the lord will perfect that which concerns me sermon
This is living with God. How shall we learn to walk by His side? God has made us so. Hoyt, D. D.: This psalm sings of I. 6. "To Him all hearts are open, all desires known." GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. This is living with God. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. At best we can only see the outside of a thing, the curve, the angle, the colour. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love ." - 1 John 4:18 ESV. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. 15. He may be an uncommonly thoughtful person, and little of what is done within his soul may escape his notice; nay, we will make the extreme supposition that he arrests every thought as it rises, and looks at it; that he analyzes every sentiment as it swells his heart; that he scrutinizes every purpose as it determines his will; even if he should have such a thorough and profound self-knowledge as this, God knows him equally profoundly and equally thoroughly. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. The answer is a daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. ad probam IV. That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. Chapter i. OURSELVES. In short, to live with God is to be perpetually rising above the world; to live without Him is to be perpetually sinking into it, and with it, and below it. xviii. Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. Perfect peace, that's the promise. And some will pass through great affliction and some will experience a great many wants. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. ad probam IV. (Isa. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. So that whenever we are on the point of doing or saying anything cowardly, or mean, or false, or impure, or proud, or conceited, or unkind, the remembrance that God is looking on shall instantly flash across us and help us to beat down our enemy. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. lxxxv. It is relevant to our daily lives in many ways. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. 23:1) I confess all my sins and iniquities, cleanse me with your blood, Lord Jesus . Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point Saint Gregory the Greatthe Epistles of Saint Gregory the GreatThe Coming Revival"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. It is a simple question of time; a simple question whether it shall come here in this world, where the blood of Christ "freely" flows, or in the future world, where "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. Chapter i. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. 7. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. xviii. And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. He professes his confidence in GodDictionary of Bible ThemesPsalm 138:86708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goalsPsalm 138:7-81265hand of GodLibraryFaith in PerfectionIn the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. xlix. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. There is no cry so pitiful as "Nothing to live for." If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. 2. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. The Lord will perfect that which concerns you there. If there is a creator of the universe, He must also be its sustainer: He cannot press material forces into service and go and leave them, as we do a windmill to draw water, for all force depends upon Him for its existence. And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. And, without doubt, it is only as we are confident in the Lord that we render effective service and become channels of blessing to others: which God grant we may! He professes his confidence in GodDictionary of Bible ThemesPsalm 138:86708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goalsPsalm 138:7-81265hand of GodLibraryFaith in PerfectionIn the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him Saint Bernard of ClairvauxSome Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of ClairvauxThat the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. THE DIVINE OMNIPRESENCE (vers. 7 ad 3m II. I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! Each of us must at some time face the crucial question: "Whom say ye that I am?" ( Matt. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. Now carry this confidence into everything. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. 13-18). If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? 2. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. 1, 2. ad probam IV. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. And though we thought that we had suffered loss from the tardiness of their coming, yet we find gain from their more abundant charity; seeing that from this delay in point, "Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?"--PS. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. 18 " Ep., cxxx. So, too, by living in the presence of God and, as it were, in the courts of heaven, we shall assuredly learn something of a heavenly tone, and shake off some of that coarse worldliness, that deeply ingrained selfishness, that silly pride and conceit which now spoils our very best service. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. How those that are at Variance and those that are at Peace are to be Admonished. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. 24).(W. vi. We cannot live long with men without catching something of their manner, of their mode of thought, of their character, of their government of themselves. "He is both, sir." 2. Ps. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius John Edgar McFadyenIntroduction to the Old TestamentLinksPsalm 138:8 NIVPsalm 138:8 NLTPsalm 138:8 ESVPsalm 138:8 NASBPsalm 138:8 KJVPsalm 138:8 Bible AppsPsalm 138:8 ParallelPsalm 138:8 Biblia ParalelaPsalm 138:8 Chinese BiblePsalm 138:8 French BiblePsalm 138:8 German BiblePsalm 138:8 CommentariesBible Hub, II. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. We do not agree with Momus, neither are we of his mind who desired to have a window in his breast that all men might see his heart. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. Lord this seventh month of the year, let Your hand of perfection rest mightily on me. Psalm 138:8 King James Version 8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. cxxxviii. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. For he who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is compelled by the same necessity to exhibit the highest things. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. Rom. LCMS Sermons - Pastor James F. Wright Sermon on Ephesians 4:30-5:2. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. So that whenever we are on the point of doing or saying anything cowardly, or mean, or false, or impure, or proud, or conceited, or unkind, the remembrance that God is looking on shall instantly flash across us and help us to beat down our enemy. OURSELVES. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15b). But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple St. There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. ", 6708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goals, Question of the Contemplative LifeI. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? He is our model. We do not agree with Momus, neither are we of his mind who desired to have a window in his breast that all men might see his heart. (4)In the dark as well as the light.3. vi. 6. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? This I apprehend, as it regards David, and as it regards every Christian, may be summed up in two things the work of providence without them, and the work of grace within them. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. God has made us so. But He sees all, His eye takes in the immeasurable universe. ad probam IV. IV. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. And lest the presence of God should be too much for us, Christ has taken human nature on Him, and has provided that He will be always with us as long as the world shall last. )God and ourselvesW. And this will generally be just when we are tempted to do wrong, or perhaps just when we are actually beginning to do it: some secret sin of which no one knows or dreams perhaps, some self-indulgence, which we dare not deny that God condemns. And this will generally be just when we are tempted to do wrong, or perhaps just when we are actually beginning to do it: some secret sin of which no one knows or dreams perhaps, some self-indulgence, which we dare not deny that God condemns. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. The History of the Great Crime of Simony. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. OURSELVES. xviii. To Dominicus, Bishop. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. So that whenever we are on the point of doing or saying anything cowardly, or mean, or false, or impure, or proud, or conceited, or unkind, the remembrance that God is looking on shall instantly flash across us and help us to beat down our enemy. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' For it would be all through simple and utter trust in him - through nothing whatever of ourselves, but all of him. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. 7. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him Saint Bernard of ClairvauxSome Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of ClairvauxThat the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. And this will generally be just when we are tempted to do wrong, or perhaps just when we are actually beginning to do it: some secret sin of which no one knows or dreams perhaps, some self-indulgence, which we dare not deny that God condemns. Verse 8. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple, The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers, The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. We have received with the utmost gratification the letters of your Fraternity, which have reached us somewhat late by the hands of Donatus and Quodvultdeus, our most reverend brethren and fellow-bishops, and also Victor the deacon with Agilegius the notary. 13-16).4. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. the various events and vicissitudes of life, even before one of them existed. PowerPoint Sermons. lxxxv. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. Then up comes another fear. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? Nay, more, this process of self-inspection may go on indefinitely, and the man grow more and more thoughtful, and obtain an everlastingly augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him that he is penetrating so deeply into those dim and shadowy regions of consciousness where the external life takes its very first start, and then he may be sure that God understands the thought that is afar off, and deep down, and that at this lowest range and plane in his experience he besets him behind and before.II. To reprove some prevalent impieties in human conduct.(1)Atheism.(2)Indifferentism.3. I like that thought, don't you? xlix. Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. 2. v. 22). xviii. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. 1. (Weekly Pulpit. St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. lvii. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. )God all-seeing:In the mythology of the heathen, Momus, the god of fault-finding, is represented as blaming Vulcan, because in the human form, which he had made of clay, he had not placed a window in the breast, by which whatever was done or thought there might easily be brought to light. Ps. lvii. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. How great is the gratitude that is due to God from His saints, how innumerable are His blessings, how vast His mercy, how rich His grace and lovingkindness. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. 6. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. 5, 6. To Dominicus, Bishop. We could never discharge our duties properly if we were to be perpetually distracted by the consciousness of what was around us: and, above all, we might be daunted by the perpetual thought of the presence of God, and so be paralyzed instead of helped. 19 III. III. It's a collection of assorted personal concerns, like "come soon before winter if you can" (verses 9, 21) and "bring my cloak from Troas" (verse 13), and "watch out for Alexander the coppersmith" (verse 15), and "nobody showed up to support me at my defense" (verse 16), "but the Lord stood by me" (verse 17), and "greet . His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. Well," he says, "I know the Lord has begun his work in me. Lectionary texts. Then , 1. "You saw me before I was born. Hence Paul Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatSense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. Then is the moment to choose whether or not we will live in the presence of God; then when the finger of conscience is pointing to Him and saying, "He is looking at you. "Forsake not the work of Thine own hands. lvii. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. xviii. ad probam IV. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. Ps. 18, 19. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . The brilliant searchlight sweeping the broad ocean and revealing even the smallest craft on its surface is but a faint type of the Eternal Light from which no sinner can hide his sin. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God . AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. 5, 6. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all.
