To God only Wise: Meditation and Prayer on Romans 16:25-27

Meditation and 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 are righteousness and truth, judgment
and mercy, forever and ever, through the blood of Christ.

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25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

26  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the
everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

27  To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.  --Romans 16:25-27

Thinking in the Heart

Thinking in the Heart

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...." (Pr 23:7)

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable 
works, there is none that doeth good." (Ps 14:1)

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God looks on the heart of man, on the reality. Man only looks on the outward appearance and can only
evaluate the actions, not the man. But God sees the thoughts of the heart that define the man.

God is far more interested in the thoughts of the heart than He is in this or that detail of a man's life. David
was a man after God's own heart, which means that he had the Spirit of God moving and directing his
thoughts to faith, hope, and love. David was also a child of Adam and had sinful tendencies as we all do.
These sinful tendencies caused him to stumble and even commit terrible sins, but his sins did not define him.

No one in the Old Testament rose to greater heights of spiritual knowledge than did David: "The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want...." "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin...." and many other
like expressions.

In Christ's day, He encountered men who were the spiritual opposite of David. They put on a great show,
but were rotten in the heart. They were like whitewashed sepulchers that seemed outwardly attractive,but
were filled with dead men's bones, for their thoughts were corrupted with hatred and lies. Jesus knew that if
they did not repent they would face the damnation of hell, for their sins would not be put away.

We Will Glory In You, O Lord

Meditation and Prayer on Jeremiah 9:23,24

O Precious Father, how vain and foolish are the sons of men.  The things that puff us up and cause us to
boast are vain and empty things that pass away.

We glory in wisdom, as though we could search out and find the reasons for things.  But we cannot even
know the reason for things that vex us and trouble us every day.  We do not know why the good often suffer
so much, why babies suffer cruel death, why the weakest among us are afflicted and tormented.  We do not
know why evil men flourish, gain wealth and honor, and die in the fullness of age, wealthy and honored.

How vain we are, O Lord.  Men strut and preen themselves on the stage of life.  They dress in robes and
hoods and caps and love to hear their names and opinions sought after, but we know not either the beginning
nor the ends of things  Foolish men seek after those who are accounted wise, and yet the wise cannot deliver
themselves from their own sins nor escape the silence of the grave.

The wise talk much of virtue but are themselves corrupt and sinful.  Physicians cannot heal themselves and
teachers do not teach themselves and saviors cannot save themselves.

O wise Father,  the wise man cannot tell why the youth burns in same sex desire.  Who mourns for the lamb
that is torn in pieces by the wild beast far from the habitation of man?  Why do men and women yield to
desires and lusts that debase their bodies, alienate their friends and family and bring misery all around?  And
what will the end of all be?  The wise cannot tell, O Most High God.  They are blind leaders of the blind.

Though very conscious of themselves and puffed up, the wise cannot even tell what consciousness is nor its
source and nature.

But the strong are equally empty vanity.  They boast against the learned and wise.  It starts very early in
school as the young toughs make life miserable for the studious and faithful scholar.  Many who do not glory
in wisdom boast much of strength, agility, and grace in their bodies.  They are powerful in games and deeds
of physical prowess.  But where are the strong men of our youth?  What river carried away Joe Louis,
Rocky Marciano, Ted Williams, Red Grange, Babe Ruth and that other Babe, Zaharias?  What of Stan the
Man?  Shall we also speak of Hercules, Julius Caesar, Alexander, and Geronimo?

In our youth we learned of Horatius at the Bridge and the brave Spartan Three Hundred, but their strength
could not bind the Angel of Death, nor give vigor to the heart beating its last.  Where is the strength of man?
Why are we so foolish as to glory in strength, O Lord?  The strong compete in trials of strength and agility
for earthly crowns but are so weak that they cannot resist drugs and lies to gain an immoral advantage based
on deceit and wickedness.

What is the strength of Wilt who towered above all in his day but could not resist the lust that defiled himself
with thousands of women in serial fornication? What of Tiger?  What of Joe Paterno who could create
fearsome defensive linemen, but could not defend the most vulnerable?  Even thy servant Samson, the
strongest of men, could slay a thousand with the jawbone of an ass but could not overcome desire. What is
the strength of man after all, O righteous Father in Heaven?  What glory is there in the legs of a man?

And the gold and silver is vanished away.  In a moment the rich men of the world wail and weep over
desolation and ruin.  Yet how they boast in their real estate, mansions, factories, institutions and other
playthings.   But their riches cannot buy them one more breath when the Lord decrees, "This night thy soul
shall be required of thee."

What glory is there in riches that cannot buy anything but things that rust and decay, are eaten of moths, and
stolen of thieves?    O Lord, how poor we are if we are not rich toward You!!  What coin will we use to
purchase that which is more precious than rubies and more to be desire than fine gold?  Like swine, O Lord,
we rend those who traffic in such treasures and root in the dust for that which does not satisfy.

O, Precious Father, teach us the vanity of glorying in wisdom, in strength, in riches.   All of these things
cannot keep back the march of death and stay the decay of the body that returns to the dust, nor stop the
flight of the soul that returns to God who gave it.  These are ways that seem right unto foolish men, but the
end thereof are the ways of death, as the prophets have warned us.

O that we might know You, O Heavenly Father!  O that we might understand the Lord who exercises loving
kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth!  These are the true wisdom, strength, and riches and may
be purchased without money, without price.

You are not an absent God, O Lord.  You are active and busy in the world, O Father, exercising loving
kindness, judgment and righteousness.   You have never been absent from Your Creation since the beginning
of the world, for You created it to be inhabited by man and filled it full of blessings and riches and men.  You
prepared the world for the coming of Your Son to put away sins, and You continue in your zeal to bring all
things to completeness and Your sons to their inheritance in glory in Jesus Christ.  You, O Lord, exercise
loving kindness in the world, calling out a people for your Name through the preaching of the Gospel to the
ends of the earth.

But, O Lord God and Precious Father, we  also confess that You are exercising judgment in the world.  You
know the difference between good and evil and use both for Your glory.  The wicked shall not prosper, nor
shall one precious righteous one fall to the earth in vain.  The wicked are like the chaff which the wind drives
away and they shall not stand before Your judgment.

O Righteous Father, all evil and wickedness could be purged from all of Your creation by a glance from
Your eyes that flame like fire, but You rule the evil also and have purposes of good for Your people,
purposes of grace and kindness and mercy. You owe nothing to the rebellious and hard of heart and will
vindicate Your holiness at the time appointed.

You do not dance to our tune nor weep at our call.  This is also a treasure to be known only by faith through
Scripture and the Spirit of God.  This we do confess.  We have eyes that cannot see, ears that cannot hear,
minds that cannot think, and hearts that cannot understand, unless You quicken us by Your Spirit.

We also see Your hand of righteousness in the world, for Your true church is clothed with the righteousness
of faith and is being perfected through tribulations and trials, being prepared as a bride for her husband.
When we have suffered according to the portion given to us, we shall shine as the brightness of the firmament
and as the stars forever and ever, being made partakers of Your holiness.

O Holy and Precious Father, give us grace to seek that city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is
God.   You have said it: "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in
chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the
Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!"

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."

In this we will glory, O Lord.  In this we will praise Your Holy Name.  By Your word and Spirit You teach
us the knowledge of Yourself and open our eyes to see You working loving kindness, judgment and
righteousness in the world, for in these things You delight, and so do we, by Your grace.

We praise your Holy Name in the Church that You purchased with Your own blood.   Though this is
foolishness to men who glory in the vanity of men, yet we will glory in Your Name forever and ever.  Amen
and Amen.

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"Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might,
let not the rich man glory in his riches:  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and
knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth:
for in these things I delight, saith the LORD."   Jeremiah 9:23,24

The Two Become One!

Meditation on Matthew 19:3-6:
3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his
wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at
the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother,
and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one
flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

From the words of Jesus Christ; those who deny His words are of the devil.

1. God created man male and female, in a marriage before the Fall, after Adam had named the animals and
found no helper fit for Him. God made Eve, not Evan, nor Bill, not Shamgar.

2. Marriage is a stronger tie than parents and children. A man leaves his mother and father and gets married
to a wife, which is an indication of growing up not remaining in perpetual childhood, creating a new family for
the glory of God.

3. The two become one. Three do not become one. 1001 do not become one. A marriage is of two: a man
and a woman. Not a man and a dog; not a man and man; not woman and a woman; not a woman and
fourteen men. Two become one.

4. God makes marriage, and any human who changes the definition sets himself against God. "Let not man
put asunder" is the decree of the Almighty announced by Jesus Christ, who knows.

5. Divorce and polygamy were permitted by Moses because of the hardness of the hearts of Israel, as Jesus
said. Moses had a veil on his face and saw only the hinder parts of God; the fullness of marriage is seen in
the face of Jesus Christ.

6. from the Directory of Worship, RCUS., from the ceremony for Marriage:

"Marriage was instituted by God himself in the time of man's innocency and uprightness. The Lord God said,
'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.' Thereupon God created
woman of man's own substance and brought her unto the man. Our Lord Jesus Christ honored marriage by
his presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. And he confirmed it as a divine ordinance and a union not be
be severed when he declared, 'What therefore God hath jointed together, let not man put asunder.'
Moreover, the apostle set forth the sacred and exalted nature of marriage when he likened it to the spiritual
union of Christ and his church."

7. The church is the bride of Christ, and she will be His honored guest at the marriage Supper of the Lamb,
in holiness and virtue. Of course these are figures of speech taken from the institution of marriage before the
fall of man and the entry of sin into the world, But the figures are of God: His people are lambs, His bride,
His vine, His garden; not His wolves, whore, thistle, or weed patch.

8. Sins against marriage: fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pedophilia, rape, etc., and sins which defile the
lips that speak them may be forgiven by the gifts of grace: repentance, conversion, and faith, but hardness of
heart and confirmation in wickedness bring the wrath of God. The minister is called to mourn and weep and
search for souls, but He must announce the judgment of the Lord:

Proverbs 28:1,2: "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that
without remedy.

God will not be "nice" in the day of judgment and wrath:

Col. 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate
affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God
cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them."

Use whatever translation you want, the meaning is the same: here is the ESV: "Put to death therefore what is
earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On
account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them."

Time to grow up and face some reality: The gifts of grace are, among others, Repentance, Conversion, Faith.
The gifts of grace come to us through Jesus Christ alone, through the blood of His Cross who reconciles us
unto God. The gifts are signs of grace, not the cause of grace. We are not saved by works of righteousness
but unto works of righteousness, which always follow faith.

O Lord Jesus, How Much You Loved Us!

Meditation and Prayer on Matthew 10:27, 28

"What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the
housetops.  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."  Matthew 10:27,28

O Lord Jesus, How much You loved me and all Your people!  You said that if there were no heaven, You
would have told us.  You loved us enough to tell us the truth.  There is a heaven, and although You did not
give us a full description [for we walk by faith], You did tell us that there was room there for all of those who
trust You.

You, precious Lord Jesus, also loved us enough to tell us that there is a hell.  A place of horror and
punishment that endures forever to destroy forever both the soul and the body.  We have more descriptions
of hell than we have of heaven.  It is a place of fire, fire that is not quenched, where the sinner does not die in
an instant, but dies eternally forever and ever.

The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever and they have no rest day nor night.  It is a place
that was not prepared for man, but for the devil and his angels, but those who serve the devil and do not trust
in You, Lord Jesus, rightfully have their eternal home with their master, the devil, who takes them captive at
his will.

You told us this in immense love and grace, dear Lord, and if it were not so You would have told us.  You
never used words for manipulation and causeless fear, but to indicate truth and reality.

Oh precious Lord Jesus, You know the ways of Your Father in Heaven, for You proceeded and came forth
from Him before the foundation of the world, for You are the Wisdom of God, the Son of the Living God.
You know that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  You know that our God is a
burning Fire.  You know that He is the judge of all the earth and at the end of the world the righteous will be
raised from the dead to eternal life and glory, but the wicked will be raised to eternal shame, wrath, and
condemnation.

That's the reason You came to the earth, Lord Jesus.  You loved us and You came from the love of Your
father to be lifted up on the horrible cross for the sins of Your people, so that all of those who believe on
You might have everlasting life and not come into condemnation, but pass from death unto life.  Those who
do not believe are already condemned and lie under the wrath of God.  You knew that and loved us enough
to tell us.

We are also to tell the world.  We have no secrets that we keep from the world, but what has been told to
us in private we are to shout from the housetops.  What we hear in darkness, we are to speak in the light.
That is what You did, Lord Jesus, and we are not smarter than You.

Preachers do not preach about hell nowadays because they love money, the praise of men, and shun the 

shame of the cross.  And the people love to have it so, and pay handsome salaries to ensure that they are not 

told the truth.  But how could they be ashamed of You, Lord Jesus?  What a powerful statement the cross is 

of Your love for us and the love of Your Father who would not spare to tell us the truth and suffer the 

consequences of that truth, that other truth that God's justice will burn against sin even when those sins were 

laid on His Only Begotten Son.

We cannot understand the height, the depth, the width, and the height of Your love for us, Lord Jesus, and 

the love of Your Father, who loves not with vain show, but in deed and in truth, abhorring evil and loving the 

good.  We would not be smarter and more holy than the Lord Jesus, dear Lord, but will follow Him even 

unto death, by Your grace and mercy.

We shall not be afraid of men who shall die, O Precious Father, if you give us the boldness of faith and 

strengthen us with might in the inner man.  We will fear You, of Father of Light, who holds the soul of every 

man in life, and we will fear the Son of God who holds the keys of death and hell and walks among the 

churches and tests and tries them for their faithfulness and love.

"Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

"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.

"Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in 

thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name."  1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Might in the Inner Man

Meditation and Prayer on Ephesians 3:14-21

I bow before You, O Precious Father. We call You Father for so many reasons: You are the Father from

eternity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your eternal Wisdom, Who rejoiced with You before the world began. 

You are the Father of all fathers, and all fathers are named after You, for there is no power, or authority, or
existence that You have not created and hold in Your own hands, whether in heaven, or in earth, or in things
under the earth, for You have created all things and uphold all things by Your mighty Power.

I pray for myself and for all Your church. We are so weak in our inward man, O Precious Father. We give 

way so easily to temptation, especially in the inner man, the hidden man of the heart. Because of this we pray 

for Your mercy and grace, for sin and desire are very strong in the flesh and hold us captive to sin and 

misery unless we are freed by Your Spirit.

How abundant are Your riches in glory, Precious Father. We are weak and poor because we are poor in 

You, O Lord. Give us the gift of inner strength. That the might of Your Spirit, who raised again Christ Jesus 

from the dead, would enliven and strengthen in our hearts, that the strength and fiber of Christ, the mighty 

Conqueror, might dwell in our hearts by faith.

Save me and Your Church, O Father, from weakness and spinelessness and timidity and fear. The Spirit that 

You have given us is not the Spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and soundness of mind. May we have 

boldness, first of all, to come into Your presence through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Second, may 

we in Your presence receive grace to help in time of need. I pray, O Precious Father, that Our God would 

count me and all Your church worthy of this calling, to fulfill all good pleasure of Your goodness, and the 

work of faith with power, as You have promised and for which the apostles prayed. 

Sin is very strong, O Father, in the inner man, but greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. Satan 

has great power in the world, but the power of Christ is greater to subdue sin and unbelief and strengthen me 

with all Your saints with might in the inner man. The victory that overcomes the world is faith. Work that faith 

in us and drive away weakness and fear.

O Precious Father, give me to be rooted and grounded in love. I need to be enabled [given strength] to 

understand with all the saints what is the breadth, the length, the depth, and the height. For Christ is all and 

all. He is the measure of all things and such knowledge is beyond the measure of any single saint of Your, but 

grant unto each of us to understand according to our measure, and seek Your face in all Your people, and 

we must not despise the weakest of Your faithful people.

In the fullness of Christ is the fullness of God, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We 

come to completion through faith In Christ. I do believe, O Father, that You are able to do so much more, 

exceedingly abundantly more, than I can even think or ask, through the power that works in us. May I not 

limit You, O God, but give You glory in Your church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. 

Amen and Amen.

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“14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family 

in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be 

strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that 

ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, 

and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye 

might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all 

that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ 

Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Eph 3:14-21)