Will You Hide Forever?

David the King knew about depression.  Some of His Psalms were very dark indeed.
Psalms 13, 39. 70 were written by David and are all dark.  Psalms that were perhaps
not written by David are the dark Psalms 120, 129.  Psalm 88 is attributed to a  son
of Asaph and is especially dark.

Psalm 13 was written by David during a very dark period in his life.

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“1  How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy
face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart
daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and hear me, O
LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 Lest mine enemy
say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. 6 I will sing
unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” (Ps 13:1-6)

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"How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord?  forever?"   What a horrible feeling rooted in
the very depths of the heart, that God has abandoned me.  Forever?  "How long wilt
thou hide thy face from me?"  This is much more common than realized and is felt by
Christians who live in the real world.

Jesus felt abandoned on the cross.  Luther felt the same for years, "My God, My God,
why has thou forsaken me."  Job felt abandoned of God:  "Let the day perish wherein I
was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.  Let that
day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. 
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upn it; let the blackness
of the day terrify it....  Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid
sorrow from mine eyes. Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the
ghost when I came out of the belly?"  from Job 3:2-11

But Job knew where to look for help.  "Naked come I out of my mother's womb, and
naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord."  Job. 1:21

Some of God's choicest saints have battled depression for years, some for their entire
lives.

"How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long
shall mine enemy be exalted over me?"   "How long shall I take counsel in my soul."
This is the road to insanity.  Pr 12:15  "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but
he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."  He takes counsel in his soul.  He has "tried to
do right," that is, right in his own eyes.   He has tried many cures.  But this only
intensified his feelings.  Pr 19:21 "There are many devices in a man’s heart;
nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand."

God cannot deny Himself.  Man was not created to live under his own wisdom and
under his own opinions. These are the way of death.  The Apostle Paul knew this, and
told the elders of Ephesus,  Ac 20:27 "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all
the counsel of God."

Paul also prayed for the church, that the Father in heaven, "would grant you, according
to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in
love, May be able to comprehend will all saints what is the breadth, and length, and
depth, and height: and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye
might be filled with the fulness of God...."  Eph.4:16-19

Jesus put it this way, Joh 12:25 "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth
his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."  God will not become an
instrument and an enabler of my self worship.  I am to put off the old man with his
deeds.

The enemies of my soul are strengthened when I war against Christ and His servants.
 David begins to see light and life when he prays, "Consider and hear me, O God my
God: lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death."

It is the hope of faith that awakens the soul from death and breathes the breath of life:
"I have trusted in thy mercy: my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation."  Forgiveness of
sins, newness of life, love and hope spring up from faith in the promises of God, who
deals bountifully with His people.

But faith comes only from God.  It is not the bell you ring on your tricycle.  It is very
often faith itself that is tested and tried by the dark valleys. "Knowing this, that the
trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye
may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Trials are messengers from the Lord to call upon Him for wisdom and grace [James
1:3,4], but God will not be your handmaiden to serve your lusts and desires.  I must
receive the engrafted word, which is able to save my soul, for I am the problem, not the
circumstances surrounding me.

Faith teaches me that I am not my own, that I belong to Jesus Christ.  That makes all
the difference in the world:  HC 1:  Question 1:  What is your only comfort in life and
in death?

 Answer 1:  That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but
belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully
satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so
preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my
head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His
Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and
ready from now on to live unto Him.

But you say, "I don't believe that. Isn't there another way?"
No.

The Rainbow Covenant

There is no nation on earth that is not either a covenant keeping nation, or a covenant-
breaking nation. After the flood, God made the rainbow covenant with the whole
world, promising without condition that He would never destroy the world again with a
flood, and putting His war bow in the sky in the "at peace" position as a sacramental
sign of His promise.

The foundation of this promise was God's eternal promise that in the fullness of time
His Son would  be sent forth as a redeemer for men.  God received the sweetness of the
bloody offerings that Noah made to Him immediately after coming forth from the ark
and remembered the covenant that He had made with Adam, when such offerings were
instituted.  If Christ was to come to redeem people, then there must be people to
redeem.

God's promises that He would not destroy everything as He had done, and that
seedtime and harvests, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night would
continue until the end of the world [Gen.8:22] were unconditional and rooted in His
grace.

But God did lay some privileges and duties upon man in terms of this
rainbow covenant.  The fear of man would come upon all the beast and birds and fish
and they would  be food for man, just as all the plants had been before the flood.  But
they were not to be cruel to the animals but value their lives, slaying with compassion
and not partaking of the blood, for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and life was to
be considered very sacred.

This blood would be required of every man and every animal.  The slaying of an
animal for food would be a religious exercise involving the pouring out of the blood
and thanksgiving for the food that God had provided.  Further "Whoso sheddeth man's
blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."  [Gen
9:6]

Man's blood was especially precious, and the sinful shedding of man's blood was to be
revenged by the shedding by man of the blood of the murderer.  This is the foundation
for capital punishment and just wars against bloody and vicious nations.  This is man's
responsibility in terms of the rainbow covenant.

This provision was later written into the law of Moses:  Numbers 35:33 and context. 
"So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the
land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that
shed it."   This is included under the New Testament:  Romans 13:4 and context.  The
state is the chosen instrument of God to carry out this provision of the Rainbow
Covenant.  After the flood, in order to restrain sin from becoming more than could be
borne, God established nations and sent them to war to restrain the sins of men.

But who, in the modern world is that just nation that is not polluted with innocent
blood?  Abortions by the thousands upon thousands bloody the land of almost every
nation upon the earth.  Persecution sheds the blood of Christians in every Muslim land
and even children and women to do escape the cruelty.  Who is fit to require the
provisions of the Rainbow Covenant?  It appears that only God is, and His judgments
must seek out the blood in every nation of the world, for men have forsake the God of
Covenant and seek to establish their own covenants of emotionalism and humanism.

But the peace of God symbolized by every rainbow in the sky, testifies against men
everywhere under the sun, the blood will be required, and none of the guilty will
escape.

De 19:13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent
blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.    See context

2Ki 21:16 Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled
Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in
doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.  See context

Ps 94:21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and
condemn the innocent blood.  See context

Ps 106:38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their
daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted
with blood.  See context

Mt 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they
said, What is that to us? see thou to that. See context

Mt 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was
made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent
of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. See context

Mt 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from
the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye
slew between the temple and the altar.  See context

Re 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them
blood to drink; for they are worthy. See context

Re 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore,
which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his
servants at her hand. See context

Dear man, dear woman, whoever you are.  Fly to the blood of Christ, for it alone can take away the sins of the world!! 

Prayer for a Sunday Evening, or any other time. Meditation on Isaiah 59:19-21

Prayer for 8/03/2014 Isaiah 59:19-21

Our Precious Heavenly Father, It must always be that you have a people to praise you
on the earth, and faithful ministers to preach and teach Your word.  

Even when it seemed so dark for Judah and that there were few who feared and loved
you, yet there were those like Isaiah whom You preserved from the wickedness and
who walked uprightly before you.  

The enemies of the Lord, though they come in like a flood, yet they are no match for
the Spirit of God. Ps 76:6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse
are cast into a dead sleep. Ps 104:7 At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your
thunder they hasted away.

Who shall not fear you, O Lord? At the time appointed, the Lord Jesus Christ, our
Redeemer and King came to Zion and called His people and loved them and nurtured
them and redeemed them from all their sins.

For You will always have Your people who will praise You and call upon Your Name.

Thy covenant is from everlasting to everlasting, O most High God. According to the
faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; we
have the certain hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the
world began; But has in due times manifested His word through preaching”

This we know, O precious Father, and we have heard that call of the gospel and have
believed that Christ died for our sins according to the eternal covenant, revealed by
your prophets and apostles and preached in the world.

And so it has happened according to Your Promise, O Father. Your people have come
from the east and the west. They have heard your Good News and have believed and
have feared Your name. And we among them, O Lord, for we have believed the
message that Your apostles carried to the ends of the earth.

You have been faithful and have given us Your Spirit. We have believed your words
that have been in the mouths of Your servants. They shall never depart from our
mouths or from the mouths of our seed nor out of the mouth of our seed’s seed, even
forever, because You have given us Your promise, and You cannot lie.

So we bring our petitions before You, O Precious Father. You have promised to hear
our prayers and to give us your Holy Spirit as we ask. We need His presence with us
day by day and His light, the light of Your word, to direct us in the way we should go.

Strengthen us with might in the inner man, that we might understand the length, and
the height, and the depth, and the height of the measure of Christ and be filled with the
love of Christ which passes knowledge, and filled with the love of God.

Morning or Anytime meditation: Psalm 119:25-32

Meditation and Prayer on Psalm 119:25-32

O Precious Father, it is not enough for me to crawl and creep in the way of Your commandments. I would 

run in the way, but my heart is so dull and heavy. My soul clings to the dust, and I must be enlivened by thy 

Word. I have cried to You, and You have heard me. O Precious Father, teach me Your statutes.

I confess my sins; I confess that my ways are sinful and come short of thy glory. But I would rather speak of 

Your wondrous works; how different they are from mine. I know that I am created in Your image, but my 

works fall so far short of Your glory.

When I think of such things, my heart melts within me and I have no strength. O Father, strengthen me with 

might in the inner man. Fortify my heart to be valiant and faithful.

Lies are the work of the devil, and there is nothing more deadly for my soul than false doctrine and lying 

tongues. Your Law is the truth and it is taught to me by Your only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the 

light of the world. I choose the way of obedience, dear Lord, because Your Spirit has taught me to lay Your 

truth always before me.

I cling to Your testimonies and they are my necessary food and drink. Do not put me to shame for loving 

Your and holding to Your commandments in a harsh and unbelieving world.

Enlarge my heart, O Precious Father, that I might run in the way of Your commandments.

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“25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. 

26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. 

27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. 

29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. 

30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. 

31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. 

32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.” 

(Psalms 119:25-32 AV)

Prayer and Meditation on Psalm 37:4-7

Precious Father in Heaven, I confess that it is beyond the power of the flesh to delight in You, for the natural 

man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, but delights in the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Because of this, it is necessary that we mortify the old man with His deeds in order that we may walk in the 

Spirit and not fulfil the desires of the flesh.

The desires of the flesh are not our true desires, O Father, but they belong to Adam, our father after the 

flesh, and they are desires that bring death and ruin.

You, O precious Father, know what our true desires are and how precious it is when You quicken us by 

Your Spirit and we come to know them.

You will bring to pass all these precious desires, for You have said, “Blessed are those that hunger and thirst 

after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

We do commit ourselves to You, O Father, and commit our way unto You, for You know what is best for 

us and will certainly bring it to pass.

We rest in You, O Father, and wait patiently for the time appointed for us to know the full salvation that You 

have given us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. In Him we have true righteousness and judgment, and we will shine 

as lights at noonday in the kingdom of our Father, for thus You have promised.

We will not fret over those who deny You and prosper in their evil ways. They war against themselves when 

they war against You, and cannot succeed in their wicked devices.

We are content to wait, O Father, for evil cannot go beyond the bounds You have appointed for it, for the 

wicked are like the chaff which the wind takes away. They shall vanish like the smoke and melt like wax in 

the fire.

Blessed be Your Name forever and ever, O Lord. And blessed be Your dear Son who has redeemed us 

from all iniquity. Amen and Amen.

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4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, 

because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Blocking the Streets

Blocking the Streets

First published 2002 in Basket of Figs.

“In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and 

revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, 

and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” --Isaiah 59:14,15.

The courts did not seem to be in touch. Innocent people were victims of violent crime. Often the courts were 

corrupt and allowed the guilty to go free. Government officials were corrupt and lining their own pockets. 

The courts were filled with empty arguments and lying tongues. Lawlessness was everywhere.

This was Israel in the days of Isaiah, who diagnosed the problem: the carcass of truth blocked the street, so 

equity could not pass.

I. The root meaning of “Equity” is “straightforwardness,” or “integrity.” Another form of the word describes 

the walk of a righteous man (Isaiah 57:2). In Proverbs 8:9 the words of wisdom are “plain” to those with 

understanding. When Israel no longer wanted to hear the truth, they wished the prophets to prophesy smooth 

things of deceit, not “right,” straightforward things (Isaiah 30:10).

The Bible teaches that there is a “plain” way: a simple, right, and honest way for a man to treat his God and 

his neighbor. This simple, right way is written in the hearts of every man, in his very nature, so that he is 

without excuse. The Apostle Paul said that this law is even written on the hearts of those who have never 

heard of the Bible (Romans 2:13-16). In their wickedness, men are able to corrupt this law, and some may 

even succeed in “searing their conscience as with a hot iron” (I Timothy 4:2), but they can never entirely 

erase it, and it will rise up to judge them in the last day. The pure form of this “law of nature” was given in the 

Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), and its summary is true love for God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-

40). This law shows that man is a moral being and is accountable to God and to his neighbor for his actions. 

The humanist must deny this law of God.

II. In Christian nations, the legal system reflected this law of equity. In England, equity courts originated in the 

legal system established after 1066 by William of Normandy. They were “courts of conscience,” 

administered by the king’s chancellor, a clergyman. (Smith, Chester H., Smith’s Review of Equity,” West 

Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn., 1958. p. 9) Until this century, courts of equity were part of the American 

judicial system. Webster defines equity:

“Justice according to nature law of right,” or “a system of law originating in the English chancery and 

comprising a settle and formal body of legal of procedural rules and doctrines that supplement, aid, or 

override common and statue law and are designed to protect rights and enforce duties fixed by substantive 

law.”

A “substantive” right or duty is one that exists for its own sake and rests in natural law. For instance, a man 

has no right to endanger life by shooting a gun at a passing train, even if there is no specific statute forbidding 

it, or a decision in common law to cover that case. He is expected to know that such actions are wrong. 

Such an expectation is becoming rarer and rarer in schools, in public, and in government. Naughty impudent 

children become naughty impudent and brazen men and women.

Reasonable men want their courts to be upright, to dispense honest and fair decisions. Equity courts held a 

man responsible to behave in a right way toward his neighbor’s life, property, and reputation and were an 

attempt toward responsible, fair judicatories. The very existence of these courts testified to rights and law 

that were above the statute and common law, and tended to affect decisions in the other courts. Jefferson’s 

allusion to the “laws of nature,” and of “nature’s God” in the Declaration of Independence is within the scope 

of this Christian heritage.

A number of years ago courts of equity were abolished in America, and combined with the regular system of 

courts. The result is that equity is usually ignored in modern courts. One lawyer told me that judges do not 

want to stick their necks out; they want to base their decisions on statute law or common-law decisions. This 

is understandable in present law theory where there is no recognition of natural law proceeding from the God 

who created us all. Understandable, but irresponsible, and something very precious was lost in our courts 

when courts of equity were abolished. An exception to this was Brown, which ended segregation in public 

schools, the most famous equity decision in the history of America. No remedy could be found in common or 

statute law, so recourse was made to the idea that it was essentially unfair to deny basic rights to any of our 

citizens on the basis of race. One problem in this decision, however, was that it was based on the 

subjectivism of the judges, not on natural law. It was widely supported, and rightly so, because the decision 

met the approval of the consciences of the majority of the American people.

III. Natural law presupposes a Creator, and that’s the rub, in Hamlet’s phrase. Modern man hates God and 

His law. He wants to live in a relativistic world, so that he can justify abortion, sodomy, confiscatory taxation, 

fornication, pornography, and reap the income that comes from them. He sees himself as a victim in an 

impersonal world; not as a responsible man under God.

In spite of this God is the Creator and Judge of the earth. This is the truth that lies in the street and blocks 

equity’s way. The Christians who compromised with atheistic evolution in the public schools did not realize 

that this undermined a court system based on equity and natural law, turning loose a flood of lawlessness, 

criminal government and viciousness. But they did know what the Bible said, so they were without excuse, 

just as we are if we do not work to have the general law of equity, created by God, recognized as the basis 

for our law. This general law recognizes that all men are to live at peace with one another and seek the good 

of all men. This is not an emotion, but objectified in the Ten Commandments.

It was so bad in Israel that God “wondered” that there was no man, no intercessor, to plead Israel’s case 

(Isaiah 59:15-17). It displeased Him that there was no justice. So He took charge Himself. He “put on 

righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head…” vengeance for clothing, …and 

zeal as a cloke” (Isaiah 59:17. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God appeared, He put things to right, and the 

wicked will not escape His righteous and holy government. The wicked do not like nor approve of God’s 

intervention, but they are scattered like the chaff before the wind.

He Gave Us God's Words, Through the Apostles

The words of the apostles that give meaning to the life and work of the Lord Jesus. He meant it to be that
way, and went back to Heaven after His work was done. He gave the words of His Father to his disciples
[John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and
have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.]

He promised when He was gone to Heaven He would send the Holy Spirit to enable them to remember all

that He had done [John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my 

name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto 

you.]

Before He left, He told them to wait until the Holy Spirit had come, and then go a make disciples of the 

whole world, teaching them all the things that He had taught them. [Matt. 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach 

all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching 

them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the 

end of the world. Amen.]

They were also to write all the things down, so that future generations would know the eternal life that was in 

His doctrine. [1John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with 

our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was 

manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the 

Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye 

also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ 4 

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.]

This is the Gospel that has been preached in the whole world, not given by man, but preserved in all ages for 

the salvation of those who believe. In order to be saved God must send someone to you to tell you this good 

news, and He will do so according to His good pleasure in Jesus Christ: [Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall 

call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not 

believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a 

preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of 

them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

There are many false prophets who teach the visions or the feelings of their own hearts and they are very 

charming and personable. But they must be rejected, for the church is built upon the apostles doctrine which 

was delivered to them by Jesus Christ and preserved in His people in all ages. [1Cor. 15:1 Moreover, 

brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein 

ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have 

believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our 

sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to 

the scriptures...."

The Death of a False God Who Needs to Die

The Dark Angels of God

This article was first published in Basket of Figs

[This article is adapted from Pastor Powell’s blog at basketoffigs.blogspot.com. It was written in reply to an
article by ____________ in which he stated that the Indian Ocean tsunami “brought another geological
challenge to the biblical notion of an intervening, caring God." Pastor Powell does not apologize for the tone
of his response.]

I'm sorry, Mr. _______, but you know nothing of what you speak. December 26 did nothing of the sort.
What is challenged is the humanist notion [not Biblical] that God must act according to our sentimental
affectations. The modern sentimental idea of God, the result of two or three centuries of unbelief and
humanistic attacks on the Bible, has nothing to do with the Bible.

Isaiah gives another perspective of God: And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness
of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly
abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD,
and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his
idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the
bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for
the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in
his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"   [Is. 2:17-22]

The fact that men do not know the God of the Bible, does not mean that the God of the Bible does not know
them. What December 26 did was show the world that our sentimental and shallow view that God is in
error. He is not a benevolent grandpa who will rush to serve up whatever we want, in spite of our denial of
His Word and appointed Savior. Such a view is sadly out of tune with reality. It never was true and it isn't
true now. It is humanism and humanistic sentimentality that is exposed.

How dare you, Mr.______, attribute man's fancies to the Bible and then condemn them as though they were
God's word! Do you think that the heavens are blind and deaf?

Isa 24:18 "And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he
that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open,
and the foundations of the earth do shake."

This is the God of the Bible, the God Who cannot deny Himself. He is the Creator of all things and the
source of all things. Do you think you can tweak His beard and He will not pay attention? Do you think that
you can turn your back on His love that gave us His Son and not experience His wrath? His wrath does not
vanish like Alice’s cat when confronted with our unbelief.

What 9/11 and 12/26 really shows us is that God has His dark angels that know nothing of grace and mercy
[Ex. 12:23 and 1 Cor. 10:10]. God's love is wrapped up in Jesus Christ [Roman 5:8], and those who reject
God's Beloved Son, will someday meet these other angels. Unbelievers will not like these holy angels.

Amos 9:1-4: I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts
may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth
of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. Though they dig into hell,
thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: And though
they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid
from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: And though
they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will
set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

Hebrews 10:28-31: He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how
much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of
God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath
done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will
recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God.

The souls of the beloved of God, who believe in Christ and trust Him, did not perish in the waves, but were
transported by angels into the bosom of Christ. What was a terrible calamity to others was a home going to
the people of God.

But if you do not repent, you will likewise perish.

Let Him Glory in the Lord!

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption:  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."  1
Corinthians 1:30,31

We confess, O Lord that not many of the wise, the strong, and the noble are called to eternal life.  The
outward call of the gospel is to all, but your secret call in the hearts of Your elect is according to your counsel
from the foundation of the earth.

You have chosen the foolish to confound the wise; the weak to confound the mighty, and the things that are
weak and vile and despised to bring to nothing the things that are noble in the sight of men.  Hence, no flesh
can glory in Your presence, because we are favored by Your choice and not by ours.

All of our blessings come from You, O God. They are of You, or from You, or because of Your doing.  Chief 

among these blessings from You is our union with Christ.  You appointed Him the Mediator, O Precious 

Father, and deposited all Your gifts in Him so that He could give them to those whom You had given to Him, 

as He Himself prayed [John 17:2].

We have no wisdom, but You have enriched us with that wisdom stored up in Jesus Christ and we are
therefore, though fools, made wiser than our teachers.

We have no righteousness, but You have clothed us with the righteousness of Christ and we are, therefore,
though our own rags are filthy, possessed of a righteousness exceeding that of the scribes the Pharisees.

We have no holiness, but those You love You chasten that we may be like Christ and partake of His holiness.
You have called us from the filthiness of the world and purified our hearts by faith.  You disciple us to put off
the old man and his filthy deeds and put on the new man of true holiness.  Therefore, though of the world and
its corruption, we are predestined by You, O Father, to be conformed to the image of Christ.  By Your
grace alone, we have purified our hearts by faith, being born of an incorruptible seed.

We are poor indeed, O Precious Father, and have not the price of our redemption.  But the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. [Mr 10:45].
Therefore, though we are helpless in the face of our abject poverty, we have Your promise that "the
ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they
shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Hence, O precious Heavenly Father, we have nothing to glory in or boast.

And That's the Truth!

And That’s the Truth

“The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 “I am the truth….” John 14:6

Two questions have perplexed the philosophers. The first concerns the reality of the objective world. How

do I know that everything is not just a dream? Hinduism thinks that everything ismaya, or illusion. This 

thinking influenced Mary Baker Eddy, and was expressed in Christian Science. There is no objective world, 

all is Mind, and evil is illusion. Divine healing is very important to Christian Science for it illustrates the power 

of Mind over Matter, that matter can be changed through a change of mind. But in spite of philosophical 

idealism (Mind is everything; matter is nothing), these people still get sick, break bones, and die. Funerals are 

held for Christian Scientists and for Hindus.

The other question concerns the reality of spirit or mind. How do I know that my mind is not just a very 

complicated and wonderful computer, fully understandable by natural, material processes? Materialism sees 

all things in terms of molecules, electrons, sub-atomic particles, and physical processes. “The Cosmos is all 

that is or ever was or ever will be,” is the way Carl Sagan began his book Cosmos. If materiality is all there 

is then mental, moral, and spiritual processes can be explained and controlled by material substances. Drugs 

will change the way people behave; physical processes can remake human nature. There can be no spirits 

like angels, demons, God, or the Devil. Physical processes are all there is.

How wonderful are the words of John: “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” The Wisdom of 

God became flesh!

There is no necessary connection between mind and body. The connection is God the Creator, who in grace 

created us with the capacity to know both God and His creation. We know that something mysterious 

happens when a baby is born, or when a person dies, but we cannot explain it. There is a strange and 

wonderful union of flesh and spirit in every human being that takes place when we are born, and is somehow 

severed when we die. Philosophy has puzzled and speculated, from Anaximander’s materialism to Hegel’s 

idealism, but cannot explain the connection between soul and body, and must either deny the one or the 

other. What is the truth?

The truth lies in the words of Christ: “I am the truth.” It is grace that forms the connection between soul and 

body. It was in gracious love that God stooped down and formed man of the dust of the ground, as a potter 

would form an exquisite work of art. It was gracious love that breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, 

so that he became the image of God. God gave the ability to see, to hear, to rejoice in the world around him.  

It was gracious love that put man into loving, covenantal connection with the world of materiality, but also put 

heaven in his heart that he might thirst after the God who created him.

The Bible reveals Jesus of Nazareth as a most unique person, one who was both God and Man. He was the 

eternal God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who “proceeded and came forth from God.” (John 8:2 

and Proverbs 8:25). In like manner, though not of the essence of God, all souls come from God, for He is 

the Father of Spirits. Just as we reverence our earthly fathers, we are called to be in subjection to the “Father 

of Spirits,” in order to live (Heb. 12:9). Though there is some analogy to Jesus Christ, yet there is major 

difference, for He is the Only Begotten Son, of the very essence of God, who was united to our human 

nature—both of body and human soul, that He might be an offering for sin. We are created souls, without 

proper immortality, but upheld by the power and word of God.

“The Word became Flesh.” The early church rightly opposed and condemned the Gnostics, who denied the 

true Incarnation of Christ. The Fathers of the church clearly saw that Gnosticism would destroy the link of 

grace between soul and body, leaving only the alternatives of a vicious materialism or an equally vicious 

idealism. The Incarnation was real and demonstrated to the world that God in His grace had made man both 

soul and body, to praise and glorify God forever. The body is not illusion, and the soul is immaterial. The 

connection between them is of grace.

“I am the truth.” Without God’s word the world is a confusing place. Without God’s word, how do I know 

that what I see or hear is real? Maybe the world is illusion. Maybe history is conspiracy, stage-managed by 

very clever people with smoke and mirrors. Maybe there is no soul and when I die I am dead. “What 

happens when people die,” someone asked Dr. Kevorkian. “They rot,” was his reply. Without grace man 

rots, both in body and soul.

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you,” are the words of Jesus 

(John 14:3) “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave 

it,” said the Preacher (Ecc. 12:7). “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,” are again the words of Jesus (Matt. 

10:28). And that is the truth.

Yes, You Can Know Reality!

The Age of Irrationalism

There is a light that lights every man that comes into the world, according to the Apostle John, who was not a

fool [John 1:9]. In fact, John wrote in his first epistle that he and the other apostles had intimate knowledge of

that Light:

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we
unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his
Son Jesus Christ. –1John 1:2,3

John and the apostles were not ontological agnostics, which is the reigning religion of the modern world. The
ontological agnostic [the OA] cannot not say anything about reality, but only can give you his view of it. 
“That’s my opinion and you have yours,” is the way he puts it, humbly, of course, for he really knows that he
is humble, and those who are certain of things are proud and pushy. He wouldn’t dare be pushy and proud
because his opinion is that pushy and proud are bad.

It seems very humble to him—did I already say that?—to think that the real truth about God cannot be
known. There is so much strife and trouble when people get certain about God, and the OA hates religious
strife. He doesn’t like people who are not OA’s and tends to shun their company. The better educated the
OA is the more settled he becomes in his opinion that there is nothing true that can be said about God except
that nobody should say anything about God, for he has heard many learned and profound lectures to packed
classrooms about God and His infinite unknowability. The subject is very deep and only a very learned
person could say so much about that of which nothing can or should be said.

“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 loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth:
for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” (Jer 9:23-24)

It is a good thing to glory in the knowledge of God and foolish to deny its truth, especially that God is active
in the world in kindness, judgment, and righteousness. There are those who know these things for they seek
for wisdom as for hidden treasures. [Proverbs 2] Others are willingly ignorant. [2Peter 3:5]

Very Religious.
The OA is religious, of course, and feels awe at the great abyss in his mind that he calls God. He might get tears
in his eyes at the wonder of the utter void and bottomless grandeur of what he doesn’t know about God—
the glory of undifferentiated meaning. As I said, he is very religious, muttering about mystery, myth, and
humility.

Called to Non-Thinking?
The call of the Gospel is for men to forsake their thoughts and their unrighteous deeds, but the Gospel is not
a call to non-thinking or non-doing. Because God is often silent doesn’t mean that He has no Word. [Psalm
50:21]

Jesus assumed that a rational man would know that his soul was worth more than the whole world. Just as
Nebuchadnezzar knew that his dream of the great tree in Daniel 4 was expected to make sense to him, so
there are things revealed in the very being of man which man must understand. Jesus’ words and
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream were expected to connect to things in a man that only a fool would deny. It is the
fool who says there is no god, precisely because he is a fool and out of touch.

It just doesn’t make sense to gain the world and lose the soul. As Hamlet’s friend told him, “It takes no ghost
from the grave to tell us this, m’Lord.” The Apostle Paul put it this way, “For the invisible things of him from
the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” (Ro 1:20 av)

What Are You Worth?
Why wouldn’t anyone know that a man is worth more than a sparrow? Of course, a mind so steeped in
idolatry that it can’t tell a hawk from a handsaw, might argue for equal rights for the sparrow, but the Lord
doesn’t try to prove the obvious. He assumed that nobody but a fool would deny that a man is worth many
sparrows. From this sensible concept He argued that the God that takes care of the sparrows will certainly
take care of men who are worth more than sparrows. Only an OA would doubt the force of the argument.

In the same way, when our Lord was accused of practicing medicine arts on the Sabbath by healing a poor
sick woman, He argued that this daughter of Abraham was worth far more than an ox. “Which of you,” He
said, “would not get your ox out of the stall on the Sabbath and lead him away to watering?” He called them
hypocrites, and they were, for they knew that the stupid stuff they were advancing as godliness was stupid
stuff. Jesus’ words didn’t make the stuff stupid; He is the Light that exposes stupid stuff.

As if this were not enough, Jesus went after those who worried more about clothes than the body. How
stupid is that? “Is not the body more than raiment?” He asked. Is not the body the instrument by which we
connect to other minds? Shouldn’t we, therefore, take more care of the body than we do of our clothes? But
you have to know what the body is, before you can figure that out. But with all their folly, didn’t even the
ancient pagans know that the mind was more than the body?

And what of life itself? Are w given the great gift of life to stuff our bodies with food? Isn’t life more than
food? Only by non-thinking can the Christian be stupid enough to say, “You cannot trust your thoughts,” and
go through the motions of life without study of his Bible. Real study makes you think and meditate, but some
really are convinced that those who think do not truly believe. Only the blind leading the blind would advise
not thinking in the reading of the Bible.

Isn’t It Insane? Jesus said that a sensible man should know the difference between a gnat and a camel: that
law, mercy, and judgment are more important than the tithe of mint, anise, and cumin. Jesus reveals sin as a
kind of insanity, a suspension of reason, a mental sickness. It is precisely this suspension of thought that the
Light came to change: to deliver man from the darkness corrupting his mind—this disconnection from reality.

Forsake Wicked Thoughts; Not Thinking.
The unrighteous man is called to forsake his thoughts, but not to forsake thinking. The Lord told the man who
buried his talent that he should have put the money out to usury. But wait! Didn’t the law forbid usury? He is
faulted precisely for his rebellious ignorance. Blind obedience is not obedience, not for a man created in the
image of God. It is a great fool who would strain out the gnats and swallow camels. Only those bereft of
reason would do so. We are warned of being like horses and mules, whose mouths must be held in with bit
and bridle. They need bits and bridles precisely because they have no understanding. [Psalm 32:9]

It is not true that man cannot know the nature of things. He can know what a pig is, what a cow is, and
which one not to milk. It is childish not to know: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,even
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Heb 5:14)

Soundness of mind is the gift of the Spirit. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind.” (2Ti 1:7). The Holy Spirit does not trade in madness. “Hear now this, O foolish
people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:” (Jer 5:21
AV)

How Do You Access the Grace of God?

Access into Grace

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we 

have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. --Romans 

5:1,2

In the theological battles that followed the Protestant Reformation none were more important than the 

struggle over the relationship of faith to the salvation of the soul. Against Rome the Reformers insisted that 

salvation was by faith alone. Against the Reformation, Rome expressed her doctrine clearly at the Council of 

Trent: Sixth Session:

CANON IX.-If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that 

nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in 

any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.

The issue was, and is, not unimportant. Rome has never yielded on this, for to do so would eliminate the 

whole system upon which her wealth and influence depend.

But a major crack soon appeared in the ranks of those who opposed Rome. The Remonstrance [followers 

of Arminius] and the Socinians [Unitarians] brought in a deadly error that has become widespread in 

evangelical circles in America. This was the idea that faith takes the place of righteousness in the eyes of 

God. The faith of the individual substitutes for Christ’s righteousness. Subjectivism replaces the objective 

anchor of the obedience of Christ.

Although there were many variations of the error, the essentials were something like this: “God knows that no 

sinner can do that which will make him just before God. Obedience to all the precepts of the Law of God 

lies beyond man. Man would therefore be without hope, if God did not require of him something which man 

could do. 

In mercy and grace, God sent His Son into the world to show man that He loved him. If man 

would just open his heart and believe that God loves him, then God would accept his faith instead of 

obedience to His law. Like a bankrupt, man cannot pay the whole bill, but God will accept what man can 

pay. Man can choose to believe, and God accepts that faith in place of righteousness. God accepts man’s 

good intentions of which faith is the prize and gem.”

The doctrine does not bear the weight of the examination of Scripture. The Bible is clear. It is the 

righteousness of Jesus Christ, and His perfect obedience to the law, including suffering its penalty on the 

cross, which clears man’s debt and sets him free. God cannot deny Himself, and He cannot pretend that man 

has fulfilled the law when man hasn’t done so. Justification is not based upon some pretense in God or some 

overlooking of transgression. This would require God to deny His own word: Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy 

for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty ; visiting 

the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the 

fourth generation. The mercy that God shows does not involve clearing the guilty.

The text quoted above gives the true doctrine. It is by faith that we have access into the grace wherein we 

stand. It is grace that brings us to Jesus Christ, and it is His righteousness that satisfies the debt we owe to 

God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the 

righteousness of God in him.

The righteousness which the redeemed offer to God has nothing of them, but is wholly the perfect 

righteousness of Jesus Christ. He took our sin, so that His righteousness could be imputed to us. Paul clearly 

makes the case in Romans 7:18,19 “Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to 

condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made 

righteous.”

Just as the sin of Adam came upon all men to condemnation, so the righteousness of Jesus Christ comes 

upon all those who believe in Him. By faith we see that Christ died for our sins and we give assent to the 

verdict of God concerning His Son: Galatians 2:19-21 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might 

live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life 

which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I 

do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The doctrine of the Arminians and Unitarians has been devastating on morality and decency among those 

who are in error. Good intentions replace obedience, and good feelings are offered in place of good deeds 

and sound doctrine. If God will settle for some human-generated good feelings concerning Jesus Christ apart 

from union with Him, then why shouldn’t my neighbor be satisfied with my good intentions? “I am convinced 

that I had no idea I was breaking the law,” becomes the excuse for every crooked politician who corrupts 

the law. “He is such a loving man,” is a justification for every kind of misdeed among the clergy. Truth gets 

overwhelmed with globs of sentiment and professed intentions. “God knows my heart,” is supposed to cover 

all.

But doesn’t Paul say that Abraham’s faith was imputed to him for righteousness (Romans 4:22)? The great 

theologian Charles Hodge wrote on this verse: “Faith justifies by appropriating to ourselves the divine 

promise. But if that promise does not refer to our justification, faith cannot make us righteous. The object of 

justifying or saving faith, that is, of those acts of faith which secure our acceptance with God, is not the divine 

veracity in general, nor the divine authority of the Scriptures, but the specific promise of gratuitous 

acceptance through the mediation and merit of the Lord Jesus Christ.” {Charles Hodge, Commentary on 

Romans 4:22)

Abraham was justified by faith because his faith united him to Jesus Christ, who was present in the promises 

of the Old Testament. Just as Paul wrote to the Galatians: And the scripture, foreseeing that God would 

justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be 

blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. [Galatians 3:8,9] Abraham by faith 

looked forward to the coming Redeemer, just as we look back to Him.

As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it:

Q61: Why do you say that you are righteous by faith only?

A61: Not that I am acceptable to God on account of the worthiness of my faith, but because only the 

satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ is my righteousness before God; [1] and I can receive the 

same and make it my own in no other way than by faith only. [2]

1. I Cor. 1:30; 2:2

2. I John 5:10; Isa. 53:5; Gal. 3:22; Rom. 4:16

There is a great difference between the reality itself and the means for attaining the reality. As far as salvation 

is concerned, the reality is Christ. He is obtained only by faith. Those who trust their faith will not be saved.

Father, Forgive Them, for They Know not what They Do.

Luke 23:34. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them. By this
expression Christ gave evidence that he was that mild and gentle lamb,
which was to be led out to be sacrificed, as Isaiah the prophet had foretold,
(53:7.) For not only does he abstain from revenge, but pleads with
God the Father for the salvation of those by whom he is most cruelly
tormented. It would have been a great matter not to think of rendering evil
for evil, (1 Peter 3:9;) as Peter, when he exhorts us to patience by
the example of Christ, says that he did not render curses for curses, and
did not revenge the injuries done to him, but was fully satisfied with
having God for his avenger (1 Peter 2:23.) But this is a far higher
and more excellent virtue, to pray that God would forgive his enemies.

If any one think that this does not agree well with Peter’s sentiment,
which I have just now quoted, the answer is easy. For when Christ was
moved by a feeling of compassion to ask forgiveness from God for his
persecutors, this did not hinder him from acquiescing in the righteous
judgment of God, which he knew to be ordained for reprobate and
obstinate men. Thus when Christ saw that both the Jewish people and the
soldiers raged against him with blind fury, though their ignorance was not
excusable, he had pity on them, and presented himself as their intercessor.

Yet knowing that God would be an avenger, he left to him the exercise of
judgment against the desperate. In this manner ought believers also to
restrain their feelings in enduring distresses, so as to desire the salvation of
their persecutors, and yet to rest assured that their life is under the
protection of God, and, relying on this consolation, that the licentiousness
of wicked men will not in the end remain unpunished, not to faint under
the burden of the cross.

Of this moderation Luke now presents an instance in our Leader and
Master; for though he might have denounced perdition against his
persecutors, he not only abstained from cursing, but even prayed for their
welfare. But it ought to be observed that, when the whole world rises
against us, and all unite in striving to crush us, the best remedy for overcoming
temptation is, to recall to our remembrance the blindness of those
who fight against God in our persons.

For the result will be, that the conspiracy of many persons against us, when
solitary and deserted, will not distress us beyond measure; as, on the other hand,
daily experience shows how powerfully it acts in shaking weak persons, when they see
themselves attacked by a great multitude. And, therefore, if we learn to
raise our minds to God, it will be easy for us to look down, as it were,
from above, and despise the ignorance of unbelievers; for whatever may be
their strength and resources, still they know not what they do.

It is probable, however, that Christ did not pray for all indiscriminately,
but only for the wretched multitude, who were carried away by
inconsiderate zeal, and not by premeditated wickedness. For since the
scribes and priests were persons in regard to whom no ground was left for
hope, it would have been in vain for him to pray for them. Nor can it be
doubted that this prayer was heard by the heavenly Father, and that this
was the cause why many of the people afterwards drank by faith the
blood which they had shed.    John Calvin, Commentary on Luke 23:34

You Don't Believe What?

You say you don't believe in the Great Flood of Noah's Day? Neither did they.

26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered

into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Luke 17:26, 27

What could they have done? Repentance would have been start.

What were the sins that brought the fires of wrath on Sodom? [the whole world the next time]: Jude: 7 Even 

as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and 

going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 ¶ Likewise 

also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Or in the days of Noah: 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, 

the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that 

are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard 

speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking 

after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration 

because of advantage.

Or as Peter puts it: 2Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and 

delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in 

the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making 

them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 ¶ And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to 

day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of 

judgment to be punished:

10 ¶ But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. 

Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before 

the Lord.

But, of course, this is all irrelevant if we have our own religious opinions. Isn't it?

Hungering after Wisdom and Understanding!

Meditation on Proverbs 2:1-6 “1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with

thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou 

criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and 

searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the 

knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and 

understanding.”

O precious Father in Heaven, How precious are Your words and Your commandments. They are very pure,
and are more necessary for us than our daily bread. But we confess, O Father, that we do not hunger 

and thirst after them the way we should. We do not pant after them as the deer pants after the waterbrooks.

We desperately need to be taught of You, O Father, for we naturally incline our ears to the folly of the world

and do not seek the understanding of wisdom Teach us to cry after knowledge; to lift up our voices for 

understanding. That we might cry out from the depths of our souls, “Teach us wisdom, O Father. Open our 

ears to understanding. Give us teachable hearts and minds that we might humble ourselves before Thee, O 

God.”

Oh, that we may be as greedy for wisdom and knowledge as the carnal man is for silver and gold. Men sail 

the seas, explore the mountains seeking for silver and gold that they may be counted great in the earth, but 

Your children are often indifferent to the treasures that are to be found only in Your words.

Ah, that You would teach us the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God, for this is eternal life, as said 

Your Only Begotten Son. Only from Your mouth comes knowledge and understanding. We do not live by 

bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

How ignorant and destitute are so many of those who name Your Name, for they do not hear Your word 

nor are taught by Your Spirit. Send forth Your Spirit, O Lord, and renew Your church in wisdom and 

knowledge, lest the curse smite the earth and all that is therein.

In the Name of Our Redeemer, Jesus of Nazareth.  Amen.

Shall You Sin Aganst God and His People?

Yes, it is a commandment that you attend public worship on Sunday. The requirements for worship,

entering into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, are set forth in Hebrews 10:

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil 

conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: 

and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

This passage follows the doctrine that the old has passed away--or will shortly by the destruction of the 

temple and the end of the Mosaic order. What then is left is the new and living way described briefly in these 

verses, but expanded more at length in the pastoral epistles and other writings of the New Testament.

What the writer of Hebrews has described in brief form is the substance of the Ten Commandments: To 

love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength and to serve no other; to do good works before men 

and to let our light shine, loving the people of God and rejoicing in the church that He purchased with His 

blood.

We still have a priest and a house of God, described in Eph.4 and 1 Timothy 3:15. Do not sin against God 

and His people. To say there is no church is to say there is no Christ and no Christianity.

Verse 32 warns that despising the church will bring greater judgment than despising Moses in the days of the 

law, for that would involve trampling on the blood of Christ..

Yes, it is a great sin to forsake and despise the weekly gathering of the people of God, especially if it is
accompanied by self-righteous and wicked judgment upon the ministry and the people of God.

Prayer and Meditation on John 14:21

Prayer: John 14:21 April 28, 2014

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be

loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (Joh 14:21 AV)

Precious Heavenly Father, we do not have Your commandments unless You teach them to us. We go astray
in our own thoughts and ideas and we wander off to the left or to the right, either thinking that You do not
require us to obey You, or thinking that obedience is a thing easily achieved by the flesh.

We know that we must have Your commandments in our hearts, for they are Your commandments and our 

love for You attaches to Your commandments. When we come to faith, Your Spirit works the love of God 

in our hearts and begins to work in us both to will and to do of Your good pleasure.

This was decreed of us from before the world was, for we are Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 

unto good works, which You before ordained that we would walk in them. Because this decree is from 

eternity, the work that You have begun in us You will perform to the day of Jesus Christ.

Because we have been taught of God to love the Lord Jesus Christ and His commandment, we are beloved 

of You, O Father, and our Lord Jesus will love us and reveal Himself to us.

What a wonderful unity is Your work in us, dear Lord, and we are very far from having anything to boast in, 

for this is Your work from beginning to end. For this purpose You ordained and sent Your Only Begotten 

Son into the world to suffer and die, and rise again from the dead that He might be the Author and Finisher 

of our Father.

For You, Lord Jesus, are the way, the truth, and the life. We begin with You, and You call us to Yourself 

and we began to walk in the way of life.

As we walk in the way, we understand the truth that You have revealed and it becomes as a shining light
that shines more and more unto the perfect day.

When the light of Truth illuminates our hearts and drives out the darkness of sin, unbelief, idolatry and other 

unclean things, we find that we are truly free to give You all honor, and glory and power and the total love of 

our hearts, for You alone are worthy, O Lord, of the worship and love of men.

In the Name of Your Dear Son, Amen.

Morning Prayer, April 16, 2014. Psalm 39:3-7

Precious Heavenly Father,

I confess that I must know how frail I am before I can know anything else. I do not
know the measure of my days, or what the end of my life will be. Before You, my life
is but a vapor, a smoke wafted in the air, that appears for a few moments and then
vanishes away. All flesh is as grass and fades and vanishes away before Your heat....

We walk in a vain show, like shadows on the wall. We strut and perform and imagine
vain things; at our best state we are at most complete vanity and emptiness. The world
passes away and the lusts thereof, be he who does the will of God abides forever. This
I know and confess, Precious Father, for You are the reality; man is but an image
impressed upon the dust.

Your people pray, "Your kingdom come, You will be done, in earth as it is in heaven,"
but we act so contrary to that, seeking to build our kingdoms with the dry straw of our
own decisions. But we are like the chaff which the wind blows away. Vain Herods are
still eaten by worms; proud Nebuchadnezzers graze on the grass like oxen, Korahs are
swallowed by the pit; they all pass away for you have more means than we can
possibly imagine.

"Make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know
how frail am."

Then I may yet hope in You, O Precious Father, What am I waiting for? Ps 73:25
"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside
thee." Why long I for vanity, when You are my shield and my exceeding great reward.

-----

4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I
may know how frail I am.

5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing
before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he
heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee. Psalm 39

Trophy Hunters

 Musings on Trophy Hunting

Twice a year from days of old
Some arm themselves to seek a prey
Mid snows of winter in ice and cold
They seek the jolly elf to slay.

In spring when dafodils appear
The prey is changed but not the game
'Tis time for braves to trophies take
Of colored eggs and bunnies tame.

It matters not that elves and such
Have long ago been overcome
Remain as children's games and sport
To gain the funds: Grandpop and Mom.

"Tis dangerous to the spirit it seems
When children's games are thus engaged
Elves and buns and colored eggs
Must not take place at center stage.

'Tis best to dye our vanity of faith
To make it seem to reek God's Glory;
Better yet, to fill the church
With painted Christs and carv-ed saints

To spend the nights with lighted screen
To laugh with fornication and lust
To join with those that mock the faith
And castigate the faithful and the just.

Far better 'tis than eggs and buns
To garnish thus the cross of Christ
And gild it with the finest gold
To hide the blood of precious price.

To strain at gnats and dead men's idols
To lodge in Vanity and Babylon
To seek the praise of men and gods
By waging war in Tinytown.

"'Tis for the children," chant the brave
All the time they avoid the font
The promise of God to bless their child
By the Spirit of God, the gift of Christ.

Instead, the offering of eggs and elves
Of tiny bunnies to remove the wrath;
So much expected of so little
A pinch of anise; then down the path.

"But we have left all, to follow Christ!'
"All?" said the Master. "Is that really all?
Do I care about bunnies and eggs and elves;
Should not the dead bury the dead?"

Morning Prayer, April 11, 2014

Precious Lord Jesus, teach me Your Law, as you promised. When I learn from You, I
know that Your Law is the Truth, and cannot pass away. In learning from you, I
become much more concerned about my transgressions of Your law, rather than the
infractions of others, knowing that You must cleanse me from beams before I can
handle the motes.

You teach me that the law is much more significant when written in the heart than
when written on the hands. You write on both, dear Lord, but the works of the hands
become superficial if Your love is not written in our hearts.

How great and gifted was Your servant Moses, O precious Lord. He was sent to point
the world to the Lord Jesus, who would give us the Holy Spirit to direct our feet into
the paths of truth. Even so, do it in me, Dear Lord. In the Name of your dear Son, Jesus
Christ, we pray it of You, our Father in heaven. Amen.