him trust in the name of the Lord, in the goodness of his nature, and that which he has made known of himself, his wisdom, power, and goodness. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, let his run into that. Let him depend upon it that if he walk before God, which a man may do though he walk in the dark, he shall find God all-sufficient to him.
(2.) Let him stay himself upon his God, his in covenant; let him keep hold of his covenant-relation to God, and call God his God, as Christ on the cross, My God, My God. Let him stay himself upon the promises of the covenant, and build his hopes on them. When a child of God is ready to sink he will find enough in God to stay himself upon. Let him trust in Christ, for God’s name is in him (Exod. 23:21), trust in that name of his, The Lord our righteousness, and stay himself upon God as his God, in and through a Mediator.
Even this early in February you can see that each day is dawning a little earlier and each evening the sun is setting a few minutes later. From what seemed like days of endless gloom, now we see more light, even, on occasion, more warmth. Folks, even nature is pointing to the coming of Spring, the coming of Easter, the glorious Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And we will have some more days of cold coming, it is still winter after all, and yet soon it will be Spring, it will be warmer. Nature will burst forth with new life, new growth, a new season of growth and renewal.
We are now sixty days out from Easter, this time will soon pass, we will reflect on the great work that Christ did for us, when we observe the forty days of Lent. We can spend that time in meditation and reflection on the great gift that God the Father bestowed upon us, because He loves us.
To God be the Glory...great things He has done.
Let us pray:
1God is our hope and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and although the hills be carried into the midst of the sea; 3Though the waters thereof rage and swell, and though the mountains shake as the tempest of the same….. 10Be still then, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations and I will be exalted on the earth. 11The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Psalm 46: 1-3…10-11)
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly; Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of Wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in they light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
+ Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
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.
Praise God for answered Prayer – Paul Meir cancer in remission
Prayer Needed:
Rency - two year old little girl suffering from RETTS Syndrome
Colby and family – Colby was diagnosed with cancer
Ryan – prayer for him to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, he is questioning his faith
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
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:
Shamu-health issues, Jan Jessup-neuro dementia, AOC USA, AOC Missions - Myanmar,
Harper-IBS, Jim Sevier- God’s
Peace, Linda –
multiple myeloma, Marianne, Donna-chemotherapy, Alicia-caregiver Sophie, Colin and Lori Beall –
cancer, Toni – cancer,
Donna - cancer,,Malou –
cancer, Archie- CHF, Eloise, Janice, Dakota, Katie, Finley, Mike & Gayle, Bobby, Effie,,Kamil, Marilee, Myra Cox, Faye Miller,
On Point
Someone
asked, where do the quotes come from? The
answer is from the people who uttered them. But,
how did you find them? Oh, that. Some from Bishop Jerry, others from Rev.
Geordie and many from Rev Bryan Dabney
and a
few from other places.
Rev. Geordie
Menzies-Grierson – England (right)
Points to Ponder:
Thou art the God
that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.
Psalm 77:14
Be not wise in
thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Proverbs 3:7
Look unto me, and
be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Isaiah 45:22
Take heed that ye
do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of
your Father which is in heaven.
St. Matthew 6:1
If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25
Whosoever denieth
the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath
the Father also.
I St. John 2:23
A God-less world is a lawless world. Anarchy comes in when the fear of God goes out.
The Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon
Whatever good
work is done by us, it is owing to a good work wrought by the grace of God in
us.
The Rev. Matthew Henry
You
have seen the history of Lot’s wife— her privileges with the gift of the Holy
Ghost, of the danger of worldliness, and of the reality of hell. Suffer me to wind
up all by a few direct appeals to your own heart... I desire to set up a beacon
to preserve souls from shipwreck. I would fain moor a buoy... and paint upon
it, “Remember Lot’s wife.”... Are you careless about the second advent of
Christ? Alas, many are! They live like the men of Sodom, and the men of Noah’s
day... they behave as if Christ was never going to return... Are you halting
between two opinions...? Alas, many are! They are afraid of the cross; they
secretly dislike the trouble and reproach of decided religion... and would fain
return to Egypt... If you are such a one, I say to you this day, Take care:
“Remember Lot’s wife.”
The
Most Rev. J. C. Ryle
The Word of
God is actually an exact painting of Christ written in textual form. “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 1:1-4) It should be observed that the Word of God is Eternal having
existed from before the Foundation of the World. It might be said that there is
far more of the Word of God for us to discover beyond Jordan’s Stormy Banks
since all of the mysteries of Creation and Eternity Past comprise the fullness
of our Lord’s Personage. As St. Paul saith: “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.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) The written Word
supplies all of our needs for salvation and faith; however, the Personification
of that Word in Christ will be fully revealed when we awake with His likeness
and behold Him face-to-face! “As for me, I will behold thy face in
righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”
(Psalm 17:15)
Bishop Jerry
Ogles, Presiding Bishop, The Anglican Orthodox
Church, Sola Scriptura, The Five Solas
