WHO TRUSTS IN GOD A STRONG ABODE, Hymn devotion for 6 April 2025, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

by Bishop Jerry Ogles

We find this counsel in the very center verse of the Bible:

8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.  Psalms 118:8

 

This ancient hymn, written by Joachim Magdeburg (1572) is set to the music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). It centers on the believer’s trust in God and none other. The riches made available to those of faith in the Lord are not measurable in human terms. He is our defense against the wiles of the devil and our strong tower against the cunning of false prophets. 

 

WHO TRUSTS IN GOD A SRTRONG ABODE

 

1. Who trusts in God a strong abode
In heaven and earth possesses;
Who looks in love to Christ above,
No fear his heart oppresses.
In Thee alone, dear Lord, we own
Sweet hope and consolation,
Our Shield from foes, our Balm for woes,
Our great and sure Salvation.

2. Though Satan's wrath beset our path
And worldly scorn assail us,
While Thou art near, we will not fear;
Thy strength shall never fail us.
Thy rod and staff shall keep us safe
And guide our steps forever;
Nor shades of death nor hell beneath
Our souls from Thee shall sever.

3. In all the strife of mortal life
Our feet shall stand securely;
Temptation's hour shall lose its power,
For Thou shalt guard us surely.
O God, renew with heavenly dew
Our body, soul, and spirit
Until we stand at Thy right hand
Through Jesus' saving merit.

 

1. Who trusts in God a strong abode In heaven and earth possesses; Who looks in love to Christ above, No fear his heart oppresses. In Thee alone, dear Lord, we own Sweet hope and consolation, Our Shield from foes, our Balm for woes, Our great and sure Salvation. The Lord is our Rock and our Fortress. In Him, we have eternal life for death cannot exists in His presence. Just as the first deacon, Stephen, was being stoned for his strong testimony, he had no fear but instead looked up and beheld the face of the Lord: “55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7:55-60

2. Though Satan's wrath beset our path And worldly scorn assail us, While Thou art near, we will not fear;
Thy strength shall never fail us. Thy rod and staff shall keep us safe And guide our steps forever; Nor shades of death nor hell beneath Our souls from Thee shall sever. It is not reasonable to believe that we shall not be sorely opposed and tempted by Satan in our Christian walk. It was so with rut Lord Jesus Christ, and it cannot be less so with those who are His elect people. Christ was tempted in the Wilderness for forty days and nights while fasting. He grew weary, hungry and ravenous with thirst; yet, He never succumbed to Satan’s charms or seductions. His weapon of choice against Satan was His Word. It ios opur sure defense as well. “Get behind me, Satan” is a rebuke that Satan cannot withstand. He is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet to guide and direct our steps in a world of darkness. Nothing can separate us, even death, from the love we share in Christ Jesus.

3. In all the strife of mortal life Our feet shall stand securely; Temptation's hour shall lose its power, For Thou shalt guard us surely. O God, renew with heavenly dew Our body, soul, and spirit Until we stand at Thy right hand Through Jesus' saving merit. We are enabled to withstand the power of evil through that power with which we are imbued by Christ. It is not our battle for the “battle is the Lord’s.” It was not Gideon’s 300 that vanquished the might of thousands and ten thousands, but rather a demonstration of the power of the Lord to fight our battles on our behalf. It was the power of the Lord that guided the single stone of David’s slingshot to the forehead of Goliath. The march of righteousness is filled with hard challenges, but these make us stronger as we overcome them by the power of the Holy Ghost. Just as the dew distills unseen in the darkness upon the blades of grass, so does He stand at our side, shoulder-to-shoulder in the line of battle to overcome all opposition. We may grow weary on the march but, looking up to the goal ahead, we are made refreshed in our spirits to continue the march to the glorious Kingdom. We are constantly reminded of the Psalmist’s counsel: 

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”   Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Gracias Choir - Joys Are Flowing Like a River

JOYS ARE FLOWING LIKE A RIVER - So beautiful!!!!

[Gracias Choir] H.R.Palmer : Master, The Tempest is Raging / Eunsook Park

THE GRACIAS CHOIR OF KOREA - Beyond doubt, this is the greatest Christian Choir of our time. 

SERMON NOTES for Lay Readers, 3^rd Sunday after Easter, 11 May 2025

 

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. John 14:3

 

ALMIGHTY 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.

 

            Our Collect for today very masterfully summarizes our two lectionary texts from both the Gospel and the Old Testament reading. How do we know, in the first place, that we are sinners without hope of redemption apart from that salvation offered in the Promised Seed of Abraham – the Lord Jesus Christ? We know through the Law given at Mt. Sinai. If perfect obedience to the Law were required for salvation, all would be hopelessly condemned to the fires of Hell. So, by the Word of the Law, we realize our own depravity; but by the Word of the Gospel, we find means of being accounted righteous in the eyes of God the Father through the sacrifice of His only Begotten Son. 

            We are reminded in our Old Testament text from 2^nd Samuel of the tender manner in which God reveals to us our sinfulness and need for repentance. It is also a reminder that our sins, though forgiven, leaves scarsand hurt to its victims. 

            David has committed adultery with the wife of Uriah and has even arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle in order to cover his sin of adultery. It seems that pride, combined with lust, had driven David to sin in such a horrific manner. He doesn’t even seem to be aware of the gravity of his sin until confronted by Nathan. God makes David aware by the story of the poor man who has a little lamb that he loves as a daughter. A rich man, who has hundreds of lambs, takes the poor man’s lamb and slaughters it to make a feast for a visiting dignitary. At hearing this hateful injustice, David says the man will not only die but pay fourfold for his offense. Nathan then tells David that the man is David himself. It was at this point that David became aware of his grievous sins. 

            Even those of faith sometimes fail to realize their capacity to sin egregiously. David knew the promise of a Redeemer made to Abraham, and he believed in that promise; yet he was still capable of great sin. So are we if we allow our hearts to be drawn away by greed, pride, and lust of the flesh.

            The boy-child whom Bathsheba had borne for David was struck with a terrible illness. The child was conceived out of wedlock, and the matter was made even more serious due to David’s being the anointed of the Lord as King of Israel. In earnest, David sought the Lord for healing of the child’s affliction. 

            David fasted and lay upon the bare earth for seven days after which the child died. David’s mourning had been so intense that his servant’s feared to inform him of the child’s passing. When told of the child’s passing, instead of continuing in mourning, David arose, bathed himself, put on a change of attire, and anointed himself. Then he came into the house and requested bread and ate. This puzzled the attendants; but David explained that he could not bring the child back; however, David said, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

            David knew of the Promise of his Redeemer, and he knew, as well, that the innocent child was with that Redeemer even now. David would go, in the process of years to the child, but the child could not return to David presently.

            This passage reveals in astonishing frankness the manner in which God reveals to us our need of repentance and forgiveness for our sins. It also demonstrates that there is mercy even for David’s terrible sins – therefore, there is hope for every sinner in Christ.

            David’s faith brought relief from the agony he felt while the child suffered. He does the same for you and me.

            In our New Testament text from the gospel of St Jon 14, we learn of the place that our Lord is preparing for all who are the chosen of God in redemption from the bondage of sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. He is not ‘a’ way – He is not ‘a’ truth, and He is not ‘a’ life; but He is the ONLY way, the ONLY truth, and the ONLY means of life eternal.

            In the Hebrew wedding custom, the marriage maker finds a suitable bride for the son of a father. A meeting is arranged at the home of the prospective bride. There will be a cup of wine placed on the serving table between the two. If, after casual conversation, the prospective bridegroom finds the girl appealing, he will sip from that single cup of wine. Likewise, if the prospective Bride is amenable to the betrothal, she, too, will drink of that same cup. That seals the betrothal. That custom bears strong meaning for our observance of the Lord’s Supper in which we drink from the same Cup of our Lord. 

            The father then departs with his son and supervises his son’s building of a suitable home for his future Bride in Marriage. That is a beautiful picture of the Church as the Bride of Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ as Bridegroom. He is preparing a place for His Bride with the Father in oversight. 

            The betrothed bride must remain in waiting till the bridegroom returns after many months of preparation. She knows not hour at which he and his groomsmen will return to whisk her away to the Wedding Feast. It is usually around the hour of midnight when one of the groomsmen, will sound a trumpet outside her quarters at which time she must immediately go with the company to the Feast. 

            That is an exact prefigure of the return of Christ to whisk away His Bride for the Marriage Feast. Like the Hebrew bride, we know not what hour He shall come, but we do know that we must be prepared in waiting for that return. The trumpet will sound, and the dead in Christ shall arise first, followed by those of us who remain, to be with Christ in an eternity of joy and splendor.

         “1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelations 21:1-4

         To constantly speculate on when these things shall come to pass is futile and irreverent. If we are bearing our faithful testimony hour-by-hour and day-by-day, it should not matter at what day our Lord returns. We wait in patience for the sounding of the trumpet. We do not mourn, either, the past terrors to which sin had bound us, but rest in the sure knowledge of David that we shall go to be with the Lord in the end of our days.

 

 

 

 

Quote of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Authorized Version

    "I suppose that the most popular of all the proposals at the present moment is to have a new translation of the Bible.....The argument is that people are not reading the Bible any Longer because they do not understand its language - particularly the archaic terms - what does you modern man....know about justification, sanctification, and all those Biblical terms? And so we are told the one thing that is necessary is to have a translation that Tom, Dick and Harry will understand, and I began to feel about six months ago that the Authorized Version was being dismissed, to be thrown into the limbo of things forgotten, no longer of any value. Need I apologize for saying a word in favour of the Authorized Version in this gathering...... 

   "It is a basic proposition laid down by the Protestant Reformers, that we must have a Bible 'understanded of the people.' That is common sense....we must never be obscurantists. We must never approach the Bible in a mere antiquarian spirit.... but it does seem to me that there is a very grave danger incipient in so much of the argument that is being presented today for these new translations. There is a danger, I say, of our surrendering something that is vital and essential....... 

   "Take this argument that the modern man does not understand such terms as justification, sanctification and so on. I want to ask a question. When did the ordinary man ever understand those terms?.....Did the colliers to whom John Wesley and George Whitfield preached in the 18th century understand? They had not even been to a day school.......they could not read, they could not write. Yet these were the terms that were used. This was the version that was used - the Authorized Version. The common people have never understood these terms.....We are concerned here with something that is spiritual; something which does not belong to the world at all; which as the Apostle Paul reminds us, the princes of this world do not know. Human wisdom is of no value here - it is a spiritual truth. This is truth about God primarily, and because of that it is a mystery..... 

   "Yet we are told - it must be put in such simple terms and language that anybody taking it up and reading it is going to understand all about it. My friends, this is sheer nonsense. What we must do is to educate the masses of the people up to the Bible, not bring the Bible down to their level. One of greatest troubles today is that everything is being brought down to the same level, everything is cheapened. The common man is made the standard of authority; he decides everything, and everything must be brought down to him..... 

   "Are we to do that with the Word of God? I say No! What has happened in the past has been this - ignorant, illiterate people, in this country and foreign countries, coming into salvation have been educated up to the Book and have begun to understand it, to glory in it, and to praise God for it, and I say we need to do the same thing at this present time. What we need is therefore, not to replace the Authorized Version.....we need rather to reach and train people up to the standard  and the language, the dignity and the glory of the old Authorized Version."                   D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

 Quote of Ahp Thomas Cranmer - concerning HOLY SCRIPTURE: 

"If there were any word of God beside the Scripture, we could never be certain of God's Word; and if we be uncertain of God's Word, the devil might bring in among us a new word, a new doctrine, a new faith, a new church, a new god, yea himself to be a god. If the Church and the Christian faith did not stay itself upon the Word of God certain, as upon a sure and strong foundation, no man could know whether he had a right faith, and whether he were in the true Church of Christ, or a synagogue of Satan."

 The Old Shoemaker, a Russian Tale by the great writer, Leo Tolstoi, narrated by a certain Leonid Ivanovitch. Please click the URL to view the Video:

https://youtu.be/frB79B_ADf4