Redeemer Anglican Orthodox Church Mission

THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW

July 12, 2010 | 4 Comments

As I took last Sunday off and did not preach, I’d like to share some good thoughts and quotes from one of our pastor’s in England. To expand somewhat on a point from last week’s sermon, I believe it is extremely important to understand that Christianity is not only a doctrine to be believed and embraced and a faith to be personally experienced — by trusting Jesus and submitting to Him as Lord and Savior — but Christianity is also a lens through which we interpret and see all the world from the viewpoint of God’s grace: it is a world and life view.This is part of the total message, and is often where we drop the ball. If this idea captures your attention, please read last week’s sermon with this in mind and write your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!  David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer Anglican Orthodox Church, Loganville, Georgia, 7/12/2010.

AOC Friday Quote Digest
Themes:  —-Ministry Minute.
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Behold, I am vile!
(James Smith, “Daily Bible Readings for the Lord’s Household”)
See Job 40:4
JOB did not always think so. While at a distance from God–he could boast, argue, and contend with God! But when brought into the presence of God’s holiness–the contrast was so striking, that he sunk down in astonishment, clothed with shame, and filled with self-loathing!
The manifestation of God’s glory to a sinner–always produces the same effect!
ISAIAH felt as Job did, and exclaimed, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!” Isaiah 6:5
Pride and self-righteousness can never live in God’s presence!
The nearer to God–
  The more we discover our depravity,
  The more we loathe ourselves, and
  The more precious does the person and work of Jesus become!
Proud people have never been brought into God’s presence!
Only clear, correct and humbling views of SELF–will make Jesus precious to us!
It is only as we see our own vileness–that we shall value the Savior’s righteousness!
With thanks to Grace Gems
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Bring Your Sins Unto Me
Listen to the Savior’s gentle, unreproving words, “Bring your sins and guilt here unto Me.” To whom more fitly, more hopefully, can you bring that heavy, crushing burden, but to Jesus? He is the only being in the universe who has to do judicially, or who can do remedially, with sin. Sin is a moral disease for which there is but one remedy, and but one physician. That remedy abjured, and that physician rejected, the sinner must accept, as the appalling, the inevitable result, the pangs and horrors of the second and eternal death.
But Jesus has to do personally and officially with sin. His mission to our fallen world was for its overthrow and annihilation. He made His advent to the empire of sin, entered the lazar-house of sin- and took upon Himself, by imputation, the guilt, the curse, and the condemnation of sin. His sufferings on the cross were sin-vicarious, His death was sin-atoning, His blood is sin-cleansing, His last and latest breath was a supplication for the forgiveness of sin- even the sin of His slayers.
The Tree of Life-Octavious Winslow
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Friend or Enemy of God?
  2 Cor. 5:20
    I shall add one…test of our pretended friendship, a test of which is established by the great Founder of our religion as infallibly decisive in this case; and that is, obedience, or the keeping of the commandments of God. This, I say, is established in the strongest terms by Jesus Christ himself, as a decisive test of self-love. If you love me, keep my commandments. John xiv. 15. Then are ye my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. John xv. 14. If any man love me, he will keep my words. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my saying. John xiv. 23-24. this is the love of God, says, St. John, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous. 1 John v. 3. That is, they are not grievous when love is the principle of obedience. The service of love is always willing and pleasing. Now, my brethren, bring your hearts and lives to this standard, and let conscience declare, Are there some demands and restraints of the divine law so disagreeable to you, that you labour to keep yourselves ignorant of them, and turn every way to avoid the painful light of conviction? Are there not several duties which you know in your conscience to be such, which you do not so much as honestly endeavour to perform, but knowingly and wilfully neglect? And are there not some favourite sins which your conscience tell you God has forbidden, which yet are so pleasing to you, that you knowingly and allowedly indulge and practice them? If this be your case, you need not pretend to plead anything in your own defence, or hesitate any longer; the case is plain, you are, beyond all doubt, enemies to God; you are undeniably convicted of it this day by irresistible evidence. You perhaps glory in the profession of Christians, but you are, notwithstanding, enemies to God. You attend on public worship, you pray, you read, you communicate, you are perhaps a zealous churchman or dissenter, but you are enemies of God. You have perhaps had many fits and starts of religious affection, and serious concern about your everlasting happiness, but notwithstanding you are enemies of God. You may have reformed many things, but you are still enemies of God. Mean may esteem you Christians, but the God of heaven accounts you his enemies. In vain do you insist upon it, that ou have never hated your maker all your life, but even tremble at the thought, for undeniable facts are against you; and the reason why you have not seen your enmity was, because you were blind, and judged upon wrong principles; but if you this day feel the force of conviction from the law, and have your eyes opened, you will see and be shocked at your horrid enmity against God, before yonder sun sets.
    Samuel Davies, from sermon: “Sinners Entreated to be Reconciled to God”
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On Hell
Mark 9:44 where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Some of the upper parts of the earth are to us, terra incognita, and unknown land; but all the lowest parts of hell are to us an unknown land. Many thousands have travelled thither, but none have returned from thence, to make reports or write books of their travels.  Thaat piece of geography is very imperfect….
When a curious inquisitor asked Augustine what God did before He created the world, Augustine told him He was making hell for such curious inquirers into God’s secrets!  Such handsome jerks are the best answers to men of curious minds. It concerns us but little to know where hell is. Certainly, they are the best and wisest of men, who spend most of their thoughts and time, and pains on how to keep out of it, rather than exercise themselves with disputes about it…
Oh, sirs,were all the waters in the sea ink, and every pile of grass  a pen, and every hair  on all men’s heads in the world the hand of a ready writer, all would be too short graphically to delineate the nature of this dungeon, where all lost souls much lodge forever…. If all the fires that ever were, or shall be in the world, were contracted into one fire, yet such a fire would be but as a painted fire upon the wall, to the fire of hell!  Infernal fire is neither tolerable nor terminable. Impenitent sinners in hell shall  have end without end, death without death, night without day, mourning without mirth, sorrow without solace, and bondage without liberty. The damned shall live as long in hell as God Himself shall live in Heaven.
—-Thomas Brooks “A Homiletic Encyclopedia”
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MINISTRY MINUTE
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God Requires Heart Worship
The heart is the part of man which God chiefly notices in religion. The bowed head, and the bended knee–the grave face and the rigid posture–the ritual response, and the formal amen–all these together do not make up a spiritual worshiper. The eyes of God look further and deeper. He requires the worship of the heart. “My son,” he says to every one of us, “Give me your heart.”
~ J.C. Ryle
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985], 136.

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