“Five basic truths, five foundation principles of the knowledge about God which Christians have, will determine our course throughout. They are as follows:
1. God has spoken to man, and the Bible is his Word, given to us to make us wise unto salvation.
2. God is Lord and King over his world; he rules all things for his own glory, displaying his perfections in all that he does, in order that men and angels may worship and adore him.
3. God is Savior, active in sovereign love through the Lord Jesus Christ to rescue believers from the guilt and power of sin, to adopt them as his children and to bless them accordingly.
4. God is triune; there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it and the Spirit applying it.
5. Godliness means responding to God’s revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God’s Word. This, and nothing else, is true religion.”
“Slave to a springtime passion for the earth. How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed On through the watching for that early birth When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.”
Beware, O Sleeper! [a Lamentation/Intercession] ~ Sabbath Day ~
Scripture Portion
Commentary: Usually for Sabbath, the Scripture portion is more robust than other days. Not today. Today, I have a simple message that is burning with me that I want to share. Today, is short, but oh how I wish it were sweet. However, before we dive into the verse, I want to be clear on something. We need to be care with Scripture! Furthermore, we must remember that Scripture is not open to private interpretation (2 Peter 1.20). Therefore, we must tread carefully when claiming Scripture as “our own” or that everything applies today as though there were not an original audience the Scriptures were written for. On the other hand, however, Scripture is alive and it does mean something for us today (Hebrews 4.12). With all of this in mind, there is a verse that I think does speak directly to our society in America today and many other societies as well. This verse was not written or proclaimed to us directly, but oh is it a witness to the true position of where we are!
Malachi 2.17
17 “You have wearied the Lord with your words, and you say, ‘How have we wearied Him?’ In your saying, ‘All evildoers are good in the eyes of the Lord, and them He desires,’ or, ‘Where is the God of justice?’”
Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. N.p.: W. W. Norton & Company: New York, 2019 – Volume 2: Prophets, pg. 1,390
Sacrifice of Our Lips/Praise
Fruit of Our Lips
Liturgical Portion
The summary of the law
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. [Matthew 22:37-40t]
The collect for purity
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
from Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Liturgy Press: Huntington Beach, 2019, pg. 106
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you sent your Son among us to proclaim the kingdom of God in cities, towns, villages, and lonely places. Behold and visit, we pray, the community of ________. Renew the bonds of charity that uphold our civic life. Send us honest and able leaders. Deliver us from poverty, prejudice, and oppression, that peace may prevail with righteousness, and justice with mercy. And at the last, bring us to your Holy City, the new Jerusalem, where we shall know perfect unity and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
from Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Liturgy Press: Huntington Beach, 2019, pgs. 658-659
“On January 7, 1855, the minister of New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, England, opened his morning sermon as follows:
‘…No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God…
But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe. … The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of a man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity.
And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatory. Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead. It is to that subject that I invite you this morning.’
These words, spoken over a century ago by C.H. Spurgeon (at that time, incredibly, only twenty years old) were true then, and they are true now.”
Go, then, earthly fame and treasure Come disaster, scorn and pain In Thy service, pain is pleasure With Thy favor, loss is gain I have called Thee Abba Father I have stayed my heart on Thee Storms may howl, and clouds may gather All must work for good to me
Soul, then know thy full salvation Rise o’er sin and fear and care Joy to find in every station Something still to do or bear Think what Spirit dwells within thee Think what Father’s smiles are thine Think that Jesus died to win thee Child of heaven, canst thou repine – Francis, Lyte, Henry. Jesus, I my Cross have Taken.. Print
11 Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. 12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father’s house, who were better than you, 14 behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, 15 and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.’”
16 And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. 17 And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.
“DeMuth agrees that Sowell’s most important contributions are his writings on intellectual history and ideas. ‘Among his books, the vision trilogy influenced my own thinking the most, but the first book I read by him was Knowledge and Decisions, and it made a huge impression on me,’ he said. ‘When I read that, I thought, “This guy, he’s our Hayek.”’ Like Pinker, however, DuMuth suspects that Sowell has been pigeonholed in the intellectual world for his writings on cultural issues. ‘I can remember thinking once that the one black person I know who’s really been a victim of racial discrimination may be Tom Sowell,’ he told me. ‘If he weren’t black, people would realize what a great economist he was. But they put him in this category because he writes about race and he’s got all these contrarian views. And people don’t realize that there is this immense intellectual corpus that this man has written on a completely different subject. If he were a Jewish white guy at the University of Chicago, he’d be better recognized for what he is, which is one of the greatest living economists.’” – Riley, Jason L., Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell, Basic Books: New York, 2021, pgs. 168-169
1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2 May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. 3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.
9 But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. 10 “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, 12 the Lord alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. 14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.
Quote from Reading
“But I must at once correct myself. I am talking of Affection as it is when it exists apart from the other loves. It often does so exist; often not. As gin is not only a drink in itself but also a base for many mixed drinks, so Affection, besides being a love itself, can enter into the other loves and colour them all through and become the very medium in which from day to day they operate. They would not perhaps wear very well without it. To make a friend is not the same as to become affectionate. But when your friend has become an old friend, all those things about him which had originally nothing to do with the friendship become familiar and dear with familiarity. As for erotic love, I can imagine nothing more disagreeable than to experience it from more than a very short time without this homespun clothing of affection. That would be a most uneasy condition, either too angelic or too animal or each by turn; never quite great enough or little enough for man. There is indeed a peculiar charm, both in friendship and in Eros, about those moments when Appreciative love lies, as it were, curled up asleep, and the mere ease and ordinariness of the relationship (free as solitude, yet neither is alone) wraps us round. No need to talk. No need to make love. No needs at all except perhaps to stir the fire.” Lewis, C.S., The Four Loves: An Exploration of the Nature of Love, Mariner Books: New York, 2012 edition, pgs. 34-35
Provocative Language
“They latching on the back of a tow truck for free rides, Monty, I was calling Jehovah from knee high, I was gone and you was sticking your nose up and we see why, Just because the leaves are fallen don’t mean the tree died,
“When you talk it’s like the truth go missing, Got me steady speaking now, but you don’t listen, Y’all don’t talk about the Crucifixion, Yet you out here wondering why your crew so fiction,” – from “More Than I Can Bear”, song by J. Monty
Note: The Feast of Sukkot is a weeklong festival, or, as the Scriptures say, 7 days plus 1. This is the Day 8 (plus 1) Sabbath day. In honor of this time, today’s reading will be John 7, the time we see Jesus celebrating this festival and making a spectacular and wonderful proclamation! Lastly, a reminder of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, which is what this Festival looks forward to. Enjoy!
John 7
After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
Revelation 19.6-8
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
Note: When reading the Psalm, if you are with another person or a group, the “leader” can read the first part of each verse, then pause at the * mark. The next person or the rest of the group can read the remainder of the verse after the * mark. You can also split the verses by groups, e.g., a traditional split is the men in the group will read one part of the verse and the women read the next part (another traditional split would be one side of the room and then the other side of the room).
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, * a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, * and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters rage and swell, * and though the mountains shake at its tempest. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, * the holy dwelling place of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; therefore she shall not be moved. * God shall help her at the break of day. 6 The nations are in an uproar, and the kingdoms are moved, * but God has lifted his voice, and the earth shall melt away. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; * the God of Jacob is our refuge. 8 O come and behold the works of the Lord, * what devastations he has brought upon the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease in all the world; * he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the chariots in the fire. 10 “Be still then and know that I am God; * I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; * the God of Jacob is our refuge. – from The Psalter, Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Liturgy Press: Huntington Beach, 2019, pgs. 327-328
Prayer
Purity of Thought Almighty God, who alone gave us the breath of life, and alone can keep our hearts filled with your holy desires: I ask you, trusting in your infinite compassion, to sanctify my thoughts and endeavors; that I may neither begin an action without a pure intention nor continue it without your blessing. And grant that, having the eyes of my mind opened to behold things invisible and unseen, my heart may be inspired by your wisdom, and my work upheld by your strength, and in the end, that I may be accepted by you as your faithful servant; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. – from https://dailyprayer.us/prayers/purity_of_thought.php
Nahum 3.10, 13, 18 10 Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity her infants were dashed in piece at the head of every street for her honored men lots were cast and all her great men were bound in chains. 13 Behold, your troop are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire had devoured your bars. 18 Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains with none to gather them. (ESV)
Quote from Reading
“Family shepherds must see the spiritual leadership of their families as their God-given duty. This is not a program! This is the responsibility God has laid at the doorstep of every man who carries the title father. Those who neglect the spiritual welfare of their families are therefore derelict in their duties in the same way a hired hand would be if he were caught sleeping on the job.” Baucham, Voddie, Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes, Crossway: Wheaton, 2011, pg. 76
Provocative Language
“My heart aches for a place I’ve never been My soul it longs for somebody I’ve never seen I feel you calling from somewhere within You made a promise and You’re coming back again.” – from, “One Day”, song by Jonathan Ogden
Revelation 14.12 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. (ESV)
Quote from Reading
“We may wonder why it took eighteen centuries after the Sermon on the Mount for Christians to develop an anti-slavery movement, but a more profound question is why not even the leading moralists in other civilizations rejected slavery at all. ‘There is no evidence,’ according to a scholarly study, ‘that slavery came under serious attach in any part of the world before the eighteenth century.’ That is when it first came under attack in Europe. Themselves the leading slave traders of the eighteenth century, Europeans nevertheless became, in the nineteenth century, the destroyers of slavery around the world – not just in European societies or European offshoot societies overseas, but in non-European societies as well, over the bitter opposition of Africans, Arabs, Asians, and others. Moreover, within Western civilization, the principal impetus for the abolition of slavery came first from very conservative religious activists – people who would today be called ‘the religious right.’ Clearly, this story is not ‘politically correct’ in today’s terms. Hence, it is ignored, as if it never happened.” – Sowell, Thomas, Black Rednecks and White Liberals, Encounter Books: New York, 2005, pg. 116
Provocative Language
Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough briar, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, Swifter than the moon’s sphere; And I serve the Fairy Queen, To dew her orbs upon the green. The cowslips tall her pensioners be: In their gold coats spots you see; Those rubies, fairy favours, In those freckles live their savours: I must go seek some dewdrops here And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear. – “Over Hill, Over Dale,” A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare
Thoughts: I know that I started this whole thing with Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Booths). I also realize that this may be out of the norm for most Christians, which I understand. As a follower of Christ, I do find great value in following the festivals of our God and think it would behoove any follower of Christ to so do. Now, this is not the place for theological volleying back and forth, however, if you wish to email me, feel free. I just want to bring two things to your attention in this regard. (1) Many debate whether we “have to” follow these ways, but I see it as a wonderful opportunity to worship Christ as all of the Biblical Holy days point to the work He has done, or the work He will accomplish in the future. (2) This festival especially has significance to our future! When Christ returns, all the nations will be obligated to follow this holiday. Yes, all the nations, even those who are not a part of His people. As such, how much more should we, His people, observe these wonderful days. In either case, I pray a blessed Sabbath to you today. May you spend time at His feet beloved!
Zechariah 14.3-7; 16-19 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. 7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. 19 This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. (ESV)
Sacrifice of Our Lips/Praise
Fruit of Our Lips
Liturgical Portion
Psalm 92 1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, * and to sing praises unto your Name, O Most High, 2 To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning, * and of your faithfulness in the night season, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the lute, * with the sound of melody upon the harp. 4 For you, Lord, have made me glad by your deeds, * and I will shout for joy because of your handiwork. 5 O Lord, how glorious are your works; * your thoughts are very deep. 6 The dull of heart does not consider this, * and a fool does not understand it: 7 Though the ungodly are as green as the grass, and though all the workers of wickedness flourish, * they shall be destroyed for ever; but you, Lord, are the Most High for evermore. 8 For lo, your enemies, O Lord, lo, your enemies shall perish, * and all the workers of wickedness shall be destroyed. 9 But my horn shall be exalted like the horns of wild bulls; * for I am anointed with fresh oil. 10 My eye also shall see its desire upon my enemies, * and my ear shall hear with joy the end of the wicked who rise up against me. 11 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, * and shall spread abroad like a cedar in Lebanon. 12 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord * shall flourish in the courts of our God. 13 They also shall bring forth fruit in their old age, * and shall be green and full of sap, 14 That they may show how upright the Lord is, * my rock, in whom there is no unrighteousness. – from The Psalter, Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Liturgy Press: Huntington Beach, 2019, pgs. 390-391
Prayer
a collect for sabbath rest Saturday Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – from Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Liturgy Press: Huntington Beach, 2019, pg. 24
Nahum 1.6-7: 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. 7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (ESV)
Quote from Reading
“Trend one is that Christian minds have been conformed to the modern spirit: the spirit, that is, that spawns great thoughts of man and leaves room for only small thoughts of God…Trend two is that Christian minds have been confused by the modern skepticism. For more than three centuries the naturalistic leaven in the Renaissance outlook ha been working like a cancer in Western thought.” – Packer, J.I., Knowing God: 20th-Anniversary Edition, InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1973:1993, pgs. 12-13; from the original preface of 1973
NoblemanWarrior's Quill 