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Friday, December 31, 2021

Christmas 02 Collect - a Devotion for 2 January 2022, Anno Domini



The Second Sunday after Christmas Day.

The Collect.

A

LMIGHTY God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

            As our Prayer of Collect attests, God, at Christmas, has poured out into our Cups of Faith the “new Light of His Incarnate Word” – so much so that our “cups runneth over.” The Light was eternally the same unchanging Light of Christ that existed before the worlds and heavens were formed; yet, He came down to us to share in our same pains and sufferings – and more. We can know God the Father because we have seen and heard God the Son.  


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HAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.  (1 John 1:1-3)

 

            It is a mystery known only to God that only the meek and humble of heart can hear and understand the Voice of the Spirit that speaks the Gospel that heals, that frees, that cheers, and that liberates from our self-imposed prison captivity. As our Epistle proclaims, we are, as well, to proclaim – the acceptable year of our Lord. That Year has been published in our calendars ever since His birth. It was 2021 years ago (Anno Domini) since that momentous fulfillment of the Word. Despite all efforts to erase the meaning of that date, it is recognized by the world, in spite of themselves, as the division of time for our computation of the time scale in years.  Those who would extinguish the fires of truth by re-naming the calendar dates with such ridiculous labels as CE (Common[1] Era to supplant Christ Birth of AD) and BCE (Before the Common Era to blur the distinction of BC – before Christ) are hard-pressed to explain WHY they must use the zero year (Christ birth) as a starting point. Why not allow the great truth of history to prevail and simply admit the coming of Christ was such a climactic event as to divide our time scale in half – from Eternity Past to Eternity Future!



[1] And, what is the ‘common’ event which separates the two eras?  The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.  No matter how they try, they cannot avoid the crux of the matter.

Antichrists! – 31 December 2021, Anno Domini

  

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ITTLE children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. (1 John 2:18-29)

 

            Today’s Lectionary Text is timely and more than relevant to our time. We suffer from a barrage of false preaching every time we surf the channels on our TVs. The constant appeal is to the greed of the listener. The wealth and health Gospel predominates all so-called TV ministries with the very rare exception. Proud evangelistists exalt in their presumed knowledge above that of the Lord in knowing the exact day or year of the Lord’s return. They publish many worthless books for profit on the subject. When their prophecies fail, it is owing to some minor miscalculation of the signs and times. A prophet of God makes no false claims. How do we know if a prophet, and his prophecies, are of God? 

 

            One of the greatest of personifications of Anti-Christ in our day is government grown over-large. The bigger and more powerful the government, the less room they will allow for Christ. Government is jealous of any power that threatens their unlimited reach. Christ keeps getting in the way of governments that disregard the moral law and devise every demonic legal system possible without the moral restraints of Christian love and decency. Christ keeps getting in the way of the globalist movement because Christ is not inclusive, but EXCLUSIVE. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN, and there is only ones means whereby we are born again, and that is through the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

            If the spirit of antichrist had already arisen during the Apostolic Age, how much more prevalent must be his reach today. Perhaps we may find more of that spirit in churches than any other place. The modern church has compromised every principle of the Gospel and of truth – not in denying the Name of our Lord – but in denying His counsel. To deny the Moral Law in the Word is to deny the Word that defines our Lord Incarnate.

 

            I have too often heard supposed Christian ministers make the claim that we all – Muslims, Jews, Hindu’s, Buddists, etc. – worship the same God. What unadulterated deception and error that claim is since these religions all deny Him. They deny our Lord as the only Begotten on of God since these religions all deny Him. Allah is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Allah has no Son. Allah has no Holy Spirit. Allah has no grace granted by the Lord’s own sacrifice. We deny Christ, not merely with our mouths, but with our living faith and actions. 1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them(1 John 4:1-5)

 

            Notice John did not claim a FEW false prophets are gone into the world, but he said MANY! We see it today. Satan is willing to allow the sinner to continue unabated and untried by his demons, but it is the Christian upon whom he wages his war. If he can cause the Christian to deny the Lord by living, word, and thought, he will have achieved his depraved purpose. The best avenue by which Satan can effect his design is through the pulpit. How many ministers today are challenging the veracity of the Word of God through corrupt Bible versions, through acceptance of every form of perversion, by bringing the depraved music and lifestyle of the world into the very sanctuary of the Church? Perish the thought! Stand up Christian! Hold your teachers and ministers to account for error, and lift up those who courageously preach the truth with power and faith

Thursday, December 30, 2021

God’s Word, Love and Light – 30 December 2021, Anno Domini


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Y little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.  (1 John 2:1-17)

 

            This text, taken from the Lectionary for the day, is an extension of the text for yesterday from 1 John 1. It is a continuation of the nature of God the Father, His Son Jesus, and the indwelling work of the Holy Ghost in the believer as well as in those whom the Lord through effectual calling come to the Throne of Grace. 

 

            There are three salient Principles mentioned in this text – the WORD, LOVE, and LIGHT. These three topics are completely characteristic of all of Apostle John’s writings in his Gospel as well as epistles. We will briefly discuss these three in our remarks today.

 

1.     The WORD of God: One great gift of mankind is our ability to think with words. If we program our brains with vulgar words and expressions, our thoughts will follow in the nature of those words of moral derogation. But if we daily consume the Bread of Heaven (Words of the Gospel and other biblical texts) our thoughts will be channeled by the words we have hidden in our hearts to guard against sinful inclinations.  In fact, if we have filled our hearts with the Word of God, even our conscious thinking will comport with the very Mind of God for His Mind and Will are expressed in those Words. We can trust His Words as immutable and true. “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalm 12:6-7) The Psalmist does not use the term ‘word’ here, but ‘words!’ Every single WORD is pure and precious. God will preserve those words forever unless you trust Bible versions that claim God has not preserved them and, so, delete entire passages thereof.

 

2.     LOVE: Love is the most powerful word in the Bible for it incorporates the fullness of God’s work of grace on our behalf. But it also includes every area of the life of the saint. Love is the one possession that survives death and that which we carry with us to the Throne of God. (see Romans 8:35-39) Love for God is directly related to our love for our fellow man, and even the innocent creatures of His Creation. God is the Maker of our pets in the same sense as He is the Maker of ourselves. The only new Commandment our Lord gave us is: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34) How much did Christ love us? Enough to die in our stead for our sins! John emphasizes love always. Our love for one another is the seal by which others know we belong to Christ. (see John 13:35)

 

3.     LIGHT: This refers not only to the light of day whereby the safe path is revealed for our walking, but a great Spiritual Light that guides, yes, our thoughts, actions, and dispositions toward others. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. He is that great self-generating Light by which we know God, His Love, His Word, and His Will. He reveals truth and mercy to His people. He came to us as a comfort to redeem us from sin and to show us the excellent Way that He defined in Himself. He is the Way, Truth and the LIGHT. Upon ascension to the Father, He did not leave us comfortless, but sent His Holy Spirit to continue to lead and to reveal the truth in God’s Word to us. The Holy Spirit has one mission – to point always to Jesus Christ and reveal His Word to us. He will not speak of Himself but always point to Christ as LIGHT and Truth. He gives us comfort in the storm, and light when the darkness is smothering. Do we have that Spirit in our Hearts that extols Christ as Savior, Redeemer, King, and Lord?

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The Word of Life – 29 December 2021, Anno Domini


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HAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:1-10)

(from Lectionary Text for today)

 

            John is the Apostle of Love, but also of BEGINNINGS. In his Gospel, and in his Epistles, he mentions BEGINNINGS at least twenty-two times (by my count). His Gospel (John 1:1) begins precisely with the words of Genesis 1:1, “In the Beginning…” He is also the Apostle that emphasizes Light and the Word as these relate to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the latter subject of the Word upon which I wish to focus in this brief devotion.

 

            When we were yet in our mother’s womb, our awareness was limited to feelings only. We could not see nor speak. We knew no words. We were only aware of our personal comfort zone and moments of hunger. After birth, we began to sense a greater universe of existence. We could see the beauty of God’s Creation, sunlight, a gentle woman who constantly saw to our every need in the form of a mother. Gradually, we associated meanings to objects in our purview. As the weeks and months passed by, we learned that there were words that described those objects. Words became the medium through which we could communicate thoughts; indeed, we even thought in words. Without words, civilization would still be in the primitive state of self-serving desires only. 

 

            We do need words to communicate truth and, unfortunately, often falsehoods. But there is One great Personage that is the express image of all truth and life – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Word that we can know in personal terms – we have seen and felt His Being. As the Word, He descended to earth and was incarnated as a Babe at Bethlehem. Being the express image of the Father, we came to know God in a far greater sense than ever before. The Law and Prophets pointed to the Word to come, but that was a future promise. Abraham believed in that promised Redeemer by an astonishing faith. 

 

            Though the Law and Prophets spoke of Him and revealed our great want and need of a Savior, we could scarcely imagine the Father that would send us such a Redeemer. Hearing the description of a beautiful sunrise is not sufficient to reveal the full beauty of it to a blind man. But to actually see such a wonder with the eyes, firsthand, makes a tremendous difference in our understanding.

 

            Jesus Christ is the Word in all its glory and fullness from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. He is THE WORD Incarnate! He is the only One who has descended from Heaven to us, and ascended to the Father FOR us. He is the Word made flesh. We saw and felt His very presence among us. We could not know God without knowing and seeing the Son. He is the Word perfect in righteousness – the WAY, the TRUTH, and, yes, the LIFE! He is very LIGHT to disperse every shade of darkness. He is the ONE whose heel will crush the head of the serpent in Genesis 3:15; the Redeemer to whom Job made reference in Job 19:25-27; the only Begotten Son that was illustrated by the sacrifice of Isaac, and the ONE of whom Zechariah describes – “What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 13:6)

 

            The Elect of God have seen the Light! We have believed His Report! We have surrendered our old self-wills and taken upon ourselves the Will of God the Father through the means of His unfailing Grace. His blood sacrifice has, once-and-for-all, cleansed us from our sins and paid the wages of sin for us and in our stead. We cannot lie about our Light and remain in darkness for the Light dispels the darkness. The Word is written in a Book that is found in the homes of almost every American. Have we studied that Book as much as we have studied our bank account?

Martyrdom of the Holy Innocents – 28 December 2021, Anno Domini


 

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HEN Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.  (Matthew 2:16-18)

 

            Our devotion for today is taken from a few verses of the Communion Lectionary Text for the day specified. The child in the womb is as innocent as any creature of God’s creation, and that innocence lingers for a time until the child is mindful of carnal knowledge. Though the blood is tainted with the sin of Adam, yet, these children of Bethlehem and the coasts thereof were martyrs for Christ. So many died for the Christ-child as He would die for them and untold millions after. In the prophecy of Jeremiah, the Lord has promised redemption to these children: Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy(Jeremiah 31:15-16) Ramah is the area in which Bethlehem is located. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,  In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 

 

            The cruelty and lust for power of the dreaded Herod is widely known in historical, as well as biblical, accounts. The murder of many innocent babies was merely a whim to Herod as he also murdered three of his own sons – Alexander, Aristobulus, and then, Antipater just five days before his (Herod’s) own death. Such inhumane depravity caused Augustus Caesar, according to Microbius, a secular historian, to proclaim: That it was better to be Herod's swine than his son. The custom of the land forbade the useless killing of  swine, but not innocent babies. Another point: Herod was an Edomite of Edom – a cursed race. Thus his rule was the fulfilling of prophecy at the coming of Christ – The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be(Genesis 49:10)

 

            It was an outrageous act of Herod, but it was also a glorious fulfillment of a greater good to come. In the great eternity future, the martyred babes had truly lost nothing but gained the greatest reward, but the mothers suffered beyond measure in ignorance of the full meaning of the event. Imagine having your child ripped from your arms and cast in the air to be caught on the sharp spears of the soldiers. What dreadful cruelty and hate. 

 

            The events surrounding the birth of our Lord far beyond profitable for our memory. We must be always mindful of the great price paid in the blood of innocents at His coming, and also that tremendous and immeasurable price paid at His moment of passion at Calvary. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission(Hebrews 9:22)  Under the terms of the law ‘almost all things’ are purged with blood, but under God’s covenant , there is no remission of sin at all without the shedding of blood. Thus, our Lord satisfied the terms of the Law by shedding the only blood that could atone for our sin and suffice as the death tax required of all who seek forgiveness thereof. His sacrifice was once-and-for-all time. He paid the penalty we were unable to afford. 

 

            The first death on earth in Eden was a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God at Golgotha. And the illustrative sacrifice of Isaac, the only begotten son of Abraham, was a preview of the hurt and pain of a loving Father sacrificing his own son for sins of others. But God would not require that sacrifice for only One was worthy of paying the penalty of death for the wages of sin – the Lord Jesus Christ. He came as a Babe in a wooden manger at Bethlehem with the shadow of a crude cross darkening His brow. He died on that wooden cross for us some thirty-three years later and rose on the third day. Our crosses we bear carry us to that same death to self, a borrowed and open tomb, and the joy of ascension to the Father in the same manner our Lord departed from among us. Regardless the sorrows of the journey, that reward is well worth any hurt or suffering.

Monday, December 27, 2021

Remembrance of Saint John the Apostle – 27 December 2021, Anno Domini

  

 

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ERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another  (John 13:20-26, 31-35)

 

Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist.

[December 27.]

The Collect.

 

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ERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it, being illumined by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

Betrayal of the Lord Jesus Christ brings the ultimate disgrace and condemnation to the traitor. We may consider, with a narrow look, the sin of Judas; but we also must look beneath his vestiture to see our own countenance there. His betrayal of the Lord was so contemptible that we shun the mention of his name. His act of betrayal was flagrant and heinous, abject and final. Yet, Peter also betrayed Christ in his thrice denial of having even known the Man three times in the night of His betrayal.  Was there a great difference? Of course, there was a difference of tremendous proportions in intent and in motive. Though we may not know the evil heart of Judas as the Lord knew, we do know that Judas conspired with the enemies of Christ in premeditation of his betrayal of Him. Further, we know that Judas had a profit motive in negotiating the betrayal for thirty pieces of silver. And, lastly, we know that Judas never repented to God for his grave sin (he repented in himself which is not repentance before God). Peter shed grievous tears at his third denial of the Lord: And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.  (Luke 22:61-62)  Judas betrayed with a sly kiss – Peter with bitter tears of repentance – Judas with knowledge afore thought, Peter in fear and trembling. Christ knew the heart of Judas and saw that it was bad from the beginning. Though the betrayal by Judas was a necessary act to bring about the fulfillment of prophecy, this does not exonerate the evil heart from due judgment and punishment. Judas, and his black heart, is still with us in our churches today. Those black hearts are set on the money bag and will sell the Lord’s name for a few pieces of silver.

 

Perhaps the best understanding of the betrayal of Christ is not that which is said, but that which is not included in today’s lectionary text.  The preceding two verses set the stage for the betrayal: I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. (John 13:18-19)  Many take bread in the Communion to their own detriment – it happens every observance in most churches. Men take with their lips the Bread of Heaven and, yet, have hidden away a wedge of gold, and commit the sin of Achan. The heel of Judas is transformed into the heel of Satan and its owner is reprobate. Not included in today’s Gospel text, too, are the four verses following the revelation of Judas as the traitor: And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night(John 13:27-30) Here we see another difference in Peter and Judas: Satan enters into Judas and finds a home in his heart. No one at the table could comprehend the Lord’s meaning in His counsel to Judas. Today, God speaks clearly to us and we, too, often fail to grasp His clear counsel. Judas was the man who kept the money bag for the group. Da Vinci portrays Judas prominently clenching the money bag next to a spilled salt shaker in the Last Supper – an excellent and symbolic depiction. In this masterpiece, all faces are reflecting light except for Judas’ face which is in the shadow of darkness that portends his future abode.

 

He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.  Please try and grasp the significance of this last verse. ALL who betray the Lord with full premeditation will go out, not only into the created night, but into the eternal night of the soul. Unlike that Dark Night of the Soul described by St John of the Cross, there is no virtuous outcome. The darkness is complete and unending for those who are the finally and eternally damned.

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. The authority of Heaven is like a military chain-of-command.  The Constitution (the Word of God) defines the authority being conveyed and its limits. The Executive Office (President, or the Lord by the Word of God, Jesus), being Commander-in-Chief, grants commissions to his trusted officers (apostles and adherents) to act on His behalf. The authority granted the believer is complete as long as exercised within the boundaries specified by that Word of God (Constitution). Though this is only an illustration, it helps us to understand the concept of delegated authority. We are to know those whom the Lord has sent by confirming all that they teach by Holy Writ, and then receive them as the vicegerents of Christ to believe and hear according to the expression of God’s Holy Word. And the only way that we can know and receive God the Father is by knowing and receiving God the Son. There is NO other way. There is no chosen race of people apart from those who receive the Son.

 

When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Consider how awful are we hurt when, knowing beforehand, the treachery of a close friend, we are so profoundly hurt by the open betrayal of that friend. Imagine the pain in the heart of Christ in knowing the dark intentions of Judas who had every privilege to know the perfect Gospel of Christ and, yet, still betrayed Him. His hurt was not for Himself, but for that familiar face that had followed Him closely. He saw the enormity of Judas’ sin and its consequence. He was pained for Judas because He knew the fate that Judas would face at the Hands of an Angry Father.

 

Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. This is perhaps a defense mechanism on the part of the disciples. When betrayal among friends is discovered, do we not all look at the other person as if it could never have been US? We have all betrayed our Lord in one way or another – perhaps by a careless word or thoughtless deed which would cause the unbeliever to doubt the strength of our conviction or the One in whom we trust. So we immediately and instinctively look to others when sin is revealed: It could not be ME, Friend. It MUST be another!

 

Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. John seems to have been the youngest of the Apostles. He was called when engaged in cleaning the nets aboard his father’s boat. He responded without question to Jesus’ call. What a remarkable manner to express the particular love Christ has for the author of this Gospel! John did enjoy a special kind of profound love from Christ. But John was also a humble fellow who would have hesitated to boast of his own name in the matter. He avoids the direct reference by lovingly putting forward only the relationship and not the name. John’s love for Christ was undimming. It carried John through perilous years that followed. Even in writing these words, it is apparent that John cherished the memory of the night he rested his head on the bosom of Christ. That love gave John the courage to stand at the foot of the Cross during the passion of His Lord and not hide in the bushes as many did. It is so comforting for us to know that we can experience the same privilege with John. It is only Christ who will console at our gravest hour.

 

Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. I have known men like Peter – strong, resolute, and impulsive. They are good men in their hearts, full of confidence until a passing moment of weakness and human frailty is found in them. Such good men may be undeservedly blamed for the very weakness that lies hidden in the soul of every man and woman. Peter, knowing of his own reputation of being presumptuous, will now use a go-between (John) to discover the identity of the traitor.

 

He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? John has a young and innocent heart. He does not beat around the bush by asking, Is it I? He simply asked, Who is it?  Christ now gives a perfect intimation of who the traitor is. It amazes me that many still did not ‘get it!’ Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. This is so abundantly clear. Perhaps our hindsight gives us such a great advantage that we wonder why the disciples did not immediately burst out with condemnatory threats to Judas. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. This followed hard on His comment to John of the identifying mark of the traitor. We are then told that Satan entered into Judas and he went out immediately into that eternal night of darkness. Up until this point, Judas might have repented and turned from his plan, but now, he is possessed, by his own invitation, of the devil. He will not turn back now. All who partake of the Lord’s Supper and are bathed by Him shall not necessarily be clean and whole. This is obvious from the observance of the sins of the modern church.

 

Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. The willing and selfless sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary was a fulfillment of His Father’s Word from the beginning at the Garden in Eden. Christ made good on His Father’s promise and thereby glorified the Father in Will and Deed. We cannot be greater than the Father and Maker of all. If we glorify Him, He shall always respond in like manner. Christ glorified the Father and was promptly glorified by the Father. Christ, being in the Father, experienced a like glorification. This glorification to which Christ now refers seems to outweigh all others for this is the purpose for which He came into the world. We also have that privilege to be One in Christ as Christ is One with the Father. Are we?

 

Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. The full panorama of the Cross, the Tomb, and the rolled away stone come before the eyes of Christ. He called the disciples, and us, little children. So we are! It reminds me of a loving father going away to war as he bids his children that he must go away for a time and they cannot follow. But he also assures the children that he shall return. We are all little children in the eyes of Christ. We lack strength, we lack courage, we lack understanding – but He also affords us the opportunity to use His strength, His courage, and His understanding and Will to remain stayed on Christ and His Word. Yes, the disciples shall afterwards seek Him, but they shall seek a dead body in the early morning Garden Tomb. Instead, they shall find a risen Lord! The Jews (Jewish religious leaders responsible for His crucifixion) could never go to where Christ is going. Though they may visit Hell, they can neither escape it or avoid it. They will not set foot on the opposite Banks of Jordan Waters. The disciples could not go where Christ was going at the moment, but they shall, in time, go there.

 

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. This commandment is to facilitate the spiritual obedience of the other Commandments given by God. It was the one characteristic so painfully missing in the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees – Love. Love for one another in Christ is not an option, but a commandment. Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart(2 Cor 3:2-3) Christ did not abolish a single jot or tittle of the law, but made it more binding in love.

 

So what is the evidence of our fellowship and Communion in Christ? By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.  This love of which Christ speaks is not a casual kind of love, but a sacrificial love. He said, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. That is certainly more than a casual love. Christ died for us and we must be willing to lay down our lives, as well, for each other. 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 15:12-13)   Do we?

Send Me! – 27 December 2021, Anno Domini


T

HEN said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.  6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me(Isaiah 6:5-8)

 

            Isaiah was called by the Lord to be a major prophetic to His people, but Isaiah was unworthy of the calling and he knew it. So did the Lord know Isaiah was not worthy when He chose and called him. It is true of every Christian – none are worthy, but God will always make us able to fulfill whatever role He calls us to undertake.

 

            Isaiah was a man whose daily speech seems to have been careless and sometimes vulgar – just like all the company of his associates in Israel: because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Do we erroneously suppose that God waited His call to Isaiah until Isaiah became worthy? He did not! God called Isaiah at the time in which Isaiah was not at all worthy. God issues those calls from among the unworthy, I believe, to demonstrate His great glory and power to MAKE worthy.

 

            God did not randomly call Isaiah, but knew of His calling even long before Isaiah was conceived in his mother’s womb. Moses, too, was so called after being raised in the royal courts for forty years and exiled for forty years in the wilderness desert. He issued a long latent call to Saul (Paul) at the very moment that Saul was on the Damascus Road to persecute the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and her people. Saul’s sins were more than the tongue, they were actually acted out in ways of terror: And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. Acts 9:1-2 Yet, once Saul had seen the Lord, his plans changed immediately and he obeyed all that the Lord required.

 

            Like Saul, Isaiah had seen the Lord of Host with his own eyes. Once a man has an intimate knowledge of the Lord, how can he not serve Him!

 

            Isaiah’s besetting sin was in his tongue of unclean lips and in his fellows with whom he had daily association. How could such a man serve God? Of course, the answer is simple – he cannot. But God can make whomever He calls worthy by granting His own imputed righteousness that will rule in the heart of the man He calls to serve. Before service, however, Isaiah’s troubling vocal sins must be dealt with. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Once our hearts are made ready for the royal service, God will repeat the call to a ready servant: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? This is a rhetorical question on the part of the Lord since He knows our hearts and thoughts before we think them. The immediate and correct response of Isaiah is like unto that of every called servant of the Lord: Then said I, Here am I; send me.

 

            That which touches the altar of the Lord is made Holy. Isaiah’s unclean lips were touched by the hot coal from the altar and this made Isaiah a man worthy to prophesy for the Lord according to all that the Lord would command.

 

            Even when the Lord calls us to service, we must have our minds, hearts and every member of our body made ready for the service. It was the Lord who enabled Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Saul to become His servants. They did not make themselves worthy. I personally know no minister of the Lord who will admit his worthiness to serve God in his own right. He must be made able and worthy by the Lord. And even when made worthy of the calling, that worthiness comes from the Lord and not the merits of the one called to service. Without the mercy and grace of God Almighty, we are all no more than Judas Iscariot who was a devil even at the moment of his calling. 

 

            The minister should be in constant prayer that all that he does and teaches is sanctioned in the Holy Word of God. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall  (2 Peter 1:10) Then we may utter the words, Send Me! 

Sunday, December 26, 2021

AOC Sunday Report - Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr [December 26.] superseding the First Sunday after Christmas


Today we remember Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr [December 26.] which supersedes the First Sunday after Christmas.

The AOC Sunday Report can be found RIGHT HERE.

We have great sermons from Bishop Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  Each is really really great; Rev Jack's is very short, but I think powerful and can be seen on video RIGHT HERE.

There are a lot of people who desire your prayer, please start with Tricia, Bill, Jim, Laurie, Lori and work out from there.

There is a short week ahead for most people, but there is a lot to think about in the week, we have to remember Saint John, the murder of the Holy Innocents and the Circumcision of Christ, as well as the cares and worries of this world, but there is a lot to be joyful about.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost, be thankful in all things, not for all things.

Godspeed,

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

First Sunday after Christmas



Rev Jack's sermon is available on video RIGHT HERE.

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold

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. 

 


Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr

[December 26.]

The Collect.

 

G

RANT, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those who suffer for thee. our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

 

The Christmas Collect is found on Page 96:

 

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ,

commonly called Christmas Day.

[December 25.]

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave.

 

As is oft the case, today’s propers all tie together to reinforce a point and build our understanding of what God wants and expects from each of us. 

 

Consider these words from the Collect where we ask God to in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors…

 

As is almost always the case, we are asking God to help us; in this case to see things from God’s point of view, to be filled with His Spirit and understanding with the help of the Holy Ghost that we might not curse, but understand and help those who cause us problems and pain, who seek to destroy us. We ask that we might help them towards God rather than curse them.  This is one of the hardest collects to pray with our hearts; probably because of all of them, it most goes against our nature. It may seem impossible for us, but with the Holy Ghosts help it can be accomplished! 

 

Stephen, the first martyr of the church, was stoned by locals for doing God’s work, for harming no one, for forcing nothing on anyone.  Yet, he will brutally killed by those he sought to help.  His dying words were a blessing and not a curse.  What an example!  An example close to impossible for most of us to follow.  Yet an example for our souls to attempt to emulate.

 

When Matthew relates Jesus’ warning to us, he is telling us the same thing Stephen found out; there are people in this world who do not want to hear the Word of God and will kill, murder and maim to avoid hearing it.  They are not content to just say, No thank you, and move on.  We must expect at least meeting one or two of those lives  and those encounters may terminate our short visit here on Earth. Yet, despite that grim possibility, we must continue to do our duty, to spread the Good News and move through this life unto the next, doing our duty as we see it. We must not let fear of such a possibility take over our lives and make it so we don’t perform any action of Him.

 

We must not fall into the trap many people have and let themselves be taken advantage of by the government and the state due to the induced crisis the governments worldwide have seemingly collaborated on to gain even more power. And as Paul relates we are struggling against spiritual wickedness in high places. Yet, we must still follow Saint Stephen’s example and persevere even if the cost is our own lives. For Jesus did the same for us, persevering to save us from eternal death at the cost of His own life.

 

He never let fear control him on His Journey to the cross, His Death and Resurrection. So too must we not let fear or worries control us.  We know that our eternal place is with Him. Our physical bodies may be destroyed but our spiritual selves will never be destroyed as long as we are on God’s team. 

 

Saint Stephen showed following Christ truly is not without risk. But it is risk we must bear and the Holy Ghost will help us to bear that risk, if we will let Him into our hearts and guide us in our actions. 

 

All in all, the remembrance of Saint Stephen is a painful day, with little feel good to it, yet it is reality.  

 

What matters is what you do when push comes to shove.  Action, not Diction is what counts.

 

Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail.  The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.

 

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

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

First Sunday after Christmas - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon



The Propers are found on Page 99-100, with the Collect first:

 

There are three Collects today:

  1. One for the Feast Day
  2. One for the scheduled Sunday
  3. One for the season 

However, Christmas and The First Sunday after Christmas are exactly the same, thus really only two!

 

Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr

[December 26.]

The Collect.

 

G

RANT, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those who suffer for thee. our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

 

The Christmas Collect is found on Page 96:

 

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ,

commonly called Christmas Day.

[December 25.]

The Collect.

 

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave.

 

The text serving as the Epistle for this morning comes from the Acts of the Apostles, the Seventh Chapter, beginning at the Fifty-Fifth Verse:

 

The Epistle.

(Acts vii. 55.)

 

S

TEPHEN, 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, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 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. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 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.

 

This morning’s Holy Gospel comes from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the Twenty-third Chapter, beginning at the Thirty-Fourth Verse:

 

B

EHOLDI send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 


Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold

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. 

 

Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr

[December 26.]

The Collect.

 

G

RANT, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those who suffer for thee. our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

 

The Christmas Collect is found on Page 96:

 

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ,

commonly called Christmas Day.

[December 25.]

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave.

 

As is oft the case, today’s propers all tie together to reinforce a point and build our understanding of what God wants and expects from each of us. 

 

Consider these words from the Collect where we ask God to in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors…

 

As is almost always the case, we are asking God to help us; in this case to see things from God’s point of view, to be filled with His Spirit and understanding with the help of the Holy Ghost that we might not curse, but understand and help those who cause us problems and pain, who seek to destroy us. We ask that we might help them towards God rather than curse them.  This is one of the hardest collects to pray with our hearts; probably because of all of them, it most goes against our nature. It may seem impossible for us, but with the Holy Ghosts help it can be accomplished! 

 

Stephen, the first martyr of the church, was stoned by locals for doing God’s work, for harming no one, for forcing nothing on anyone.  Yet, he will brutally killed by those he sought to help.  His dying words were a blessing and not a curse.  What an example!  An example close to impossible for most of us to follow.  Yet an example for our souls to attempt to emulate.

 

When Matthew relates Jesus’ warning to us, he is telling us the same thing Stephen found out; there are people in this world who do not want to hear the Word of God and will kill, murder and maim to avoid hearing it.  They are not content to just say, No thank you, and move on.  We must expect at least meeting one or two of those lives  and those encounters may terminate our short visit here on Earth. Yet, despite that grim possibility, we must continue to do our duty, to spread the Good News and move through this life unto the next, doing our duty as we see it. We must not let fear of such a possibility take over our lives and make it so we don’t perform any action of Him.

 

We must not fall into the trap many people have and let themselves be taken advantage of by the government and the state due to the induced crisis the governments worldwide have seemingly collaborated on to gain even more power. And as Paul relates we are struggling against spiritual wickedness in high places. Yet, we must still follow Saint Stephen’s example and persevere even if the cost is our own lives. For Jesus did the same for us, persevering to save us from eternal death at the cost of His own life.

 

He never let fear control him on His Journey to the cross, His Death and Resurrection. So too must we not let fear or worries control us.  We know that our eternal place is with Him. Our physical bodies may be destroyed but our spiritual selves will never be destroyed as long as we are on God’s team. 

 

Saint Stephen showed following Christ truly is not without risk. But it is risk we must bear and the Holy Ghost will help us to bear that risk, if we will let Him into our hearts and guide us in our actions. 

 

All in all, the remembrance of Saint Stephen is a painful day, with little feel good to it, yet it is reality.  

 

What matters is what you do when push comes to shove.  Action, not Diction is what counts.

 

Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail.  The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.

 

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

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God