Hymns of the Church – I Stand Amazed in the Presence – 5 May 2020, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

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ND he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  (Luke 22:41-44)

            Rather than a classical hymn, today’s presentation is a Gospel Song by the noted gospel song writer of a century ago – Charles H. Gabriel. Instead of focusing on deep, doctrinal issues of Scripture, the gospel song focuses on simple emotion and the celebration of life in Christ. The song was written in 1905 to the tune, Praises, by Edwin O. Excell. Gabriel was the foremost gospel song writer of the late 19^th, and early 20^th, century and also authored the missionary call Send the Light. 

I Stand Amazed in the Presence

I stand amazed in the presence

Of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me,

A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

And my song shall ever be:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

Is my Savior’s love for me!

For me it was in the garden

He prayed: Not My will, but Thine. 

He had no tears for His own griefs,

But sweat drops of blood for mine.

Refrain

In pity angels beheld Him,

And came from the world of light

To comfort Him in the sorrows

He bore for my soul that night.

Refrain

He took my sins and my sorrows,

He made them His very own;

He bore the burden to Calvary,

And suffered and died alone.

Refrain

When with the ransomed in glory

His face I at last shall see,

’Twill be my joy through the ages

To sing of His love for me.

Refrain

            I stand amazed in the presence Of Jesus the Nazarene, And wonder how He could love me, A sinner, condemned, unclean. At the sound or prospect of amazing news, most men and women will abruptly stand. Amazement evokes an attitude of Stand at the Ready! I feel certain that at the return of Christ, none will remain lounging in their easy chairs. They will stand and then immediately kneel. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:11-12) In Anglican worship we sit during preaching or the reading of the Epistle, but we stand when the Gospel is read. Why? 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And thatevery tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11) So, likewise, at every worship hour, we say the General Confession. The great wonder of grace is not that our Lord loves us after we have been drawn to His saving grace, but rather long before – even before we were conceived in our mother’s wombs. His love drew us to Him – our love did not draw Him to us. We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) While were yet dead in trespasses and sin – unable to see, hear, feel, or think – He loved us and made us alive through the agency of His Holy Ghost. (Eph 2)

The Refrain

O how marvelous! O how wonderful! And my song shall ever be: O how marvelous! O how wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me! Moses was amazed at the sight of the Burning Bush on Mt. Horeb; the same Moses was amazed in the presence of a Holy God on the heights of Sinai; Mary was amazed at the sight of Gabriel, the Archangel, at the Annunciation; Peter, James, and John were amazed at the appearance of the Lord with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration – the Presence of the Divine is always amazing! Once we have heard the Lord call our name, out of the billions of names on this earth, we must be amazed that He would elect our sorry souls from among that multitude. The Love of God surpasses every other force or power known in the physical world. It is far stronger than death and darkness. In fact, it is the one thing that survives death. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) 

            For me it was in the garden He prayed: Not My will, but Thine. He had no tears for His own griefs, But sweat drops of blood for mine. The Garden is a place of life and fruit. Our Lord prayed that we would become ONE with Him as He was ONE with the Father. That means ONE in every sense of the Word – one in purpose, one in intent, one in desire, and one in action. When churches divide over the color of the carpet, it may be that those of that church who profess Christ are not genuine professors. His whole purpose in coming from the Realms of Glory to the Ruins of this World was to save us from ourselves. It is our own so-called free wills (in servitude to Satan) that has caused every misery known to mankind; but Christ came to wash us clean of those miseries and to die in our stead in remission of our sins.

            In pity angels beheld Him, And came from the world of light To comfort Him in the sorrows He bore for my soul that night. What a contrast were the creatures of God (Angels) who came from the Kingdom of Light to comfort our Lord, the rightful Heir of that Kingdom, who dwelt in the darkest domain of earth on our behalf. With what wrenching sorrow did He pray – not for relief of His own miseries – but for the love and forgiveness of the Father upon ours.

            He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own; He bore the burden to Calvary, And suffered and died alone. Yes, He took our sins upon Himself at Calvary; and what did He do with them? He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12) As they say in the Tennessee mountains, “That is a right smart distance!” One cannot get any further away from the East by traveling West. He was the only One who was worthy to die for our sins since the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)Therefore, we all are subject, under the law, to die for our own sins. If any would die in our place, that One must be guiltless of any shadow of sin – that One is Jesus Christ!

When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see, ’Twill be my joy through the ages To sing of His love for me. John Jasper was a remarkable negro preacher whose service to God predated the Civil War and extended to the 20^th century (1901) and who could neither read or write, yet he had a profound understanding of Holy Scripture. He had the largest church in Richmond following the Civil War. His final sermon related to a question of one of his parishioners who wondered what would John want first when he got to heaven – those golden slippers, his crown of righteousness, or his clean white robe? Without hesitation, Jasper said, “When I gets to them Pearly Gates, I wants my golden slippers, I wants my crown of righteousness, and I wants that clean white robe – but not Fust – Fust I wants to see the face of my glorious Savior who bled and died for me.” Jasper fell asleep in death in that very pulpit at age 89 years. We shall see the smiling face of our Lord, and even the blind shall see Him such as Fanny Crosby. We will then receive a better rest than we have ever known – a rest from sinful desires, from pain and suffering, from all manner of hurt – because Jesus is our Sabbath Rest forever!

Benjamin Franklin – 4 May 2020, Anno Domini

from an Article in Jones 5^th  Grade Reader

Some may scoff at the presentation of material from fifth grade readers which I share often; but I believe these stories and values are worth remembering –  more so, worth repeating and re-instituting in our modern school curricula. The values advocated and reinforced in the young minds of our nation will bear like fruit in future times. 

If we forget from whence we have arrived at our present station, we will soon forget what is important to sustain our heritage and Christian faith.

Below are three only of many fine proverbs and quotes of Ben Franklin:

·      “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that buildeth it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel.” spoken at the Constitutional Convention, 1787.

·      “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.”

·      “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” 

The following story I have corrected and reformatted for publication. The language is quaint, but beautiful. Some punctuation may be extended beyond its space, but I have attempted to proof those out of the article. 

Benjamin Franklin

by H. W. Thomas[1]

As a young man, Franklin was not only active and ambitions, but he was blessed with a large amount of eminently practical good sense. Unlike the great philosophers, who taught that learning was degraded by bringing it down to common affairs, this great philosopher of a later day and civilization sought constantly to utilize his knowledge in all practical ways, rather than to dwell in the world of abstract ideas. 

He thought of the power of the lightning that plays across the sky, and with his kite and key he coaxed it down a string and confined it in a bottle. And from this simple experiment the Morses and the Edisons have gone on in improvement, till now this same electric fluid lights our houses and streets and carries messages across continents and seas. 

He projected the first fire-engine company, and organized the first company of state militia and was colonel of its first regiment. In his plan for the union of the colonies he anticipated, if he did not really suggest, the model for the Constitution of the United States. He laid the foundations of the school that has since grown into the University of Pennsylvania; and in presiding over the  post office of the colonies he introduced the penny stamp, that has since enlarged into our great postal service. 

This poor boy, who began life making candles and setting type and eating his dry bread upon the streets of Philadelphia, at last stood before the royal and the learned of England and the Continent ; and was admired and praised for his great knowledge. 

It was through his influence very largely the French court was won over to the cause of the colonies in the days of the Revolution; and without this support the independence of our country could hardly have been gained. 

And then, at the close of the war, the same hand that in 1776 had signed the Declaration of Independence, in 1782 and 1783 signed the treaty of independence and peace with Great Britain and also the treaties of amity and commerce with Sweden and Prussia; and in 1789 that same hand signed the Constitution of the United States. He predicted at that time that the sun of his country should "be a rising and not a setting sun," — a prophecy that has been more than verified in a hundred years of unequaled prosperity. 

It is said from childhood Franklin delighted to repeat the proverb of Solomon : " Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." He obeyed this proverb: he was diligent; and at last he stood before the royalty of Europe and received the public praise of Lord Chatham. 

At the advanced age of eighty-four, his great life work done, "he was gathered to his fathers." Upon the motion of James Madison, Congress adopted a resolution declaring that "his native genius was not more an ornament to human nature than his various exertions of it have been precious to science, to freedom, and to his country." And Lord Brougham declared, " One of the most remarkable men of our times as a politician, or of any age as a philosopher, was Franklin; who stands alone in combining these two characters, the greatest that man can sustain, and in this, that, having borne the first part in enlarging science by one of the greatest discoveries ever made, he bore the second part in founding one of the greatest empires in the world." 

Footnote to the Story:

Morse and Edison: great electricians and inventors. It is to Morse we owe the telegraph. — Lord Chatham: William Pitt, also known as the Great Commoner. He was a famous English statesman who showed great sympathy and friendliness for the American colonies. — Lord Brougham (broo'am) : an English statesman.

---

[1] Hiram W. Thomas was a popular Chicago preacher of the past.

AOC Sunday Report - Third Sunday after Easter

Happy Third Sunday after Easter!  The AOC Sunday Report is RIGHT HERE!

They are really great sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.

Like always, there are a lot of people who need your prayer, start with Shamu and Bob; work out from there. Take the time to pray for our countries in this time of need.

There is an outstanding week ahead, you won't find it without the Holy Ghost, conveniently the subject of Rev Jack's sermon.

Godspeed,

Hap
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, CA

Sermon Notes - Third Sunday after Easter - 3 May 2020, Anno Domini

The Third Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

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LMIGHTY God, who showest to them that are in error the light of thy truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness; Grant unto all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s Religion, that they may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

            Even at the moment of the Resurrection of Christ, the spirit of anti-Christ was afoot. Roman guards were bribed to conceal the truth of what happened at the Garden Tomb before sunrise on Easter morning. Institutions, even the Churches, that draw their power and influence from political man, are a part and portion of that spirit of anti-Christ. The focus of our Collect for this week centers on a plea against error and darkness. 

            So is this phenomenon relegated to the past only? Not hardly.. How many silly women and naïve men are being deceived today by books claiming that someone has gone to heaven or hell and returned to tell us about it? Paul gives profound warning of this delusional aspect of error: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim 3:1-7) The deception of those who read such light-headed drama is not innocent, but deliberate. They choose to believe a lie over and above the Word of God. This places their very souls in jeopardy. Did not Mother Eve do the same? 

            God does reveal to those who seek in earnest, His absolute Truth! He revealed it to Adam and Eve, and they disregarded that truth and brought death and sin upon – not only human race – but the world at large. ALMIGHTY God, who showest to them that are in error the light of thy truth. It is amazing to me, and even shocking, that those who are in error and claim to be sound Bible believers will accept the word of a fictional writer over clear biblical proofs. The reason is simple: they prefer to believe the fantasy before they will believe the truth. Beware, again, the words of St. Paul: 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thess 2:7-12)

            For what purpose does God reveal the Light of Truth to those who are in error? “…..to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness.” If deceitful men and books have led a man or woman away from the path of truth, surely they will believe once the error is pointed out to them, won’t they? Often they do not because they prefer the lie to the truth. To those who love truth to the exclusion of popular fantasies, that truth will always bring again to understanding truth.

            There are two points of purpose that should govern the thoughts and actions of a Christian: 

1)    Possessing such knowledge and understanding of truth so as to recognize and AVOID error.  Grant unto all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's Religion, that they may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession. 

2)    Possessing such truth and wisdom of God’s Word in our hearts so that we order our lives in the very way of that righteousness in truth described by God in His Word. “….and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same.” Of course, we are enabled to do these things “…through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

            How is it possible that we sit under Godly preaching and worship, Sunday after Sunday, repeating the prayers of the Collects and, yet, have no intention of being faithful to those prayers we have uttered collectively? Is this not taking the Name of the Lord in vain if we pray with false intention and motive? Do we really mean it when we pray the Lord’s Prayer? Do we REALLY desire HIS will to be done, or do we tenaciously hold to a lie and follow our own wills in deception of truth? Do we REALLY seek only our daily bread, or do we seek the bread of others to add to our own? Are we truly repentant in seeking His forgiveness of our sins? Have we turned from them? If so, have we followed the corollary of the prayer to forgive others in like manner in which God has forgiven us? Do we truly glorify God with our minds, heart, body, and spirits? If we recognize the Lord as the awesome and almighty Savior that He is, why do we follow silly fantasies that add to, or take away, from the Word of God? I am becoming disillusioned, not so much by unbelievers of the world as, with professed believers who disregard the Word of God and live and believe with flippant disregard for that Word. But I recognize my obligation, and the obligation of every clergyman and laity to persist in teaching, in rebuking, and in edifying the Church.

The Holy Gospel

Mark 14:1-14

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ET not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.  12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.  (John 14:1-14)

        The unsurpassed serenity of the heart of Christ is so well demonstrated in His counsel to us, moments before His passion, to not let OUR hearts be troubled. What magnanimity is demonstrated in a heart that cares for our peace at a time when the scurrilous clouds of pain and death hang, as the Sword of Damocles, over His virtuous head - but with a greater certainty of fulfillment. In fact, the Lord has only sought to lift our hearts and spirits in these last days of His Passion and Death. Should He not occupy His mind with the thoughts of a brutally unfair trial that looms ahead….the humiliation and suffering….the horrible death of the Cross? Yet, instead, His heart is possessed by an undying Love for His own whose fragile existence will be so rocked by the coming events.  This is the perfect Man and the Perfect God.

        General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, was a stellar cadet in his early years at the US Military Academy at West Point. He later became the Superintendent of the Academy and made many improvements to the program there that prevail until today. Months before his death, MacArthur delivered his Farewell Address to the Corps of Cadets at West Point on May 12, 1962. The General concluded his remarks with: “Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.” Those were memorable lines with which to conclude a remarkable and fascinating military career. But look at the concluding words of Christ, and His Love demonstrated in them, on the eve of an ordeal of which great men of history could never have contemplated without an overarching obsession. Truly, He loved us until the end.

        1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In the concluding verse of the last chapter, Jesus has told Peter that he will deny Him thrice before the cock crows. Now, He continues with the loving counsel to us ward that we not allow our hearts to be troubled on account of events about to unfold. These words offer comfort to Peter, but not to him alone for the pronoun ‘YE’ is plural and signifies its meaning to each of us. There are considerations that transcend pain, suffering and death. The kind of love that filled the heart of our Lord, and by adoption, our own hearts, is that which transcends death. Truth, Light, Life, Love – all transcend death for their quality is not of the temporary expanse of this earthly life, but comes from the Eternity of Heaven. It is not possible to have a firm faith in God the Father without a corresponding faith in God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

        2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. As a good Hebrew Son upon betrothal to His future Bride, He will go and prepare a place of lodging for Himself and His Bride under the supervision of His Father. Of course, the provision is made by the Father as well in that He has many mansions that will afford residence for the fullness of the Wedding Feast. When preparation are complete, whether morning, noon, or late night, the Son will come for His Bride – the Church. He prepares a place for us in two ways at least: by dying on the Cross at Calvary thus purchasing our redemption so that we would be made worthy through that sacrifice; and, secondly, by ascending to the right hand of the Father to make timely intercession for His Elect.

        3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Noah found the only place of security was in the Ark of God when God said unto Noah,  And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. (Gen 7:1) You will note that God did not tell Noah to GO into the Ark, but COME into the Ark, because the place of security is always the place of God’s Presence. Our hope would not be full without the sure knowledge that we would be called to be with Christ at His Coming. We shall live by the Rovers of Waters and eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life, and every provision made for our souls in an Eternity with Christ. We shall not hang our harps in despondency upon the willows of Babylon, but sing our songs to Zion in the New Jerusalem prepared by our Lord. (Psalm 137:3-4)

        4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Do we KNOW the WAY? If not, we are about to be told. Oftentimes, we know more than we realize. The possession of knowledge itself is not always a guarantee of wisdom, but knowing the means of employing the knowledge that we have is the key to Wisdom. All of the disciples KNEW Christ, but did they truly know His full Person and nature? As we read the Gospels, does the beauty and nature of Christ burst upon our hearts with the warm love of KNOWING Him? Or do we simply read dead words. If the Words of Scripture are not accented with Love and Life, they remain dead to the marginal believer.

        5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? If Christ says we KNOW the Way, do we believe Him? Apparently, Thomas had yet to learn that the Words of Christ were Truth only. It is, by the way, perfectly normal that we should at times question our faith and seek further assurance from Christ in study and in prayer. So we mustn’t judge Thomas more harshly than we judge ourselves. Even when we began our Bible study with a complete trust in the Word, our studies should lead us to question and seek fuller Light. 

        6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. There is no Life apart from that offered in Christ. Have you believed that there is no life apart from that granted in Christ – that He is the Creator of life itself? 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 1:3-4) Have you believed that He is the Way (DOOR to the Sheepfold) and that there is no other entry but by Him? If so, you will know that He is the WAY! Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7) Have you believed His message? Have you known Him to be the Truth personified? But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: (Eph 4:20-21) You may know all of the above facts intellectually, but if they have not come to be the Crown Jewel of your heart, they are dead facts to you.

         7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. The faith of Abraham was a great faith. It looked forward in promise and hope to the coming of Christ. In that faith, Abraham KNEW God the Father. Without that nature of Christ, made visible to us in His Incarnation, we could not know the mercy, truth, and grace of God the Father. Christ is, as we would have said in the Tennessee vernacular, “the spitting image of His Father!” In a note I earlier shared on the Trinity, Dr. Nathan Wood (The Secret of the Universe) illustrates its nature in terms of directions (dimensions) in space. Without three directions (dimensions) there is no space. All three dimensions are required to establish space. He further disannuls the claim, by some, of the impracticability of Three Persons in one Godhead when they offer the formula, 1+1+1=3. They claim that this would cause God to be three gods. But Dr. Wood gives the formula another way, 1x1x1=1 in which the very nature of each component part of the Trinity equals the whole and each member totally pervades the nature of each OTHER member.

        8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Light itself resides in God – the Father, the son, & the Holy Ghost. Light itself is not visible to the human eye. It can pass through a dark vacuum and never be seen by us, yet it is there. In order for us to know light, it must impact a material object. That material object of god the Father is Jesus Christ. He came in a physical body so that we may, by knowing and seeing Him, know the Father and see the Father. Philip desired some partial revelation of the Father by Christ not knowing that all that Christ was pictured the Father in full detail.

        9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Jesus exercises a patience dictated by love when answering Philip. Philip was one of the first disciples to be called (John 1:43) yet he had not learned fully in his heart that Christ was a full revelation of the Father. After the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Lord, we hear no more of these doubtful questions, for the Holy Ghost will bring all things to remembrance of those things written of Christ in the Scriptures. 

        10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. If we look closely, we may read a stinging rebuke to our own living testimony. All that Christ did and said was so much perfectly representative of the Father that it would be nigh on to impossible to miss. When men look at our actions and words, do they see the Father with whom we, too, are supposed to be One?

        11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.  If you do not believe the very Words of Christ, than, at least, believe Him by His actions and life. Can humankind raise another from the sleep of death as Christ raised Lazarus? Can humankind restore vision to eyes that have been dark from birth, or restore a leper, or heal the lame? Can humankind walk on water? Did Christ these things?

        12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Please do not misunderstand these words to mean that believers can entertain with their works, or perform wonders for profit. If our minds are conformed to the Mind of God, we shall do the works of God without fanfare and solely to His Glory. Our works, therefore, will never be showy or prideful, but will reflect the perfect will of God. The Lord Jesus Christ was confined to a body while in this life. The physical limitations prevented Him from doing that which He could accomplish on our behalf when He was at the right hand of the Father. The Holy Ghost, our Comforter, is an omnipresent agency whereby all things may be accomplished at all places, and at all times, according to the Father’s will.

        13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. This does not have the meaning that many modern professors force upon it. As commissioned agents of the Lord Jesus Christ, we do have the authority to act in His name just as a commissioned officer of the military has the authority to act in the name of the President; but we do not have license to act outside the purpose, will, and intent of the authority in whose name we act. Those things that we ask in the Name of Christ will never be things that are contrary to His will to grant. The Father is glorified when the Redeemed of Christ ask only those things which it is the Father’s good pleasure to grant. 

        14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. The charismatics have falsely insisted that we can demand things of God and that He must grant them or break His promise. Do you agree with this deceptive claim? Suppose we ask and God does not grant? Why has our prayer failed? There are two primary reasons given in Scripture, all relating to the Sovereign Will of God: 

1)     Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3)

2)    If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18)

Where may we find the perfect solution to the dilemma we may face in the above? Why not resort to the very counsel of Christ given in Matthew 6 - Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matt 6:9-13) What untoward request does this prayer make? Not one! It opens with an honorific to God. It is a ‘communal’ prayer because it begins with “OUR”. It prays for our daily bread which it is the Lord’s will to grant always. It evokes the will of God on our lives on earth as well as it is done it heaven. It begs forgiveness for transgressions, which are many, and perseverance against the temptations of the world. It ends with a further acknowledgement of God, His Kingdom, His Power, and His Glory (not ours). AMEN. There is not a single selfish request in this prayer, and it only asks that the will of God be done – not MY will, but THINE! 

Have your prayers been like unto this model of all prayers?

Third Sunday after Easter - Propers and Rev Jack's Sermon

The Propers for today are found on Page 173-174, with the Collect first:

The Third Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

A

LMIGHTY God, who showest to them that are in error the light of thy truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness; Grant unto all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s Religion, that they may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The Epistle for today came from the Second Chapter of the First Epistle of Saint Peter beginning at the Eleventh Verse.  Peter tells us to live a good life, to follow the directions Jesus left us, to make ourselves positive examples of citizen to others, to be leaders of our community, drawing people towards God.  To live out the life Jesus commanded, to do nothing to draw ill repute on the Word of God.  To be truly free and follow freedom to where God wants us to be, not to Donkey Island, where false freedom takes so many. 

D

EARLY beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

Today’s Gospel came from the Sixteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the Sixteenth Verse.

Jesus warns his disciples of the events about to unfold.  He is to be taken from them shortly by the painful death on the Cross for our redemption.  He will not be with them here on earth.  Yet, after three days time He will Rise from death, having overcome death for us.  When He is gone from us we are sorrowful, just like the disciples.  He came back from death for us.  And yet He was to leave again, yet not be gone from us as the Father would send the Holy Ghost to make His abode in our hearts and bring Jesus to us.

J

ESUS said to his disciples, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

 Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

We are in the Easter Season which consists of Easter and the following four Sundays, through Rogation Sunday.  This is a time we should work on centering our lives on the central figure in our religion, Jesus Christ.  

Consider these words from the Collect:

… who showest to them that are in error the light of thy truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness; Grant unto all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s Religion, that they may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same…

God is a Triune God; Father, Son, Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost’s job is to open our souls, hearts and minds to God’s Will.  It is to help us see where we are in error and how to fix those errors.  Thus, to open our “ears” to His Voice so we can listen and make our improvements based on His Words.  What the Collect is saying is that we let the Holy Ghost in so He can change us.  Without the Holy Ghost, change is impossible.   Consider this quote from Jack Lewis out of Mere Christianity:

“When He said, ‘Be perfect,’ He meant it. He meant that we must go in for the full treatment. It is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder—in fact, it is impossible. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”

It does not matter if it is hard for us to listen to the Holy Ghost, we must do it.  He is our perfect instructor and if we will listen to Him, God will always provide the light to show us where “We have erred, and strayed from His ways like lost sheep. Where we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. Where we have offended against His holy laws. Where we have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done[1]…”   He will shine His Light onto the dark areas in our heart and souls so we can focus on removing those evil attributes and replacing them with more Godly attributes.

The Holy Ghost  this so that we can remain on the course which brings us to His World.  For without that guiding light, we will be forever lost on the path to darkness. He is our infallible navigator/GPS. If we will always rely on Him, He shall never fail us. We more have to worry about failing Him than Him failing us. 

Then we can shine that Light for others to see, to lead them to that Light, that they might pick up their torches and bring His Light into the darkness of the world, be it the Western Civilized Word or the Eastern World. First, we have to let His Light into our hearts before we can shine it to others that they may see the works of His Light. We cannot lead others to a Light we do not have within us. So, we must first make sure we have the Light of the Holy Ghost within us before we can think of leadings others to that Light.

We can start in our own little corner of the world and work our way outward. We are always striving to work towards total transformation of our area to the light. However, we will always find opposition from evil. If evil is thwarting our efforts then we all must put in 110% to stop evil and combat it across the world wherever it is. We must never, never, never, ever give up on this fight.  

We must fight evil wherever and whenever we run across it. Evil anywhere is Evil everywhere[2].  We must not let the little and big evils in this life get us down or defeat us. We must rely on the guiding power of the Holy Ghost and God’s unlimited grace to save the day. His Grace can help you out of any horrific situation; only if you ask for and accept His help, which is a universal theme in our sermons here, because it is a truth and one that Jesus preached, that is that we have to accept Him into our hearts, if we are to become truly Christians. 

Peter tells us our actions need to be consistent with the principles of Scripture and of Jesus’ message. In short, we need to be good citizens, be good neighbors, take particular care of our Christian family.  In short, do what Christ would do, as far as it is in us. We need to cling to the good and reject the evil thoughts and actions of our old sinful selves.  Let us do our best to think, in hard and trying times, what would Jesus do in our situation, and then act in a manner most like Him. In order to make the world a better place, we first have to start with our selves then work out word, applying the principles of Christ to our lives. God does not ask us to be perfect; He does ask us individually  to do our best to try to be perfect, to follow Jesus’ lead to the extent we have it in us.  Each of us is different, some are in truth less bad than others.  God holds us each to the same standard, that is to do our best. 

We are not competing against each other. All of us in the Church are on the same team. We are just called to do the best individually for our Team and to stay on that narrow uphill path towards heaven. 

In the Gospel according to Saint John, Jesus tells of His impending bodily death and resurrection.    He reminds us if we have eternal life, sorrow, even the sorrow of death is transient, for He has conquered death. It is a very minor thing in the long term view the sorrow of a temporary parting of a loved one. For that is all that is, if we put our trust and hope in God and do our very best to follow Him.  We have to keep this in mind throughout our travel along the straight and narrow upward path. His One Sacrifice, made One Time, for All Mankind, for All Time is that joy that no man can take from us.  But, if we want to share in that eternal life, we need to see the error of our ways in the Light of His Light and take actions to follow Him.

Often it seems much easier to take the path of least resistance, to quit our work at the first sign of effort, to goof off when “no one” is looking.  But in the end, the right thing to do is always the easiest, the most profitable.  The one that will result in happiness.  It might seem hard, but it will not be as hard as doing the “easy” thing.

The time is now, not tomorrow.  The time has come, indeed.  How will you ACT?

It is by our actions we are known.

As we go off on our business, please recall this quote from GK Chesterton:

Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

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[1] General Confession – BCP Page 6

[2] Lord of the Rings

[3] Note the Declaration of Independence:  

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

[4] Theology - the study of the nature of God and religious belief.