I Love Christmas!

I Love Christmas! 

Yes, it is commercialized. Yes, the -mas refers to the Catholic mass. Yes, there are songs about Santa 

Claus, Rudolf, and some kid's two front teeth. Yes, the pagans worshipped the fir tree, and the druids 

had a thing about mistletoe and yule logs. That is one of the reasons I love Christmas: these are the remnants 

of paganism--remnants that have no idolatrous meaning to us today. 

No one I know worships a Christmas tree, mistletoe or the yule log. We see so many Santa Clauses that no 

kid is going to be confused for very long. It is true that the Greek letter tau was a symbol for Tammuz, but a 

cross does not remind Christians of Tammuz, but of the Savior who died. If there are devils around whose 

followers reverenced Tammuz centuries ago, I am sure that these devils do not laugh up their sleeves--if they 

have sleeves--at the simple Christian who sees in the Cross the symbol of his redemption by the blood of 

Christ. Christ has triumphed over all these things. 

Faith delivers from bondage. 

Although symbols of paganism are everywhere in our culture, yet we know that an "idol is nothing in the 

world'' (I Cor. 8:4). The days of the week are named after the Sun, Moon, Tiu, Woden, Thor, Fria, and 

Saturn. The symbol Rx for a doctor's prescription is ``R'' for ``take'' in Latin, and the symbol of Jupiter, or 

Jove. The symbol means ``Take this medicine under the care of Jove, the patron of medicine.'' But who does that now? 

These are just a few of the examples of why an ethical system based on pagan origins can be unprofitable. 

There may be good and profitable reasons why Christians should not eat meat offered to idols, but being 

contaminated by devils is not one of them. 

If you are anywhere where offerings of incense or anything else are offered in worship of a Christmas tree, 

then you should leave, for a variety of reasons that concern people and not things. Idolatry will defile you, 

even if there are no Christmas trees. Christians are not having fellowship with devils because they have 

Christmas trees, Easter eggs, go to church on Sunday, eat food sold by unbelievers, or listen to music 

composed by unbelievers. 

This thinking even leads some to reject the doctrines of the Virgin Birth, Sunday Worship, and the Trinity 

because the corrupt church of the Middle Ages confessed them. 

There Are Far Deadlier Enemies 

There are other influences in our lives that are far more deadly than worn-out paganisms. There is much 

hypocrisy among Christians that has nothing to do with Santa Claus. There is much false doctrine, and 

dependence upon the flesh that is far more deadly to Christian faith than any Christmas tree. 

We need to fear the gods of secularism, pleasure, and humanism far more than the gods of a dead and 

defeated paganism. I suspect that Satan does more harm getting Christians to condemn other Christians for 

Christmas trees than the tree itself does. Strife, discord, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and pride: these are 

the devil's best works, and they affect those who decorate a tree as well as those who do not. 

The Doctrine 

Things are unclean only if we esteem them unclean (Romans 14:14). The light in the eyes of children in the 

Christian home when the Christmas tree is trimmed, has nothing to do with paganism, but is part of the joy 

of remembering the birth of our Lord Jesus. It is just family fun. 

But a Christmas tree will not make the modern Christian into a pagan, nor a lack thereof make a modern 

humanist a Christian. In spite of some foolishness, Christmas is rooted in the work of the Savior, without 

which there is no meaning to the holiday. This is the true tree of Christmas, even though some of its modern 

ornaments are frivolous. 

The magic of imagination; the joy of family and friends; a special time to remember God's Son who was 

given to take away sins: These can make the season a precious time for those who love the Lord. Luther 

had the right idea. He thought that the devil should be mocked, because Jesus Christ had thoroughly 

defeated him. I think it is good advice. 

Trinity Covenant Reformed Church 

Meeting: 2511 N. Logan Ave., 

Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Psalm 135:1-6 Meditation and Prayer

Psalm 135:1-6 Meditation and Prayer


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Heavenly Father, our Lord and our King. It is pleasant indeed to sing praises unto Your Name. We look

forward every week to this Sabbath Day, where we remember that You are good and have remembered the

promises that You made to Your people.

You have chosen us to be Christians, to be Your people. We glory in being Your special treasure in the

earth. We are not ashamed to declare it, because You are not ashamed to acknowledge us as Your people.

This is very great and wonderful news for us, Dear Lord, for it is of Your great pleasure that You have done

this. You have done whatever You have pleased in heaven and in earth, in the seas, and in all deep places.

You chose us for Your pleasure and not that there were good things in us that You saw attractive. Indeed, it

was when we were in our sins, alienated from You that Christ died for us.

Your house is the church, the pillar and ground of the truth. Your church has ministers who preach the

gospel, deacons who care for the people, elders who rule that things are done decently and in order so that

the wolves do not waste and destroy. You have pronounced them blessed and they are blessed.

You are very great, O Lord God. You are far above all that we call gods, all that have a name among the

great of the earth. You are so great that their evil cannot touch You, for You are above All and do as You

please, and nothing binds Your hands. You will fulfill all Your purposes and grace for the people of Your

 choice.

So we stand in the house of the Lord every Sunday, dear Lord, and we sing praises unto Your Name. It is

pleasant for us to do so. We are proud to be Your servants, and nothing fits our tongues and our lips and our

voices and our hearts better than to praise the name of the Lord.

We will not number ourselves among those who scoff at the Lord’s House and would remove the walls that

protect us from the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is not a small thing to sing Your praises with Your

people.

A church without walls is no church, for You have built the walls of Jerusalem and Your church is Your

peculiar treasure, belonging to You alone. The church is not like a football game, an afternoon picnic, or a

family reunion.

Blessed be Your Name forever.

We will speak of the glorious honor of Your majesty, and of Your wondrous works. Who is like unto thee,

O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
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1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.

2 Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,

3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

Prayer on Psalm 119:65-72

Psalm 119_65-72

O Precious Father in Heaven, I know that You have dealt very well with me, as You
have said in Your holy word. Not one of Your promises to me has failed. This is only
because of Your grace and mercy for I have not had good judgment and knowledge,
but by Your grace I have believed Your commandments.

It is of Your mercy that You teach me, for I am as a child before You, without
understanding or knowledge.

Your afflictions have been good and do good to me, because they teach me Your
statutes. Before I had afflictions, I went astray, but now I have learned to walk better
and to be more obedient. How good You have been to me! Truly as a Father You have
instructed and taught me in the way! My heart is filled with Your praises.

The wicked are proud and hate Your precepts. They make up lies about Your children,
as weapons of iron are forged in the furnace. They are very proud and their hearts are
fat and satisfied. They do not know meekness and are not poor in spirit.  They do not
know you and are not your children, for they are not taught of You. 

They mock the godly and take merriment in the failures of Your children. Little do
they know that the day of wrath will sweep them away. 

It is good that I have known afflictions, for You have designed them for me as a kind
and loving Father. There was a time, I confess, when I would almost feel sorry for
myself, but now I know they came from Your Fatherly and gracious hand so that I may
learn obedience from the heart, for You cannot be served with men’s hands.

The pure in heart see You, O father, and this purity is forged only in the
fires of affliction.

Far more precious than thousands of gold and silver are the words of Your mouth, My
Father. Your Word became flesh and dwelt among us, even Jesus of Nazareth, Your
Only Begotten Son.

He was set aside of the builders and cruelly crucified for our sins,  but You raised Him
from the dead and set Him at Your own right hand on the throne of David, and made
Him both Lord and Christ. 

This I know and confess, O heavenly Father. You have dealt very well with Your
servants, Precious Father, for You are good, and do good. This I confess and believe.
Amen and Amen.

----------------------

Psalm 119:65-72

65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according unto thy word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

Prayer on Psalm 71:1-3

Psalm 71:1-3

Precious Father, we praise and magnify your wisdom and grace. We reject the arm of
the flesh and the wisdom of the flesh, which are confusion and trouble.

You alone are wise and good, O Father, and we have nothing of our own. Our life is
but a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. But our hope is in you
alone. Do not forsake us, O Father, or leave us for a moment, or we will be put to
confusion and waste away.

We are caught in the snare of sin and misery, O Lord, and only your righteousness can
deliver us. We flee to your righteousness, O Lord, for our salvation is in your
righteousness alone. We love the Lord Jesus, whose blood and righteousness has been
appointed for our salvation.

We confess and believe that it is through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
that according as his divine power He has given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness, “through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.”

Our sinful desires will destroy us, O Lord, so we would escape to your righteousness
and turn from our own ways to find safety in you, our rock and our fortress. We may
continually flee there, O God, for you are our strong dwelling place.

How precious is your commandment, O Lord, for you have given commandment for
our salvation! The hosts of heaven are sent on behalf of those who will be heirs of
eternal life; the very rocks and hills, the seas and the vastness of the heavens bend to
do your will, to accomplish the salvation of those who trust in Jesus Christ.

So we will not fear what man can do to us. Forgive for our doubts and fears, and let us
always seek your obedience and your kingdom before all else.

1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me,
and save me.
3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given
commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

Do Not Fret, My Child. Meditation on Psalm 37:1-4

Prayer and Meditation on Psalm 37:1-4

Precious Heavenly Father, I confess that the way of evildoers burns me up at time and
cause me to fret. But this is directly against Your commandment and is sinful of me.

We are not to fret against the workers of iniquity, for we understand that they have
only a short time given to them.

The times of all men are in Your hands, O Father, and their successes, failures, joys,
and sorrows come from You alone. Evil has only a short time, Dear Lord, for so You
have decreed. Evil men have hooks in their jaws, and in spite of their arrogance and
insults to You and Your people, when the purpose that You have for the evil is fulfilled
in the testing and purification of Your elect, then You yank their chain and they pass
away.

They wither as green herbs in the drought, cut down like the grass, and the wind blows
them away.

This is not true of Your people, for their inheritance is secure. Israel’s inheritance was
the land of Canaan, and that was secure to them by faith. Ours is also by faith but our
inheritance is reserved in heaven for us.

Israel’s inheritance was a figure of the inheritance of the elect, who will inherit the
earth, the reason for which it was created, for You always intended to set man over the
works of Your hands.

So, O Heavenly Father, teach me to trust in You always, and do good to all men. Teach
me to pray more for our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us, for
this is Your commandment. It is not my job to cut down the wicked or to see that they
wither; that is what You do as judge of all the earth.

So I glory in this O Lord, that You exercise loving kindness, righteousness, and
judgment in the earth, for You have said that You delight in these things. My job is to
live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world, doing good to all men,
especially to the household of God. You are the Savior of all men, especially of those
who believe.

There is no other God but You, O Precious Father, and all the world moves and
breathes and labors by Your loving kindness and power. Without You, we could
not so much as move.

How gracious You are to the people You have made, dear Father. You have filled
man’s heart with many desires, all of them good, created to be satisfied by You and
Your gifts. But sin has corrupted our hearts, dear Father, and we seek to satisfy these
desires apart from You, and desires become perverse.

We lust and envy, we war and contend, we lie and deceive because we are sinners.
But we have not because we ask not, and when we ask, we ask not for Your glory
and praise but to wallow in our sin and rebellion.

Teach me, O Lord, to seek my desires in You, for this is why I was created. When we
delight in You, O Heavenly Father, then our deepest and true desires are satisfied, as
Your servant Augustine said, “our souls are restless until we rest in Thee.“ You will
grant to us our deepest desires, when we delight in You, O Lord.

If I ask a fish, You will not give me a serpent; if bread, You will not give a stone; if an
egg, You will not give a scorpion, for You are a gracious and kind Father and know
what I need before I even ask, for You are the Creator of all my desires.

So teach me not to seek them as idols, but as Your child, waiting at Your table to be
fed from Your hand, O Lord, that which is lawful and good for me. You will give the
Holy Spirit and all the treasures stored up in Christ when I ask You. I am content with
Your provisions, for that is my deepest desire. Amen and Amen.

So I need not fret, O Lord about the wicked and the abominable. I will bear witness
and abhor the evil and cleave to the good, for sobriety, righteousness, and godliness
require this.

But I will rest in You, O God, for You are the Author and Finisher of Our Faith, and in
Jesus Christ are stored up all the riches that You pour out upon Your people. To the
rest are weeping and gnashing of teeth, as the Lord Jesus taught. It is enough.
----------
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of
iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou
shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Psalm 37:1-4

Anxious? Try this Meditation on Psalm 3

Psalm 3

I feel anxiety tonight, Dear Lord. There are so many things that trouble my mind:
General anxiety that I cannot really define.

You have been faithful, and I wonder why my soul should be cast down. Help me, O
God of my salvation.

I have cried unto you many times, Oh Lord God, and you have always heard me and
comforted my heart and protected my path.

I have cried to you with my Voice; You will hear me out of Your holy hill. I will lay
me down and sleep and awaken for the Lord will sustain and refresh me.

I will not be afraid of ten thousand troubles and people; whatever Satan brings to
destroy me, for You, O Lord, justify me and protect me.

Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the
cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. I will think about
THAT.

How Must Christians Behave?

The central principle of godly Christian behavior is this:  you and I do not belong to
ourselves but to Jesus Christ.  We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ
to be the unique possession of Christ for the glory of God: 1Co 6:20 For ye are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1Co 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

The gift of eternal life is the gift of the Spirit that takes possession of the purchased
people:  [1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar (purchased) people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light....]

Because they belong to Christ He sends the Holy Spirit to work in them both to will
and to do of God's pleasure--Eph. 2:8-10 and Phil. 2:3. [beginning with the very faith
by which they lay hold on Christ for justification, taking them for His own, teaching
them to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world.] 

These works do not make anyone the people of God, but are worked in them by the
Spirit because they are the possession of Christ.  As many as are thus led by the Holy
Spirit are revealed to be the sons of God--Romans 8:13-15 and Romans 6:1-4.  If they
do not have the Spirit, they do not belong to Christ. Romans 8:8,9.

Because Christ has purchased us, body and soul, our bodies are to be offered up to God
as living sacrifices and are to be used in faith for God's glory and not for our own
desires: Romans 12:1,2. 

My feet are to run in obedience; my eyes to look for ways to show love; my ears to
hear the pleas for mercy and grace, etc.  Even my hands to offer up a cup of cold water
to the thirsty; my tongue to speak the truth.

Paul has broken it down further in this way:  Titus 2:11, 12 "For the grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world...."

The grace that saves does not teach us that we have the right to do as we please, but
teaches us to live soberly, righteously [justly], and godly in the present world.

Soberly means you are not to be drunk on yourself, intoxicated with your own pride
and your own selfishness and stubbornness--seeking your own will and your
own pleasure and self esteem.  Ro 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of
faith.

Righteously, means justly.  We are to treat other people right in terms of the law of
God: not lying, rebelling, stealing, fornicating and committing adultery, slandering, hating
and murdering. The law cannot condemn the justified to hell, but it does condemn their
unrighteous behavior and brings a Father's wrath and chastening upon transgressors. The
light of Christ does not teach the works of darkness and those who walk in them are
deceiving themselves according to 1John 1:5-9

Godly.  We seek the glory of God and take our life from Him alone through Jesus
Christ as He has appointed.  We are to think His thoughts from Scripture, seek His
glory alone, and give thanks to Him for all things, and call upon Him in the day of
trouble and not look to men and the world for our satisfaction and joy.  He is the cause
and Lord of all things and we are to praise Him and thank Him for everything.

The instrument that God has given us for this sober, righteous, godly life is our body. 
Christianity is not only a system of ideas and thoughts but a system of right behavior
that has a biblical idea of self, of others, and of God. 

We are not saved because of what we do in our bodies, but because Christ gave His
flesh and blood to purchase us.  The offering up of our bodies is a bloodless offering, a
living sacrifice, of thanksgiving to God our Lord.   Amen and Amen.  May it always be
so with us.

1 Peter 1: 18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [way of life] received by
tradition from your fathers;  19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot....

Ps 111:4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered....

You can quote all the verses in the Bible about the salvation of whosoever believes and
still have said nothing about predestination. Faith is the substance of things hoped for
and the evidence of things not seen. Salvation is by grace through faith and all is the
gift of God and has nothing to do with man's works. Even faith is not a good work that
makes us worthy to be accepted. It is the way that God has chosen for us through
Christ to have "access into this grace wherein we stand." Rom. 5:1,2.

Faith is the gift of election, not the cause of the election. Election precedes faith and is
the cause of faith. The cause of election? God's own pleasure that He has not seen fit to
reveal to us.

John 6:64, 65 "But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the
beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said,
Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto
him of my Father."

---------

 

If you reject predestination, you cannot have a Christian view of Time. You will be

forced to accept the materialistic idea that the future flows from the past through the

present, or worse that time goes in circles, constantly repeating itself, or even worse

the existential idea that only the present matters.

The Biblical view is that God ordains all things in terms of His future plan for His

people, which is to conform them to Jesus Christ. If you are elect the things that

happen to you are driven by the promises that God has stored up for you in Jesus

Christ. You must forget the things in the past, both good and bad, and press toward the

glorious promises of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I

do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things

which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in

Christ Jesus.

 

This means that the just must live by faith; it is their very breath and life. Everything

else is death and without meaning.

--------------

 

You can refuse to listen to God if you wish, but you will not recognize the madness,

the blindness, and the astonishment of heart that comes as a result of rebellion. If God

darkens the mind of unbelief, how would unbelief know it?

Deut. 28:28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and

astonishment of heart:29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in

darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and

spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

 

-------------------

 

The New Testament in His Blood: When my heart is changed the eyes of my soul see

Christ as most beautiful, my ears hear the most wonderful praises of Christ; my

feelings are thrilled even at His name; my mouth begins to confess His precious truth,

and His offerings for me are the most sweet smelling savor of life.

Before I would not look to Christ, hear His voice, feel the joy of Christ, speak His truth

or rejoice in His worship for my heart was a heart of stone, without life and without

hope.

 

------------

God's covenant is not only with each of the elect, but with all the elect of all time. 

Many things that He has done in the past is for the benefit of the elect in the church

[1Cor. 10:11], and He is longsuffering to even the ungodly now, for the benefit of the

elect in the future. He preserved Lot because of Ruth and David who would not be

born for many centuries; as He also preserved Judah from whom Christ came. It isn't

all about you [or me].

Assurance of Faith

How do you know you are a Christian? A wonderful statement of the Biblical assurance of faith in
the Heidelberg Catechism:

Q65: Since, then, we are made partakers of Christ and all his benefits by faith only, where does this
faith come from?

A65: The Holy Ghost works faith in our hearts [1] by the preaching of the Holy Gospel, and confirms
it by the use of the holy sacraments.[2]

1. John 3:5; Rom. 10:17

2. Rom. 4:11; Acts 8:37

The two wonderful gifts given by Jesus Christ to men because of His ascension into heaven are
(1) men sent to preach the Gospel, and (2) sacraments to confirm it to those who believe.

Faith which saves does not arise within yourself by yourself, but by the Holy Spirit. The reference
point from which the Holy Spirit works is the offering up of the body of Christ once for all, for no
other sacrifice can take away sins. He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven and sent the Holy
Ghost as the gift of the Father to His people.

The Holy Ghost works faith by the preaching of the Gospel [1Cor. 15:1], which is that Christ died for
our sins [the "brethren" of verse 1] according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose the third day
according to the Scriptures. [1Cor. 15:1ff.]

The Gospel is found in the Scriptures, not in your own heart. But the Holy Spirit works in your heart
faith to believe the Scriptures. This objective [not in yourself] message of the Gospel is further
proclaimed by God to you in the sacraments, for both baptism and the Lord's Supper teach the gospel
in symbols, given by Christ, and passed down through the Scriptures from the beginning of the
Gospel with John the Baptist who was its Forerunner. [Mark 1:1]

By the Holy Spirit, faith is produced in the heart because of the Gospel, that Christ died for our sins
and both preaching and the sacraments are ordained of God to this end, that sins are washed away
through the blood of Christ, offered on the Cross in Jerusalem over two thousand years ago, which is
witnessed to us by preaching and the sacraments. [Acts 2:33,38-42, 47]

God in His wisdom communicate His grace according to His own will. We must not be wiser than
God and devise our own way. [Acts 5:20] The apostles are dead and with the Lord, but their words
and doctrines are the foundation of the faith of the elect of God. [Ephesians 2:16-22]

This common salvation becomes personal to every Christian through the work of the Holy Spirit Who
works through preaching and the sacraments. Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written,
The just shall live by faith." in each of the places in Scripture where this is stated, the "shall live" is
an indicative, a statement of fact, not a command.

Hence, both justification and life are communicated to the elect by means of faith, the gift of the Holy
Ghost [Ephesians 2:8-10], so that both are set forth visibly in the sacraments. Faith limps when either
faithful preaching or the right use of the sacraments is neglected.

Evidence of Things not Seen

Faith is the "evidence of things not seen." Heb. 11:1. Like God, faith is invisible but is
powerful. It cannot be produced by human argument or logic, but comes only by the
promises of God in His word. How it comes no one can know, but Scripture says it is
the gift of God. It is the very substance of things hoped for, the things that God has
promised that no man could dream of, that no man could see, and that never could have
entered into the hearts of man. It is wholly supernatural and arises by the power of God
Himself.

This is the reason no government or power on earth can quench faith, for faith is the
victory that overcomes the world. Tyrants smash themselves to pieces on the rock of
faith and liars are exposed by faith and unbelievers drop into a bottomless pit of ruin
and despair.

Atheists scoff and unbelievers pretend to believe and wicked souls profess to believe
lies and hollow people seek to vain and empty gods that are no gods. The first
judgments of God are the darkening of the souls and minds of those who do not
believe.

But faith is the very substance of the hopes that arise because of God's promises and is
the certain evidence of the things not seen as yet, but will surely become the inheritance
of those who have been taught of the Father, Who cannot lie. Faith is the light of God
in the soul by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

2Co 4:6 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ."

1Ch 29:11 "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the
victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is
the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all."

Prayer on Revelation 21:1-7

Rev. 21:1-7 Prayer August 18, 2013

Precious Heavenly Father, we confess that our inheritance is reserved in heaven for us,
for so You have promised. The present heaven and earth is in bondage and under the
curse of sin. We know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, so there
must be great changes is us and in the world before we enter into our heavenly rest.

We are now Your sons and daughters for by Your grace and mercy we have been
adopted into the family of God and the great changes that are coming cannot affect our
inheritance reserved in Heaven. In the Old Testament You dwelt on earth in a figure, in
a pillar of cloud and fire in the tabernacle in the wilderness and in the glory of a temple
made with stone.

Then You sent Your only Begotten Son, who joined to the humanity of Jesus of
Nazareth, tabernacled among us and lived with us for a time until He had fulfilled the
purpose for which You sent Him, living perfect and complete life of love for You and
us, dying for our sin and misery, and rising up the third day, ascending into Heaven
and sending forth the Holy Spirit to inhabit a temple made not of stone but by the
living stones of Your people. So it is true that the tabernacle of God is with men, and
You dwell with us, and we are Your people, and God Himself is with us, and is our
God.

But there is yet more for us and for all Your people. Someday there will be even a
greater revelation of the Tabernacle of God, for it will come down from Heaven
adorned as a bride for her husband. You will wipe away all tears from our eyes and
there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, and no more pain, for all
the former things will pass away.

We know this because it is Your eternal decree, written in Heaven, and You will surely
bring it to pass by Your Almighty Power and Eternal Love. Your eternal decree is, “I
make all things new. These words are faithful and true. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of
life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he
shall be My son.”

We praise and magnify Your name for this wonderful promise that we have in Jesus
Christ, for we have no inheritance outside of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Living
God. Grant to each of us that overcoming faith that is the work of Your Spirit through
the promises of God, for it is this faith that overcomes the world, the flesh, and the
devil that oppose the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and are overcome by the Son who
sits at the right hand of the Father making all his enemies His footstool.   

You shall surely overcome Your great enemies, Dear Lord Jesus. All the world, the
flesh, and devil shall be thrown down by You and the last enemy Death will be
overcome by You when You raise us from the dead to enter into our eternal
inheritance, the City of God, the city that has foundation, whose builder and maker is
God.

In the Name of our Precious Savior, Jesus of Nazareth we pray.   Amen.

Meditation and Prayer on Psalm 18:1-3

Psalm 18:1-3 Prayer August 4, 2013

Our Precious Father, it is good for us to love You. We were created to love You in all
of our being. We were not created to love the world and to stuff ourselves with the
pleasures of the flesh, but to love and enjoy You forever. Every part of our being cries
out to Thee, O God, and it is only our sin that misdirects our affections to the things of
the world.  Neither were we created to love ourselves and our own thought before You.

Not only in all that You created, but in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Messiah, is Your
love to us presented. He died for us. He threw Himself upon the altar of Your eternal
judgment, into the jaws of Your just and holy wrath against sin and fully satisfied for
all our sins

Why would we not love You, O most Precious Father? You are our very strength, our
rock, our fortress, our deliverer. Our buckler, the horn of our salvation and our high
tower. There is no good thing upon the earth that does not come from You, O Father,
and there is nothing in heaven to be desired but You, had we eyes to see.

So we love You, O Lord. We trust in You, for Your strength is sufficient for us; we
need no other saviors; we need none but what You have appointed for us, because You
will do us good and not evil all the days of our lives. Only our sin blinds us to this
overwhelming and certain truth, so that we seek other remedies when we fear. Have
mercy upon us, O Lord, and renew our hearts so that our love for You is pure and true.

Not only do we love and trust You, O Precious Father, but we will call upon You the
day of trouble and upon none else. We would fly first to You in our weakness and in
our distress and in our sinfulness, for You alone can deliver us from all these enemies.

Our sin IS our weakness for when we try to be strong in ourselves we do not abide in
You and are overwhelmed with the evils of life. We will call on You, for the new
covenant in the blood of Christ is this, “Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the
Lord shall be saved.”

And so, Precious Father, loving You, trusting You, calling upon You, we will praise
You. We are not ashamed to be called by the Name of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ of
Nazareth and bear the name Christian gladly. We are not ashamed of Your doctrine
and confess the truth gladly and joyfully and reject all human wisdom.

We are not ashamed of Your church and gladly take our place within the congregation
of the saints, loving Your people as You have commanded. We are not ashamed of
Your people who are called by Your name in all places under heaven and pray and
petition You to have mercy upon them and show Yourself strong in turning them from
their iniquities and delivering them from all their enemies, even as we pray for
ourselves. How precious is Your Name, O Lord of Hosts, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
----------------
“I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and
my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of
my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be
praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” (Ps 18:1-3)

Meditaton and Prayer on Psalm 119:9-16

Prayer on Psalm 119:9-16 July 23, 2013

Our precious Heavenly Father, You have said that the rich are not to glory in their
wealth, nor the wise to glory in their wisdom, nor are the strong to glory in their
strength, for when we glory we are to glory in that we understand and know You, that
You are the LORD which exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in
the earth: for in these things You delight, saith the LORD.

Not only the young, but also the mature and the old man are defiled by wrong values,
because Your word is often far from us, and we walk in our own ways and in our own
thoughts. All sins defile and pollute. Our hearts can only be purified by obeying the
truth through the Spirit so that we love each other without deceit, being born again of
incorruptible seed, the Word of God.

You have washed us from our sins in the blood of Christ because You have opened our
ears to take heed according to Your word. We fled to You for refuge and believed with
all our hearts and when we called upon You, You heard our call, because our call to
You was in response to Your call to us.

Your way is the clean way, the pure way. We are filthy with sins for we stray from
Your commandments. We cannot make ourselves pure, for we are all pure in our own
eyes, when even our thoughts are abominable to You. We are like the leopard who
cannot change his spots.

But every word of Yours is pure, without filth, and we have been made clean by the
washing of water by the word, washed in the blood of the Lamb, and clothed with
clean white garments, the righteousness of Christ, able to come into Your presence.

You wrote Your covenant on our hearts, taking away our hearts of stone, and giving
new hearts, and we received the engrafted word which is able to save our souls. Your
word and Spirit are our defense against the sin that so easily besets us. Your blessed
Holy Spirit will never leave us, for You have given us to Christ that the Holy Spirit
may teach us Your statutes.

We confessed with our mouth that the fullness dwells in Christ alone and You,
precious Holy Father, have given all things into His hands. We are the sheep of His
pasture and all that we have belongs to You, even the words of our mouth, for we are
not ashamed to confess You, that Your ways are holy and pure, and none of Your
saints is lost, for You gave us to Christ. We declare these things openly and publicly,
for we are not ashamed of Your Name.

We value Your promises and assurances, more than all the riches of the world. All the
riches will pass away, but Your promises and testimonies are sure and certain.
It is so easy to let Your promises and commandments slip away, for the world is too
much with us. We will meditate on Your precepts and treasure Your ways, delighting
in Your statutes, so that we will not forget Your word. Blessed Be Your Name, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen.
--------------
 “9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according
to thy word. 10  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from
thy commandments. 11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee. 12  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. 13  With my lips have I
declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy
testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have
respect unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy
word.” (Ps 119:9-16 )

You Didn't Ask to Be Born? Who did? What Makes You So Special?

Hatred of Fathers, the Death of a Culture

Honor thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment with promise. –Ephesians 6:2

A generation that turns against mother and father is an atheistic generation. The
promise referred to above is, “That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord
thy God giveth you.” (Ex. 20)

A revolutionary generation has no future, because it denies the past. The history of
such movements is dreary indeed. The revolutionary mindset wants to overthrow
everything and start fresh, for they see no value in that which has gone before. Filled
with their own pride and ignorance, they imagine themselves to be victims of the past
and good in their intentions and their goals. They hate the generations that have gone
before, despise their accomplishments, magnify their weaknesses and failure. They
forget that true progress is always the result of building on the past, not rejecting it.

At root is the revolutionary’s hatred for God. After all, it is God who is the ultimate
Father, who provides all things, and works all things after the counsel of His own will.
If we despise our earthly fathers, what is that but despising the God who gave us our
fathers? Hatred of parents indicates a feeling of victimhood that is rooted in hatred of
God, despising His gifts.

When men are unthankful, is it any wonder that they turn in hatred against their
parents. “I didn’t ask to be born,” they complain. True enough. God made that decision
and decided who the instruments would be. This hatred is directed against God
Himself.

Love for God means love for His works. The real truth is that what we are, we are by
the decree and purpose of God. The most important things about us are not the result of
our choices, but because of God’s purpose and plan. We did not choose our sex, the
color of our skin, the economic status and class into which we were born, the color of
our eyes, the century of our birth, the place and citizenship of our birth, and ten
thousand other things.

Hatred of parents is just ill disguised hatred of God, who used our parents to
accomplish His purpose and plan for who we are, where we are and when we are. We
use hatred of parents in order to justify rebellion against God for who we are, and some
people spend their whole lives in venting this hatred. We seek to impose our will on
the will of God, with frightful consequences to ourselves and to our generation.

Honor of parents does not mean that we do not recognize whatever faults they may
have, their unbelief, or sinful lifestyles. It does not mean that Christians do not witness
to unbelieving parents and seek to win them for Christ. But whatever failures and sins
our parents may have do not change a fundamental truth: it was God’s will for them
to be our parents, so that we might be born exactly who we are. If we can be thankful
to God for that, then we can be thankful to God for our parents, for they were God’s
instrument in bringing God’s gifts, especially the precious gift of life, to us.

You cannot hate your parents without hating yourself and the God who made you.

First published in Basket of Figs, February, 1999.  Slight modifications.

Prayer on Psalm 119:1-8

O most precious and Holy Father in Heaven, we read the words, “Blessed are the
undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD,” and our tender consciences
are stricken with gloom and misery. You have commanded us to keep thy precepts
diligently. We are to keep Your testimonies and seek You with our whole heart.

But our reality is so different from that, O Father. How can we be blessed if Your
blessing depends upon us doing no iniquity and perfectly walking in Your ways. We
confess with Your beloved Apostle that, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us.” We would despair if You had not shown us
another, a better way.

You have also said that those are blessed unto whom the Lord does not impute sin.
This is what Your friend Abraham found, for He believed You and it was accounted to
Him for righteousness. We would go in that way, O Lord, the way of faith.

Indeed, We long for You to direct our ways to keep Your statues. Then we will not be
ashamed, for we will have respect unto all Your commandments. But this means that
we must not seek to direct our own ways, to think our own thoughts, to seek our own
righteousness, for this is the way of death.

You sent Your Blessed Son to teach us this better way, the way of faith and trust in His
precious blood which takes away all our sins. Because You have freely loved us when
we were yet in our sins, our Lord Jesus, the Christ, died for the ungodly, ungodly
people like we are, O Lord.

We were lost and undone, but You sent forth Your Son to redeem us, to bring us to
God, when we could not climb the steep way to God. You purchased us to be Your
own, and we no longer belong to ourselves, to walk in our own ways, seek our own
thoughts and live in our own righteousness. We belong to You, body and soul, for the
blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins.
You have given Your children the blessed Spirit of God to teach and lead us in Your
holy way, having forgiven us all our trespasses. None of those who believe in You will
ever be ashamed because we rest in Your perfect and holy righteousness.

Thank You, Lord, for teaching us the way of Your righteous judgments, that our Lord
Jesus bore the fullness of Your wrath against sin, so that we might be freed from its
condemnation and wrath, to enjoy Your love and fellowship forever. You are teaching
us both to will and to do of Your good pleasure, and for this we give You thanks, in the
Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose own we are. Amen.

“1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 2 Blessed
are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also
do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts
diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be
ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 7 I will praise thee with
uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. 8 I will keep
thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.” (Ps 119:1-8)

Prayer: Romans 16:25-27

Our Father in Heaven, this morning we would magnify You in our hearts and minds,
and also by the words of our mouth. We join together in your praises for you are
worthy of all the praises of men.

We have no strength of our own, but we stand only in the Gospel, which was preached
by Your Only Begotten Son, Jesus of Nazareth and confirmed by those who heard
Him. We thank you that you have revealed the mystery that was hidden from the
beginning of the world but revealed through the preaching of the apostles and the
scriptures of the holy prophets.

This only is the foundation of our faith, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the One
promised from the creation of the world, promised to fulfill His divine office of the
prophet, priest, and king of our redemption. His words reveal You, O Father, for He is
Your precious Son, Light of Light, Truth of Truth, and Life of Life, begotten of You
before the world was, sent by You to teach us the right and good way, the way of faith.

He is our Priest, offering up Himself in the body of His flesh as a sacrifice for sins to
satisfy Your holy law and a demonstration of your love and grace. He is our King, who
rules over us in righteousness and defeats all our enemies, the world, the flesh, and the
devil.

He is God and man, we confess, O Father, One with You in Godhead, but also one
with us in humanity as a son of Adam and the Son of David to reign over your people
in righteousness and truth forever and ever.

We rejoice that we have been given the glorious privilege of being your heralds, to
spread this gospel to the world. We can proclaim forgiveness of sins and proclaim
liberty to the lost and dying, for you have commanded that this Gospel be preached to
the entire world until the end of the world, for the mystery hidden from the beginning
of the world is that salvation through faith is freely offered to all people.

You are the only wise God, for this glorious gospel was not the invention of men, nor
had it entered into the heart of any man, but God revealed it through Jesus Christ and
the prophets of both the Old and New Testaments. We magnify Your holy Name, O
Lord God Almighty, for Your ways and righteousness and truth, judgment and mercy,
forever and ever, through the blood of Christ. Amen.

Invictus. What???

Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall
destroy them, and not build them up. --Psalm 28:5

What a heritage to leave behind! Shortly before Timothy McVey was executed for
bombing the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, he distributed a copy of Invictus, a
poem by a minor American author, William Ernest Henley. It is short, but packed with
arrogance and blasphemy.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. 1875 

The poem, wicked though it is, pretty much captures the thinking of a great many
Americans. It is often commended in school literature classes as the work of a liberated
soul. Instead, it is a work of a soul in bondage to sin. How do teachers live with
themselves, when their students follow the logical consequences of their teaching?
Why not blow up a bunch of day care students to make a political point.

As an atheist twitted recently, "Why not kill babies.  We have a lot of unskilled labor
that can make many more of them?"

Henley knew about Christ’s teaching regarding the “strait gate,” and he knew that the
Bible [the scroll] was charged with warnings against the wicked. But he chose to defy
all of these in terms of his “unconquerable soul.” Neither he nor McVey conquered
death, however. [See Romans 5:14]

It is impossible to be neutral. This must be so if God is the Creator and Sustainer of all
things. The fault here is a simple one: the wicked do not regard “the works of the Lord,
nor the operation of His hands.” The penalty is severe and spiritual, because God is a
Spirit, and His most severe punishments are spiritual ones.

Men resist the idea of a God who rules all things because they want to leave some
wiggle room for themselves. They are willing to debase God in order to exalt
themselves, and they reserve their worst invective against those who point out the lie.
They do not want to deal with such a God, for such a concept requires that salvation be
of grace and man wants to believe the fiction that he is “master of his fate.”

I wonder how the "unconquerable souls" of Henley and McVey are doing now.  How
is their philosophy working for them?  Eh?

Add to Your Faith: 2Peter 1

Every grace is founded upon faith. Peter says to "add" [as a tree adds branches and
leaves-the addition of growth] virtue to our faith. Virtue is being real and right, true to
God's creation. You must have faith to add virtue, but faith is matured by virtue. To put
it another way, faith without works is dead. 2Peter 1:4. This comes from the
knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord. vs. 2. These promises enable us to
escape the corruption in the world through evil desire.

Add Virtue to Faith.

True faith include virtue as the tree is in the seed.  Virtue, in both the Greek and
English, means "manly." Being what a man ought to be; or what a woman ought to be.
According to God's creation, not as defiled and deformed by sin. Faith is restorative
and healing. We need to get on with it and seek virtue and genuineness in Godliness.

Because this virtue is of faith and by faith, no merit attaches to it of the flesh.  It is the
work of the Holy Spirit who has begun a good work in us through faith.

Add Knowledge to Virtue  2 Peter 1:5

Knowledge is also to be added, but it is added to Virtue.  Ignorant virtue can be deadly.
Israel had a zeal toward God, but not with knowledge.  Young Christians fall into
this trap often, and zealous seek what is "right" without the study and information
needed to understand the right.

Hebrews 5:13,14 says that babes without knowledge are unskillful in the word of
righteousness, their senses must be exercised to know good and evil.    Evil done in
ignorance may have the same result as evil done on purpose.  Jesus was killed because
of ignorance [Acts 3].The church becomes filled with empty moralism, pious
exercises, and strife and division when Christians do not study the way of
righteousness and grow up to know good and evil.  The result is bondage to the
conscience and lording over others.

Certainly virtue is incomplete without knowledge, but knowledge grows out of virtue,
for men do not really began to know until they try to honor God by godly work.  But
all is included in faith, and these "additions" simply indicate that faith is coming into
its own.

Add Temperance [Self-Control] to Knowledge 2 Peter 1:6

Knowledge is power. Temperance is required to remain balanced and effective.  You
must have the power of knowledge to be effective, but you must have temperance to
perfect the use of power.  Knowledge must not be allowed to get out of control.  God
has the greatest knowledge and the greatest self-control, for He never loses sight of His
eternal plan and purpose.

Temperance does not go to extreme.  Eating is necessary, but temperance demands that
I do not over eat, or become unbalanced in consumption.  So it is with knowledge. 
Sound knowledge is balanced, recognizing that truth is very wide and "truth" in
isolation can be deadly.  Young Christians, intoxicated with forgiveness of sins, may
become careless in their obedience to God.  In their desire for holiness they may
become extreme and overbearing.

This is the reason that Scripture must be interpreted by Scripture, and we must not fall
into proof-texting, which leads to intemperance in interpretation.  God elects, so it is
not necessary to pray or witness," is intemperate knowledge, not balanced and mature. 
See my article at http://tinyurl.com/m7n8y6d

The power that knowledge brings is necessary for self-control or temperance, but
without temperance, knowledge is useless and deadly.  But all grow out of faith, the
foundation of everything for it give us access to Christ, the fountain of every good.

Add Patience to Temperance

Being self-controlled for a moment is of no value.  What good is holding your temper
for three minutes and then blowing up and scattering everything in sight?  What good
is holding to your diet for one day and then binge eating for three.

Temperance must be perfected by patience and long-suffering.  Of course, patience
grows out of temperance, for if we do not learn to control ourselves, we have no
opportunity to be patient.

God is not only self-controlled but He controls Himself until all His purposes are
fulfilled.  He is patient with His people until they come to the perfection of Christ and
His purposes for them are realized.  He is even patient with the ungodly until His
purpose for them is fulfilled.  Many an ungodly man or woman has been patiently
endured by God because He determined that their children or grandchildren would
come to Christ and glorify His Name.

This patience that grows up out of and perfects temperance also has its seed in faith,
for only faith in Christ provides the strength to subdue the flesh and experience the
patience and longsuffering that brings glory to God.

Add Godliness to Patience

Without godliness, patience is just stubbornness and rebellion.  Refusing to change an ungodly habit or persisting in a false doctrine is wicked.  Of course if you do not continue in the faith, godliness will escape you, so it is founded upon patience.  But godliness completes and perfects patience.

The end of all things for the child of God is to be like God, and stubbornness and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and ends in darkness.   It is not a sign of great character to persevere in a wrong way, a wrong idea, or a wrong feeling.  Old things are to be put off and new things are to be put on.

Goodness for goodness sake is idolatry.  We are to do all things for the glory of God, not for personal goals or the praise of men.

But both godliness and patience are contained in true faith as the tree is in the acorn.  But we are to give diligence to "add" these things that we be no more children, foolish and self-centered.

Prayer on Psalm 5:5-12

Heavenly Father, We thank You that You are faithful in all that You have promised to
Your people and not one word that You have uttered will fall to the ground.  

We are firmly assured that You will bless the righteous and surround them with Your
grace as with a shield, so that none of Your enemies will prevail against us, for You
are our safety.

You have no pleasure in wickedness and hate all those that live in rebellion against
You. Those who are foolish and boast in their own light and glory in themselves will
not stand in Your sight, but will be utterly destroyed in their own lies and
deceitfulness.  

You abhor those who shed the blood of Your people and strengthen themselves sin
their iniquity and evil.

But Your people are not so, O Lord, for they come into Your house and worship You
in the multitude of Your mercies. Your dwelling place is in Heaven, O Lord, and we
seek You there.

We beseech You to lead us in Your faithfulness, for there are many enemies who are
faithless and wicked. They are most corrupt in their speech and flatter with the lip
while seeking the destruction of Your people.  

But You will destroy them with their own ideas and they will perish in their own
rebellion and sins.  

We pray You would turn many to righteousness and bring repentance for sins and I
iniquities as You did for Saul of Tarsus and many others of Your enemies in days gone
by for we know that Your grace is sufficient for the worst of sinners.  

Those who refuse the gospel will perish in their own iniquity and sin, and remain in the
congregation of the dead.

But we may rejoice, O Father, for You have called us to faith, to trust in You. Your joy
has filled our hearts, for You defend us from all our enemies. We joy in Your Name. 

You bring all things to pass after Your own will, and nothing can overcome us, for all
the weapons of the ungodly belong to You. The joy of the Lord is our strength and
shield.

Prayer on Psalm 3 June 30, 2013

Precious Father in Heaven, we confess that salvation belongs to You alone. Only You
can bless Your people and make us prosper in our souls.  

Our souls would feed on Thee, Lord Jesus, for in You dwell all the riches that God has
stored up for His people. He became poor so that we might be made rich. He bore the
anger and wrath of God against us and we will remain among the dead until he pours
out upon us the riches of His grace and mercy.

You are rich in mercy, O Precious Father, and because of Your great love by which
You loved us, You have raised us up together with Christ, for we are saved by Your
grace alone. Throughout eternity we will show forth the riches of Your grace in Your
kindness to us through Christ Jesus. This is our hope and our promise, O precious
Father.

But now, O Father, we are troubled with many enemies. They rise against Your word
and Your Spirit. They speak evil of the way of life and deny that there is any hope for
the godly in God.  

There are many who think and say this, and we are bombarded on every hand by the
words of the ungodly, who think to triumph over You and Your Son Jesus of Nazareth,
our Savior, Your only Begotten Son.

But You are our shield and our glory. As You lifted up the Lord Jesus from the grave
and triumphed over death, so You are the lifter up of our heads and we triumph in You,
O Father in Heaven.

How often have we cried unto You, O Father, in the time of affliction! You always
heard us from Your Kingdom in Heaven and not one of Your promises has failed. You
have heard the voice of Your people always, that come to You in faith in Your certain
promises.

You give us rest. Our souls enjoy a Sabbath of rest even in the midst of our enemies,
we lie down and sleep. You sustained us and we awakened refreshed.  

We will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who set themselves against You, O
Father, and Your Son, whom You have anointed as the One Savior for the world.

You will triumph over all Your enemies, O Father, in Jesus Christ and Your Holy
Spirit. You will break the teeth of those who bite and devour and blaspheme Your
Holy Name.

We would trust none but You, Dear Lord, for the salvation of our souls and the
protection of our earthly lives, until our work here is done.  

We think much of Your Name, O Lord, for You are our strong tower and our
inheritance forever.

How Excellent is Thy Name: Prayer on Psalm 8

Prayer on Psalm 8

Precious Heavenly Father, we confess that your glory is manifest throughout the whole
earth, for your Name is excellent. Your glory is greater than the sun, moon, and stars.
Babes and sucklings who confess your name are stronger than the wise men of the
earth. The babe who cannot speak, but reaches out his finger to point to the flower or
the star in the sky is wiser than the esteemed scholar who cannot find you in all the
wonders of the earth. How blind are the dead, O Lord, and how wise are those who
have been quickened by Your Spirit!

Considering all the wonders of this marvelous world and heavens which are the works
of your fingers, we are humbled indeed that you should show favor to man. What is
man? Ah, O Lord, we confess that You created man in your image, designed to inherit
your creation and have dominion over all the things that you made. But this inheritance
was for the meek, not the proud and arrogant.

Adam did not humble himself before You, O precious Father, but was lifted up with
pride and sought the kingdom for himself, not submitting to You or Your
commandment. So death and misery entered into this wonderful world, polluting it and
bringing your curse. Only a tiny remnant of man’s dominion can yet be seen, but this
leaves us without excuse, dear Lord.

But your promise remains, “The meek shall inherit the earth.” We see not yet all things
put under the feet of man, but we do see Jesus of Nazareth, Your Only Begotten Son,
who was made of the seed of David after the flesh, to do for us what Adam failed to
do.

Our Lord Jesus, suffered the curse for us, endured the cross, despised the shame,
rising from the dead and ascending to David’s throne at the right hand of the Father,
and all His and our enemies shall be put under His feet. He is crowned with honor and
glory and when the last enemy, death, is overcome at the resurrection then He and we
with Him shall enter into our eternal inheritance, [1Pe 1:4] “incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for [us]”

“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”
------------

“1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy
glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine
enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which
thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest
him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with
glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all
things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths
of the seas.
9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Ps 8:1-9)

Beware What You Raise from the Dead!

Yes, dead orthodoxy needs awakened. But beware. If you abandon orthodoxy in the
attempt you will awaken the zombie of humanism, the walking dead.

Or worse, you may awaken disassociated body parts of orthodoxy, and you will wish
for the zombies, with all those body parts of Christianity cluttering up the religious
landscape. God may raise some zombies to clean up the mess.

Not everyone is qualified to raise the dead. Jesus comes to mind. Prayers will do far
more good than revolution and agitation and humanism patchwork.

Besides, how can any body call itself orthodox if it has an orthodox creed that it pays
no attention to. Shall it get better by abandoning its creed for irrationalism and
individualism, both tenets of humanism?

By far the greatest number of people I have met in my 79 years of age who went about
trying to resurrect "dead orthodoxy" were so dead themselves that they couldn't
recognize orthodoxy when they saw it.  They confused noise for light and riot for
life. What they wanted was a new religion that kissed Christ's cheek while giving Him
over to the executioners.

You want life.  Get into a church with an orthodox creed and constitution and start
living by both of them.  Keep the commandments and your vows.  Speak the truth. The
dead revolutionaries will try to send you to the executioners, too, just as they did
Him.   They enjoy gnawing the bones of disassociated body part.

Prayer on Psalm 20: Trust in Christ alone.

Our precious Father, we praise and magnify Your name. You have commanded us to
pray for the coming of your Kingdom, of which the kingdom if Israel was a type, most
importantly the kingdom of David.

How precious to know that we may cry unto you on behalf of your kingdom in the day
of trouble and distress. You have not promised us an easy time, O Father, but that it is
through many tribulations that we enter into the kingdom of Heaven. You are our
refuge and out fortress and we will trust in You.

By faith we have offered unto you the offering that you have required for sin, the
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, for we have believed He suffered and died for our
sins. You will not despise this offering, O Father, for He is Your only begotten Son,
and Your burnt sacrifice. You do not require the blood of our lives, because of His
freewill offering up of Himself as are Surety. You did not spare to send us your Son, so
we know Your good will toward us, and will not spare to send us Your Holy Spirit to
fulfill all the desires of your heart toward us and to fulfill all your counsel.
We will rejoice in Your salvation and in the Name of Jesus Christ, our God and our
Savior we will lift our banners, for we are not ashamed to be called Christians, for He
has given His name to us. O precious Father, we know that You will fulfill all the
petitions of our King and Lord, Your Only Begotten Son, Jesus our Redeemer.

You raised Him from the dead, dear Father; yea, He came forth by His Own Power and
the power of the Holy Spirit, for He offered up Himself and it was not possible that
death could hold Him. You saved your Messiah, Your anointed One, for you heard
Him from the Cross; and how much more will You hear Him from His eternal throne
at Your right hand.

There are those who trust in political power; in guns and planes and tanks and bombs.
We thank you for warriors, O Lord, and you commanded your people often to take the
sword for the cause of righteousness, but how vain it is to guard the city, if You do not
preserve it. We thank, Your our God for the women and men of this congregation who
have served in the military, for we know that often it is your will that we so contend.  

But though we contend, we will put our trust in your attributes, O Lord, in your Name
which is the source of all power, wisdom, beauty, goodness, knowledge, and truth.
Those who trust in earthy power, fall and do not rise, but we are risen by your eternal
life and shall not be cast down. You will hear when we call upon you.
--
Prayer for June 9, 2013

“1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend
thee; 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 3
Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. 4 Grant thee
according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. 5 We will rejoice in thy
salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all
thy petitions. 6 ¶ Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him
from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some trust in
chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8
They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. 9 Save, LORD:
let the king hear us when we call.” (Ps 20:1-9 AV)

Hey, Paul didn't say he gave up being moral as something to be despised.

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ...."  Phil. 3:8

What did Paul count "dung" in Philippians that he abandoned in order to win Christ. [Philippians 3].  Paul knew the advantage of being a Jew [Rom. 4:1] which consisted of being near to the promises and having the oracles of God [Scripture].  Paul knew it was better not to covet than to covet. [Romans 7:7ff]  He did not come to Christ in order to abandon goodness of life, but to really attain it. [Romans 8:2, 13,14].  The Spirit does not work the motions of sin and death in the believer.

What Paul rejected was the idea that anything of the flesh [nature] could give him access to the Spirit. Hence, true morality was impossible for him, no matter how hard he strived.  In order to "win Christ" he must give up all confidence in nature [natural generation from Abraham] and throw himself on the mercy of God in Christ.

The result of this is not immorality and wicked behavior, but true morality free from hypocrisy and deceit.  Our nature inherited from Adam produces immoral behavior, no matter how sweetly it is perfumed [Galatians 5:19-21] and none of these who live in the flesh will inherit the kingdom of God, for obedience to God comes only by the Spirit.

The gift of God in Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit, given to those who are to be heirs of eternal life and they are justified by faith and counted holy.  Thus they, by grace are enabled to achieve a measure of true morality, morality from the heart and soul, bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-26]  This morality is not the ground of their salvation, but the result of it.

But it is good to remember that those who say that they are in the light, but walk in darkness are deceived and fool themselves and try to fool others.  [1John 1:5-7]

Romans 8:13, 14  "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

Christ is no minister of sin, but of wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

Pastoral Prayer from 1John 2:8-17

 Prayer for May 26, 2013 1John 2:8-7

We praise You, O precious Father, because the darkness of the world passed away
with coming of Your Only Begotten Son into the world. The darkness of hatred and
idolatry has passed with the light of the Gospel and we have learned to love You and
our Christian brothers and sisters, because we are in the light and know where we go. 
Those who hate their brothers are in darkness and walk in blindness.

We are all babes and have our sins forgiven for Your name’s sake. We would know the
Father. We would be strong in faith, as young men, overcoming the world because we
have known the Father. We would be seasoned as old men who walk in the old truths
and have proved them to be true and constant. The Gospel is suited for everyone, O
Lord, and we would be zealous in all parts of our lives.

Teach us, O Lord, not to love the world. What a seductress she is, who would lure us
away from the love of Christ, for if we love not Christ the love of the Father is not in
us. We cannot serve God and mammon. The desires of the body overwhelm us and we
slumber in meat and drink and seek not the kingdom of God. We chase the bauble that
shine brightly to our eyes and do not lay up treasure in heaven. We love the praise and
approval of men, and do not seek the favor of our Heavenly Father. We slumber in
these idolatries and spiritual life dies in us, unless we are awakened by the trumpet call
of Your Holy word: “Awake, thou that sleepest, and rise from the dead and Christ will
give You life.

But the world passes away. That which is seen is temporal, but that which is not seen is
eternal in the heavens. May we lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven and not on the
earth, for the world passes away with its wicked desires, but he that does the will of
God abides forever.

We bring our petition to You, O Lord. You are gracious to hear our prayers and to
grant the desires of our hearts, for You have renewed us by Your Spirit to seek those
things which are above.

We would be like You, O precious Christ. We have been predestined to be like You
and all of God’s work in us to that holy end, conformity to the image of Christ. 
We thank You that Satan has received a death blow and cannot rise again as he was
before. Satan shall be bruised under the feet of Jesus Christ and His bloody kingdom
will be no more, but will pass away in the eternal fires of judgment. But we have a
received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Amen and Amen.

May we be faithful in our witness in all things. Revive thy backslidden and erring
church, O Lord, just as You sent renewal in days gone by. Revive thy work in the
midst of the years, O Lord. We have heard thy speech O LORD, and have feared: O
LORD, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. The world is
too much with us, and we call upon You for mercy and grace. Mercy, to think that we
could turn aside Your wrath by ceremonies and works of the body. Nay, O Lord, it is
the love of the world that we must fear. The desire of our heart toward the ease of the
body, the pleasure of the eyes, and the pride of life: the satisfaction we have in the
praise of others: these are our problems, O Lord, not the keeping of ceremonies.

You, O Lord, are the One true and eternal living Spirit and we must worship You
sincerely from our hearts and rest in You all the days of our lives, beginning our
eternal Sabbath in this life by resting in You alone. Have mercy upon us O Lord, for
our hearts are far from You so often and we love the world and the things that are in
the world, driving the love of the Father far from us. Have mercy upon us and renew a
right spirit within us, so that we will truly love one another as You have loved us.

It is Your will that we do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with our God. If we
do not love the people of God and the church that You purchased with Your own
blood, then we will love the world for Christ does not teach us so, to despise the
church and love the world. He bought the church with His precious blood, and it is to
be precious in our eyes. The world hated Him and spurned Him and spat upon Him and
scourged Him and crucified Him for they did not love Him or His people. O kind and
merciful Heavenly Father, will You teach us to so love Your church and Your people?
What a commendation to Your people, that they loved one another. Not that they kept
ceremonies, but that they loved one another and sought the good of one another.
In the precious Name of Christ our Savior, we pray.
Amen.

“8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you:
because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9 He that saith he is in the
light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his
brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11 But he
that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not
whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 12 I write unto you,
little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 13 I write unto
you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you,
young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little
children, because ye have known the Father. 14 I have written unto you, fathers,
because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young
men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have
overcome the wicked one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of
the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but
he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1Jo 2:8-17 )

Pastoral Prayer from Psalm 24.

Prayer for May 12, 2013 Psalm 24:3-5

Our Precious Father Who is in Heaven, yours is all the earth and everybody in it. All
the fullness of the world is yours: the silver, the gold, the cattle on a thousand hills. All
the cities, all the farms, all the factories, all the villages, all the homes and businesses.
The banks are yours, the seas and continents with all the fish, the animals, the birds.
Everything belongs to You, Our Father, and you govern and rule all by your sovereign
and loving hands.

You founded the continents upon the seas and upon the floods, so that they stand
according to your sovereign power, even the everlasting hills and mountains with all
their treasures of minerals and diamonds and rubies and sapphires. Everything is yours,
O Lord, for you have created all things, and they are upheld by your everlasting power
and authority. This we do confess, Heavenly Father. We shall have need of nothing,
for you have riches untold.

Who on this earth shall rise to be with you in your heavenly Kingdom, O Lord? You
have purer eyes than can behold iniquity, and wickedness shall not stand before you.
Only those who hands are clean, whose hearts are pure, who has not been lifted up to
worship idols, nor made false vows and promises, deceiving their neighbors. Who are
these people, O Lord, for we do not know any of Adam’s sons who are not altogether
sinful and defiled?

Except one, O Lord, and that is your Only Begotten Son who was pure and holy in all
His ways, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven to save us from our
sins. He has clean hand, a pure heart, always loved and worshipped His Father, and
always keeps His promises. Blessed be the Name of the Lord Jesus.

We confess, O Lord, that the blessing that He received from His father, the everlasting
kingdom is ours in Him. He has ascended to the hill of the Lord and stands in the Holy
Places and as He is, so are we in the world, for we were raised with Him and our
inheritance is sure and certain to us. He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. We are blessed in Him and He is
made to us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Amen and
Amen.

We are therefore sons of God, and have received the Spirit of adoption, a new
generation born of the Spirit of God. You have said, “seek my face,” and we by your
Spirit have replied, “Thy face, O Lord, will we seek.” Blessed be your holy Name
forever and ever.

This we pray in the precious Name of our Mediator and King, the Lord Jesus, Your
Only Begotten Son. Amen.