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Tag: thessalonians

Thank God

ALMIGHTY God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then shall the Priest, turning to the people, rehearse distinctly all the TEN COMMANDMENTS: and the people still kneeling shall after every Commandment ask God mercy for their transgression thereof for the time past, and grace to keep the same for the time to come, as followeth.

In worship we have finally bowed down to God. We have repented of our sin. We seek His holiness through the Cross of Christ Jesus.

Though I could have chosen liturgy of many denominations of our Lord’s church, we exam ourselves through the part of the liturgy of communion in the Anglican Church.

BCP – Holy Communion

Then shall the Priest say to them that come to receive the holy Communion,

YE that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways: Draw near with faith, and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees.

I ask you to pause here: Consider our position before God in light of our examination of scripture, sin and righteousness, the heavens above and hell beneath; in the light of the cross of Christ and hopelessness of our own nature to sin against our Lord, rather than to worship Him and bow down to His will. Do our sinful lives not require His grace?

Therefore let us put off the soiled garments of our hypocrisy and confess our sins before Almighty God.

Then shall this general Confession be made, in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy Communion, by one of the Ministers: both he and all the people kneeling humbly upon their knees and saying,

ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men: We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, Which we from time to time most grievously have committed, By thought, word, and deed, Against thy Divine Majesty, Provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, And are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; The remembrance of them is grievous unto us; The burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; For thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, Forgive us all that is past; And grant that we may ever hereafter Serve and please thee In newness of life, To the honour and glory of thy Name; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

These words always stuck in my craw as I remembered my sin:

We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness.

“…Which we from time to time…” is most kind; for by thought, word and deed are we not constant sinners?

Do we not well deserve the wrath of God and punishment of hell?

Yet God is a loving Father of all mercies, who sent to us his only Son, even as a sacrifice on the cross for your sin and mine; for the sins of the world, those saved and those yet to be saved.

This is mercy. This is grace. This is the highest reason for a sinner like me, a lowly creation of a loving God, to worship and bow down to God our Father in Heaven and Christ Jesus, Sacrifice of His love for us on the Cross.

It is our duty and obligation of this sinful flesh, formed by God and given the life of His Spirit, to bow down to our Creator as Lord. Because of His love for us, He came to us in the flesh – the sinless flesh of Christ Jesus the only Son of the Father in Heaven. He IS and was and IS to be our Savior and Lord.

Therefore, let us worship Christ our Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God for His Spirit and the eternal life made possible for us only by the Blood of Jesus on the Cross.

As the Apostle Paul instructs us, let us give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

November 25, 2013
The Trumpet of the King

Isaiah 18:3

All you inhabitants of the world,
you who dwell on the earth,
when a signal is raised on the mountains, look!
When a trumpet is blown, hear!

From the futility of our earthly existence the inhabitants of the world look to our own devices and forget the God of Heaven above.

We forget that we are of dust and to dust we will return. We forget to give thanks and worship to the Lord God for the very breath of life He as breathed into our lifeless flesh. We fail to bow down to the King of the Highest Heaven above, our God Who came down to His own and laid down His Holy Life on a lowly Cross for your sins and for mine.

He IS the King of Creation, the God of all creatures, the first born ‘adam of sinlessness.

Jesus Christ IS risen into the place of His former glory.

He has promised His faithful the eternal salvation of His Heavenly Home.

Further, He will awaken all souls from the dust of our demise. He will call up the souls of all the inhabitants of the world to justice and judgment for every past sin, every unaccounted transgression. He will burn away the iniquity of the dead in the pit of eternal torment, as the forgotten faithful receive our full reward forever more.

He IS the Lamb of God, His Blood the Sacrifice of the Cross for the victory over sin and death!

Revelation 6

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Seven Seals

6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

You, O earth, have not given the Lord His glory.

You have not bowed down in worship to the Lord your God.

You have not acknowledged the Sacrifice of His only Son for your sake.

You do not look to the Highest Heaven and bow down to the Throne of His glory.

The people and the church do not hearken to the signs of the trumpet soon to sound.

Repent!

O you peoples, you who claim His Holy Name!

Matthew 24:

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Raise ear to the sound of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords!

From on High a trumpet will sound.

Where, O sinner, will you put your trust?

Where, O sinner, will you hide from His wrath?

Shofar

Revelation 8:7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Revelation 8:8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.

Revelation 8:10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

Revelation 8:12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

Revelation 9:1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.

Revelation 9:13-14 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Let those with ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

November 14, 2013
Got a minute?

Note: originally published September 15, 2007

*Part 1

Got a minute? I pray that you will give it to God.

Of course, ‘Got a minute?’ is just an expression. It may take a couple of minutes to read this and perhaps more to consider it.

I have an electric toothbrush with a one minute timer. I must confess to you (and my dentist) that I have great difficulty waiting the full minute before I finish brushing.

I have heard others ask our boss, ‘Got a minute?’ and had to wait the better part of an hour for my time to communicate some question of importance.

I have had complaint of my prayer of thanksgiving at the table taking too long. I remember my favorite prayer of my childhood was, “God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for this food. Amen.”

In considering a more mature thankfulness to God and our hurried neglect for prayer, I have regularly prayed for more than the food. (At least it is something of family prayer, be it ever so brief.) Yet in deference to the Lord and our family, I doubt these small offerings of prayer have ever lasted even one minute.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I do not pray without ceasing as I should. Thankfully, after frequent urging of my wife, I pray more often (even for more than a minute); yet petition weighs heavier than the brief praise given to the Lord for the many blessings He has given us.

Got a minute for prayer?

May the Spirit of truth convict us that even in a minute of prayerful silence not taken, the Lord may hope to speak to our hearts.

October 14, 2013