20250223AOC Sunday Report

 

Anglican Orthodox Church_sm

Worldwide Communion

Sexagesima Sunday
Sunday Report

 

February 16, 2025

 Sexagesima Sunday Propers:

 

The propers are special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540’s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding.

 

The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.

 

The propers are the same each year, except if a Red-Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red-Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saint’s instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent. The Propers for today are found on page 120-121

 

 

The Collect for Sexagesima Sunday

O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 The Epistle for Sexagesima Sunday. II Corinthians xi. 19.

YE suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in  weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

 The Gospel for Sextagesima Sunday.  St. Luke viii. 4.

WHEN much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock;

and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way-side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

On Point

Someone asked, where do the quotes come from? The answer is from the people who uttered them. But, how did you find them? Oh, that. Some from Bishop Jerry, others from Rev. Geordie and many from Rev Bryan Dabney and a few from other places.        
       Rev. Geordie Menzies-Grierson – England (above)

 

 

Points to Ponder:

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Psalm 116:7

Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
Proverbs 28:5

Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
St. Mark 7:9

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
I St. Peter 3:12

“Let this be your motto and your guide” by J.C. Ryle
"Oh, keep your eye steadily fixed on Christ, and you shall go through fire and water and they shall not hurt you.
Are you tempted? Look unto Jesus.
Are you afflicted? Look unto Jesus
Do all speak evil of you? Look unto Jesus.
Do you feel cold, dull, backsliding? Look unto Jesus.
Never say, 'I will heal myself and then look unto Jesus, I will get into a good frame and then take comfort in my Beloved
It is the very delusion of Satan.
But whether you are weak or strong, in the valley or on the mount, in sickness or in health, in sorrow or in joy, in going out or in coming in, in youth or in age, in richness or in poverty, in life or in death, let this be your motto and your guide— 'LOOKING UNTO JESUS.'"
--J.C. Ryle, The Christian Race and Other Sermons (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2024), 147.

 

Joyful tidings that maketh a man leap for joy

"Evangelion (that we call the gospel) is a Greek word and signifieth good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that maketh a man's heart glad, and maketh him sing, dance, and leap for joy.

Just as when David had killed Goliath the giant glad tidings came unto the Jews, that their fearful and cruel enemy was slain and that they were delivered out of all danger.

In like manner is the Evangelion of God (which we call gospel; and the New Testament) joyful tidings. The gospel is published by the apostles throughout all the world, of Christ, the right David, who hath fought with sin, with death, and the devil, and overcome them. Whereby all men that were in bondage to sin, wounded with death, overcome of the devil, are, without their own merits or deservings, loosed, justified, restored to life and saved, brought to liberty and reconciled unto the favor of God, and set at one with Him again, which tidings as many as believe laud, praise, and thank God and are glad, sing and dance for joy."
--William Tyndale, "A Pathway Into the Holy Scripture," in Doctrinal Treatises and Introductions to Different Portions of the Holy Scriptures, ed. Henry Walter, vol. 1, The Works of William Tyndale (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1848), 1: 8–9.

 

            “Joys are flowing like a river, Since the Comforter has come; He abides with us forever, Makes the trusting heart His home.” Joy has always flowed freely in the heart chambers of those who love the Lord and His impeachable Word. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had that joy; and so did David, Solomon, and Deborah, to mention only a few of the Old Testament witnesses. But the prevailing joy, as a River of Life, came to us as the flowing waters of the Holy Ghost and Comforter after the Ascension of our Lord. The joys of the Old Testament saints was based on an amazing faith in the fulfillment of the promise of God. In the New Testament age, we look, not only in faith, but in the accomplished fact of the coming of the Savior. The Comforter, being a Spirit, is capable of omnipresence that a physical body is incapable of being. The Holy Ghost abides (lives in our hearts) forever in the hearts of the faithful. Those hearts are His home, not a place of occasional repose.

Bishop Jerry Ogles (Joys are Flowing like a River-June 20, 2017)

                                               

Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop. Metropolitan
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

 

We are fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the Collect and sermon notes.

 

Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:

 

Bishop Ogles has a You Tube Channel that is free to subscribe: all of his videos at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW3bgXBJFomPB5mZ4Oigxg

 

The Articles of Religion Video Series: Article 32

 Click link below: https://youtu.be/LGx1pychHZI

    
Names of Jeus Series: Christ as the Bridegroom

  Click link: https://youtu.be/cBWvnqT7fzQ

    

The Refiners Fire: https://youtu.be/ICb8H2ubzBo?si=QHy3wEYdR475UQru

     

GOD’s Providence and Grace:  https://youtu.be/TS4kbZ5IoR0

 

 

JOYFUL,JOYFUL, WE ADORE THEE;

 Hymn Devotion for next Sexagesima Sunday,

 

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are ^shonest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.   (Philippians 4:8)

 

            If there ever was a hymn of praise, this would lead the field. It combines wonderful biblical truths with the immortal composition of Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony – last movement – of the same title. The lyrics were composed by Henry van Dyke for President Garfield (U.S. President) in 1907. “Henry Van Dyke’s brilliant hymn of praise has many layers that add to the beauty of his text. As hymnologist Albert Bailey writes, within Van Dyke’s text, “creation itself cannot conceal its joy, and that joy is appreciated by God the center of it all; likewise all nature fills us with joy, caused fundamentally by our recognition of God as the giver.” Hymnary.org

 

Jouful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

 

1 Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

 

2 All Your works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise;
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain
Praising Thee eternally!

 

3 Always giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Loving Father, Christ our Brother,
Let Thy light upon us shine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

 

4 Mortals, join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
God's own love is reigning o’er us,
Joining people hand in hand.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

 

1 Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,
Op'ning to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day!  These lines represent pure praise to God without any appeal to the physical desires of man. The rose blooms on the sunny side, and the Sunflower turns its head to the sun as it transits the sun. God is our Light and our Sun. The morning clouds dissipate before the warm rays of the rising Sun, just as hate and malice melt away in the converted heart. Just as the traveler doubts his next footstep in the darkness of the mountain valley, so, the pilgrim in the valley of the shadow of death. But to the Christian pilgrim, God is the lamp unto his feet and the light unto his path. He travels securely and certainly through the valley and up the mountain slope.

2 All Your works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise; Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain Praising Thee eternally! I find the manner in which the words and music of this hymn so completely unite in an offering of praise to God remarkable. Beethoven, blind and absent any music composition for ten years composed this music in the latter years of his life – blind and despondent. But God save the best wine in Beethoven’s life for the last part – and even this movement is the last in his 9^th symphony. Henry van Dyke obviously had his spiritual ear trumpet to heaven at the writing of these beautifully descriptive lyrics. All of nature gives evidence of its Creator and evinces a sense of beauty and comfort in all of its manifestations. The singing of birds, the roaring of the restless sea – all give voice to the singing of the angels. God has placed a flowing fountain of living waters in every vale.

3 Always giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest, Well-spring of the joy of living, Ocean-depth of happy rest! Loving Father, Christ our Brother, Let Thy light upon us shine; Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine. The grace and mercies of God are without limits to those who trust in Him. Just as the sun draws the vapors of water into Heaven to dissipate into life-giving rain, so does He lift the hearts of believers on high to be a blessing and a testimony to the mundane world. That beautiful old hymn on the ‘Love of God” wonderfully describes its measure as follows:

 

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
and ev’ryone a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
though stretched from sky to sky.

 

4 Mortals, join the mighty chorus, Which the morning stars began; God's own love is reigning o’er us,
Joining people hand in hand. Ever singing, march we onward, Victors in the midst of strife; Joyful music leads us sunward In the triumph song of life. What a privilege for mortals to have voices that can be lifted to the ears and chorus of angels. Those angelic voices still sing since Creation morning as of old, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:7) Our prayers are heard at the highest seat in Heaven, too. We are being prepared for that great feast and banquet of the end of the space/time continuum. Our shield and banner is love. “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” (Song of Solomon 2:4) But not deceived, we have complete and unconditional victory in Christ, the Captain and Bishop of our souls. Not only is He our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and King, but He is also our closely-held Brother. 

            No one can deny the power and beauty of both the musical score of Beethoven and the uplifting lyrics of Henry van Dyke. Who can deny that this combination of music and words were not informed of the inspiration of the Holy spirit.

 

The Sermon – Sexagesima Sunday

 

TWO SEED AND FOUR SOILS

The Collect
Sexagesima Sunday

O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

            Today’s Prayer of Collect, in brief, prays that the Lord can acknowledge our lack of trust in the arm of flesh and our own works, but attribute all power and defense to His Holy Will in our lives. In the eyes of the Lord, our righteousness is as filthy rags because we can do no good work part from Christ working in and through us.

             In the Epistle, taken from 2 Corinthians 11:19-31 (not copied here), Paul outlines the many sufferings and struggles he has experienced in ministering the Word of God to diverse regions and people. It serves as a great revelation of the great war that is taking place upon the earth between the relentless slings and arrows of the Adversary and the people of God. As the disciples of Christ, we have sworn allegiance to the King of Kings, and our service contract is ‘for the duration of the conflict’ which will end at the Coming of Christ. In that conflict, we may perceive setbacks on the line, but those are only steps to the final victory.

⁴And when much people were gathered together, and were come to Him out of every city, He spake by a parable: ⁵A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls at the air devoured it. ⁶And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. ⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.  And other fell on good ground. and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when He had said these things, He cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. ⁹And His disciples asked Him, saying, What might this parable be? ¹⁰And He said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. ¹¹Now the parable is this; The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those by the way-side are they that hear: then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³They on the rock are they which, when they hear, receive the word with Joy; and them have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴And that which fall among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. ¹⁵But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit, with patience.” (Luke 8:4-15; all scripture KJV)

            Jesus spoke often ion Parables the purpose of which was to impart the sublime truths of grace, redemption, and retribution.          

            There are only two general categories of seed growing in the fields (hearts) of men – those of the Adversary, or those of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is the Word and, as such, He is the Good Seed which the Sower sows in his field. He is the Master Sower, and His disciples are the servant-sowers of the Word, too. The seed of the Adversary naturally exists already in those soils and only the Master Sower can discern the difference in their growth.

            As followers of Christ, we need to be alert to those different kinds of soils (or hearts) upon which the true Seed falls and to understand the reasons for the rejection of that precious Seed by the greater numbers of men.

            The Sower sows without distinction of soils. All soils have received the Seed, but the results vary with the kind of soils upon which those Seed fall.

            When the farmer plants a crop, the soil must be prepared and cultivated. Rocks and weeds must be removed to whatever extent possible. The field must be hedged about to protect against varmints. In this way, the field is just like the hearts of men that must be prepared to hear the Gospel through preaching and the drawing power of the Holy Ghost. But there are fields that are simply lacking in many ways as good soil for planting. The soil may be too rocky, too acidic, too dry, too overgrown with weeds and briars, etc. But we cannot know the soils unless we at least plant the seed and observe if the Holy Spirit will germinate the seed in the darkness of the earth.

       
Let us observe the four kinds of soil here illustrated by our Lord:

.1.      The First Soil: “ . . . some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls at the air devoured it.” The heart that is impenetrable or never impressed by the divine truth. These are men whose hearts are indifferent to the Gospel and who listen in careless abandon or even open rebellion thereto. These have no time for the foolishness of preaching. The Seed cannot even take root in such hearts. Their patron father, the Devil, snatches up the Seed immediately since it is left exposed without cover or care. These are the ones who fill bars and nightclubs while the churches remain unattended.

 2.      The Second Soil: “And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.” These are hearts that lack a depth of top-soil and are filled with the hard rocks of sinful sinners with whom they associate closely. They may rejoice at the hearing of the Word, but are easily deterred from the path of righteousness when temptations arise. They have a superficial interest in the truth, but, by-and-by, forget it the moment temptation arises. Their souls are dry of the oil of the Holy spirit to nourish and sustain growth. These may make a public confession of Christ without truly knowing the One in whom they claim to place their trust. Shallow and shakable are these.

 3.      The Third Soil: “.And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.” The seeds of thorns and tares are always present, even in the good soil, but these flourish beyond control in the hearts of those whose attraction to the things of the world outweigh all other considerations. They allow themselves to be smothered out by the cares and illicit desires of the world. Their self-wills remain in the bondage of sin, and there is no such thing as a Free Will apart from that perfect law of Liberty assured by the very Author of Liberty, our Lord Jesus Christ. Only when our self-wills are surrendered to Him can we claim a will that is free.

 4.      The Fourth Soil: “And other fell on good ground. and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.”  I need not remind the bible scholars reading this devotion of the necessity of a seed to die to self in order to produce an abundance of fruit. The good ground is that whose natures are receptive to truth and love. The Good Seed has a tiny kernel of life enclosed in a shell casing of nutrients to give hope of survival until the seedling burst forth into a rich environment of loamy soil. But the soil must be good in order to continue to nourish the seed plant as it struggles in the darkness of the earth to escape its earthly confines and spring into the brightness of the glorious Sun of righteousness.  How like the true believer is this soil and its response to the Good Seed. We come from the dust of the earth, yet we have a soul that struggles in the darkness of the world until the Stranger of Galilee calls our names and we are made anew in the light of His Word.

 The honest and good heart is not subject to the vicissitudes of the three other soils. It thrives on truth and love which it could only know by means of the Word of God informed and enlightened by the Holy Ghost. It is my prayer that this fourth soil represents the heart of all who read these sermon notes.

 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN

 In Christ Alone during Pre-Lent,

 † Jerry Ogles

Presiding Bishop.  

Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide & Chancellor, Faith Theological Seminary

 

 

 

Charles Morley
Bishop of Alabama
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

 Sermon for Sextuagesima

 We are very fortunate to get a copy of Bishop Morley’s sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Epiphany for this week’s Sunday Report.

 Apostolic Succession

    Apostolic Succession is the Golden Fleece of Anglicanism and is just as mythical. Some Anglicans regard it as valuable as Jason did the Fleece, and have pursued it with as much enthusiasm. The phrase was introduced in the revision compromise that is the 1928 Book of Common Prayer as part of the price paid by orthodox churchmen for the retention of the Articles of Religion. The Anglo-Catholic minority was attempting to exclude the Articles from the "new" Book and as a concession for their continued inclusion, several phrases were introduced that would support the (Roman) Catholic cause. The first was the term "Ministers of Apostolic Succession" in the newly created "Office of Institution of Ministers." Since the service was newly created for the American Book, the language was newly fashioned, not dependent on previous editions of the BCP.

     It will first be noted that the phrase does not mention bishops per se, nor was it necessarily unknown to Anglican/Episcopal theology. Ever since the Nags Head Fable was put forward by Rome, Anglicans have been desperate to prove that the Episcopate had continued in an unbroken line since the Reformation. Rome's denunciation of the orders of the C of E - and therefore those of the American Church - had never lessened with the passage of years and was especially of concern to Anglo-Catholics who, in the early twentieth century were heavily in involved in ecumenism viz. the World Council of Churches, the Lambeth Quadrilateral, and Vatican One.

     While the Church had gone out of its way to maintain the Historic Episcopate, it had NEVER embraced the Romish concept of Apostolic Succession as dependent upon an unbroken line of consecrations going back through history to the "papacy" of St. Peter. Such a pious myth is untenable and illogical at best - but Rome clings to it as essential to the faith of all Christians. She has anathematized those who deny it, apart from accepting the orders of the Eastern Churches.

     Anglo-Catholics, then a tiny, disrespected minority of the clergy, desperate for recognition by Rome as a valid "Catholic" Church, adopted their own modified version of Rome's doctrine (which Rome still denies) and claims that the "intent" to maintain the apostolic pedigree of bishops guarantees the validity of Anglican consecrations, and therefore the Succession of "valid" bishops must be closely guarded. "Lines of Succession" are maintained like the pedigrees of champion racehorses, and as with animal pedigrees, some "lines" are more valuable than others.

     The consecration of Samuel Seabury has always proved an embarrassment to the American Church because it fundamentally challenges the Romish doctrine. The fact that the first bishop of the renegade American Church was consecrated by three "non juror" clergy of the renegade Scottish Church without the approval/sanction of Canterbury is simply ignored as theological trivia. The Golden Fleece of Apostolic Succession (or the Anglo-Catholic versions of it) is the gold standard of the modern Anglican Communion - and is NOT to be shared, even with those who desire it.

   For many years, and to this day, the Episcopal Church, the Church of England, and most of the Anglican Communion, have denounced those bodies that have departed the organizational fold of geographic ecclesiology as "schismatic" and "invalid" - and denounced the episcopate of those separated bodies because they were not "in communion" with the parent Churches. Even the modern ACNA, itself a schismatic body, first denounced the Continuing Churches that preceded it as having "invalid "Apostolic Succession - and went out of its way to seek recognition by Canterbury until Canterbury herself rejected them. While not recognized by Canterbury (and who would want to be) they still claim to be part of the Anglican Communion because some "valid" foreign bishops passed on their Golden Fleece.

     Apostolic Succession (as commonly understood) is a dangerous lie that Satan has used very successfully in dividing the Body of Christ. It is the sole doctrine held dear by both liberals and conservatives as "essential" to Anglicanism. It has removed orthodoxy from the leadership of the Church, and distracted the people of God from Biblical authority in the ministry. If "being in Communion with Canterbury" ever had any real meaning for churchmen, it is long lost. Canterbury and her children are apostate and the original intent of those who placed "ministers of Apostolic Succession" in the 1928BCP has been perverted. The Continuing Churches have themselves abused the doctrine of succession by excommunicating each other on the basis of this doctrine, or their own interpretation of it. "Valid Orders" have been sold like fake college degrees while even those who have denied every doctrine of the Christian Church are still regarded as "valid."

    "Apostolic Succession" is a Ponzi Scheme designed to put Anglicanism out of business. It has turned the one-time "stupor mundi" in to a religion of pointed hats and sticks. The historic episcopate is not a communicable disease. "Lex orandi, lex credendi."

+CEM

 

 

 

Yves M. Méra
Presiding Bishop – AOC France
Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

 

We are fortunate to have a sermon from the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church of France and the Administrative Coordinator of Europe and Africa. As you will read, he is an excellent writer. The sermon is easy to read and provides much insight.

 

Sermon for the Septuagesima Sunday

 

2 Corinthians 9:24-27; Matthew 20:1-16

 BOASTING

 Paul writes for the second time to the Church of Corinth... Once wasn't enough! This "primitive" church is of Pentecostal tendency, but in an excessive way. The Christians of Corinth are attracted by the sensational, the spectacular. They feel superior toothers because they possess greater wealth, thanks to trade. Indeed, Corinth is located on a place of obligatory passage for commercial ships who prefer to cross the strait by land rather than sail all around the Peloponnese. And it is a secure halt for those who - too heavy to cross on land - bypass it. This feeling of superiority leads them to boasting.

Boasting is a spirit of judgment, which is not content with self-aggrandizement. It is mainly belittling others. In this case, the Corinthians began to belittle Paul. They found better preachers than him, they think. Yet Paul is the one who preached the Gospel of salvation to them, he was first. But they have given themselves other preachers, according to their convenience and tendency. They like flattery and being told what they want to hear. Today, American televangelists do not proceed any differently. They flatter their audience and present them with the false gospel of prosperity and permissiveness: The Law of Moses is said to be outdated. There would be no more constraints, no more demands. These Christians eventually come to imitate pagan cults, in the name of Jesus Christ!

But what is their purpose? It is a question of filling the parish coffers, and incidentally the pastor's pockets, by bringing in a lot of people. Incidentally, this great world is still an opportunity to brag. The success of the Church is boasted, but it is forgotten that this same Church has somewhat gone astray and deviated from its mission by changing its purpose. The goal is no longer the salvation of damned souls, but numerical statistics - figures. We know how to fill a church easily: With light shows, pop or rock music, half-clad dancers, comfortable armchairs, like in the cinema or on television, a bar, a hairdresser's salon, a mini-market, a medical service incorporated into the church building, we may attract flies, but what about real conversions? These churches are presented as social clubs where it is enough to "go through the waters of baptism" to benefit from the advantages and additional services offered. Very well. It is a materialistic version of grace and charity. But Christ would not find His disciples there, nor even Paul.

This is why Paul writes to the Corinthians, recalling all that he suffered in his work of evangelization. Paul doesn't boast about his successes. He doesn't belittle anyone. He only deplores the fact that the Corinthians to whom he preached the true Gospel of Christ who died and rose for the forgiveness of our sins turn away from it, and that his teaching is nullified by a counter-preaching with super-spiritual pretensions, but in reality, worldly. Paul's merits lie not in his successes, but in his faithfulness to the Word and God and his perseverance, in spite of all the opposition and trials he faced and had to undergo. These trials are brought about by Satan, who is angry at those who preach the truth and snatch souls from hell, his demonic and eternal spiritual realm.

In England, when the pagan Anglo-Saxons invaded the Eastern half of Britain, they destroyed the Church of Christ. Tertullian, in the year 208, writes that there were Christian communities in England from the beginning of the 60s, in the first century, in the non-Romanized parts, which remained Celtic. But after the passage of the Vikings from Denmark and northern Germany, there was almost nothing left of them. The first Christian missionaries sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great around the year 600 were surprised to find surviving Christian communities, more or less clandestine but faithful to the Gospel of Christ, despite the risks and persecutions they faced. Great canonized missionaries such as Augustine of Rome, Bede the Venerable, Cuthbert, Alcuin then restructured the Church of England with the support of Rome, while acknowledging and respecting certain local particularities, and they can be praised for this. But the real heroes of this true story are unknowns: they are the anonymous monks and priests who have kept the faith alive in a hostile environment, at the risk of their lives, like Paul, and this, for 5 centuries, totally isolated from the rest of the Christian world, and in particular from Rome. This isolation did not prevent them from evangelizing Norway, Denmark, Northern Germany, Brittany and Switzerland, on their own initiative, without any Roman directive. Who will dare say that the Holy Spirit was not at work among them?

Paul, in listing the inconveniences and perils he suffered during his missionary journeys, teaches the Corinthians - and us too - that the gifts of the Spirit are likely to be confirmed by the opposition of devils, and that it is unseemly and dangerous to provoke these same devils by boasting of the spiritual gifts one has received. This is why Paul glories himself in his weakness, which is exactly the opposite of boasting. Basically, Paul is saying that he does what he can, but that he can do little, and that all the glory of his successes belongs to God, not to him. Neither his education - however real - nor his own human strength - he is handicapped (2 Corinthians 12:7): “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” - nor his vast spiritual gifts - he received them all - are any excuse allowing him to show off. But he gives all thanks to the grace of God only, Who has declared to him, " My grace is sufficient for thee " - (2 Corinthians 12:9): “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Today's Gospel offers us the famous parable of the Sower who goes out of his house and sows the Word of God in four various kinds of hearts. The Sower is God who comes out of his heavenly Kingdom and becomes incarnate in Jesus Christ to teach the Truth of God to the crowds. (Luke 8:1): “And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God..." Christ preached to thousands on the hills or by the Sea of Galilee, for whom He multiplied the loaves of bread and the fish, and finally at the Temple in Jerusalem, in the days before His Passion.

Not all hearts welcome His teaching in the same way:

1.      (Luke 8:12): “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” You can believe me: the first listener of all preaching - and he is with us today - is the devil! Satan shuts the ears and hearts of those who listen to the preaching, and whose names are not written in the Book of Life. (Revelation 20:15): “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This will be the share of the fire on the Day of Judgment.

2.      (Luke 8:13): “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” Let us thank God for having assisted Paul with His omnipotence, in the midst of the temptations and trials - it is the same thing - that he did not feel any want of it. But God does not assist all the hearers of the preaching, for not all are predestined to salvation.

3.      (Luke 8:14): “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” Such are the rich churches. Business – even holy business - money worries, and the worldly spirit sterilize them. They attract many people, like the lark's mirror, but this is to keep them under the domination of demons. These people are cultural Christians, but they lack the heart to commit themselves and take up their evangelist pilgrim's staff. “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed” (Luke 8:16a). They are consumers of services and very incidentally of boastful preaching. They like beautiful snory speeches... and they do snore.

4.      (Luke 8:15): “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Note that it is not by a personal decision to follow Christ that the elects are saved and produce good fruit. Good soil is hearts chosen by God, and prepared by His grace to receive His Word and to put it into practice. (Matthew 12:50): “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” They put up the lamp of Christ “… but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.” (Luke 8:16b).

There are therefore 4 kinds of listeners of the Word of God - and I am not talking about the most numerous: those who refuse even to hear it. Will all of them be saved? Not at all! Only the last quarter will be saved: the predestined whose names are engraved in the Book of Life! For the majority, it is hell that they prefer. And they do every single thing they can to deserve this disastrous fate, as the apostle John reminds us in the fourth Gospel (John 3:19): “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” The so-called "good works" they boast so much about are bad; they are rotten. Luther says this: "These are magnificent sins," because these works are not done in God nor for His glory alone.

So, there are 4 ages of life - childhood, adolescence, maturity, old age - 4 Gospels and 4 kinds of listeners of the Word. The first Gospel - that of Matthew - insists on the Law and judgment. The second Gospel - that of Mark - emphasizes the healings wrought by Jesus. The third Gospel - that of Luke - emphasizes charity, with the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal son. And the fourth Gospel - that of John - is that of the Love of God who comes to save His elect by snatching them from the clutches of Satan by His painful death and glorious resurrection (John 3:16): “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.”

It was out of love for His chosen people that Christ came among us, speaking a Word “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Satan thought he could silence him by inflicting death on him, on the cross. But the Truth cannot be held captive by the Liar. On the third day, the Truth burst into the open, it came out of the grave, it had been thought to be locked up, but Satan was defeated, and his lie was exposed.

(John 1:16-17): “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”  (John 1:12-13): “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Amen.

Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France.

 

 

  Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s AOC
Vicksburg, Mississippi -  

 

 We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you want people   

 to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, espouse the truth

 and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend it to your

 careful reading.

 

 Sexagesima Sunday Sermon

 

 

Whom do you serve?

 

Whom do you serve? It’s a fair question and one for which we ought to have a ready answer if we are of the true faith. In our Old Testament lesson (Daniel 3:8- 26), we read of just that sort of ready answer from Daniel’s three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (a.k.a. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego). These would not worship the great statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected on the plain of Dura. Upon hearing that they had not done so, he called on the men to worship the image as his other officials had done. They, however, continued steadfast in their faithfulness to the LORD and refused the king’s command. Angered by their resistance, the king threatened them saying, …but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands (v.15)? Undeterred, the men responded, …¹⁶we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. ¹⁷If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. ¹⁸But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (vv.16-18)

 We know that God did indeed deliver them from the effects of the furnace much to the amazement of Nebuchadnezzar and his officials. The power of God is greater than any other in either the heavens, or on the earth. That should be of great comfort to us for even though God may permit us to go through difficult times, we know that he is with us. Consider the words of the 23rd Psalm: The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want... Yea though I walk through valley and shadow of death, thou are with me. It was likely that Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah had heard those words before, but their faithfulness in keeping the commandments of God remained for them first and foremost. The Second Commandment clearly rejects all forms of idolatry. And so, when faced with either obeying the pronouncements of an earthly ruler, or the commandments of the one true and living God, there was no question with whom they would side. Yet these men of Judah were the exception rather than the rule in this matter. For throughout history, we find that those who worshipped false gods and prostrated themselves before idols of metal, wood and stone were often oblivious to the sound doctrines of God or had rejected them out of hand. Still, it should be understood that even Christians are not immune from idolatry. For any image, artifact (relic), icon, or statue that is worshipped and venerated is just as devoid of scriptural acceptance as those which were worshipped in pagan antiquity. Ergo, godly obedience requires us to be stalwart and implacable in our adherence to our Lord’s commandments regardless of what man may say or a church body may attempt to justify.

 Now the Devil is smooth in his ability to deceive. C. S. Lewis once expressed the nature of seductive evil in his Screwtape Letters when he wrote: “If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring...” Satan has always been about corrupting the true faith via his “amendments”which are like a good daubing of untempered mortar, or a “whitewashing” over whatever sin he has chosen to mask. And to keep the unsuspecting souls he has garnered in line as it were, the Devil must disguise these errors by giving them the color of godly justification. To support this assertion consider the following questions: How many people do you know simply accept whatever their ministers preach or espouse without checking their bibles? How many have failed to review the Sunday school literature of their churches to see if it matches God’s word written? How many have not challenged their church’s stand on matters that are contrary to God’s word written? If you have not been paying attention, you might be surprised at the answers to those questions. The Rev. E. M. Bounds noted that, “The Devil does a big business on earth. He is a prince and a leader. Men and devils are his agents. The elements of nature are often corrupted by him from their beneficial purposes and forced to destroy. He is busy tempting men to do evil... By his schemes, sin seems to lose its sinfulness, the world is clothed with double charms, and self is given twice the force. He turns faith into fanaticism and love into hate. A spiritual character can work through other agencies or directly on the human spirit. Satan infuses thoughts and makes suggestions, and he does it so deftly that we do not know their origin.”

 Returning to our lesson from Daniel, look at how Satan got Nebuchadnezzar to justify in his mind the setting up of that statue on the plain of Dura. Think about how he organized the worship and the music. It is therefore quite understandable that such a powerful man as Nebuchadnezzar was induced to believe that he himself was the originator and author of that pious fraud which he had set up at

Dura. Without a doubt, Satan took the vision which the king had received from God (Daniel 2) as interpreted by Daniel, and turned it into an opportunity for idolatry. How mere thoughts and dreams can be fashioned by the evil one into blasphemy and degradation. The Rev. Dr. Merrill Unger once noted that, “Satan and evil spirits are untiring and ceaseless in their prosecution of enterprises of deception and wickedness... [they] imperil man’s well-being by subjecting him to temptation... [Satan] not only takes away the good seed, but sows the tares. Assuredly this power of temptation is possessed by Satan’s many subordinate evil spirits, through whose instrumentality he accomplishes his nefarious purposes.” Still, it is very hard for many Christians to come to grips with the notion that pure, personal evil exists, and that he hates mankind because we are made in God’s image. Another thing that these naive souls cannot— or will not— grasp is the scope of personal evil. It is GLOBAL. Ergo, we are literally faced with personal evil on an ever-present basis. As that is the case, the good Christian soul will put on the whole armour of God in their efforts to resist the assaults of the evil one (See Ephesians 6:10-18). No other armour is suitable to the task. Earthly methods are impotent against our “ancient foe” on account of his supernatural nature. I have often heard the foolish and the unlearned say that they can “bind Satan.” Really? Now, pray tell, where is that taught in Scripture? What the Bible does teach us is that we are to resist the Devil. It also makes plain that the only reason we might experience any success against the powers of darkness is on account of the power of the Holy Ghost being present with us and within us. We must trust only in the name of Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord as it is he who has won for us the victory over the Devil and his angels.

 Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah understood what the LORD our God expected of them in his service. They knew the commandments of God set forth the proper course of conduct for the faithful even as those around them were falling into Satan’s traps. The word of God is the truth. It is that moral compass which points us away from evil and keeps us squarely on the road to God’s eternal kingdom. Our Lord commanded us to, ¹³Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (St. Matthew 7:13-14) And our Lord also said, No man can serve two masters: for he will hate the one, and love the other... (St. Matthew 6:24). The Devil will seek to divert us from the true path of Christ into the broad way that leads to Antichrist. The statue at Dura was just an ersatz version of God. It was an insinuated musing of the father of lies who was attempting to turn God’s people into his servants via a false or pretended worship of the divine.

 Are there plains of Dura in your life? Are there golden idols which look impressive and have the appearance of deity that you bow before? Are there things that shine for you in this life other than the living God? Do you worship mammon? Do you venerate people or institutions as one would venerate the Lord of all life? Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were in positions of power and influence within

the court of Nebuchadnezzar. They along with Daniel were his favorite advisors. But even their earthly positions did not matter when it came to being obedient to God. Are you ready to stand for God’s word written against the temporal rulers of this world? Are you seeking to do the will of our Lord in opposition to all else? May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in all extremity so that you might stand, and having done all to stand in these evil days.

 Let us pray,

LORD, deliver us from all false doctrine, all idolatry and all deception of the evil one; that we might better serve thee in this life, so that at the last we might be received into thine everlasting kingdom; for this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.

 Have a blessed week,
Bryan+

Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor

Saint Paul's Anglican Church
Diocese of the Midwest Anglican Orthodox Church
Suffragan Bishop of the AOC

 

Sermon for Sexagesima Sunday

 

Psalms 71; First  lesson:Isaiah: 50:4-10; Second lesson:2 Corinthians 12:1-12                                          

O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

⁴The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. ⁵The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

⁶I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:4-6)

In this brief passage of Isaiah we find a foreshadowing of the coming suffering Savior.  Isaiah as well as David both predicted the Redeemer who would suffer stripes, bruising, scourging, smiting and other humiliating actions, such as being spat upon, mocked, and yet He would not fight back. The suffering Savior would bear our sins upon His body, He would gladly suffer in our stead in order to bring us to His kingdom. Wow. Who among us would do the same ?

⁷For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. ⁸He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. ⁹Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. (Isaiah 50:7-9)

In these next three verses(7,8,9) we read Isaiah both writing about himself and also about the coming Messiah. He writes of the determination he has to show he can not be moved in his convictions. ‘I have set my face like a flint...and I know that I shall not be ashamed.’  In that passage he speaks of the strength he gets from the Lord God, ...will help me. He will not be confounded he will be strong like the flint.

Then in verse 8, Isaiah gives the message that Christ is justified by God and is protected from the evil that will assail him in the time of his ministry. From the temptation to Holy Week, some three and a half years of earthly ministry, Christ is attacked, harassed, threatened with death, yet he knows that God the father is with him. ‘...let us stand together: who is mine adversary?...’ 

Then again in verse nine we read that the Lord God will help me(him)..his adversary {he who condemns me (him)...} who is he ?  It doesn’t matter, because that adversary will wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.  Those who are against us will eventually fade away. 

I like the image of a garment being fretted by moths, it just falls away to nothing. Those who attack us will eventually become nothing. 

¹⁰ Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.

In verse ten let us look to that great 18th century bible commentator, Matthew Henry. This is his take on this last verse. 

I. Comfort is here spoken to disconsolate saints, and they are encouraged to trust in God’s grace, 1. Isa. 50:10. Here observe, 

1. What is always the character of a child of God. He is one that fears the Lord with a filial fear, that stands in awe of his majesty and is afraid of incurring his displeasure. This is a grace that usually appears most in good people when they walk in darkness, when other graces appear not. They then tremble at his word (Isa. 66:2) and are afraid of his judgments, Ps. 119:120. He is one that obeys the voice of God’s servant, is willing to be ruled by the Lord Jesus, as God’s servant in the great work of man’s redemption, one that yields a sincere obedience to the law of Christ and cheerfully comes up to the terms of his covenant. Those that truly fear God will obey the voice of Christ.

 2. What is sometimes the case of a child of God. It is supposed that though he has in his heart the fear of God, and faith in Christ, yet for a time he walks in darkness and has no light, is disquieted and has little or no comfort. Who is there that does so? This intimates that it is a case which sometimes happens among the professors of religion, yet not very often; but, whenever it happens, God takes notice of it. It is no new thing for the children and heirs of light sometimes to walk in darkness, and for a time not to have any glimpse or gleam of light. This is not meant so much of the comforts of this life (those that fear God, when they have ever so great an abundance of them, do not walk in them as their light) as of their spiritual comforts, which relate to their souls. They walk in darkness when their evidences for heaven are clouded, their joy in God is interrupted, the testimony of the Spirit is suspended, and the light of God’s countenance is eclipsed. Pensive Christians are apt to be melancholy, and those who fear always are apt to fear too much.

 3. What is likely to be an effectual cure in this sad case. He that is thus in the dark, (1.) Let him trust in the name of the Lord, in the goodness of his nature, and that which he has made known of himself, his wisdom, power, and goodness. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, let his run into that. Let him depend upon it that if he walk before God, which a man may do though he walk in the dark, he shall find God all-sufficient to him. (2.) Let him stay himself upon his God, his in covenant; let him keep hold of his covenant-relation to God, and call God his God, as Christ on the cross, My God, My God. Let him stay himself upon the promises of the covenant, and build his hopes on them. When a child of God is ready to sink he will find enough in God to stay himself upon. Let him trust in Christ, for God’s name is in him (Exod. 23:21), trust in that name of his, The Lord our righteousness, and stay himself upon God as his God, in and through a Mediator.

 After what seemed like endless winter, just as suddenly, it has started to warm up. The next week is forecast to be warm and more like the early part of March.  It won’t be too long before the spring peepers begin to sound. The soft maples will break bud and start to flower after just a few days of warmer weather. 

One of the “givens” of seasonal weather, change is always just a few weeks away.  Each season at times seems to last forever and then you notice changes coming. As each day gets longer and longer, and the sun is higher in the sky than just a month and a half ago, soon the season of rebirth is upon us.

Folks, even nature is pointing to the coming of Spring, the coming of Easter, the glorious Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

And as in like we do have some more days of cold coming, it is still winter after all, and yet soon it will be Spring, it will be warmer. 

We are now sixty days out from Easter, this time will soon pass, we will reflect on the great work that Christ did for us, when we observe the forty days of Lent. We can spend that time in meditation and reflection on the great gift that God the Father bestowed upon us, because He loves us. To God be the Glory...great things He has done.

Let us pray:

God is our hope and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and although the hills be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof rage and swell, and though the mountains shake as the tempest of the same. Be still then, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations and I will be exalted on the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

  O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly; Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of Wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in they light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen

Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn

 

 

The Rev. Don Fultz
Rector of St. Peter’s AOC located in the AOC National Office

 We are grateful to have this sermon of the today from Rev. Don Fultz from St. Peter’s AOC, Statesville, NC.

Sexagesima Sunday

Sermon:  St. Luke 8: 4-15

The Parable of the sower included in the Gospel text this morning is reported more frequently than any parable in the Bible.  It has universal application and the things it relates are continually going on in every congregation to which the Gospel is preached.  This parable is also told in St. Matthew (13:3-23) and in St. Mark 4:2-20 with some expanded detail.   Notice the setting of the parable.  Large crowds of people from every city were gathering.  There were so many people that St. Matthew’s account tells us Jesus had to tell this parable from a boat while the crowd was on the shore.  He did this so He could be seen and heard by everyone.  Their motives for coming would be various:  curiosity, loneliness, sickness, guilt,  and faith.   Many of them would hear the word of God; but their response would be different. 

It was the first of all parables spoken by Jesus.  It is important in the understanding of all of His parables in the New Testament.  St. Luke recognized that one of Christ’s primary means for teaching truth was the use of parables.  This is why he recorded more of Christ’s parables than any other Gospel writer.

So why did Jesus teach in Parables?   The disciples asked the same question in Luke 8: 9:   “What might this parable be?”  In verse 10, Jesus replies: “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.”    

“The expression used in this verse reiterates the words spoken in Isaiah 6:9. It is worthy of observation that hardly any passage in the Old Testament is so frequently discussed in the New Testament as this.  It is found six times, Matt.: 13:14-15; Mark 4:12, John 12:40, Acts 28:26; Rom. 11:8; and in this place in Luke.  

On each occasion it is applied to the same subject, the hardened and unbelieving state of mind, in which the Jews were.”  (JC Ryle ,Vol 1 Luke, Expository thoughts  Page 255).

The secrets of the kingdom have been spoken plainly to those to whom the Kingdom has been given.   For everyone else, the secrets are meant to keep the secrets hidden from their understanding.  Taken as it stands, its meaning seems to be that Jesus taught in parables to conceal His message; only to the disciples did He explain what He meant.   The obvious purpose of the parables is to make Jesus’ message understood, though only by those with sufficient perception to see their significance. 

What is odd about the parable of the Sower is that Jesus spoke to people living in a culture that was very familiar with farming, yet many were confused by his illustration.   That’s why Jesus said what He did in Luke 8:8: “He that hath ears let him hear.” You will find these identical words in the parallel versions of this parable in the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. (See Matthew 13:9; Mark 4:9)  Therefore, it seems to signify the importance of this Parable.  Those who studied every word of this parable to find the truth, this illustration became a wonderful tool to help them consider the condition of their hearts.  Others, like the Pharisees were so blinded to the truth even though witnessing the many miracles of Jesus, were simply unable to detect the work of God though it happened all around them.

The parable primarily serves as a caution about the way of hearing the word of God.  It was meant to be a warning to the Apostles not to expect too much from hearers.   It was also meant as a warning to all ministers of the Gospel not to look for too much result from sermons.  It was also meant to be a warning to hearers, to take heed how they hear.

In the parable, Jesus tells us about a sower who went out to sow his field.  As he sowed, some of the seed fell by the wayside on hard ground, and the fowls of the air devoured it.  Some of the seed fell upon a rock, and soon as it sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.   Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with the seed and choked it out.   And others fell on good ground and sprang up and bare fruit a hundredfold.

Jesus went on and gives us the meaning of the parable. He says “…The seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11)   The sower in the parable is Jesus or any minister, deacon, evangelist, or religious leader that preaches the Gospel. 

In Jesus’ explanation, He tells us that a man’s reception of God’s word is determined by the condition of his heart.  He compares our hearts to the different types of soil or ground which the seed fell on.  He described four different conditions:

1.       Hardened Heart:  Represents the hearts of some hearers like the wayside or hardened soil.  The ground is so trodden down that the seed when it fell on it couldn’t penetrate it. 

Those with a hardened heart hear the word but do not understand it as the seed of the Gospel is plucked away by the devil almost as soon as it is sown.   It does not sink down into their consciences.  It does not make even the least of impressions on their minds. 

We have an example of this in the Nazareth synagogue congregation who rejected Jesus after  he finished preaching from Isaiah (Luke 4:16-30).   The congregation was so mad they “…rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong. ³⁰But He passing through the midst of them went His way.”  (Luke 4:29-30) 

Satan is always trying to temp us and draw us away from the word of God.  He is even more prevalent on Sunday mornings when we are trying to hear the Gospel message. So we should always be on guard and not let him distract us from hearing the word.

So how does a heart become harden? God can also harden ones heart as He did the Pharaoh of Egypt when Moses was trying to get the people of Israel out of bondage. See (Exodus 4:21) St. Paul tells us God has mercy on some while on others he does not. It is entirely his decision and He is never unjust. However, man can harden his own heart.  The primary culprit is sin:   When we harbor sins such as unforgiveness, hatred, lust, and anger our hearts will become hardened and prevent the Word of God from entering.  The more sin we allow to pass over our hearts and through our lives, the more resistant we become to a word from God.   Over time, our hearts can become like stone, unreceptive to a fresh word from God.  

God can cleanse and renew our hearts just as He promised the people of Israel that had gone astray, in Ezekiel 36: 25 -26:  “²⁵Then 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. ²⁶A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: I will take away the stoney heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”

2.      Shallow Heart: Represents the hearts of some hearers like the rocky ground. Sometimes seed was sown in shallow soil that was covering a hard layer of rock. This was typical of a lot of the ground in Palestine which had bedrock very close to the surface. There was only a small surface of soil  covering it. So the plants didn’t have deep enough soil to retain water and develop a deep root system to sustain them. They sprang up quickly but as soon as the hot sun came out, the plants died and withered away as they only had shallow roots. 

This is the same as some that hears the Gospel.  The seed of the word springs up immediately as soon as they hear it, and they show very joyous impressions and pleasurable emotions.  But these impressions, unfortunately are short lived as the word has not deeply penetrated their hearts.  And as soon as any heated temptation or persecution begins to test their little bit of religion which they seemed to have attained, their belief withers and vanishes away. An example is Simon, the Pharisee who had invited Jesus to Dinner.  He might have been initially interested in hearing Jesus’s teaching but then he gets into a confrontation over the uninvited sinful woman guest which came in and washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair and anoints them with a special ointment. After other invited guests started to murmur about this situation, he seemed to question who Jesus was especially being touched by such a sinful person. (Luke 7:36-50)

Jesus had plenty of other followers like this.  They loved his miracles and his teaching but His words had not taken root in their hearts so they deserted Him . 

        3.  Divided Heart:    Represents the hearts of some hearers like the thorny ground. The seed of the word when sown upon them is choked by the multitude of other things by which their affections are occupied. They don’t have any objection to the doctrine and requirements of the Gospel.  They even wish to believe and obey them.  

But as Jesus points out they allow the cares, riches and pleasures of the world to get such a hold on their minds, that they leave no room for the word of God to do its work. Therefore, they bear no fruit.  When we are excessively concerned with the cares of this world it will cause us to worry and our anxiety will choke out God’s word and work. St. Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing in Philippians 4 :6 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  

There is nothing wrong with having a good job, making money, and setting aside a nest egg for retirement .  It is the love of money and desire to be rich that St. Paul warns us about 1 Timothy 6:9-10:  “⁹But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Some think they can serve both God and the world. This is a person who wants salvation, wants Christ, but wants the riches of the world. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.”

The story of the young rich ruler is a good example. You can find this story in three Gospels : Matthew 19:16-30, Luke 18:18-30, and Mark 10:17-31. He comes to Jesus In Matthew 19:16 and asks “…what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Jesus initially responds in Matthew 19: 17 “…keep the commandments”.  The young ruler responded in Matthew 19:20  “…All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?”

Jesus responded in Matthew 19:21: “…If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”   Then we are told in Matthew 19:22:  “But when the young man heard that saying , he went away sorrowful:  for he had great possessions.”  “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, “Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19: 23)

We all need to be on guard that we do not allow temporal things of this world to rob us of a place in God’s heavenly kingdom. Always remember what we are supposed to seek first in this life as  Jesus tells us in his Sermon on the Mount in Matt. 6:33; “But seek ye first, the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness;  and all these things shall be added unto you.”    . 

4  Receptive Heart:  This is the hearer whose heart represents the good ground that brings forth good fruit a  hundredfold. Theirs is a good and honest heart well-disposed to receive instruction and commandment. Their heart is free from sinful pollutions, and firmly fixed for God and duty.   Their heart not only hears the Gospel but understands it, receives it, and keeps it. They repent, believe and obey. The seed of the Gospel sinks deeply down into their hearts and produces practical results in their faith and practice.  They are able to bear fruit with patience. It is important to remember that any one’s heart is not naturally good or ever can become so, without the grace of God. According to JC Ryle, the fairest sense of the word “Good”  is, “an unprejudiced heart,” willing to be taught, such as was peculiarly lacking among the Jews in our Lord’s time. 

The Bereans are a very good illustration of this expression. (See Acts 17: 10-12). (JC Ryle  Vol 1 Luke, Expository thoughts  Page 255).

In closing, we all need to safe guard our hearts against Satan and the pitfalls of this world to ensure our hearts are right with God.   Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Amen

 

AOC Worldwide Prayer List –

I have received updates from a few and those will be the first added to the list. Please send all prayer requests and updates to aocworldwide@gmail.com for future reports. If you would like to be removed from list just respond with remove in the subject line.

 Prayer Needed:
We humbly seek thy face in the words of our prayers, beseeching thee, O God, to acknowledge our petitions and bring comfort and an end to suffering of the following of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we thank thee for answered prayer,

Colin and daughter, Lori Beall – cancer

 Alicia – Struggling caring for parents at home

 Toni- Breast Cancer

 Donna – Breast Cancer

 Leslie – False teachers

Extended Issues need continued prayer;

Laurie with long Covid Symptoms - Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations, breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing depression to settle in.

 Malcom Allred – Cancer Treatment

 Katie Pope –treatment for Stage 4 Pulmonary Carcinoma “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)

 Mauri Turner – Stomach cancer

 For the government and people of South Korea that God will protect them from the forces of Communism.

 Hurricane Helen Recovery-Please keep praying for all the people and towns affected

 For All Those affected by the Fires in California

Keep Praying for the following:

Shamu, Mauri Turner, Mike, Jim, Dotty, Jan Jessup, Steve, Josh Morley, Jennifer, 
AOC USA, AOC Missions, Zach, Jess, Luke, Jacquie, Harper, Bishop Zephaniah,
Jim Sevier, Linda, Colin, Lowery, Robert, Donna, Eddie, Tate,

 

in Jesus Name. Amen.