Just posted this on Facebook and inspired to share it more widely:
FACEBOOK
Reading the Cross of Christ for a sermon this Sunday and found this interesting comment by Stott – one of the great theologians of our time;
“ Christians have often been criticized ( not least evangelical Christians) for continuously harping on sin, for becoming obsessed with it in our own lives and, particularly in our evangelism, for trying to induce in others a sense of their guilt. Nietzsche, ( a famous philosopher…reportedly loved by Hitler….my words) for example, bitterly complained that “ Christianity needs sickness…….Making sick is the true hidden objective of the church’s whole system of salvation procedures…..One is not “converted” one must be sufficiently sick for it”.
Nietzsche was partly correct, namely that Christianity is medicine for the sin-sick. After all, Jesus himself defended his concentration on ‘tax collectors and sinners’, by saying ‘ It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick’. I have not come to call the righteous’, he added, ‘ but sinners” ( Mark2:17). We vigorously deny, however, that it is the church’s role to ‘make’ people sick in order to convert them. Instead, we have to make them aware of their sickness, so that they can turn to the Great Physician.
Prayer: Lord renew thy church beginning with me, a sin-sick soul rescued by your blood on Calvary and made new, you who are always making all things new, by the gift of your Holy Spirit, by the power of your Resurrection; Lord renew thy church that the church may renew the nation(s) sin-sick people doing what sinners so, wreak havoc in the world: in Haiti, in Gaza, in Israel, in Ukraine in a prison in Russia, in a church in a America – with a child in tow. Which Lord is what we learn, what you teach us, from this other post, last night, on Facebook.
FACEBOOK
Just sent this note to a Christian brother working on a church project.and thought you might like to see it also. Living in a land desperately in need of “ an antiseptic atmosphere”:
Here’s what Stott wrote,( in another book) inter alia:
“ There are, however, two particular ways in which evangelism should be seen as a necessary prelude to social action ( social action being what the book is about….in a (challenging ) pluralistic society). First, the gospel changes people……..Faith leads to love, and love to service. So social activity, which is loving service to the needy, should be the inevitable result of saving faith, although we have to confess that this is not always so……..
When the gospel is faithfully and widely preached, it not only brings a radical renewal to individuals, but produces …….” An antiseptic atmosphere”, in which blasphemy, selfishness, greed, dishonesty, immorality, cruelty and injustice find it harder to flourish. A country which has been permeated by the gospel (and by the gospel Stott means preaching salvation by the shed blood of Christ and becoming a new man by the power of the Risen Christ, preaching what St. Paul preached, “ Christ and Him Crucified…Risen and Ascended and soon coming again) is not a soil in which these poisonous weeds can easily take root, much less flourish. “
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Comment: The collective prayer for the church for next Sunday has stayed with me for a while. Especially the concern for those who have gone astray! I don’t know who writes these prayers, but ever since I heard a man of great piety, Bishop Harold, highlighting the importance of The Collect,I’ve paying more attention to them. And the one for this week is very instructive! Why? If we were to embrace it for ourselves collectively, as church, what came to mind is that theologically, the greatest “ sin”. We have committed, or could ever commit is to what St. Paul described as “ lest the cross be emptied of its power”:
”For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.“
1 Corinthians 1:17 NIV
And for emphasis Paul says again:
”My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.“
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV
What does this mean? Something that Pastor Mike highlighted in the video, a clip from one of his sermons, that I shared with you :
That the cross makes no sense without a deep consideration of sin!
Sin and the love of God are indissolubly linked in Jesus Christ. And elements in the modern church, at best, in an effort to be faithful to a God of mercy and love, and not to highlight the God of wrath, or at worse, determined to spread the gospel to everyone and not have it “ tainted “ by , and misunderstood by “ calling people to repentance of sin”, have in some way, “ emptied the cross of its power”. Power to call sinners to repent and believe the Gospel. The message from Christ after he emerged from the wilderness. And highlighted by “a child” in a wonderful sermon last Sunday at church.
The Gospel
Mark 1:9-15
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Comment: And as with all things of God, if we don’t get the foundation right, literally “ all hell will break loose”. The lesson we learn most profoundly and of existential importance, from Adam, and his “ helpless race”, of which we were once, all a part:
”Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.“
Ephesians 2:11-13 NIV
So all the morally destructive behavior, all the lack of concern for our fellow human beings whether in #wrongadresses or living in “ Eiffel Towers”, all the wickedness being spread abroad in Russia and Ukraine and Gaza and Israel, flow from the terrible crime of humankind ignoring the “mighty salvation”, the redemption story of: “ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: for he hath visited and redeemed his people: and hath raised up for us a mighty salvation: in the house of his servant David” – The opening lines of The Benedictus.
And according to the same Prophetic Word, those who have not responded to this gift of a mighty salvation are :
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.
The reality, the spiritual reality is that all the concern we have for suffering humanity, can only be translated into action that gives glory to God, and bring peace to humanity, when in our hearts, we first admit and sing like the hymn writer :
1 When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
2 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
save in the death of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through his blood.
3 See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4 Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen – the closing lines of The Benedictus.
Lord renew thy church,at 360 or at 200. Lord renew thy church that the church may renew the nation(s) where people are like we once were, “without God and without hope”. Thank you O God for Jesus and Him crucified. For this mighty salvation!
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Comment: The collective prayer above is a prayer for mercy. To the Living God. For those who have gone astray from “ your ways”. And it’s part of a sequence that the Lord placed in my heart this morning:
Began with this:
A MORNING WATCH
JACOB BOHEME
ON RISING
Rule over me this day, O God, leading me on the path of righteousness. Put your Word in my mind and your truth in my heart, that this day I neither think nor feel anything except what. Is good and honest…….
ON GOING TO WORK
Give me, dear Lord, a pure heart and a wise mind, that I may carry out my work according to your will. Save me from all false desires…….
And continued with words from the the Old Testament reading for the Second Sunday ( next Sunday) in Lent:
Old Testament
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless……..
Then the Gospel Reading for next Sunday continues in the same vein, demanding of us, to “ walk blamelessly before God”. To have a pure heart and a wise mind! To let the Word of God rule in our hearts, and not what this world has to offer:
The Gospel
Mark 8:31-38
Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
Then this :
Finally a Word from a young man yesterday,and posted on Facebook. About Sin! Following the ways of this world and the consequences thereof. And the mercy of God who does leave us alone to our own devices, but as the Collect above prays:
FACEBOOK
“Fasting” from taking pictures in Lent is one of my Lenten disciplines. But just in case something special happens , I still take my iPad to church. Today a young man man, Ethan Jones ( no relative…and during Lent in our tradition lay members of the church are asked to share ) preached a wonderful “ salvation story” sermon; and so I took his picture. Drawing his text from the story of Noah and the flood, he quoted a earlier passage which spoke about God’s heart being filled with pain on account of the extent of the sinfulness and evil that his created people had been filled with. To the extent that God could have wiped out all mankind from his sight, but in His great mercy decided from then, to send a Savior, and made a covenant with whole world never to cover the earth with a flood again. The point made was that the God who so loved the world and gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for sin, is a God of mercy and love, unimaginable. And we ought to serve this God with all our heart, to “ trust him with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, but in all thy ways, acknowledge him and he will direct our paths”. And not “ play with sin”, nor “ hug up sin”. And that in this generation we see the same kind of wickedness around us, and yet God who could well destroy the world now, chose, and continues to choose, instead to forgive, and forgive,in Christ Jesus.
I thank God for the wisdom of this young man, and pray that all of us will grow more and more to appreciate and understand the mercy of this God, as manifest in the death of Christ on Calvary. And that the “ salvation story” will always ring out throughout our land when anyone is called to preach a sermon. As this young man reminded us, that when Jesus, who was sent by the Spirit into the wilderness and temptation from Satan, when he returned his message shaped by His wilderness experience was “ repent and believe the good news.” The Gospel of Christ.
Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen…….the real story of the flood and why Spurgeon urges :
To daily lift up the name of Jesus in all that we do or say:
Rev. Sean calls abortion a difficult subject to discuss. And shared his view in the article published in the Daily Gleaner today. Agreed! But, in my view, it ought not to be for the Bible believing Christian.
I’ll tell you why. Many years ago, Bishop Spence of blessed memory, introduced me to John Stott : the pastor, writer and theologian. And he too has gone to glory. In my first encounter with Stott, writing in “ Decisive Issues Facing Christians today; Your Influence is vital in today’s turbulent world”, and writing in Part IV – Sexual Issues, and chapter 15, The Abortion Dilemma, he shared this view at the very beginning of the chapter of a book first published in 1984….40 years, another generation and a half. ago
“ The abortion is admittedly complex……medical,legal, theological, ethical and personal aspects…….
Yet Christians cannot opt out of personal decision-making or public discussion regarding this topic merely because of its complexity. Instead, two factors should bring it to the top of our agenda.
First , what is involved in the abortion issue is nothing less than our Christian doctrines of both God and humanity, or, more precisely, the sovereignty of God and the sanctify of human life. All Christian people believe that God is the only giver, sustainer and taker-away of life. On the one hand “ he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” ( Stott didn’t quote the passage in the Bible but it sounds very much like Paul speaking to the Athenians in the Book of Acts), and “ in him we live and move and have our being”
On the other hand the Pslamist says to God, “ when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust”……….
To the Christian, then, both life-giving and life-taking are divine prerogatives…….which is permitted to human beings only by divine specific mandate. Without this, to terminate human life is the height of arrogance. Hence Mother Teresa’s strong feelings ( and you really can’t get more compassionate and caring than this saint of a woman, now gone to glory now….my words based on Sean’s recommendations at end of his article) :
“……only God can decide life and death….That is why abortion is a such a terrible sin. You are not only killing life, but putting self before God; yet people decide who has to live and who has to die. They want to make themselves Almighty God. They want to take the power of God in their hands. They want to say, “ I can do without God. I can decide…”. That is the most devilish thing that a human can do.”
The question of abortion concerns our doctrine of humanity as well as our doctrine of God ( earlier in the book in Part 1 : Christians in a Non-ChristianSociety. and in Chapter 1, on “ Involvement, is it our concern, and The Biblical Basis for Social Concern, Stott argues,inter alia, for a fuller doctrine of God and of Human Beings).
For, however underdeveloped the embryo may still be, everybody agrees that it is living and that the life it possesses is human. So in whatever way we decide to formulate the relationship between the newborn and unborn children, our evaluation of human life is inevitably involved. Further, the present practice of almost indiscriminate abortion ( the majority of abortions fall under this category in today’s world…and let us not get caught up in a useless argument about what constitutes “ indiscriminate’, as regardless of the admitted difficulty that most women have in arriving at the decision not to a carry an unborn child, in the absence of pressing medical reasons, the act of an abortion in that instance is still indiscriminate) reflects a rejection of the biblical view of human dignity.
Final comments. Having established, at least in my view, the connection between abortions and the presumptuousness of mere man in respect of the sanctify of human life, the many and pressing and complicated issues of an “ unwanted pregnancy “, or for a “ pregnancy which may threaten the life of a mother”, require believing Christians to pray for wisdom from a merciful and compassionate God. But to adopt a position that WHO or some medical authority, or a compassionate and caring position on life, recommends the taking of life in such and such a situation, as a Christian, is to “ take chances with our salvation”. At the very least. And worse, to disobey the Living God. Which is worse than divination!
Having in my early days a a doctor, indiscriminately, recommended abortion on demand, my position now, having been convicted of sin, the first step in the journey of obeying the God who died for my many many sins on Calvary, Redemption Story, is that I don’t recommend or refer anyone for abortions any more. Except of course if the mother’s health is in serious danger, then I would send her for consultations with an Obstetrician.
I pray that God, who in Jesus Christ, famously rebuked Peter for thinking like human beings, at best, may convict more and more of us of sin,so that we “ tremble” at the possibility of being disobedient to this Sovereign and immanent God.
In obedience
LWJ
P. S. Far more important issue than watching SuperBowl.
Part 11
The numbers were there.I just did not remember to cite them:
Stott:
“The total number of legal and illegal abortions throughout the world was estimated in 1968 to be between 30 million and 35 million. Today( 1984…and God he knows how much in 2024) it is estimated that as many as 55 million abortions take place each year, which means that one abortion occurs every second.”
Stott continues:
Any society which can tolerate these things, let alone legislate for them, has ceased to be civilized. One of the major signs of the decadence in the Roman Empire was that its unwanted babies were “ exposed”, that is, abandoned to die. Can we claim that contemporary Western Society is any less decadent because it consigns its unwanted babies to the hospital incinerator instead of the local rubbish dump.
I close. You’re sure that we want to have this kind of “ blood on our hands”, when on the day of judgement we come face to face with a holy God? I don’t, and I pray that a church rescued from sin by the blood of Jesus, and sent to rescue others, from evil, by sharing the Gospel, will not wish to either.
Lord renew thy church beginning with me. Lord renew thy church that the church may renew the nation(s).
I condemn no one. That’s God’s business. Judgement is mine saith the Lord. But this thing is so wrong. And evil
Shalom.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
LWJ
Part 111
Final instructions. That which the Lord woke me up to read last night:
”“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”“ Luke 6:43-49 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.6.43-49.NIV
The time is coming when it will become evident what kind of foundation we are building on as children of the Living God.
…..which came into my heart this morning. Again! This as it came into my heart also yesterday, without any conscious thought on my part. And serves as a dramatic introduction to A. W. Tozer’s chapter on The Universal Presence, which I read last night. At least part of it!
TOZER
In all Christian teaching certain basic truths are found, hidden at times, and rather assumed than asserted, but necessary to all truth, as the primary colors are found in and necessary to, the finished painting. Such a truth is divine immanence.
God dwells in His creation, and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works. This is boldly taught by prophet and apostle, and is accepted by Christian theology generally. That is, it appears in the book but for some reason it has not sunk into the average Christian’s heart, so as to become a part of his believing self.
Christian teachers shy away from its full implications, and, if they mention it at all, mute it down till it has little meaning. I would guess the reason for this is the fear of being charged with pantheism; but the doctrine of divine Presence is definitely not pantheism.
Pantheism’s error is too palpable to deceive anyone. It is that God is the sum of all created things. Nature and God are one, so that whoever touches a leaf or a stone touches God. That is, of course, to degrade the glory of the incorruptible Deity and, in an effort to make all things divine, banish all divinity for the world entirely.
The truth is that while God dwells in His world, He is separated from it by a gulf forever impassable. However closely He may be identified with the work of. His hands, they are and must eternally be other than He, and He is transcendent above all His works, even while He is immanent within them.
What now does the divine immanence mean in direct Christian experience? It means simply that God is here. Wherever we are , God is here. There is no place, there can be no place, where He is not……..
Adam sinned, and, in his panic, frantically tried to do the impossible: he tried to hide from the Presence of God. David also must have had wild thoughts after trying to escape from the Presence, for he wrote, “ Whiter shall I go from thy spirit? Or whether shall I flee from thy presence?” Then he proceeded through one of his most beautiful psalms to celebrate the glory of the divine immanence. “ If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of heaven in the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
Tozer then goes on then to pose one of the most existential questions of all time:
“ If God is present at every point in space, if we cannot go where He is not, cannot conceive of a place where He is not, why then has not that Presence become the one universally celebrated fact of all the world?
No doubt Tozer has an answer, but I have not reached that place in the chapter.
But what the hymn writer reveals according to divine inspiration, and why the introduction to a discussion on the divine immanence, the divine Presence, came in Jesus is to :
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
Me! And you, “ who was thine enemy”. We who the spirit, the god of this age, as I was led to write yesterday, has blinded the eyes of all unbelievers to the gospel of Christ. We who the Scriptures reveal :
”remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.“
Ephesians 2:12 NIV
We who the Scriptures reveal :
”The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.“
Romans 1:18-25 NIV
USA still trying to curb the behavior of Israel
And it against this impending wrath of God, the divine Presence, who Tozer struggles to understand why He is not celebrated universally, but by extension, asserts that the world is guilty of “ exchanging the glory of God for images “….other gods, that we find, and discover, the mercy and grace of this divine Presence who:
”Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn, and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.
And rather than sing and pray :
: O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee……
Putin being interviewed and calling for the West to negotiate peace with him
…people in this land, people in Israel, people in The USA and in Russia, with a mocking scorn are bearing Jesus to Calvary all over agin in this age. This is the God who many people in Jamaica have rejected, the God who is everywhere and no one can hide from Him. No deed goes unnoticed and unrecorded! Whether in high places or elsewhere. No murder. No extortion. No corruption. No abuse. No immoral behavior. No genocide. No invasion on another country. No injustice. No ignoring of the poor and needy…the widow, the orphan, the strangers along us. And for all of which the wrath of God hangs over our sinful heads like the proverbial sword of Damocles. This while our behavior, because of Sin, is like the proverbial “ muss, muss, “ who believe that the fire at his tail is cool breeze. While disaster, absolute and permanent disaster is imminent.
And into this cauldron of fire, a merciful God, who knows everything and hears everything, sent His Son, came Himself in human form, “ in and with the living Word to set thy people free “. From Sin and Evil and judgement. And yet, He has been rejected by so many. And just like in basketball such a “ rejection” is wildly celebrated. And they see no connection with their behavior and why “ the land mourns as bloodshed follows bloodshed “.
So it is our calling to share the gospel of Christ with the nations, and in the nations, that Jesus saves. From the wrath of the divine Presence who knows the hearts of all human beings. Who knows that “ all have sinned and fallen short of His glory”.
Thank God for Jesus, that although the wages of Sin is death, the free and unmerited gift of God is eternal life with Him, in and through the shed blood of the Son of God.
I pray God that He may so renew His church with His truth today, this truth, that He is immanent, so that the church may be renewed and help to rescue people who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, and under judgement from the wrath of the divine Presence
……….When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Comment: one of the things that a child of God, reconciled to Him by the blood of Christ, that cleanses us of all sin, must always be aware of is the salvation story in every passage of the Bible.
”He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.“
Luke 24:25-27 NIV
Let us remind ourselves then that just like how Elijah was taken up to heaven, in the extract from the OT Testament Reading for next Sunday, so was Jesus. And this is how one of the Gospel writers recorded the moment with this narrative about the Spirit of God, “ the promised power from on high”, that would attend the work of the disciples, who at that time were still doubting what others had believed and reported about Jesus. Until not just a “ double portion of Elijah’s spirit came”, but the power of the Living God:
”Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.“
Mark 16:14-20 NIV
And some of us like Elisha, wanted to be able to “ part the waters”, and do miraculous things, which Jesus promised. But examine the text carefully and see what was the first order of priority:
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
It is not just Anglicans, but all who are not actively involved in Evangelism, all whose activities are not overshadowed by what gripped Paul, “ that Christ may be formed in you”, formed in all to whom He was sent by Jesus who “ worked with them and confirmed his word by signs that accompanied it”, that come to mind. For what is clear here is that God’s promises cannot be broken. And so if we give priority to the preaching of the Gospel to all to whom God has sent us, given to us to nurture, preach “Christ and him crucified” like Paul, God will send “ signs and wonders” to confirm his Word. Far too many Christians in this age, look for signs and wonders, not for the glory of God and the building up of his kingdom, but that they may boast of their own spirituality and connection with God. Mercy! “ And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood”, comes to mind as I write.
Remember Paul as he wrote to the Corinthian church ( my daughter’s pastor in South Florida Pastor Mike of the Old Cutler Presbyterian Church has embarked upon a mighty work. Preaching on the entire book of 1 Corinthians over a projected year and a half period. Watched the first two on video. Only a couple of verses were the subject of his exposition thus far. Not chapters!):
”And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.“
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NIV
The message here is that in this age, we have received from the Living God in and though the Crucified, Risen and Ascended Lord, the Holy Spirit, and not only a “ double portion of Elijah’s spirit – whatever that meant at that time of old covenant. And that if we are faithful in preaching the Gospel as a matter of first priority, then the Lord Jesus himself will “ work with us”, and confirm His Word with signs and wonders, in evangelism and “ all other things” that the Body of Christ is called to do in this world.
Mercy Lord. Mercy! May your Word be honored and obeyed so that the church may be renewed and help to renew the nation(s) where people lived in darkness and in the shadow of death and judgement by the “ soon coming again Lord”. Those who Jesus declared before His Ascension:
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
For indeed, what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world: be educated; be healthy; live in a peaceful neighborhood; live in a democratic country, and vote in free and fair elections; gain the respect and love of his or her peers, and yet lose their very soul.
You can put your pot on fire with God’s promises! Can’t fail you. That’s what the Bible teaches! And of great relevance in this time of elections. Whether local government or national elections when our political parties make all kinds of promises trying to woo voters to make their mark against their respective symbols on the ballot. Whether in Israel with Prime Minister Netanyahu being accused of placing the interests of his party, and himself, before the national interest in his continued aggressive pursuit of Hamas at all costs – even the unwarranted deaths of so many Palestinians. Whether in the USA where support for Donald Trump by the Republican Party continues, despite his many widely publicized legal woes and moral failures; primarily because of his promise to “ make America great again” for a certain section of America, continues to gain traction. Leaving President Biden, who is trailing badly in the polls to come up with promises which will appeal to his traditional supporters; the black vote, the trade union vote, women ( and men) who support abortions, the LBQT voters and supporters, the Jews; and once upon a time the Arab vote which is now leaving him in droves on account of his unwavering and irrational support for Israel’s behavior in Gaza, and them being accused of committing genocide.
And then in midst of all of this electioneering, in the midst of murder and murder most foul,in the midst of a nation in angst about the state of our country and the level of crime and violence, comes this everlasting and divine promise from God through his servant Isaiah : the reading for Sunday at my Liturgical Anglican Church
Old Testament
Isaiah 40:21-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Comment: Heard what! Understood what!
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;
who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
Comment: we can all remember how Michael Manley and Edward Seaga “ ruled the roost “ in Jamaica at one time. The talk of the town. We can all remember how Barack Obama ( and Michelle) was the “ buzz”, was adored and fawned over by so many “ what a gwaan Jamaica”, as he rolled up his shirt sleeves and got down to business, during a 24 hour stop in Jamaica. President “ JFK” Kennedy was the hope of new order. President Nelson Mandela was Hope personified in South Africa. And Prime Minister Mottley is now the “ flavor of the month”, or era, among Caribbean politicians and how we influence international issues.
But the Living God says to us in this age and every age that we are all like “ grasshoppers “ in his sight. That not just those who are “ puffed up”, or those we make to be “ idols”, but also mankind are:
”For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.“
1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV
Comment: then God asks a pertinent and contextually important question:
To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
One can even hear in this message God’s response to a questioning Job:
”Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?“
Job 38:1-7 NIV
Comment: why is the Lord asking this question at this time? And at all times! Because like Herod who perished on account of pride:
”On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.“
Acts 12:21-24 NIV
……many of our leaders, at the table or aspirants, believe that they have a “ divine right “ to rule, and far too many adoring members “ worship “ de leader”. De leader of the free world. De leader of the Communist Party. De leader of “ Mother Russia”. De party leader here in Jamaica. And God forbid, if we are not careful, cults aside and understood and highlighted and destined for a fall every time, ‘de leader’ in the church. Mercy! And now famously “ de only leader” that can make America great again”.
Comment: then the Lord God of Israel, the God of Jacob speaks directly to his people, then and now across the entire world. Jews and Gentiles. All who are baptized into Christ Jesus: crucified, risen and soon coming again. For judgement! Speaks to broken hearts and broken spirits who long for a new order where the Sovereign Lord rules and petty gods flee. Where righteousness and justice “ kiss each other”! Where suffering humanity, where the “ wretched of the earth”, wonder where is God? Where the defenseless against evil traveling on a motorbike, or dressed like “ good somebody” in public places, where people who live in #wrongaddresses long for a different kind of life, where they don’t have to “ gone a border” to find a new life.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Comment: Then come the promises of the ages. A promise which if you read it carefully is all about Jesus:
He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless ( fast bound in sin and nature’s night…. And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviors blood ) A promise for those who trust completely in God like Hezekiah:
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Comments: So what’s the conclusion of the whole matter, as the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes wrote at the very end:
”Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.“
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV
This as:
”Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.“
Hebrews 9:25-28 NIV
May the God of all creation help us as church, the body of Christ, to live and participate in our parliamentary democratic state, to cherish the hard earned right to vote and to encourage all to take part in this important event. But may the God of all the earth receive all our honor and praise, this as we stand on His promises, which are all “ Yes” in Christ Jesus, and then we say the Amen. To the glory of this God and to no other. And for the renewal of the church and the rescuing of this country. Land we love !
”“ ‘But I know where you are and when you come and go and how you rage against me. Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.’“
2 Kings 19:27-28 NIV
Comment: Thank God I sleep very well. In fact as I grow older I have become more and more amazed, and thankful, that one can lie down, fall asleep in seconds and not wake, sometimes, until next morning, be dead to the world, until the Lord wakes us up to another day. Last night was different though. I lay there, not distressed, resting, but not fast asleep as usual. And so the song from yesterday “ Order my steps (in this case…. sleep) in your Word O Lord” and caused me to get up and read the Word of God above. And it was not a 4:00 am message but a message nonetheless!
Read about the insolence of Sennacherib King of Assyria :
”Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him: “ ‘Virgin Daughter Zion despises you and mocks you. Daughter Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee.“
2 Kings 19:20-21 NIV
If you recall the story:
”Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.“
2 Kings 18:5-7 NIV
Then :
”The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them. The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “ ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours?“
2 Kings 18:17-19 NIV
And further:
”“Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”“
2 Kings 18:31-36 NIV
Comment: The Lord woke me up to read first the chapter before this story. A Word which answers the boasting of Sennacherib concerning the “ gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah:
”When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.” Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord. Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim. They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.“
Comment: The point here is that contrary to what we hear about Hezekiah, that he trusted in God, Jeroboam, on the other hand “ caused Israel to commit a great sin”. To turn away from the Living God. And so “the Lord removed them from his presence as he had warned them through all the servants and the prophets”. Sent them into exile in Babylon. And they were replaced by Assyrians who did not know how to worship the Living God. And worshiped gods by “offering their children as burnt offerings in the fire”. Until this very day! Unlike the covenant which the Lord made with the Israelites “ do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them”. But the God who you must serve is the One who brought you ought of Egypt with a mighty hand.
It is in this context of God sending lions to devour the Assyrians who replaced the exiled Israelites in Samaria, those “ who did not know how to worship God”, those who offered their children as sacrifices. Followed by the story of One who trusted completely in the Lord, the God of Jacob, and who was rescued from the King of Assyria by a might “ salvation “. The One who “knows where our enemy lives and stays”. The One whose mighty victory was prophesied by Isaiah the Prophet of the Lord:
”When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’ ” When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”“
2 Kings 19:5-8, 14-19 NIV
And then this happened :
”Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: “ ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the Lord. I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.’ ” That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.“
2 Kings 19:30-37 NIV
Comment: I know this has been a long story. And may the Lord bless those who persevered to the end. As this is a salvation story. A story which heralds the gospel of Christ who once and for all defeated those who rise up against the Lord God of Israel. Defeated those who would cause Israel and the modern church to turn away from the God of Jacob. Those who are intent on worshiping the Living God but also worshiping their own gods at the same time. Syncretism! Those who offer their children, sacrifice their loved ones for monetary gain, and for self-advancement. Those who built their wealth on the backs of suffering humanity. Those who “ make women drunk with wine or with money or with status “ to gaze on their bodies and to gain sexual pleasure. Those who have made pornography a multibillion industry! Defeat those who would lead a nation astray, turn Jamaicans from serving the God of Jacob with popular music, with charismatic leadership, with “ prosperity Gospel”, with sermons about God who has no wrath, just love, and so “ anything goes” as long as you love God. Defeat those who would trust in other gods, and not the God who in Christ Jesus has rescued a World from sin and evil and death.
May this God who knows where evil dwells, and where they come and go and what they do, defend this nation through those who trust completely in Christ and Him Crucified, Risen and soon coming again from the evil, the pervasive evil of disobedience which has “ flown the gate and let in the pirates”, of crime and violence, of murder most foul on the streets and in the homes, and of gross and wicked immorality that cause our women and men to imbibe a spirit of transaction, in how we deal with each other, and attempt to do so with the Living God.
May the Living God so renew the church, in and through Christ Jesus, and help people to know how to worship Him lest we perish from lions sent to devour us.
If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Comments: One of the (many) great things about belonging to a Liturgical Church ( which is obedient in sharing the gospel as a matter of priority ) is that we don’t have to go searching for the Word of God to engage in morning devotions. It’s right there, week after week! This morning,as I read the Epistle above, a post which I was led to share on Facebook last night, came very “ alive “ in my mind. This after reflecting on the famous words of Paul “ I have become all things to all people, that by all means I may save some”. Which is in essence the Great Commission given by our Lord Jesus Himself. A Commission “ deeply entrenched “ to use constitutional language in the Great Command – to love God and to love neighbor. For it was the love of Christ acting out in Paul, who loved the Lord Jesus with all his heart, the Crucified and Risen One who by the power of the Holy Spirit, lives in all of us baptized in Christ, who inspired and empowered Paul to utter these words. And so we too are under obligation to preach the gospel “ all the time”.
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This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44-48). Jesus told his disciples that unless they understood who He is and what He came to do, you can’t understand either God’s salvation or the Bible itself.
To show how a text fits into its whole canonical context then, is to show how it points to Christ and gospel salvation, the big idea of the whole Bible. Everytime you expound on a Bible text , you are not finished unless you demonstrate how it shows us that we cannot save ourselves and that only Jesus can. This means that we must preach Christ from every text, which is the same as saying we must preach the gospel every time and not just settle for general inspiration or moralizing…..
From “ Preaching: Communicating the Faith in an Age of Scepticism” by the New York Times best selling author, the late Rev. Timothy Keller.
Then I read the gospel for Sunday:
The Gospel
Mark 1:29-39
After Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Comment: what did Jesus say of a priori importance in this Word:
He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do. Came to preach the gospel and heal the sick and finally to die for our sins. So that by this means, He might save some! And we too are to “ become all things to all men, in near and yonder lands, so that by all means ( by word and by deed…sharing the Gospel of Christ) we may save some. A matter of utmost priority for those who claim to love God and claim to love neighbor.
O Jesus we have promised to serve thee to the end. And so we pray thee to to:
The Collect
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
….so that being renewed in you O Jesus we may help to renew the nation(s) where people “ live in darkness and in the shadow of death according to The Benedictus, and will die in their sins unless they hear the Good News, that (only) Jesus saves. In Gaza and in Israel. In Haiti and in Jamaica land we love and in the USA where so many of our people reside, and are danger of losing their very souls if they don’t hear the Gospel as preached by Paul.
Church Army Sister Andrea Taylor spoke about Jesus who preached with authority on Sunday
”Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.“
Psalms 2:10-12 NIV
Comment: we know exactly who the Psalmist is referencing this passage when he says “ Kiss the son, or he be angry and your way will lead to destruction”. This as earlier in the Psalm when. He says:
”I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”“
Psalms 2:7-9 NIV….is the same passage quoted by the writer to the Hebrews when he reported that:
”And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”“
Hebrews 5:4-5 NIV
What led to this? And what’s the point? A reading of the psalm appointed for Sunday in my Anglican Liturgical Church just now:
The Psalm
Psalm 111
Confitebor tibi
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; * those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever.
Comment: One of the defining features of modern man, is that he or she does not fear God any more. And that’s way they kill and women and children with little thought about getting caught by man, or that God will hold them accountable. In Jamaica and in Gaza and in Israel and in the USA. And even in some parts of the church, we don’t really fear God and we hold on to a narrative of “ gentle Jesus meek and mild”. We claim to love Jesus, we claim to worship him, but we don’t really fear him. “ Kiss the son or he be angry with you”, is not a common feature of modern preaching. No, we limit ourselves and satisfy ourselves that God’s love is unconditional, and that Jesus will always forgive,and forgive, and forgive.
But The Benedictus specifically nor the Bible in general gives us that assurance. Start with the revelation by the Psalmist above that:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; * those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever.
We should already fear the Lord because of the revelations in the OT that when God appeared to his people “ the earth shook, fire came from the mountain and they could not bear the sound of his voice”.
And thank God that he sent Jesus, first to Israel, “ another prophet from your own people”, and then to us Gentiles, to die for our sins, and by the power of the Holy Spirit to make us holy, lest we perish. Lest we “do not see God’s face when we die”
And that’s why Mahalia Jackson’s wonderful song says that when she contemplates that she and all of us were “ there when they crucified my Lord”, she felt like trembling. Trembling, trembling, with fear.
And The Benedictus confirms this mercy and love and high calling: and that we should fear this Jesus as “ And thou child, shall be called the Prophet of the Highest……to give knowledge of salvation unto his people……to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
So yes, we are not Prophets of the Highest like John the Baptist was, but we are all saved and sent to tell people that Jesus ( alone) saves. We therefore have an awesome responsibility. And if we don’t act on this responsibility the Bible tells us that “the blood of people will be on our hands”. That people will die in their sins because we did not tell them about Jesus. We did not show them the love of the crucified Christ.
Which is exactly what Ezekiel warned about :
”“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.“
Ezekiel 3:17-19 NIV
This is the context in which I am led to write this morning, and share the Word that:
Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.“
This as we have grown far too comfortable with an awesome God, whose will it is that all mankind should “ kiss his Son”, lest they perish. Believe in the sacrificial death of His only Son, lest they perish. A reality, despite all the other competing things in life, growth and development of our nation, educating our children to a higher standard, reducing crime and violence, especially against women and children, improving the “ manners “ of our people, seeking justice for the poor and needy,providing world class health care for both locals and tourists, that ought to make us as church, tremble with fear. Which as the psalmist provides in a bookend to Psalm 111, will lead to :
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; * those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever.
And God He knows that we need His wisdom desperately in this suffering nation where “ bloodshed follows bloodshed and the land mourns”. And a woman dies in her sleep. Or not!
O Jesus we beseech thee to renew your church beginning with all of us who fear you “ with deepest tenderest fears, and worship you with penitential tears”, that your church may renew the nation(s) where people fear neither man or God. In high and low places!
Sermons 