Saving Faith – 22 September 2023, Anno Domini

 

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HAT if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  (Romans 10:9-11)

 

            Salvation is not simply a matter of verbalizing a formulary expressing belief with no basis in faith. Such a profession is simply empty rhetoric. Even high-sounding professions of faith that have no basis in the heart are without meaning. There are many today who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ but who have not even the simplest idea who our Lord Jesus Christ is, or what He has done to redeem us from our sins.

 

            Well meaning evangelists who compass hill and dale in preaching often extract professions of faith from their charges that have little credible evidence to support the faith required. Simply pronouncing the phrase, “I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!” means nothing without a fundamental faith and understanding of the great Personage in whom the professor is basing that claim of belief. True conversion is based on a fundamental faith in. and at least a fundamental knowledge of, the One in whom faith is being expressed. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (above)

 

            While it is true salvation is an act of God through grace, there must be the endowment of faith in the heart of the convert. This is in the role and office of the Holy Ghost to plant that seed of faith as an instrument to draw the sinner to the Throne of grace.  13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things?” (Romans 10:13-15)

 

            Calling upon the name of the Lord entails a knowledge of that name and Being. How can any believe in Christ who know little or nothing of Him as Redeemer, Savior, Atoning Lord, and King? It is possible to make such a profession without even realizing that one is a sinner – the first requirement in coming to Christ!

 

            The church today has wandered far afield of Hoy Scripture. Easy-believism is the rule today and not the exception. “Merely stand up and make a profession and the goal  is assured” the sinner is told in many churches, without any nurturing in the faith ti insure that the convert is fully aware of the depth of his profession. Have we preached the depth of God’s love? the sacrifice made? the necessity of conversion from sinner to saint? The evidences of a converted life? 

 

            Paul lists a few essentials of conversion:

 

1.     The believer must call upon the name of the Lord in believing faith (if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.)

2.     Without faith, calling upon the name of the Lord is empty words. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?

3.     Calling upon the name of the Lord in faith requires a fundamental knowledge of who and what the Lord is. (how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?)

4.     Faith must be based upon the Word of God, and such knowledge comes by means of preaching. (“how shall they hear without a preacher?)

5.     It is the responsibility of the Church to propagate the Gospel to the four corners of the earth, and this is accomplished by sending preachers to every part just as was done in the early apostolic church. (“how shall they preach, except they be sent?”)

 

When men and women are told conversion is simply an act of intention on the part of the sinner without understanding, repentance or a turning away from the old sins and turning to righteous living, no salvation has occurred. Even so, salvation is an act of the Sovereign God and not of man. He imparts the faith and understanding through the agency of His Holy Spirit. 

Counting the Cost of Following Jesus – 20 September 2023, Anno Domini

   

 

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ND whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27-33)

 

            Everything in our world of value comes at a cost. Gold is valuable, not because it is easy to acquire, but because it is not. A good name does not come without cost and dedication. Our names are our badges of honor, or dishonor. We are known by our characters which our names represent. 

 

            I am amazed at the courage of our soldiers in the field of battle who are willing to selflessly lay their own lives on the line for the sake of their compatriots. Sometimes the cost of honor, and even victory, comes at the loss of life or limb. It is not just his fellow soldiers for whom the good soldier is willing to risk all, but for the life he remembers back home of hearth and kin. It is the American values expressed in the faith of our fathers that compel the soldier on through swamp and desert dune to forsake all if need be.

 

            It is the same for the men and women of the church. Many have died terrible deaths, or suffered horrendous tortures, to defend the faith that has brought them to our Lord Jesus Christ and made them to trust in Him above all else. 

 

            Jesus counseled His disciples, And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Luke 9:23-24) Notice, our Lord did not simply say, Take up your cross – He said Take up you cross daily! We are faced with daily temptations that beckon us to the Broad Way that leads to destruction. Temporary pleasures can lead to eternal suffering in an eternity of darkness. It is a daily battle of the heart against the forces of the flesh. One victory does not signal the cessation of hostilities for the war is to the very end. The devil neither sleeps nor takes a vacation. He lurks in the jungle wilderness of the world and in the halls of king’s palaces to turn the ear of power. He is busy today selling his wares of perversion and reprobation to world leaders and, unfortunately, he has gained a foothold with most of them. 

 

            Wars, famine, disease, and greed are some of his favorite weapons in the war he wages. But the devil is also quite subtle in his subversion of the Church on its own grounds. He whispers in the ears of the ministry and laity lies which contradict truth and common decency. But those willing and itching ears will pause to listen to that insolent voice just as did Eve at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil back in Eden. He promises them more than he is able to give, but their greed and pride causes them to rationalize away any sense of guilt of abandonment of truth. They may have intended to follow only a short distance, but look up to see that they are far removed from the place of God and Love.

 

In following the ways of the world and her Prince of Darkness, our spiritual senses may become dim of hearing and seeing truth. The paltry rags and mudholes of the world for some reason appeal to us more than the celestial stairway leading up to the Gates of Splendor. Our eyes are made blind to beauty, and our ears deaf to truth. Our consciences become seared as with a hot iron so that feeling has waned. Our knowledge dwindles and our wisdom fails of lack thereof. 

 

In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck Rake, the man who could look no way but downward, with the muck rake in his hand; who was offered a celestial crown for his muck rake, but who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself the filth of the floor. True knowledge and wisdom cannot abide in a wicked heart. The enemy may be cunning and shrewd, but he lacks true wisdom for he has lost sight of the Eternal.

 

When Jesus found Peter and Andrew engaged in casting their nets at the beginning of His ministry, he beckoned: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Did these two gather their nets and stow them in a safe place of holding? No! And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-20) The same was true of Matthew. He had a table full of customs receipts when Jesus called. He likewise followed immediately. What about you, friend? Is following Jesus today worth the cost?

Hymns of the Church – When we walk with the Lord – 19 September 2023, Anno Domini

 

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ND these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

 

This is a hymn of inner reflection based upon the demands of Christian obedience written by John H. Sammis (1846-1919) in 1887. I felt compelled to write on this hymn after listening to the 15^th Trinity sermon of the Rev. Stephen Cooper of Church of the Redeemer, in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Rev. Cooper prominently mentions this hymn in connection to the glory and beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. The tune is simply, Trust and Obey.

 

When we walk with the Lord

 

When we walk with the Lord 

in the light of his word, 

what a glory he sheds on our way! 

While we do his good will, 

he abides with us still, 

and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there's no other way 

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

 

Not a burden we bear, 

not a sorrow we share, 

but our toil he doth richly repay; 

not a grief or a loss, 

not a frown or a cross, 

but is blest if we trust and obey.

            Refrain

 

But we never can prove 

the delights of his love 

until all on the altar we lay; 

for the favor he shows, 

for the joy he bestows, 

are for them who will trust and obey.

            Refrain

 

Then in fellowship sweet 

we will sit at his feet, 

or we'll walk by his side in the way; 

what he says we will do, 

where he sends we will go; 

never fear, only trust and obey

            Refrain

 

1 When we walk with the Lord  in the light of his word,  what a glory he sheds on our way!  While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. The Lord is glorious in all His works, and the true Christian is His the work of His plan intended to reflect His image that was marred at Eden. His Word is the Light that guides our walk: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.(Psalm 119:105) The Lord does not pay His people casual visits, but abides with them always – even in times of doubt, but we are compelled to trust and obey Him if our fellowship is sincere and filled with His love.

 

2 Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil he doth richly repay; not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey. It is impossible to have a burden for the Lord, for our own burdens are His which He has taken from our shoulders and lifted our unbecoming yoke. Trusting during the most contrary of circumstances enables us to endure and prevail beyond them to the joy that transcends every step of our walk with Him. Though the  . . . wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We suffer never a loss in Christ.

 

3 But we never can prove the delights of his love until all on the altar we lay; for the favor he shows, for the joy he bestows, are for them who will trust and obey. The sacrifice for our sins has already been laid, once and for all, on the altar by our Lord’s redeeming cross; so, what does the Lord require in return for His love? The only thing we possess that includes all else is our hearts – that is the only treasure we can lay on the altar – not as a sacrifice, but as our bounden duty.

 

4 Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet, or we'll walk by his side in the way; what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey. We have sat at the Lord’s feet as Mary of Bethany in absorbing the beauty of His teaching and, having known what Christ has done for us, we must now get up and walk with Him – not simply in His mighty resurrection, but also in His Way of service to others, of teaching His Word, of bearing our own cross daily, in dying to self, and finally being buried with Him at the completion of that earthly walk. There is only ONE way for the believer – and that is Christ –  . . . the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

 

AOC Sunday Report – Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

 

Happy Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE!

We are back today with a full complement of sermons, we have excellent sermon from Bishops Jerry and Roy as well as Rev Bryan.  Rev Jack is on travel today, so Rev Hap brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/WmGJMbco6wU. When the Collect talks about the church, it is not talking about buildings; it is talking about us. The church is not a building, it is the army of believers following God. That is the church. Each of us; all of us.  Paul reminds us all fall short, and special fancy diets, days or outfits do not change us. They do not make us any better than the rest of humanity or more importantly than we were yesterday.  The Gospel has two parts. The first part, two sentences, is easy to understand, sometimes hard to implement.  It all comes together, read or listen and find out how.  I hope you find it useful. 

There are always a lot of people who desire your prayer. Today is no exception. We asked that you start with Mr. Kim, Billie, Tricia, Shamu, Laurie and work out from there.

As we go through these trying times, we need more and more help. Today's sermons talk a lot about looking to God for help.  The first place to start is with the Holy Ghost. If you're having difficulty connecting, open your heart and ask for His help.

There's a wonderful week ahead, you just need to look for it.

Godspeed,

Hap

Church of the  Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
United States of America.

Sermon Notes - Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity - Two Masters? - Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide - 17 September 2023, Anno Domini

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

 

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EEP, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Church with thy perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

The Collect

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ND we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

 

What are those things that profit us and ground us firmly in the salvation of God offered in Jesus Christ? If you could name JUST ONE quality, what would it be? Do you possess those things which are profitable to your salvation? Would it be perfect obedience to the law of God, or courageousness in living, or possessing a thousand good gifts of the Spirit? What is the ONE blessing that bears fruit in all things and upon which all things depend for your salvation? Which ONE quality describes the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost most fully?

 

KEEP, we beseech thee O Lord, thy church with thy perpetual mercy. 

If the LORD keeps us in mercy, then perhaps mercy might be that one quality, but it is NOT! It is God’s mercy  that grants us salvation, but that mercy rests upon an even greater principle. For what cause would God keep us with His perpetual mercy. May I suggest that it is LOVE whereby God is governed in His keeping, mercy, and grace! As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:9-13) Love appears no less than eight times in the four verses above. It is the essence of God’s nature to His people.

 

Herein lies a sobering question: What one thing can you carry with you when you depart this life? Is it wealth, social status, popularity, political power, good works? None of these will accompany you beyond Jordan Waters. Then what? It is simply LOVE!

 

And this is not JUST love, but Love in Christ Jesus: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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 8:35-39)

 

Did you notice that LOVE will survive EVEN DEATH?

 

……because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fail.

This Collect emphasizes the need of the whole church for God’s guidance as well as the need of the individual man whose frailty and hopelessness without that guidance and help would render him doomed. The Collect was first uttered at a time when the Roman Empire was being invaded by barbarians from the north and which threatened even the Church itself. This Collect points to God as our Shepherd in guiding us in all times and circumstances.

 

…..keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful

The Good Shepherd stands watch over His flock to protect it from the wolves, lions, and thieves. His first concern is to protect His flock from hurt or injury just as the rule of the good physician is to ‘first do no harm.’ He has given us a powerful protection in His Word itself. If we commit those words to heart, we shall never be deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing. If we hide these in our hearts, we shall not sin against God. Man without God is in a ruined state already; therefore, man must have God to keep him and lead him where he ought to go.

 

We have petitioned for help and protection, and that is the desire of our Lord to perform. But we next ask another important consideration: ….and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation. Those ‘all things profitable’ are founded on that beautiful love chapter of the New Testament – 1 Corinthians 13. Our Shepherd will not only protect us where we are presently, but lead into greater and better pasturelands and fountains of water. As He keeps the lone sheep on the lonely mountain, so He keeps the whole flock – the Church – inviolate. He is the Good Shepherd that KEEPS and LEADS His people and Church. Just as a magnet knows only those metals of like nature to attract, so the Good Shepherd His Sheep. And just as the ore of a like metal is attracted to the magnet, so the people of God are pulled and led by the Good Shepherd whose nature they must share in Love.

 

The Gospel

Matthew 6:24-34

 

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O man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

The Sermon 

Throughout the Holy Bible we are presented a choice between two realities, there are but two families upon the earth, families of:

 

1.     God

2.     Damned

 

There were Two Trees in the Garden, the Tree of:

1.     Life

a.     Representing Jesus Christ

2.     Knowledge of Good and Evil

a.     Representing Law which cannot save us

 

There are but two paths one of which we all shall travel:

1.     Straight and narrow

a.     Because strait¹ is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matt 7:14)

2.     Broad Way

a.     Filled with people and going down to destruction Enter ye in at the strait¹ gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  (Matt 7:13)

 

And now, the Lord has pointed out two Masters, only one of which we can claim as our own:

 

1.     God

a.     Whose yoke is light and easy to be born  

b.     Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you,¹ and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28 -30)

2.     Mammon

a.     Worldly riches

b.     He 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. (Matt 13:22)

 

We ask ourselves, in moments of greed and weakness: “Could I not claim this bit of unearned wealth and still be gracious unto God?” The answer of course is always no. Any thing ill-gotten cannot satisfy a Holy God. But we must go into the matter still further than that: Anything gotten outside the will of God cannot please Him – honestly acquired or otherwise. 

 

The determinate principle is our motive in the getting and using of our possessions, and the manner with which we view them.

 

Let us examine verses 25-32 with a view of gleaning the deeper meaning our Lord conveys therein:

 

Christ is telling us that there are two ways with which to view the future. 

 

He certainly does not mean that we should not exercise due foresight in providing for our families, our professions, our education, our food, etc.

 

Foresight aids us in our daily walk with the Lord. We have our Bible study plans, our General Conventions, our Morning/Evening Worship, our Holy Communion Service, our family budgets – all these things are results of careful planning and foresight. They free our minds of worry and undue concern so that we can concentrate our thoughts on Christ – morning, noonday, and evening.

 

But neither does He mean that we should view the future in fear and foreboding. Forsight and foreboding are two very different things. Each opposed to the other:

 

The more a man looks forward in the exercise of foresight, the less he does so in the exercise of foreboding. 

 

And the more he is tortured by anxious thoughts about a possible future, the less clear vision has he of a likely future, and the less power to influence it. 

 

When Christ here, therefore, enjoins the abstinence from thought for our life and for the future, it is not for the sake of getting away from the pressure of a very unpleasant command that we say, He does not mean to prevent the exercise of wise and provident foresight and preparation for what is to come.

 

For a Christian what is forbidden is not the careful preparation for what is likely to come, not the foresight of the storm and taking in sail while yet there is time, but we are herein counseled against the constant occupation and distraction of the heart with gazing forward, and fearing and being weakened thereby; or to come back to words already used, foresight is commanded, and, therefore  foreboding is forbidden.

 

Why does Christ tell us these things regarding our love for Mammon?

Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?’ (vss 25)

 

LIFE! The object of our faith in Christ is not the material riches He will bestow upon us, but LIFE itself – and that eternal. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

 

When we are born into this world, we must depend upon our mothers and fathers to provide our every need. In fact, they gave us life as ministers of the Creator God.

 

As children of our parents, we inherit all that our parents have – a nice home, good and fresh meals, clothes to cover our nakedness, careful protection – all come- not through our labors, but as a result of to whom we belong as children. 

 

Without our parents to love and care for us when we are young, what prospect would we have for the future? The worries of all our necessities do not belong to the child, but the parent.

 

So likewise with the Christian. He allows God to do his worrying and accepts the life offered through the Redeeming Blood of Christ. That is our means to life, and our assurance of the future life in Eternity.

Seek first to be born into the Kingdom of God (just as you were all born into loving, caring families here on earth) and all your necessities will be provided – ALL!

 

Just as your good parents know what things you have need of, so does the Heavenly Father know your needs and desires. 

 

No one in this church has parents who will not provide food and clothing to them. Because of the bond of love a parent has for his/her children, just so much more love does the Father in Heaven have for you.

 

Not only does the Father love you with an unending Love, but He is one who is able to enforce that Love through the gifts of His Heart to you who love Him.

 

And why do we love Him? 

 

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HERE is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)

 

Who is your God? Mammon or God the Father?  You can only pick one.

 

Do you love the things of this world: parties, fashions, money, romance………anything… more than you Father in Heaven?

 

Do you spend more time thinking on the vain and material than you do about the one who created you?

 

Serious questions for a serious matter……..

 

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E sober; be vigilant;  because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast¹ in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,¹ stablish, strengthen, settle you.  (1 Peter 5:8-10)

 

He will promise you the world, but in the end, destroy your soul. Turn to God each waking moment, for it is who is able

 

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HEREFORE he is able also to save them to the uttermost¹ that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 )

 

Mammon or God? 

 

Which is it in your life?