Redeemer Anglican Orthodox Church Mission

THE PRODIGAL FATHER

dave — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:20:27 +0000

THE PRODIGAL FATHER
A SERMON FOR THE NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY by Dr. David J. Miller, vicar, Redeemer AOC Church, Loganville, Georgia. August 1, 2010.
Luke 15:20-24   20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
INTRODUCTION
Probably no other single parable of our Lord has become as popular as this one. It is found only here, in Luke’s Gospel, and is the last in the trilogy of the lost sheep, the lost coin and now the lost son (or more properly, sons, for both the wayward son and the stay-at-home son were equally lost). The two sons are representative of two approaches to life: license (“Eat, drink and be merry; you only go around once;” “do whatever feels good;” and the moralist: “Keep the rules; sacrifice, and you’ll win in the end”). The parable is left unfinished on purpose, for the Pharisees are the target, and only the individual hearer could finish the story for himself! Ultimately, for us, the ball is in your court!
I’ve called this sermon, “The Prodigal Father,” after looking up the word “prodigal.” It doesn’t mean “lost” or “wayward,” as I had always assumed, but “recklessly extravagant,” in the sense of spending until there’s nothing left. In the case of the wayward son, it would apply to such extravagance that led to waste and ultimately, poverty. But extravagance can also be attributed to the Father, who is clearly “over the top” in his welcoming treatment of the returning son.
We could certainly have a whole teaching series on this parable. There’s so much that could be said, we will confine our comments today to just one aspect: the forgiveness and extravagant welcome of the Father. Let’s look at (1) the extravagant welcome of the returning son, (2) the extravagant celebration, and finally, (3) the extravagant banquet.
THE FATHER’S EXTRAVAGANT WELCOME OF HIS SON
It’s been said that this is one of the clearest parables of all the body of our Lord’s teachings. It’s like being out on a boat on Crater Lake, where the water is so clear, you can sometimes see all the way to the bottom. Here we can clearly see revealed the Father’s heart, and the joy of Heaven over one sinner that repents.
But first, we need to see the return of this lost son. He had demanded that his father tear his life apart, and now there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to commend this son to his father. Anything he might receive would be too good for him, as he himself intimates in his rehearsed speech:
Luke 15:18-19   18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
His plan was not even to hope to be one of the servants that lived and worked on the estate; rather, he was asking to be apprenticed to one of the hired men of the village, who earned a wage doing work as one of the tradesmen and craftsmen for his father. Notice that the son “came to himself;” J. C. Ryle said that a man “must come to himself before he can come to God.”
But look, for a moment, at this plan of repentance: bad as his circumstances are, has he truly hit bottom? Is he still trying to work the system? By asking for a tradesman job, did he have the hope of working off his debt? That would be impossible, of course, and the debt far exceeds the monetary value of the spent inheritance. He has brought shame on his family, his father’s house and on his father personally. That he could never pay back. The problem is not lost money. The real problem is a broken relationship, not merely a broken law. Even the repentance of this thoroughly lost son is flawed. His life had hit bottom, but not his pride – not yet.
One of the things the lost son may have encountered upon his return home would have been the shunning of the community, like the way the Old Order of Amish treat one who has brought shame on his father’s house. An expert on the customs of ancient Israel of the time of Jesus, Kenneth Bailey, described the ceremony of kezazah (cutting off). The villiagers would fill an earthenware pot with burned corn and nuts and then break it in front of the guilty party, crying, “So-and-so is cut off from his people!” From then on, no one would have anything to do with that person. If that were done to this returning son, it would have been no more than he deserved.
This welcome was shocking! We shouldn’t rush too quickly to the joy of this homecoming. The wayward son’s request for the division of the father’s property was inexcusable. It would have been like telling his father that he wished he were dead, when the property would have customarily been divided after the father’s death. The shame on the family name would have been compounded by the son selling off his share of the property to turn it into cash; the ancestral land would then have passed out of the family. The son also has abandoned his obligation to help care for his father in his old age. A traditional culture like that of Jesus’ day might even have expected that the father could have the son beaten and thrown out or imprisoned. But the unexpected and lavish welcome must have caught Jesus’ listeners off guard, to say the least.
The father runs to meet his son.
Luke 15:20   And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Tim Keller says in his book, The Prodigal God:
Most of Jesus’ listeners would have never seen a Middle Eastern patriarch respond like this. The father patiently endures a tremendous loss of honor as well as the pain of rejected love. Ordinarily when our love is rejected we get angry, retaliate, and do what we can to diminish our affection for the rejecting person, so we won’t hurt so much. But this father maintains his affection for his son and bears the agony.
The father’s actions are costly; a senior citizen, who gathered up his robes, exposing his legs and running down the street like a school child, was humiliating, shocking. The father is expressing his heart-felt love for his son, but he also has in mind the kezazah ceremony. Bailey makes the point that the father had to reach his son before the villagers; only by a public reconciliation could he keep that cutting-off ceremony from being enacted. But to achieve that, would require self-emptying humiliation on the part of the father. And that’s exactly what he does!
THE EXTRAVAGANT CELEBRATION
The father’s reception of his son is complete! There are no conditions. He stops his son’s rehearsed speech where it always should have stopped: “I am no more worthy to be called thy son.” He has no ability to work off his debt. He is not worthy to work out any plan. But look how the father silences his son’s speech:
Luke 15:22 2 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 3 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
What a picture! The father’s very extravagance erases the flawed repentance! The father disallows and has forestalled the kezazah ceremony; he has precluded any work-plan to pay off some part of the debt; he has forgotten the shame to himself and the family – all this is “too good to be true!” It is all so far above what he could have ever dared to hope that it must have seemed like a dream!
But it is true! The father has born the shame, the humiliation, the loss. The son receives the blessing beyond his wildest dreams and hopes. The son contributes nothing, and the father wouldn’t hear of it!
Bishop J. C. Ryle has commented:
“Let it be noted that the father does not say a single word to his son about his profligacy and wickedness. There is neither rebuke nor reproof for the past, nor galling admonitions for the present, nor irritating advice for the future. The one idea that is represented as filling his mind, is joy that his son has come home. This is a striking fact.”
Phil Ryken has written a wise admonition to all of us parents, drawn from the father’s lavish welcome:
“So many parents do exactly the opposite – even Christian parents. When their children start going off in the wrong direction they speak to them with scorn and treat them with shame. Instead of humbling themselves, they humiliate their children, even to their own destruction. But here, Jesus gives fathers and mothers a better model to follow, redefining what it means to be a godly parent… the father takes the initiative to go out and gather his unworthy son into the embrace of his self-humiliating love. His kiss is not so much a response to repentance as it is the cause of reconciliation. The costly expression of the father’s love comes first. It is preemptive reconciliation…”
If you’re like me, it may be hard to hear those words without a twinge of sadness, perhaps regret. You may relate to the wayward son and remember times when you have said or done things that have hurt your parents. You may relate as a parent, and the memory of an angry confrontation with your son or daughter evokes painful feelings of hurt and regret – words spoken in the heat of the moment you wish you could retract. You might be wishing, “if only I had been more Christ-like; if only I had been more loving, more self-effacing, more willing to humble myself instead of humiliating my child, my parent, my sister, my brother.”
Then it’s for you that our Lord spoke this parable! You need, today, to feel the Father’s arms around you, to sense His kisses, to believe in His “preemptive reconciliation.” All this you have – in the Cross, in the glorious message of full, free forgiveness that pays for a debt that you always knew could never be paid by you, no matter how much you tried. And the Cross means you don’t have to. God the Son has paid that terrible debt for you. What are the words of confession before Communion? Speaking of our sins, we say, “The remembrance of them is grievous unto us; the burden of them is intolerable.” But Jesus died to pay that “intolerable burden.” This parabolic story is meant to be your story, and it is yours, when you embrace our Lord Christ by faith!
“Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:21   21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
These promises leave no doubt as to the over-the-top truth that “Jesus paid it all” means that God has, through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, completely cleansed you sins, no matter what or how bad they are, when you take them to Him by faith. But in case it still seems too good to be true, our Lord adds the fact of the great banquet. In this blessed metaphor, all equivocation of doubt must melt away, as we begin to allow the glory of the message of the Gospel to sink in.
THE EXTRAVAGANT BANQUET
This gloriously extravagant banquet reflects the joy in Heaven over a returning sinner. Although not stated again at the close of this parable, it is the theme of this trilogy:
Luke 15:10   10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
One of our God’s favorite pictures of Heaven is to describe it as a great feast, a magnificent banquet, one that delights all the senses and brings profound satisfaction. The picture drawn by the parable is very material, but the blessings are, by “good and necessary implication” far more than material blessings; they are healing for the deepest regions of the heart, as the work of the Spirit of God always must be indeed.
Revelation 19:9   And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
There is so much we could say about this feast, the father’s call for the best robe, the ring, the shoes, the very special fatted calf – the extraordinary declaration that, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” But that’s for another sermon. For now, let us close with this fact:
All that we have been speaking of this morning brings us back to the Cross. The parable’s graphic depiction of the father’s costly humiliation for the sake of his son, reflects both God’s costly love in sending His Son to die for our sins as well as Jesus the Son’s costly love in willingly, even joyfully, coming to do the Father’s will, embracing the Cross, so that we, as repentant sinners, may be welcomed into that heavenly feast! That is the glorious, extravagantly costly, feast purchased with the life’s blood of the blessed Son of God!
Ryken wrote, “Through faith in Christ, this is the way your own story will end; with your Father running to meet you, taking you into His arms, and shouting to the world that you have finally come home.”
One of the great old hymns, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus,” is a wonderful expression of that faith:
Upon the cross of Jesus Mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me:
And from my smitten heart with tears Two wonders I confess, –
The wonders of redeeming love And my own worthlessness.
I take, O cross, thy shadow For my abiding place:
I ask no other sunshine than The sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by, To know no gain or loss;
My sinful self my only shame, My glory, all the cross.
AMEN.
David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, August 1, 2010.

KNOW WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR

dave — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:07:56 +0000

KNOW WHAT YOU’RE ASKING FOR
A Sermon for the Eighth Sunday After Trinity: Saint James the Apostle by David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia. Preached at St. Peter’s Church,
Statesville, NC, 7/25/1020
Matthew 20:20-28 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
INTRODUCTION
Izaak Pearlman, the great violinist, once told the (true) story of a woman who came to him with a tape of her son playing the violin, begging him to listen to it. He tried to brush her off, but because of her persistence, he finally relented and listened. He was astonished! “Why, he’s great; he sounds just like Horowitz!” The woman said, “Well, actually that is Horowitz, but my son sounds just like that!”
That’s a humorous story, and we might be tempted to think this account of James and John’s request of Jesus, mediated by their mother, is something like that: the doting Jewish mother, who thinks her sons are great and deserve the places of highest honor. But I think there’s a lot more here than simply a request for advancement on the part of a proud mom.
We want to look, FIRST, at the Request; SECOND, at the Answer of Jesus, and THIRD, we will look at the Teaching of Jesus on the Principle of Grace.
THE REQUEST
Why do you think she made this request? Did she recognize genuine leadership qualities in her sons? They were, after all, in Jesus’ inner circle (of Peter, James and John) – the three who witnessed both the raising of Jairus’s daughter and the Transfiguration. Perhaps she did see gifts, qualities and abilities in her sons that would qualify them for leadership in Christ’s coming kingdom. But she missed the deeper principle of grace (which Jesus had introduced in verses 17-19, and teaches about later).
James and John were nick-named by our Lord, “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17).
Mark 3:17   17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.
They must have been strapping young men, to have earned that nick-name; accustomed to hard work as fishermen on the lake, they would have developed strong muscles and correspondingly strong personalities. There must have been a lot that would recommend them to prominent positions in the coming kingdom. Even the world’s value system would no doubt agree with this.
A Digression: Incidentally, there does seem to have been an organizational structure in the apostolic band. We’ve already seen that Peter, James and John were Jesus’ closest disciples, a kind of inner leadership circle corresponding to David’s “three mighty men,” who were his closest friends and comrades-in-arms (2 Samuel 23:16, 17).
But there also seems to be a more extensive organization among all the Twelve: in all the lists of Jesus’ disciples, Saint Peter, the acknowledged leader is always first, and – not surprisingly – Judas the betrayer is always last, but in each of the three listings (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19, and Luke 6:14-16), Peter is first, and he is always followed by the same three names in all three lists; Philip is always fifth, again followed by the same three, and James, son of Alphaeus is always ninth and always followed by the same three after his name. (The order of the three after each name varies, but they are always the same three).
This would lead us to the likely conclusion that the Twelve were divided into three permanent sub-groups of four-man prayer-teams (perhaps akin to the military’s fire teams). Just as the twelve tribes of Israel did not wander the wilderness as a formless mob, so the twelve disciples were an organized entity.
All this is to say that it may not have been that far-fetched for the Zebedee brothers’ mother to assume that their position in the group organization qualified them for the honor she requested.
But in the worldview of grace, looking at everything from the vantage point of the Cross, there is something that is far more important than status in the group. Not that Jesus couldn’t use the natural gifts of men like these — He did indeed use those gifts, but there was a deeper foundation that had to be there first.
That indispensible foundation was well expressed by Robert Murray Mc Cheyne, a young Scottish preacher of the nineteenth century, as he spoke to his fellow ministers: “What your people need most from you is your personal holiness.”
Mc Cheyne died of a fever as a young man in 1843. He preached his last sermon on the text: Isaiah 60:1   Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
He received a letter responding to that last sermon, and it said in part:
“I heard you preach last Sabbath evening, and your sermon brought me to Christ. It was not anything you said, but it was what you were as you preached. For I saw in you a beauty of holiness that I had never seen before. You were speaking about the glory of God resting on the Savior and I saw the Savior’s glory rest on you.”
But how do you and I attain to such a Christ-likeness? Where do we get, in any practical sense, that holy, loving, Christ-like character? Such personal holiness goes beyond any natural talents and abilities; it underlies those qualities and empowers them. And it’s not something you or I can simply work up by discipline, or self-effort, or trying harder, or determination. With this question in mind, let’s look at our Lord’s response.
OUR LORD’S ANSWER
Matthew 20:22   But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
Jesus’ response should have probably brought them up short: “You don’t know what you’re asking.” They no doubt thought they did; that immediate answer, “We are able,” indicates that they still didn’t realize the gravity of their request.
We could define faith as trust based on knowledge (from Scripture), in spite of circumstances, feelings and appearances to the contrary. James and John certainly had faith by this definition. They trusted Jesus that He would have a kingdom, despite the fact that appearances at the time did not say so. But, their knowledge was mostly ignorance, because the reality of the Cross, and all that that means, was not part of their picture.
Martin Luther wrote, “The flesh ever seeks to be glorified before it is crucified.” It would seem that both the two brothers and their mother had forgotten (or perhaps they never really heard) what Jesus had just said about that metaphorical “cup” and “baptism:”
Matthew 20:17-19 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
We should not be too hard on them; Jesus wasn’t. His statement, “Ye know not what ye ask,” is a gentle rebuke, but it also is an invitation to think about what the real situation is.
What should we make of Jesus’ question, “Are ye able…?” We may be tempted to read it as a kind of “dare,” but that would be an error. J. C. Ryle commented, “They had asked to share in their Master’s reward, but they had not considered that they must first be partakers in their Master’s sufferings (1 Peter 4:13).”
Jesus’ next words reflect two truths: first, that the Kingdom of God faces opposition. Suffering is not just the generic result of sin’s entry into the world, but is also evidence of satanic hostility to the establishment of God’s kingdom. Second, His own deference to His Father begins the instruction that would lead them to an understanding of the Gospel of the Cross, of grace.
The Gospel is certainly a doctrine, a teaching, summarized in the great creeds and confessions of the Church. But it cannot stop there; many believe those doctrines and acknowledge their need of God’s grace, but fewer have actually and personally experienced God’s grace for themselves. That’s the element of trust, and that’s essential. But there’s more; and this is what Jesus is leading His disciples toward in this exchange: the Gospel is also a lens for looking at the world around us through God’s perspective. In other words, the Gospel is not only a doctrine and an experience, but it’s also a worldview.
Have you ever noticed just how much of Scripture is concerned with this last point? Dr. James Montgomery Boice used to say often that the Gospel calls us, “to think and act Biblically.” In other words, to view the world from God’s perspective and act according to what would please Him. We are called to follow Him as our Lord, not on our terms, but on His. This is the place Jesus is leading these two disciples and their brethren as well, for we’re told that the rest of the Twelve were angry with James and John.
But their anger manifested the same spirit of ambition as that of the Zebedee brothers. They all needed this instruction (as do we!). Their prideful attitudes are actually opposed to God’s grace.
As we go to the next point, let’s pray in our hearts that we will be open to our Lord’s gentle teaching on this important matter.

GOSPEL GRACE AS A WORLD-VIEW
Here, our Lord teaches two things: first, that the perspective of grace is the precise opposite to that of the world, and second, that it means following the profound example of Jesus Himself.
Our Lord starts with the world’s example:
25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:25-28)
The perspective of grace is opposed to that of the world. We see this taught throughout Scripture. Why do you suppose God chose Abel and not Cain? Jacob, not Esau? David, not any of his older brothers? Working class fishermen, tax collectors and other “sinners,” instead of educated Pharisees and chief priests? Not that people of the ruling class were never chosen, but the pattern is pervasive so that you and I might get the point that God does the work, and we simply receive it by faith, “apart from works.”
Time doesn’t allow us to explore all the Biblical examples of this, but the Apostle Paul has summarized it well:
1 Corinthians 1:20-25 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
The Cross of Jesus is the supreme example of this principle of grace. “but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
It was said of Charles Spurgeon, that no matter where he began preaching, he would always find his way back to the Cross. That’s the highest praise one could give to any preacher! Saint Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 2:2 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I used the word, “example,” just now. But the Cross is far more than a mere example; it is that, but it’s more than that. The Cross is the means by which God has saved sinners, all who trust Him by faith. It’s the very embodiment of God’s perspective on the world, and as such, it must control our thinking, our relationships, our attitudes and our actions. To the extent that it does, to that extent we will be enabled to live lives of consistent discipleship, following and obeying our gracious Lord. May the glorious Gospel of our Lord’s Cross be the controlling lens through which you look at and understand all of life!
All who have been saved by grace have no place to “exercise dominion,” or “lord it over” anyone else (incidentally, what an indictment these words are of much of Church history!). Instead, redeemed sinners manifest greatness by being one another’s servants.
The Reformers said that the preaching of the Gospel has two aspects: Law and Gospel. The law condemns and reveals our sin, and the Gospel reveals God’s remedy. If only law is emphasized, you end up with despair; if only Gospel, license. But when they are kept together, you have the fullness of God’s grace.
Elizabeth C. Celephane wrote one of the great old hymns, Beneath the Cross of Jesus, in 1872. In it, she expresses our Lord’s teaching in a heart-felt response of faith. The second and third lines say this:
Upon the cross of Jesus Mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me:
And from my smitten heart with tears Two wonders I confess, –
The wonders of redeeming love And my own worthlessness.
I take, O cross, thy shadow For my abiding place:
I ask no other sunshine than The sunshine of his face;
Content to let the world go by, To know no gain or loss;
My sinful self my only shame, My glory, all the cross.
Did you notice those “two wonders” she refers to, (“redeeming love” and “my own worthlessness”) are also echoed in the last line as, “my sinful self my only shame,” and “My glory, all the cross?” Both are summed up in a formula I heard many years ago:
“Cheer up; you’re a much worse sinner than you think you are; But Christ is a far greater Savior than you could ever dare imagine!” AMEN.

David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, GA. 7/25/2010

THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW

dave — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:07:54 +0000

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
——–
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.

FREEDOM THE GIFT OF GOD’S SON, A Sermon for Independence Day, The Fifth Sunday After Trinity, July 4th, 2010, by David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia

dave — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:14:46 +0000

FREEDOM THE GIFT OF GOD’S SON, A Sermon for Independence Day, The Fifth Sunday After Trinity, July 4th, 2010, by David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia
John 8:34-36   34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
INTRODUCTION
You will notice that I am wearing black vestments for today’s service. These represent the pulpit clothes of the typical preacher of the American Colonies in the eighteenth century. Whether Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican or Presbyterian, this was the way a pastor would address his congregation at the time of the American Revolution.
The black cassock and white collar represent the calling of the preacher to be a servant of the Lord and of His Word. The two white tabs on the collar represent the minister’s authority to proclaim that Word. The black, open Geneva gown, reminiscent of that worn by John Calvin and the Reformers of Geneva, Switzerland, stands for the office of teaching the Word of God.
I am not wearing these because I happen to be a history buff, but because it’s good for us to remember that part the Gospel of Jesus Christ played in our country’s fight for independence. Notice that every aspect of these vestments says something about a real commitment to the Word of God and obedience to our Lord Christ.
The British troops referred to the American preachers as, “the black regiment,” because of their black vestments, for they realized a major force inspiring support of the revolution came from the Protestant preachers of the Gospel of free Grace, the message of the Cross. John Adams called the voice of the American preachers “a great and thunderous voice.”
What was this connection that the founding fathers of our country saw between the Christian Gospel, specifically the Gospel as it was preached in the Evangelical Revival History has named “The Great Awakening,” and the thinking that led law-abiding Christians to take up arms against the most powerful empire on earth at the time?
I hope to show you some of that connection today, in the light of the glorious Gospel of salvation from sin and death in the message of our Lord’s death and resurrection.
FIRST, WE ALL NEED TO BE SET FREE FROM SIN AND ITS DEADLY EFFECTS.
J. C. Ryle, Bishop of Liverpool, wrote in 1869,
Wherein does the liberty of true Christians consist? –They are free from the guilt and consequences of sin by the blood of Christ. Justified, pardoned, forgiven, they can look forward boldly to the day of judgment, and cry, “Who shall lay anything to our charge? Who is he that condemeth?” – They are free from the power of sin by the grace of Christ’s Spirit. Sin no longer has dominion over them. –Liberty, like this, is the portion of all true Christians in the day that they flee to Christ by faith, and commit their souls to Him. That day they become free men. Liberty like this, is their portion forevermore. Death cannot stop it. The grave cannot even hold their bodies for more than a little season. Those whom Christ makes free are free to all eternity!
The Scriptures that teach these doctrines are many:
Romans 3:23-26 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
John 3:14-16   14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
So all mankind is under God’s just condemnation for sin, both actual committed sins and our sinful nature inherited from our first parents. But God did not leave us to perish in eternal hell, but sent His Son to die for us on the Cross; everyone who looks to Him in faith receives His righteousness and perfect record laid to his/her charge, and the sentence of eternal hell is paid in full by Jesus on the Cross. Our sin is atoned for, when we receive God’s gift by faith in Jesus Christ. The deadly fact of sin and guilt, the necessity of personal and individual conversion and the calm assurance of eternal life for all who receive the Lordship of Jesus Christ were all proclaimed with the Holy Spirit’s attending power by great preachers like George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley, who were joined by local preachers like Jonathan Edwards and Gilbert and William Tennant.
While believers are not left to go it alone, but are joined in communion with other believers in what the Bible calls the Church, yet each one becomes a Christian individually, by his/her own faith in receiving God’s promises and trusting Jesus for him/herself.
But how do we “look to Jesus by faith?” It is by believing the proclamation of the Gospel; that is, by hearing and trusting God’s promises in His Word:
Romans 10:17 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So the written, inscripturated Word is of tremendous importance! And since the printing press had been around for two hundred years and literacy was at a high level in the American colonies, folks could hear the preachers, read the Bible for themselves, and believe the promises. The individual experienced conversion; he wasn’t a Christian due to his being born into the right family or the right church, controlled by the state, but he was apprehended individually by Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in his own heart.
Philippians 3:10-12 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
This Gospel, and the personal apprehension of it by faith, empowered the sons and daughters of the Reformation every bit as much as it did the Christians of the first century. Those who sought to destroy the faith in Christ by bitter persecution only spread it further. By the written Word and bold preaching, the Gospel spread and continued to bear fruit. Banns on preaching meetings and Bible studies were ignored, as believers refused to be silent. They met in secret; they prayed in secret, and their Heavenly Father rewarded them openly.
Matthew 6:6   6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
SECOND, LET’S LOOK AT THE CONNECTION OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE TO THE IDEALS OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.
But what is the connection to the American War of Independence? I believe that to answer this question we need to understand three important aspects of the Gospel:
Christianity is not only a doctrine, it is also a vital experience; and even beyond that, it is a worldview.
If you imagine a large group of professing Christians in a room, probably all of them would have some idea of the teachings of the faith: they would give assent to the doctrine of Christianity.
But, if we’re talking about the experience of a living faith, that number would no doubt be smaller. It’s like the difference Jonathan Edwards made between the man who knows a lot about honey, how the bees make it, what its molecular composition is, etc, and the child who has simply tasted the honey. Nothing is wrong with knowing the facts about honey, but that intellectual knowledge does not substitute for the actual experience of honey’s sweetness.
The idea of Christianity as a worldview goes beyond experience, in that it’s the “conversion” of the practical intellect. The Christian who is able to see the implications of his faith as the lens through which he views the world is learning to see all of life from God’s point of view. There are lots of examples throughout Scripture of how grace is wrapped up in a worldview: for example, there’s God’s insistence on choosing the second-born or the youngest in a society that gave all or most of the inheritance to the first-born; or His choosing plain Leah over beauty-queen Rachel, etc, etc. (See Tim Keller’s sermon on Genesis 48:15-20).
1 Corinthians 1:27-31   27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
In short, the connection is this: once individuals grasped the freedom they had in belonging to Christ, once they bowed in submission to the Almighty and knew the joy of forgiven sins and acceptance as children of the Most High, they no longer feared the tyranny of man. They were willing to “walk by faith and not by sight,” 2 Corinthians 5:7.
Patrick Henry, in his most memorable speech, gave expression to this spirit:
“Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.”
“Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace– but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775).
On the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in 1837, John Quincy Adams delivered a stirring oration to the people of Newburyport, Massachusetts, in the pulpit once occupied by Jonathan Edwards:
“Friends and fellow citizens! I speak to you with the voice as of one risen from the dead. Were I now, as I shortly must be, cold in my grave, and could the sepulchre unbar its gates, and open to me a passage to this desk, devoted to the worship of almighty God, I would repeat the question with which this discourse was introduced: – Why are you assembled in this place? – And one of you would answer me for all, – Because the Declaration of Independence…proclaimed universal emancipation upon earth! … Freedom to the slave! Liberty to the captives! Redemption! Redemption forever to the race of man, from the yoke of oppression! It is not the work of a day; it is not the labor of an age; it is not the consummation of a century, that we are assembled to commemorate. It is the emancipation of our race. It is the emancipation of man from the thralldom of man!” (John Quincy Adams, An Oration, 1837).
Powerful and indeed, stirring words! The cause for which our forefathers fought in the War of Independence clearly followed upon the proclamation of a Gospel of free grace, freely proclaimed, and to all that would receive it, freedom from sin and death.
A Gospel that was proclaimed by preachers like George Whitefield to black slaves and freemen alike, that by its very offer to all who would believe, brought all men and women before the face of the Almighty, showed them their desperate need of a Savior and the only remedy for our common death-deserving sinfulness. A Gospel, which by its very nature destroys slavery of any kind and makes everyone equal before the throne of God. Our founding fathers understood these implications, and were moved to defy a king that placed himself above the law.
Bishop Jerry Ogles sent an email this past week from the AOC representative for Persecuted Christians, the Rev John Patterson. He enclosed an attached message about the plight of the poor people of North Korea. Bishop Jerry writes, “It is thought provoking and heart-breaking to see how these people’s every freedom is squashed by an evil leader bent on power. There may even be a civics lesson in it for Americans who seem to be headed in the same direction. Please pray that the walls will be destroyed so that the Gospel may be preached in that land, for where the Gospel is freely received, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
To return to the Oration of John Quincy Adams:
You are not here even to commemorate the mere … birthday of the Nation. You are here, to pause a moment and take breath, in the ceaseless and rapid race of time; – to look back and forward; –to turn your final reflections inward upon yourselves, and to say: – These are the glories of a generation past away, – what are the duties which they devolve upon us?
“The Declaration if Independence … explicitly unfolded the principles upon which their national association had … been formed. It was an association of mutual covenants. Every intelligent individual member (bound)their souls to a promise, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world … that they would for life and death be faithful members of that community, and bear true allegiance to that Sovereign (God), upon the principles set forth in that paper.”
Adams goes on to warn against a dangerous doctrine he saw as arising in the political thought of his day; he called it “a pernicious and fatal malignity.” This doctrine he defined as the idea, “that sovereignty is identical with unlimited and illimitable power.”
Having issued that warning, Adams proceeds to point out the authority deeper than the merely political: the sovereign authority conferred by the Declaration of Independence,
“could not dispense them, nor any individual citizen of them, from the fulfillment of all their moral obligations; for to these they were bound by the laws of Nature’s God, nor is there any power upon earth capable of granting absolution from them… The People, who assumed their equal and separate station among the powers of the earth by the laws of Nature’s God … by that very act acknowledged themselves bound to the observance of those laws, and could neither exercise nor confer any power inconsistent with them.”
Adams goes on to explain further:
”The Declaration of Independence … did not recognize, but implicitly denied, the unlimited nature of sovereignty. By the affirmation that the principal natural rights of mankind are unalienable, it placed them beyond the reach of organized human power; and by affirming that governments are instituted to secure them, and may and ought to be abolished if they become destructive of those ends, they made all government subordinate to the moral supremacy of the People.”
Adams hits the proverbial nail on the head, when he continues and says this Declaration of Independence,
“virtually disclaimed all power to do wrong. This was a novelty in the moral philosophy of nations, and it is the essential point of difference between the system of government announced in the Declaration of Independence, and those systems which had until then prevailed among men.”
He goes on to note, “the inconsistency of the institution of domestic slavery with the principles of the Declaration of Independence,” and declares that the founding fathers,
“ saw that before the principles of the Declaration of Independence, slavery, in common with every other mode of oppression, was destined sooner or later to be banished from the earth.”
There is much more in John Quincy Adams’s Oration that we could discuss, but this is enough to see that there was clearly an attitude that the nation was bound under the laws of God, and (although he may not say so clearly here, it was nevertheless generally assumed in his day) that those laws of God were known by divine revelation, that is, by reading the Bible.
THIRD, TRUE FREEDOM ONLY COMES FROM THE SON, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
It is essential that we grasp this point!
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
There is, however, a need for a warning against confusing the social and political improvement of this life with the freedom of those in Christ, close as that connection is, in a Christian context. All human writing is a mixture of truth and error, and this Oration, valuable and good though it is, is no exception.
The danger is, and I think I can detect it somewhat in Adams’s Oration, of the influence of the historical philosophical movement that originated in the eighteenth century known as “The Enlightenment.” There were many forms of that movement of thought, but the essence of it was to exalt human reason to virtually the same level of authority, in Christian circles, as Holy Scripture.
Any form of the hope of creating an earthly utopia is a counterfeit gospel, whether that utopia is conceived in terms of communism or something else.
This is not to say that as Christians, we should not take any part or interest in the affairs of our nation; on the contrary, the blessings of liberty have brought this country a prosperity that has not only given us a high standard of living, but has made possible a missionary outreach unprecedented in history. For that we must be deeply grateful to our sovereign God.
But we must always keep the biblical perspective. The bottom line is, that ultimately, it doesn’t really matter what kind of government the Lord, in His sovereign dispensing of the affairs of earth, ordains for us to live under – not, by any means to say that it’s a matter of indifference or not of our concern to make life the best it can be and to the best of our abilities – but (and here is the main point), God is the real Shepherd and Sustainer of His people, no matter what their lot in this life!
J. C. Ryle, Bishop of Liverpool, continued, in 1869 commented on John 8:36,
Liberty, most Englishmen know, is rightly esteemed one of the highest temporal blessings. Freedom from foreign dominion, a free constitution, free trade, a free press, civil and religious liberty, — what a world of meaning lies beneath these phrases! How many would sacrifice life and fortune to maintain the things which they represent!
Yet, after all our boasting, there are many so-called freemen who are nothing better than slaves. There are many who are totally ignorant of the highest, purest form of liberty. The noblest liberty is that which is the property of the true Christian. Those only are perfectly free people whom the Son of God makes free. All else will sooner or later be found slaves.
We may easily lose the right perspective if we loose sight of the first two properties of the Gospel: that is, if we forget that the worldview of grace only makes ultimate sense to someone who has believed the doctrine and has experienced the Gospel in his/her own life by faith!
There are political debates going on at present in our nation that reveal that many folks are either trying to maintain the worldview of the Founders, without understanding the connection to the Gospel, or else, trying to change that worldview, arguing that that worldview is inadequate for today’s needs (often under the name of Progressivism), because they explicitly reject the presuppositions of Christianity that provided the basis for that worldview. But very often, neither side recognizes that the necessary connection of the worldview written into our Constitution and Bill of Rights was derived from the doctrine and experience of Gospel-preaching Christianity.
When Benjamin Franklin was asked, by a woman in the crowd at the Constitutional Convention in 1788, “What kind of government have you given us? A republic or a monarchy?” He replied, “A republic…if you can keep it.”
Likewise, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Just as the life of any Christian is always a life characterized by repentance, because even the best of us sin throughout our lives; and “The Reformed Church is always reforming,” as John Calvin said, so any country’s political government that is self-consciously built upon principles derived from the Christian Gospel of God’s free grace, must fail, if the men charged with “keeping” it are, in their hearts, opposed to that Gospel doctrine and experience. If those who are entrusted with preserving the Constitution and the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence hold worldviews inimical to those documents, then we have “a house divided against itself,” which cannot stand, as our Lord said:
Matthew 12:25-26   25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
CONCLUSION
What will the future bring? Let us pray earnestly for our country, for it seems, if you really listen to the political debating that is currently going on, that we could be in real danger of losing our republic, and with it our liberty.
Perhaps this is the inevitable result of pluralism in society. Tolerance is a good thing, but tolerance is not defined as “anything goes,” or that anybody’s ideas are just as valid as anybody else’s. Tolerance is holding in respect any person as an equal before God, even those persons with whom you profoundly disagree. It’s OK to disagree, and there must always be free and open debate, but once the notion of absolute truth is abandoned, the way is open to dictatorship and tyranny.
But what if we do lose our freedoms? It is not surprising that Satan would oppose the free preaching of the Gospel, and in the past, has certainly used oppressive regimes to try to silence the Gospel. What if the forces of tyranny were to take over our nation sometime in the future? God forbid! May it never be! We do need to pray and work against that disaster with all the resources that our Lord puts in our hands! But, what if that were to happen? Our hope is not in our abilities or in acquiring political power, but in our Lord personally.
Let these Scriptures encourage your faith as we close:
Psalm 39:7   7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
Lamentations 3:24-26 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Psalm 124:8 – 125:1   Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Our hope is not in this earth. There’s no such place as Utopia, and there never will be. And if our hope is in an earthly Utopia, whether we call it America or Rome or anything else, it will disappoint us. Every counterfeit god will always let you down. When the Roman Empire fell, many thought all civilization and order was to vanish from the earth. There were indeed times of chaos and distress; but the LORD was the hope of believers during the fear, superstition and ignorance of the (so-called) Dark Ages, and He will be the sure and certain hope for us, no matter what happens.
Psalm 46:1-2   God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
Our Lord Jesus reigns! Hallelujah!

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AMEN.
David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia. 7/4/2010.

GRACE IN EVERYDAY REALITY, A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday After Trinity,

dave — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:08:02 +0000

GRACE IN EVERYDAY REALITY, A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday After Trinity,
June 27, 2010, by David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia.
Luke 6:30-36 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
INTRODUCTION
Philip Ryken, in his masterful commentary on Luke’s Gospel, calls it “the Gospel of knowing for sure.” A good sub-title, for Saint Luke did all his careful investigative reporting to make sure his reader might, “know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed” (Luke 1:4). You and I are in the same place as Luke’s ancient friend, Theophilus; we are brought to this Gospel to have our faith confirmed, to know Jesus for sure and to be thrilled with the knowledge of the Almighty made known by Him.
Today’s lesson is from the same or similar sermon as Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). It could be a different summary of that sermon recorded by Matthew, but I think it’s more likely that it represents the same basic material delivered on two separate occasions. Matthew mentions the “mount” to draw a connection to Mount Sinai, to show to his Jewish readers the parallel between Jesus’ speaking the law of the Kingdom and God speaking the Ten Commandments and Israel’s covenant laws from the heights of Sinai. Luke, on the other hand, tells us it was delivered at “a level place,” and does not emphasize that parallel (possibly because his readers are primarily Gentile, and that connection would not be as obvious), but rather, Luke is emphasizing the sheer personal and divine authority of Jesus’ words in themselves. It’s like Luke is presenting Jesus’ words for the purpose of eliciting from us the same reaction John records, in John 7:40-47, that the officers sent to arrest Jesus returned with the exclamation: “Never man spake like this man.”
“They could not help perceiving the utter difference between Jesus and all other teachers. His words were uniquely original, full of authority and perplexingly deep in content.”                       (Norval Geldenhuys, in his commentary on Luke).
This is so, by virtue of the words themselves, not due to any associations with any other literature, even the Old Testament. Matthew makes the connection with Sinai, not for validation, but to demonstrate that Jesus spoke with the same authority as the LORD God on top of the mountain. Luke leaves out the Old Testament connection because he wants us to sense the original, inherent authority of Jesus, for He speaks as the LORD God come in human flesh.
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTION EASILY MISUNDERSTOOD
What are we to make of our Lord’s words here? Jesus is expounding what He meant by “taking up your cross” in order to follow Him.
Luke 9:23-24   23 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. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
But what does this actually mean? How are we to follow Jesus, specifically when we are faced with injustice or mistreatment? Recently the President of the United States quipped that if we really believed the Bible at this point, we would disband the Department Defence. Some Christian denominations have made it a point of faith that believers are never to even defend themselves or take up arms to defend the country. But are these misunderstandings? I believe they are.
Luke 6:29   29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
How do we see this instruction worked out in real life? Let’s look at John 18:22-23
22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?
Here, when our Lord was struck on the cheek, He did not simply accept it and turn the other; instead He called the man to account on the basis of the truth. Jesus registers a protest. What’s the answer? Why does Jesus not apparently obey His own instruction?
Another example also seems to contradict this instruction:
Acts 16:36-38   36 And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. 37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. 38 And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.
The answer to these apparent contradictions is that we easily misunderstand Jesus’ words; He is expressing a principle that we are, as members of His Kingdom and followers of Him, to live by. That principle is GRACE. But not “grace” on anybody’s definition; the grace of God is not grace disconnected from justice and truth. It is not what Bonhoeffer called, “cheap grace.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones said it well:
“How do we reconcile these things? Our Lord here in the Sermon on the Mount seems to be saying that invariably you must turn the other cheek, or if ever you are sued for your coat you must throw in your cloak as well. But He himself, when He is smitten on the face, does not turn the other cheek, but registers a protest. And the Apostle Paul insisted upon the magistrate coming down to release him. If we accept the original principle, there is no difficulty at all in reconciling these two sets of statements. It can be done this way. These instances are not examples or illustrations of either our Lord or the apostle insisting upon personal rights. What our Lord did was to rebuke the breaking of the law, and His protest was made in order to uphold the law. .. He did not say, “Why do you insult me?” He did not lose His temper or take it as a personal affront. .. But He was concerned to remind these men of the dignity and honor of the law. And the apostle Paul did exactly the same thing.”
This brings us to our second point:
WE ALWAYS NEED TO DISCERN THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE – IN LIGHT OF THE WHOLE OF SCRIPTURE.
As Christians, we are never to be concerned about personal insults and personal defense of our pride and egos. But we must be concerned to defend the law that ultimately derives from God and is an expression of His character. When we are involved in a matter of honor, justice, righteousness and truth, we must not be silent.
We are called to act as followers of our Lord, not out of any personal interest, out of a spirit of retaliation for a personal affront.
There’s a good example of what our Lord is speaking against back in Genesis, in the age before the Flood (and an example of what led to the Flood):
Genesis 4:23-26   23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Here is a Lamech, who retaliates in kind and boasts that he has killed a man for wounding him. It’s like the code of ethics one finds in prison. The world is so dangerous, only fear and intimidation will protect you from attack. If someone treats you badly, you must put him in his place, if you want to be safe.
This is the spirit our Lord is speaking against; this is the spirit of retaliation for personal affront that is contrary to the grace of the Gospel, contrary to the spirit of our Lord who prayed for His crucifiers. This is not to deny that sin is sin, or even that its wages are indeed death – eternal death. But it is to live out of the extraordinary grace of the Cross, the message of Gospel grace. This is the message of the Cross.
Isaiah 53:3-6 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE THE SAME WAY GOD LOVES.
Luke 6:35-36 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
God showed this amazing love in sending His only Son to die for the very people who had rebelled against Him and indeed, hated Him. This is the extraordinary message of Gospel grace, that we are redeemed without deserving; we are brought from darkness and the just sentence of eternal death by the substitutionary death of the perfect Son of God, the just dying for the unjust.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – 6:1   21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Here’s so much in this passage that we cannot expound it all today, but look at Luke 6:39-40
39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
Here is out third point:
WE NEED, AS GOSPEL-DRIVEN PEOPLE, TO CAREFULLY CHOOSE WHO WE WILL FOLLOW AS OUR GUIDES, OUR TEACHERS.
Yes, we follow Jesus, but we also must have earthly human teachers, who help us understand the Word of God and guide us in applying it to our lives. Such people are not going to be fallible – and we have often stated that the fallibility of the Church is a cardinal point that we must never loose sight of – but it is imperative that we demand teachers who truly understand and can expound and apply in practical ways, THE GOSPEL.
This is not easy. I have heard good, evangelical preachers on the radio who truly preach salvation by grace, apart from works for entry into God’s Kingdom, but they always seem to slip back into legalism when they come to sanctification. As if we are justified by grace, but then perfected and grow in holiness by our own effort! This is very subtle. But grace is not just a principle that gets us in the door; it is the all-pervasive principle controlling all of the Christian life.
Any teacher of God’s people who is preaching the law instead of grace for the living of the Christian life is a “blind guide,” and he is failing to proclaim the message of the Cross in its fullness. This is why repentance and faith never go out of style in the Christian life. This is why our greatest need before we are Christians is the Gospel, but also the same is true after we become Christians! There is never any room for human effort; it’s all by faith.
But what about discipline? What is the place of human effort? We are not just to sit around and be lazy. No indeed; we must pray and work, but our effort does not arise from the motive of self-advancement and achievement; rather it arises out of gratitude and our apprehension of God’s love, His free, unmerited grace.
Philippians 3:13-17   13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Saint Paul calls us to follow his example, but not to lay a burden upon us, but to show us the way to follow our Lord. It all comes down to the state of our hearts. If we have been transformed by the Spirit of God, then it will be our heart’s desire to follow and please our Lord by obeying Him, not out of fear, but because we love Him.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
The Christian life can be compared to a warfare or an athletic contest, but it’s one in which we can say, with Eric Liddel, “When I run, I feel His pleasure!”
Blind guides miss this. They might preach moralism; they might preach license, as if “grace” meant that “anything goes,” and we cannot disallow any kind of behavior as unbecoming a Christian.
The blind guides miss grace, and so they also miss the essential matter of repentance. What judgment they do, is not preceded by a repentant heart, and so they are in the ludicrous position of trying to remove your splinter that’s in your eye, while they are carrying a log in their own (no wonder they are blind!). But the warning is made personal: Jesus puts YOU into the story: for we all have this tendency. We all see the issue as “my splinter, but your log!”
This is where the principle of grace calls you and me back to the cross; we must never wander far from that dear Cross! When MY heart and actions are controlled by the grace-principle, then I will be repenting, removing the log from my own eye, before I try to remove the speck from another’s. We must be careful who we follow, and be careful how we lead!
The practical application of all this is to follow Jesus by faith. And always read and find all we need to know about following Jesus in His Holy Word, the Bible.
Amen.
David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, June 27, 2010.

LUKE 15:1- 10, THE LOST SHEEP AND THE LOST COIN. A Sermon for the Third Sunday After Trinity, by David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC

dave — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:54:20 +0000

LUKE 15:1- 10, THE LOST SHEEP AND THE LOST COIN. A Sermon for the Third Sunday After Trinity, by David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC
Luke 15:1-10 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
INTRODUCTION
These two parables form a trilogy with the parable of the prodigal sons which follows. Notice that the value of what is lost increases with each parable: the sheep is worth something to the shepherd, even though he has ninety-nine others; the silver coin could buy many sheep, and the two lost sons (both the one who left physically and the son who stayed home were equally lost!) are of the greatest worth.
But, having said that, notice that the parables are not about the value of the lost ones; they are about the diligence and love of the one doing the seeking. The shepherd had ninety-nine other sheep; he could tolerate loosing one, couldn’t he? The woman who lost the coin – she still had nine; it’s not like it was the last one she had. Yet the owners expend a great deal of effort to find these lost things.
By asking, “What man of you…?” our Lord seems to imply that any one of us could identify with the shepherd and the woman. I know that if I can’t find a particular book, I can sometimes search for an hour or more, not because the book is so valuable or indispensible (after all, I could probably google the information or quote I wanted the book for); rather it’s acquired a value to me, call it stubbornness or perhaps pride, but I want the satisfaction of finding it. So the value of these things may not really be so much in the things themselves as in the seeker’s attitude toward them.
Before we look at these more closely, just a word about parables themselves. As you might guess, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about parables since I’ve been following the discipline of preaching through the Gospel readings each week from the prayerbook. Parables have been defined for Sunday School students as, “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” That’s not bad, if its words are defined correctly, but there’s a lot that should be added to that. C.S. Lewis once said, “sometimes fantasy says best what needs to be said.” Parables are not fantasy, but they are stories that integrate reality. They make the truth clear by tying things together. Sometimes that makes the truth clearer, somewhat like an illustration (but parables are not mere illustrations), but sometimes they make the truth harder to see, for those who’s heart attitude is not right. Jesus spoke to this odd purpose in Matthew 13:10-13 :
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Parables sometimes do an end run around our prejudices, making us see things our pride or prejudice would blind us to. We see this in Scripture, as when the LORD speaks to pagan kings, like Pharaoh of Egypt and Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Genesis 41:15 ff and Daniel 2:1 ff). The Prophet Nathan used a parable to get to the heart of King David with a very sensitive subject (2 Samuel 12:1-13).
Our Lord is here using these parables to do much the same thing as Nathan did with David; He is delivering integrated truth in a form that makes it unmistakenly clear to anyone with the ears to hear.
LOOK AT THE TRIGGER THAT CALLED FORTH THESE PARABLES
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
The Pharisees complained that Jesus received, that is, He welcomed those known as sinners. And that wasn’t all; He extended that welcome to sitting down to eat with them. This was sharing fellowship with them, treating them with respect, as if they were respectable members of society.
We should notice, though, that this did not imply any approval of sin in any way, shape or form; He wasn’t just joining with them, as if their lifestyles did not need to change. They “drew near to hear Him;” as He spoke of God’s forgiving grace and held out the glory of fellowship with the Father, the sinners found themselves drawn to Him. They may have been hiding from God and from self-righteous, self-appointed representatives of God, but they found that they were irresistibly attracted to the Savior who came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
This profound seeking is nowhere better expressed, perhaps, than in Francis Thompson’s (1859-1907)poem, The Hound of Heaven. It’s too long to read this morning in its entirety, but these excerpts will be enough to feel the mood of it:
1. I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
2. I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
3. I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
4.    Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
5. I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
6.             Up vistaed hopes I sped;
7.             And shot, precipitated,
8. Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
9. From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
10.
11.            But with unhurrying chase,
12.            And unperturbéd pace,
13.        Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
14.            They beat—and a Voice beat
15.            More instant than the Feet—
16.
17.        “All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”
18.
19.     Fear wist not to evade as Love wist to pursue.
20.             Still with unhurrying chase,
21.             And unperturbéd pace,
22.         Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
23.             Came on the following Feet,
24.             And a Voice above their beat—
25.
26.         “Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me.”
27.
28.                 Now of that long pursuit
29.                 Comes on at hand the bruit;
30.             That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:
31.
32.                “And is thy earth so marred,
33.                 Shattered in shard on shard?
34.             Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!
35.             Strange, piteous, futile thing!
36. Wherefore should any set thee love apart?
37. Seeing none but I makes much of naught” (He said),
38. “And human love needs human meriting:
39.             How hast thou merited—
40. Of all man’s clotted clay the dingiest clot?
41.             Alack, thou knowest not
42. How little worthy of any love thou art!
43. Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
44.             Save Me, save only Me?
45. All which I took from thee I did but take,
46.             Not for thy harms,
47. But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.
48.             All which thy child’s mistake
49. Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
50.             Rise, clasp My hand, and come!”
51.
52.     Halts by me that footfall:
53.     Is my gloom, after all,
54. Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?
55.
56.     “Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
57.     I am He Whom thou seekest!
           Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.”

In the spirit of this poem you can catch the sense of the phrase I’ve often quoted: “Cheer up! You’re a much worse sinner than you think you are, but Christ is a far greater Savior than you could ever dare imagine!” (Dr. C. John Miller). It also embodies what C.S. Lewis meant when he said that, as an atheist, whenever he heard anyone speak of “man’s search for God.” He would cringe, for to him, they might as well have spoken of “the mouse’s search for the cat!”
THE LOST SHEEP
Probably none of us grew up on a farm, or had much to do with sheep. So we are all inclined to think of sheep as cute little cuddly things, that when they wander off and get lost, they are terrified and just sort of sit in fear, hoping their shepherd will come and rescue them. When the shepherd does find them, we might imagine that the little sheep is so grateful, that he’s just so glad to see the shepherd, that it’s sheer delight to be hoisted up on the shepherd’s shoulders and carried the way a father carries his little child on his shoulders, enjoying every minute of the fun ride. Right?
Wrong! We need to wipe that sentimentalized image right out of our minds! That’s not what our Lord is describing here. W. Philip Keller, a professional shepherd who wrote books about the Scriptural lessons to be learned from shepherding, explains what the shepherd finding a lost sheep would really be like.
Keller says that when a shepherd finds a lost sheep, the sheep darts to and fro, trying not to be caught. Sheep, in case you didn’t know, are really stupid creatures. They could not survive in the wild, but would die of starvation, thirst or be eaten by wild animals without the watchful care of the shepherd. So the lost sheep does not want to be found; he doesn’t know what’s good for him!
In order to retrieve the lost sheep, the shepherd has to do some pretty hard work; he has to catch the sheep and then throw him to the ground! He has to tie up his front legs and his back legs, so he can’t run away again. Then, to get him back to the fold, he has to lift him onto his shoulders, because that’s about the only way he could carry the sheep back through the fields and terrain to get him home. It’s not a fun thing! But it’s what the shepherd knows he has to do, if he wants to bring back his lost sheep. That’s real love!
THE LOST COIN
Like the shepherd, the woman expends a great deal of effort and trouble in searching for her lost coin. Unlike the sheep, there’s no living thing involved to elicit the seeker’s love (despite the stupidity of the sheep, the shepherd still loves them), but the value is in the lost thing itself. But the coin only has value if it is in the woman’s possession. As long as it is lost, it might as well be just another piece of dirt in the corner of the house. Only if it’s found can it live up to its potential and be used for good.
THE CELEBRATION
Notice the extravagant celebrating common to all three of these parables! In each case, the finding of what was lost occasions a rather great party, inviting friends and neighbors to celebrate. And in these first two parables, the analogy is drawn by our Lord between these over-the-top earthly celebrations and the celebrating of the angels in heaven over one sinner that repents.
The first thing we may learn from this is that God delights in saving sinners!
The Almighty takes pleasure in even one sinner that repents.
Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Second, we learn that there is great joy and pleasure to be in God’s presence and in a right relationship with Him.
What a welcome this parable pictures for the returning sinner. And this message is not just for non-Christians; it’s for each of us, for repentance is a way of life, not just something we do once.
Third, we do well to think often of the great cost to God of our salvation.
A Quaker family lived in Pennsylvania. Against the father’s wishes, the son Jonathan ran off and enlisted in the cause of the North during the Civil War. Time passed and no word from Jonathan. One night the father had a dream that his son had been wounded in action, was in distress, and needed the care of a father. So the father left the farm, and discovered where the troops might be. He made his way to the scene of action. He asked the commander about his son. The commander replied that there had been heavy action earlier in the day and many had fallen wounded. Some had been cared for, but others were still left out in the trenches. But he gave permission to the father to go and try to find his son. It was now about dark, so the father lit a lantern, and the light fell across the wounded young men, some calling for help, many too seriously wounded to cry for assistance. The task seemed impossible. How could he find his son among all those wounded and dying? He devised a little plan. Methodically he swept back and forth across the battlefield but that wasn’t fruitful. As he stumbled over body after body he almost despaired. Then he began calling loudly, “Jonathan Smythe, thy father seeketh after thee.” Then he would walk a little way and call again, “Jonathan Smythe, thy father seeketh after thee.” A groan could be heard here and there. More than one soldier said, “I wish that were my father.” He kept diligently at his search. Then he heard a very faint, barely audible reply, “Father, over here.” And then, “I knew you would find me.”
“Think much of the Savior’s suffering for you on that dreadful cross, think much of your sin that provoked such suffering, and then enter by faith into the love that took away your sin and guilt, and then give your work your best.” (C. John Miller, The Heart of a Servant Leader (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2004), 22).
Psalm 16:11   11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Fourth, remember that the Shepherd carried the sheep home on His shoulders.
Remember, that means the sheep was tied up! Sometimes the LORD deals with us in “tough love,” for our own good. Sometimes the props need to be knocked out from under us, that we might learn to trust our Lord alone, for that’s where our true happiness is to be found. Think of the wisdom Francis Thompson wrote into his Hound of Heaven:
1. All which I took from thee I did but take,
2.             Not for thy harms,
3. But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.
4.             All which thy child’s mistake
5. Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
6.             Rise, clasp My hand, and come!”

Mark 10:28-30 8 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Joel 2:23-25 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
The bottom line is that if we have the LORD, we have everything. Sometimes the Good Shepherd appears to fight against us to teach us that, but the truth is, He alone is our all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
AMEN!
David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, June 20, 2010

LUKE 14:15-24. THE GREAT SUPPER, A Sermon for the Second Sunday after Trinity

dave — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:51:05 +0000

LUKE 14:15-24. THE GREAT SUPPER, A Sermon for the Second Sunday after Trinity
By David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia
Luke 14:15-24   15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. 16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
INTRODUCTION
This parable is told by our Lord as He was present at a dinner in the home of a Pharisee. In those days, the townspeople would also attend a banquet like this, to be seated around the walls of the room or perhaps the inner courtyard, to listen and learn from the conversation of the invited guests. Jesus would especially draw the interest of the people, and their presence also explains the healing that is recorded in Luke 14:1-2 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
Jesus uses the context of the meal to teach about seeking the best seats at such a gathering (verses 7-11) and about gracious generosity (vss. 12-14).
JESUS PICTURES THE KINGDOM OF GOD AS A GREAT SUPPER
Our Lord uses the present occasion to call the guests (and the listening townspeople) to reflect on the nature of the Kingdom of God. One of the guests came out with an exclamation in response to what Jesus has said in verses 12-14:
Luke 14:15, And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
It’s impossible to say whether this is just a pious statement or an attempt to end the conversation and change the subject, but Jesus uses the occasion of this exclamation to tell this parable.
In the context of verse 15, the “certain man” is God, and the “great supper” is the Kingdom of God. No doubt all the guests in the Pharisee’s house, educated in Old Testament imagery, would have understood this. The image is one of celebration, well-being, friendship, abundance, love, welcoming and hospitality.
BUT THE REPONSE OF THE INVITED GUESTS IS JARRING!
This seems to be the supper nobody wanted! The invited guests all declined to come, something that just wasn’t done in polite society in those days!
The excuses would have sounded somewhat familiar to those Jews well taught in the Old Testament; they in fact mirror the biblical exemptions from military service in ancient Israel, as she was about to enter the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 20:1-8 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6 And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it. 7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.
The excuses the invited men use are almost identical to those permitted by the Lord in Deuteronomy 20:1-8 as exemptions from military service. Why would anyone appeal to the military exemptions to get out of attending a banquet, of all things!
What’s wrong with this picture? The temporary exemptions in Deuteronomy are there because military service meant fighting the enemies of Israel in the land, and a man might be killed. So these exemptions were a kindness, to permit an enjoyment of ordinary life, before one would have to fight in a battle. But why use these excuses to stay away from a banquet? What is there in this great supper that needs to be avoided at all costs?
What’s so terrible about this great supper? Why are the invited guests trying to avoid coming? Let Jesus tell us Himself; He does, in the following verses;
Luke 14:25-33   25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And 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.
Notice especially verse 33: to be His disciple will cost you everything! You get invited to a free banquet, but to get in, you will have to forsake your prideful self-righteousness, all claim you have to deserving anything; it means having Jesus and the salvation He has won on the Cross is worth everything! You must die to yourself, if you would truly live! And dying is not an easy thing; but it is necessary for the transformation to fit us for the kingdom of God. This is why the Cross is central to the Gospel.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Jesus can command this kind of total allegiance because He is God in the flesh. Only He is worthy of such total commitment. King David, himself a type of Jesus, was once offered this kind of total commitment on the part of three of his faithful men:
2 Samuel 23:14-17 14 And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! 16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD. 17 And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
David refused to accept the honor; because he had the right perspective, he refused to put himself in the place only God should occupy. Instead, he turned the honor back to the LORD, where it belonged, pouring out the water as a drink offering to God.
But Jesus is infinitely greater than David. If we serve Him, we may and indeed, should, offer to Jesus our very life’s blood in grateful service. But we can only do this, if we understand and are gripped by what He has done for us! That’s why we must stand before the Cross.
IN SPITE OF SUCH TEACHING ABOUT THE CROSS,
THE REPLACEMENT GUESTS ARE GLAD TO COME!
Notice in Luke 15:1, the publicans (hated tax-collectors) and sinners all draw near to Him. Why did they come to hear more, and want to stay and follow Him, while the self-righteous Pharisees come up with excuses to stay away? The ultimate answer is that giving up on your own self-righteousness is the only way into the banquet! These poor folks have counted the cost, at least in principle at this point, and are still willing to follow Jesus.
Why? Because they sense deep down in their psyches that this is the only true answer! And what’s the question? What can wash away my sin? “Can a man who has killed twelve men in the arena ever hope to sleep at night? (from the movie, Demetrius and the Gladiators).
The self-righteous have too much to loose, and they think they don’t have that desperate need of God. To cite C. S. Lewis’ imagery, they are like children playing with mud-pies in a slum and want to stay there, because they cannot imagine what is meant by a holiday at the sea!
The Pharisees want, at all costs, to preserve their self-righteousness, and because of that, they are willfully blinded to the splendor and glory of God’s kingdom. Like the monkey who is caught because he can’t bring himself to open his fist and let go of the nut inside the narrow-necked jar, they will not admit they are sinners.
But we must be careful to judge the Pharisees! We need to follow the example, not of the Pharisees, but of the publicans and sinners. We need to admit to ourselves and to God, that we are recovering Pharisees!
We need to remember two things about the message of the Cross, that is, the Gospel (and I have never heard this stated better than by Tim Keller): first, there is the result of the Cross (costly forgiveness of sins) and secondly, the pattern of the Cross (reversal of the world’s values). Says Keller,
“On the cross neither justice nor mercy loses out—both are fulfilled at once. Jesus’ death was necessary if God is going to take justice seriously and still love us. This same concern for both love and justice should mark all our relationships. We should never acquiesce in injustice. Jesus identified with the oppressed. Yet we should not try to overcome evil with evil. Jesus forgave his enemies and died for them.”
First, let’s look for a moment at the result of the Cross.
R.C. Sproul has made the distinction between conversion or revival, in which an individual is transformed by the Spirit of God, and reformation, in which society, the marketplace, the culture of the arts and world-views are transformed.
Revival may happen to a non-Christian, or to a nominal believer who attends church but is not living up to his profession, or the real believer who is essentially asleep, living at ease with sin and content with a luke-warm relationship with God. Such folks need to be awakened and revived (hence the term “revival”).
Look into the world of literature: Tim Keller wrote, “The stories that always seem to move us most deeply are those in which someone faces irremediable loss or death in order to bring life to someone else. There is almost no popular movie, for example, that doesn’t make this its main theme.” Vern Poythress once said, “The only real story is redemption.”
But what is so captivating about the Gospel, is that it is not just a moving fictional story; it’s not something we merely view from a safe distance and sit back and admire. It is a true, immeasurably true, story about us. Ultimately, it’s all tied in with the profound affirmation of the Apostle John: 1 John 4:8 …God is love. The Gospel story is one of profound self-sacrificing love, not of a very good person, but of the Son of God, God Himself in the flesh, for us!
It’s the reality of our sin and the desperate necessity of the transformation of our in-born sinful nature that necessitates the Cross.
But our sinful nature fights to stay alive; this is why becoming a Christian involves a death. We are called by Jesus, to “take up our cross” and follow Him.
This is why the Cross is not only at the center of what God has done for us, but it’s at the center of the life we are called to live as disciples.
But the second part of the message of the cross is the pattern it causes those who have had their hearts transformed to implement into their everyday lives.
The upside-down pattern of the Cross creates an alternate kingdom, an “alternate reality,” if you will, a reversal of the values of the world, a reversal which the world and those with worldly ways of thinking resist with all that is in them. The new counterculture of the Gospel is one in which sex, money and power cease to control people, and we are set free to use these things in life-giving, community-building ways, instead of the destructive and manipulative ways that come so naturally to our sinful nature. (See Tim Keller’s book, The Reason for God).
Christians have, throughout history, often adopted two ways of dealing with the world: one way is to essentially withdraw from it. This would be the way of asceticism; the monks and nuns of the Middle Ages would be an example of this. There are Christians today who have no interest in the surrounding culture, in changing or influencing it, as long as they are left alone to practice their faith as they believe. The problem with such an attitude, is that Satan is not leaving the culture alone, and the time may well come when Christians are once again persecuted for their beliefs, because those in power see their ideas of the worth of the individual as a threat.
The other way Christians have often dealt with the world is to embrace it to the extent that, in everyday life, Christians are virtually indistinguishable from the pagan society around them. Francis Schaeffer predicted that the “pursuit of personal peace and prosperity” would soon become the controlling mindset of our culture, as well as of the church! Individuals would then be willing to give up their freedoms, in exchange for security granted by those in power. This was too often the mindset of professing Christians under the Nazis, who declined to protest, as long as no one was bothering them. The problem came when the ruling powers did come to bother them, there was no one left to protest!
I remember an issue of Eternity magazine, back in the 70’s that featured articles about Christians in business. The picture on the cover showed a Christian grocery store owner (known by the Christian slogan labels on his cash register), weighing meat on his scale, a big smile on his face and his thumb on the scale! Amusing! But the humor has a bite to it, because there’s truth to its message. The very idea that we can profess commitment to Christ and His Cross in our hearts and live lives lacking in integrity in our daily work is an abomination, yet it happens! Ravi Zacharias recently held a seminar at the Fox Theater about “Christians who have been hurt by other Christians.” I understand it was well attended!
But the way of the Cross is a third alternative!
We are not called to an ascetic life of self-denial, nor are we called to a worldly life of pursuing pleasure, even legitimate, un-sinful pleasure, but one of self-giving love, in imitation of, and in gratitude for, our glorious King and Savior. Such a life of a disciple is one of immense pleasures and joys that can be found only in our Lord and God.
This is not a call to honesty in business and integrity in relationships so we can feel better about ourselves, or become proud of our self-righteousness. But it is a call to work out the implications of the Gospel message of free grace, the message of the Cross, in all our dealings, in business, politics, inter-personal relationships, or any other area our lives touch. It is a call to live a life of repentance, to be ever alert to what the Bible calls sin in our lives, and the willingness to crucify it! To put it to death by confessing it to our Lord, who took our sins on His own shoulders to the Cross, in short, to take up our cross and be His disciple! And whatever the cost, it is well worth it!
Jack Miller calls us to enter by faith into Christ’s love:
“Think much of the Savior’s suffering for you on that dreadful cross, think much of your sin that provoked such suffering, and then enter by faith into the love that took away your sin and guilt, and then give your work your best.”
- C. John Miller, The Heart of a Servant Leader (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2004), 22.
Psalm 16:11   11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
AMEN!
David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia. June 13, 2010.

LUKE 16:19-31, THE RICH MAN AND POOR LAZARUS, A Sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity June 6, 2010, by David J. Miller, Vicar

dave — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:55:21 +0000

LUKE 16:19-31, THE RICH MAN AND POOR LAZARUS, A Sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity June 6, 2010, by David J. Miller, Vicar
Luke 16:29-31   29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
INTRODUCTION
This parable is unique among our Lord’s parables for two reasons: it actually names two of the characters in the story, and it gives us a glimpse into how an unconverted person thinks after death (which is a very sobering concept!). The fact that a person is actually named indicates that this is more than a fictional story; this story mast likely reflects a real-life incident known to our Lord. At the same time, it is told as a parable, and so it is a teaching device, meant to convey one main point as did all the parables.
There’s another point regarding the name Lazarus: the rich man asks that Lazarus return from the dead to convince his brothers to repent, but there was another Lazarus, the man of Bethany, brother to Mary and Martha, who actually did return from the dead, but the hard-hearted Pharisees still refused to believe in Jesus.
It is always instructive to check the last few lines of any of our Lord’s parables because it’s there that we find the main point, the teaching or doctrine that all the details of the parable is moving towards. Here, Jesus is calling attention to the refusal of the Pharisees to pay vital attention to Holy Scripture.
This is good news. We don’t need a miraculous sign to confirm God’s Word: He has already given that in our Lord’s resurrection.
A MESSAGE FOR THE PHARISEES (AND ANY OF US WHO ARE RECOVERING PHARISEES!):
Don’t let your familiarity with Scripture breed contempt. If there was one thing the Pharisees “knew,” or thought they knew, it was Holy Scripture. The problem was, they thought they had mastered it. But they had it backwards; it was supposed to master them.
THE SCRIPTURES ARE THE KEY:
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Here is the heart of today’s message, and I want to make just three points. First, the phrase,“Moses and the Prophets,” is shorthand for the whole of Scripture. Second, the Scriptures contain all we need for life, godliness and faith leading to eternal salvation. Third, miracles alone are insufficient to kindle faith. Underlying all three points is the essential working of the Holy Spirit, without which no one will believe and be saved.
First, The phrase “Moses and the Prophets” stands for the whole of Scripture. This probably sounds like a “truism.” That is, something that’s as plain as the nose on your face; it appears so obvious, you don’t even need to state it.
But there’s a lot more to this phrase than first meets the eye (or ear!). God spoke to Moses directly; this was such a significant fact that it made Moses unique among all the Old Testament figures and a type of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 34:10   10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.
Deuteronomy 18:18-19   18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
We need to appreciate the uniqueness of both Moses and the prophets. Both were vehicles/agents of revelation. This is what’s so amazing; God spoke to men! God communicated not only His words, but in those words, He revealed Himself! To hear “Moses and the prophets” is a tremendous privilege; by them we may come into the presence of the Living God! To even have access to such divine revelation is a tremendous privilege.
The fact that these brothers would disparage that revelation is an indication that they only want God on their own terms. The British atheist-philosopher Aldous Huxley once was asked what he would say if he died and found there really was a God after all. He replied, “I would say that He never gave us enough evidence to believe in Him.” The evidence is all around us! But Huxley retained the right to define what “evidence” he would accept, that is, only what met his personal definition would be allowed.
The written Word of God is a vehicle of revelation, just like the living prophets were. As we read the Scriptures, we might as well be listening to Moses or Jeremiah in the flesh! And the same is true of our Lord Jesus! He is the living Word of God!
Second, All you need is found there. Robert Fullum wrote a book entitled, All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. We could paraphrase that title, “All I ever really need to know about God, myself and salvation, I learn from the Bible.”
But we’re not just talking about intellectual “head” knowledge; in the Bible, God Himself speaks, and our attitude towards His written Word reflects our attitude towards God Himself!
An Anglican priest, Chuck Bradshaw once wrote about the idea that Scripture, tradition and reason are the basis of Anglican theological thinking:
On what basis do people refer to the three-legged stool as somehow foundational for us Anglicans? You won’t find it explicitly spelled out in the Bible, or in the collection of “Historical Documents” in the fine print at the back of the Prayer Book. The alleged source of the three-legged stool is the Rev. Richard Hooker (1554-1600), an Oxford University scholar who wrote the first 5 volumes of The Lawes of Ecclesiastical Polity between 1594 and 1597.
Bradshaw wisely calls this image into question, in the reflective essay just quoted:
If you are a member or prospective member of the Episcopal Church, someone at some point is going to tell you about the “Three-Legged Stool” of scripture, reason, and tradition, as a way of describing the Anglican ethos. The image of a stool with three equal legs is an appealing picture of something perfectly balanced. But, at the risk of being called un-Anglican, I have some objections, or at least questions, about the way we use the term “three-legged stool,” especially if it is intended to present scripture, reason, and tradition as three equally authoritative, and possibly independent, sources of revelation; or as if by consulting reason and tradition we might overrule scripture.
Third, Miracles won’t take the place of Scripture.
MIRACLES ARE NOT THE KEY TO FAITH: THEY AUTHENTICATE THE FACTS, BUT DO NOT CHANGE HEARTS.
Another Lazarus did rise from the dead, as did Jesus Himself, yet many still did not believe. My wife has quoted something she heard from a wise high school teacher: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” The idea is that if you don’t want to be convinced, that is, if you do not want to really embrace the truth, but are only looking to support what you want to believe, you will not be open to the evidence.
From the rich man’s perspective in hell, the return of Lazarus from the dead would be more than enough to bring his brothers to repentance. But Abraham says differently; their attitude of unbelief towards Scripture would only carry over to their reaction to a resurrection miracle. And in fact, we see that very reaction in the Gospel story:
John 11:45-47 5 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
John 12:9-10 9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death.
Reliable early Church tradition tells us that Lazarus found out about the plot and was able to escape from Judea, ultimately dying as a martyr while preaching the Gospel in Gaul (modern France).
After Jesus’ resurrection, the chief priests and elders still refused to believe. In their blindness they tried a cover-up, rather than change their attitude towards Jesus:
Matthew 28:11-15 11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
So we see the truth of Abraham’s words to the rich man in hell.
APPLICATION
Notice that the rich man knew immediately that he needed a savior. The first thing he asks of Father Abraham is that Lazarus might cool his tongue with his finger dipped in cool water. A minor request, but even such minimal relief would be significant in the midst of his torment. But Jesus is the Savior he really needed, but as he had rejected God written Word all his life, so he had also rejected Jesus the living Word:
John 4:13-14   13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 7:37-38   37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
The rich man asked that Lazarus might go to bear witness to his brothers, again, a desire that the savior might help others. But, again, Jesus is the one who truly does what the rich man vainly asks:
Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
What, then, are we to learn from this parable? Bishop J.C. Ryle provides a good summary:
First, A man’s worldly condition is no test of his state in the sight of God.
Second, death is the common end to which all classes of mankind must come.
Third, the souls of believers are specially cared for by God in the hour of death.
Fourth, we learn the reality and eternity of hell.
To put it another way,“right now counts forever,” to quote R. C. Sproul. Hebrews 9:27-28   27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Fifth, unconverted men find out the value of a soul after death, when it is too late.
Sixth, the greatest miracles would have no effect on men’s hearts if they will not believe God’s Word.
What is needed to avoid hell and be saved eternally is available to us right now! It is nothing other than our Lord Jesus Himself. Nothing is of greater importance than to make sure of our eternal security. We find it all in Scripture! God has graciously given us all we need. It is no accident that the written Word, the Bible, and the Lord Jesus are both given the title, Word of God.
Be careful never to seek God on your own terms; seek Him on His. Remember we are dealing with a real Person, not with a concept or a projection of our religious feelings.
David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia. 06/06/2010

JOHN 3:1-16. INDIVIDUAL SALVATION. A Sermon for Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2010,

dave — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:05:25 +0000

JOHN 3:1-16. INDIVIDUAL SALVATION. A Sermon for Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2010,
by David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia.
INTRODUCTION
I can remember as a boy, my grandfather taking me to the Planetarium at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. I loved the lectures about the starry heavens, especially the stories connected with the mythological figures of the constellations. I loved looking at the real stars, too, but I found that I could make much more sense out of what I saw in the real sky after I had seen the pictures they projected onto the stars in the planetarium sky. The projected pictures gave me an interpretive grid, by which I could grasp the patterns in the stars.
That’s a lot like what we call “worldviews:” the interpretive frameworks by which we learn to make sense of the world we live in. The problem comes when two people with differing worldviews attempt to understand each other, for they may each be working off different assumptions. The language one uses may not make sense to the other, and someone may have to revise his/her worldview, if the assumptions prove unrelated to reality.
That’s essentially what we have here, in this encounter of the Pharisee Nicodemus and Jesus.
A CLASH OF WORLDVIEWS
We have said that a worldview is the way we interpret and explain things to ourselves. They are said to operate “pre-reflectively,” that is, we are working off assumptions and presuppositions that we assume are true about the world. Once those assumptions are established, we no longer feel the need to question them; rather, we simply accept it as self-evident and proceed with out understanding on that basis.
Sometimes we may become very upset when circumstances or argumentation or facts force us to call our worldview into question. By it’s very definition, a worldview operates “pre-reflectively;” that is, we assume its truth without thinking about it. When that happens, it’s very uncomfortable, because we then must re-think what we thought we knew, like experiencing an earthquake. I’m told that it’s quite disturbing (in more ways than one), because all that you thought was solid and fixed is moving around like jelly, and you don’t know where to go for safety!
It would be like when I once crossed a street in Edinburgh, Scotland: I looked the the left; walked into the middle of the street and looked to the right; no one was coming – from the right! But a car sped by me from the left! I had forgotten that this was the British Isles! But for the moment, I was totally disoriented!
Where do we find a solid place to stand, when our worldview is called into question, as Nicodemus found his was that day? Only in the Word of God! When we allow the Scripture to shape our worldview, then, and only then, do we conform to actual reality! Then we do, as Abraham Kuyper once said, “think God’s thoughts after Him!”
Philippians 2:5 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 2:15-16 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERNCE?
In response to Nicodemus’ opening statement, Jesus’ admonition about the new birth is met with puzzlement:
John 3:3-9   3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
The world views of Nicodemus and Jesus were likewise at opposite poles, but this must have been very puzzling and disconcerting to Nicodemus. Both believed and knew the Scriptures. Both men believed them and knew the facts about the God of Israel.
Why did Nicodemus not understand Jesus’ reference to being born again? This is even more strange when we hear Jesus asking, John 3:10   Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Clearly Jesus expected that someone with the education in the Scriptures that Nicodemus had should have understood, but he didn’t. Why?
Because Nicodemus had accumulated some very wrong assumptions about the Law of God and the place of the Covenant Community, Israel.
CONCERNING THE LAW
Nicodemus had read, in the law of Moses, that God said:
Deuteronomy 30:16   16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Jesus Himself had once summarized mankind’s obligations in similar words:
Luke 10:28   And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
But Nicodemus had assumed men could keep that law, if they tried hard enough and really worked at it; but that was wrong. The law’s purpose was to show us our sin, and shut us up to only one way out: to trust in God’s mercy, brought to us by our Lord Christ on the cross. As the Apostle Paul wrote:
Romans 3:24-28 4 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
THE COVENANT COMMUNITY
Nicodemus and the Pharisees also misunderstood another thing: they assumed there was such a thing as salvation by being joined to the right group, being a member of the right religious institution.
Our Lord’s words immediately went to the heart of the matter. It did not matter, ultimately, that Nicodemus was circumcised, a Pharisee and a teacher of the Law: what mattered was the state of his heart.
The Apostle Paul had a lot he could boast about as well:
Philippians 3:4-11   4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
There’s no such thing as salvation by membership in a group. A great error today is summed up in the phrase, “social justice.” It may sound all right, until you find that it’s really a code word for a collective, political “salvation. It’s really an insidious concept, for it minimizes, or even discourages personal responsibility. The individual is encouraged to blame some other class for his or her troubles, and to look to political solutions to solve one class’s problems by penalizing another class. This is the Marxist practice of “class warfare.” And it is just the latest form of salvation by membership in a group. Only the “salvation” is not eternal at all; it is for this life only, and the god of the system is the state! The salvation is really an elusive Utopia.
When Sir Thomas Moore wrote his book by that title, he named it that which means “no place” in Greek. Leftist ideology attempts to negate the effects of sin by political control, bringing a counterfeit “heaven” upon earth. The problem with every attempt to create a perfect society is that it always leads to an earthly hell, just as the French revolution led to the Reign of Terror. The Judaism of Nicodemus’ time had such faith in membership in the covenant community that the leaders with a vested interest in maintaining control were even ready to crucify the Son of God to keep their position.
This is what happens when the focus moves from the individual and his/her relationship to God. The American Revolution grew out of a commitment to the Word of God and the need to call even the king back to submission to God’s Word.
BORN AGAIN
Jesus’ words do indeed go straight to the heart of the matter, which is, in fact, the matter of the heart! When we see salvation in Jesus’ terms, it’s clear that we enter the Kingdom of God, the Church of Jesus Christ, by a personal transformation wrought by the Spirit of God.
I can remember reading how that the period of revival that took place in colonial America known as the “Great Awakening” paved the way for the American Revolution, and even accounted for the fact that the American Revolution was so very different in kind from the French Revolution of 1789: we had no “Reign of Terror,” no public beheadings, no deification of Reason or ridicule of religion. Why? Because there was nothing even resembling class warfare; instead, there was personal responsibility: every one stood before God, and had to answer for himself. And God wrote His laws in the human heart of all who were converted, born again.
Listen to George Whitefield, a great preacher of that revival:
Before you can speak peace in your heart, you must not only be made sick of your original and actual sin, but you must be made sick of your righteousness, of all your duties and performances. There must be a deep conviction before you can be brought out of your self-righteousness; it is the last idol taken out of our heart. The pride of our heart will not let us submit to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But if you never felt that you had no righteousness of your own, if you never felt the deficiency of your own righteousness, you cannot come to Jesus Christ. There are a great many now who may say, Well, we believe all this; but there is a great difference betwixt talking and feeling. Did you ever feel the want of a dear Redeemer? Did you ever feel the want of Jesus Christ, upon the account of the deficiency of your own righteousness? And can you now say from your heart, Lord, thou mayest justly damn me for the best duties that ever I did perform? If you are not thus brought out of self, you may speak peace to yourselves, but yet there is no peace…
Now, my dear friends, did God ever show you that you had no faith? Were you ever made to bewail a hard heart of unbelief? Was it ever the language of your heart, Lord, give me faith; Lord, enable me to lay hold on thee; Lord, enable me to call thee my Lord and my God? Did Jesus Christ ever convince you in this manner? Did he ever convince you of your inability to close with Christ, and make you cry out to God to give you faith? If not, do not speak peace to your heart. May the Lord awaken you and give you true, solid peace before you go hence and be no more!
Such fiery preaching was the means of awakening many thousands to the reality of the Gospel and the claims of Christ on our hearts. But R. C. Sproul hit the nail on the head when he described what turns a revival into a Reformation:
When evangelism is a priority In the church, such outreach will often bring about revival. However, these revivals of spiritual life do not always result in reformation. Reformation indicates changing forms of church and society. Revivals grow into reformations when the impact of the gospel begins to change the structures of the culture.
And such changes in society and culture are brought about when people’s worldviews are shaped and formed by the gospel message. Then the culture changed by the Spirit of God.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 1 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
CONCLUSION
On this Memorial Day, as we remember those brave men and women who “gave their last full measure of devotion” to preserve the life of this nation, this “holy experiment” in freedom, let us also remember the underlying worldview that fed that revolution was the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the necessity of individual conversion. The value of the individual is a unique concept in this sin-tarnished world, and it comes directly from our Lord’s mouth!
There are forces in our country today that are moving towards the same dream of an earthly Utopia. Thomas Jefferson warned that “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. An earthly salvation of the elite statist control, based in class warfare and a religion of the state has been prophesied in the Book of Revelation. Whenever political powers take their minds off of principles of God’s Word and try to usher in an earthly salvation, what’s really happening is that the children of Cain are once again attempting to build the Tower of Babel. All who preach the Gospel may then be labeled uncooperative traitors to be neutralized.
Brethren, let us pray for our country! Let us pray for revival! Let us pray for reformation! Our only hope for salvation, both individually and of our nation is in faith in our Lord Christ, in His substitutionary death and glorious resurrection!
Amen.
David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Memorial Day, Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2010.

ACTS 2:1, 2. “What Meaneth This?” A Sermon for Whitsunday/ Pentecost

dave — Mon, 24 May 2010 03:23:32 +0000

ACTS 2:1, 2. “What Meaneth This?” A Sermon for Whitsunday/ Pentecost
May 23, 2010
By Dr. David J. Miller, Vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia
Acts 2:1-6, And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
INTRODUCTION
There is so much we could say about this momentous occasion described in this chapter of Acts, we will have to limit our study this morning.
First, we ‘ll look briefly at the setting and the sound and the sight, in fact, all that extraordinary phenomena God sent to them: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
The miracle of speaking, or perhaps more correctly, of hearing. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance… And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Second, we will look at the Old Testament connections of these amazing things (again, briefly).
Third, we will look at the application for us, and here the focus is on two points: 1) Pentecost was a confirmation that Jesus is Lord of all; and 2) Pentecost confirmed that the Holy Spirit came to do all Jesus said He would.
This day could be compared to last November 7, 2009, when the U.S.S. New York arrived in New York harbor for its commissioning as an LPD (Launch Pad Deck) ship of the U.S. Navy. It was a day of bands playing and celebration. But that, too, was a day of remembrance, for 7 ¾ tons of steel reclaimed from the Twin Towers was used to forge its bow, and the seal of the U.S.S. New York is a phoenix rising from the ashes, with the Twin Towers in the background.
THE SETTING: THE AMAZING PHENOMENA
Notice that the day of Pentecost had “fully come.” This does not simply mean “arrived,” as so many modern translations of the Bible have it; rather the expression means the full significance of the ancient Jewish feast was about to be fulfilled. What is to follow will bring to fullness of meaning all that the ancient feast stood for. Pentecost celebrated the early harvest, and by the time of Jesus had come to celebrate also the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. It was a day of remembrance. All the memories were not pleasant: when Moses received the Law the first time on the mount, he came down to find the Israelites worshipping the golden calf.
What the Law carved on stone could not do: transform the people’s hearts – the coming of the Holy Spirit did in actuality!
It is clear from the first chapter that the phrase “of one accord” refers to their praying together. The ten days between our Lord’s ascension and this day of Pentecost must have been spent in extraordinary corporate prayer, both in the upper room and in the temple courts.
No doubt on this great feast, one of the three great pilgrimage feasts, they were all in the temple, which is often referred to as simply, “the house,” as Saint Luke does in this passage. Thus the historical event of the descent of the Spirit upon the Church is very public, verifiable by many witnesses and so initiated the proclamation of the Gospel to all nations.
The tongues of fire recalled the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night that led Israel through the wilderness. The sound of the wind and the sight of the fire both also recalled the tempest and billowing smoke that indicated God’s presence on the top of Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law to Israel.
The speaking in other tongues was a reversal of the curse of Babel, as well as a token that the Gospel would transcend cultural and linguistic barriers, as it was destined to spread throughout the whole earth. The content of their speaking, “the wonderful works of God,” was a shorthand way of describing the Gospel, the story of Jesus’ life, substitutionary death and resurrection.
These, then, are the facts, placed somewhat briefly in their redemptive-historical framework. But what does it all mean?
Pentecost was the confirmation that our Lord Jesus is indeed Lord of all.
Matthew 28:18-20   And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
When the glory cloud filled the tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness, it was a confirmation of Moses’ leadership as the mediator of the covenant that God had entered into with Israel. Exodus 40:33-35 So Moses finished the work. 34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Just before this spectacular event, Moses had symbolically anointed the tabernacle with oil:
Exodus 40:9-16   And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. 10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. 12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. 13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: 15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. 16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.
That anointing was a sacramental enactment of the reality that occurred later in the chapter. It was by the LORD’s action that Moses was recognized as the one true mediator of the covenant, confirming him as God’s man for that time.
Our Lord was the mediator of a far better covenant, and by His own siubstitutionary death and resurrection, by the power and authority granted to Him by virtue of His redemptive work, He sends His disciples out to make disciples of all nations, once they are empowered with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18).
That Great Commission was dependent upon the Spirit’s power both for the authoritative proclamation of the Gospel and the Lord’s promise of His perpetual presence with His Church as they go about that mission.
Luke 24:45-49   45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Almost two hundred years ago, Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington who was the principle victor over the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo, was asked by a clergyman, “Sire, you have spent much time abroad among the Hindus of India. Don’t you believe that, due to their instransigence in faith, their paganistic adherence to Hinduism, it is fruitless to preach to them the Gospel of Christ?” to which the good Duke responded, “Sir, that is not your concern. You have your marching orders from Holy Writ – go into all the world, preaching the Gospel to every creature!”
Isaiah 49:6   And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
The Spirit’s coming on the Day of Pentecost meant that He was now forever present in the Church to accomplish all our Lord said He was to come to do.
John 16:8-11   And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Pentecost was the early harvest festival that also celebrated the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. This was the fitting day for the descent of the Spirit, for He had cone to write God’s law on our hearts, that is, to transform our hearts into the likeness of God’s own character.
Galatians 4:6 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 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.
Jeremiah 31:31-34   Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Ezekiel 11:19-20   19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Hebrews 8:10   For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
The fiery baptism of the Spirit at Pentecost verified the enabling presence of Jesus, reminiscent of the burning bush (Exodus 3), the redemptive grace of I AM, as the flaming tongues of fire pictured the menorah mission of the Church, exemplifying the people of God (you and me!) as the light of the world.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 12:35-36 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
Philippians 2:13-15   13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Let us seek the Lord in prayer, on the basis of Jesus’ authority and power, boldly going forth to proclaim the life-changing and life-giving message of the glorious Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit!
Amen.
05/23/2010, David J. Miller, vicar, Redeemer AOC, Loganville, Georgia.