#iheartfaces #up

The path of life leads upward for the prudent,

    that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.

Proverbs 15:25

Mother's Day Menu

Beef Stew Gaston
Steamed Cauliflower
Multi-grain Roll

2006 Cotes du Rhone Red Wine

Apple Pie a la mode
Coffee

The fun thing about this menu is that I prepared enough to send each of my guests home with leftovers - enough for another meal.

Photo of my nephew with his grandmother.

Yes, grandfather was there.

And KSJ.

Le Cadeau Ideal?  NCIS Season 3  ;-)

Sunday Sermon at Chalcedon Presbyterian Church was delivered by Guest Pastor Donald D. Crowe, author of Creation Without Compromise.

Privilege of Corporate Worship

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,






where she may lay her young, at your altars,
O Lord of Hosts,
my King and my God.

Psalm 84 was written by the Sons of Korah for the express purpose of singing the prayer in the temple.  Thousands of year later I am blessed to be able to read it, understand it, and perform the noble exercise of praise and thanksgiving so described.

Dont miss the opportunity to be a doorkeeper in the house of God.

Then sing about it!





For further study ~

Listen to a sermon expositing Psalm 84: A Bird's Nest in God's House.

Issac Watts's hymn Lord of the worlds above is based on this psalm.

A Divine Cordial

Thomas Watson, 17th century non-conformist English preacher, prescribes a little liquor for all of us.

The recipe is all things work together for good to them that love God.

You may recognize these ingredients from Romans 8:28.

But dont allow the familiarity of these words or the age of the writer to keep you from reading more about them.

Watson's words are available free online  at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

So, retrieve your best stem from the cabinet.

Pour out this libation.

Enjoy the Word of God expounded.

You will be invigorated and exhilarated.




Here's an excerpt from the preface:

Christian Reader,


There are two things, which I have always looked upon as difficult. The one is, to make the wicked sad; the other is, to make the godly joyful.  Dejection in the godly arises from a double spring: either because their inward comforts are darkened, or their outward comforts are disturbed.


To cure both these troubles, I have put forth this ensuing piece, hoping, by the blessing of God, it will buoy up their desponding hearts, and make them look with a more pleasant aspect. I would prescribe them to take, now and then, a little of this Cordial: all things work together for good to them that love God.


To know that nothing hurts the godly, is a matter of comfort; but to be assured that all things which fall out shall cooperate for their good, that their crosses shall be turned into blessings, that showers of affliction water the withering root of their grace and make it flourish more; this may fill their hearts with joy till they run over.



Now I am looking with a more pleasant aspect.

Father's Day Menu

Smithfield Spiral-sliced Ham
Squash Casserole
Steamed Cauliflower
Marinated Button Mushrooms
Herb-buttered Rolls

Chocolate Box Shiraz

Chocolate Creme Pie
Coffee






Dinner table conversation was lively because not only did we ask my parents to describe the personalities of their fathers, but we also debated the merits of homemade versus store-bought pies.  Whoops, almost forgot!  We fine-tuned our recipe for margaritas scheduled for release during CWAC, our annual family reunion at Callaway Gardens.

My father's three adjectives for his father were quiet, calm, and affable.  He practiced medicine (obstetrics) in Birmingham AL for over fifty years, delivering lots of babies, some of whom are now seeing his grandson (my brother) for vascular disease.  Living to age 90, he is remarkable for having served in both WWI and II.  Here's a link to a pencil portrait of him.

My mother's three adjectives for her father were teaser, competitive, and respected.  As an Atlanta general surgeon, he was admired and loved by many, unfortunately dying of heart disease at the young age of 58.  Here's a link to a portion of his inaugural address before the Fulton County Medical Society.

Now it's time to turn my attention back to my heavenly Father on this the Lord's Day by reading John Witherspoon's sermon addressing Psalm 76:10.  Although first delivered in 1776, on the eve of the War for Independence, it's message is timely, especially now as Americans' civil liberties are being assaulted on all sides.

The title is The Dominion of Providence Over the Passion of Men.  Three adjectives for my Heavenly Father demonstrated in Psalm 76 and exposited in Withersppoon's sermon are omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.

Here's the link at oll.libertyfund.org.

On second thought, I'm stopping after five pages, pacing myself at five pages per day for morning devotions.  And now I will fold clothes and watch Lucia di Lammermoor because my daughter sang in the chorus of the Ann Arbor Opera's recent production.

 A Bientot!

Bless This Food, O Lord

Shrimp 'n Grits, Pickled Beets, and Green Beans
French Bread

Cavit Pinot Grigio (not pictured because it's all gone)  ;-)


We enjoyed this meal after hearing a sermon on Psalm 75.  This marks the halfway point in our pastor's preaching through the book of Psalms.  In his introductory remarks, JCMIII marveled at how this divine poetry *gets inside us*.  Despite the vernacular, I grasp his meaning and concur.

My prayer is that the words of the psalmist(s) become so familiar to me that they would always come easy in conversation.  Even more so, I hope that they spill out of my mouth when I am old and gray, and perhaps not in my right mind.

Then this food, this bread, this Word of God, would truly be a blessing.

We closed the service by singing Psalm 75 to the tune Belmont C.M.

Here's the paraphrase ~

To Thee, O God, we render thanks,

To Thee give thanks sincere

Because Thy wondrous works declare

That Thy great name is near.

When my appointed time is come,

I'll judge with even hand.

Though earth and all its dwellers melt,

I make its pillars stand.

I to the boastful said, "Boast not!"

To vile men, "Lift no horn!

Do not lift up your horn on high,

Nor speak with neck of scorn!"

For not from east nor west nor wilds

Comes exaltation nigh,

For God is judge, debasing one,

Another raising high.

The LORD pours out a foaming cup

Which well-mixed wine contains,

And every wicked one on earth

Must drink; the dregs he drains.

But I will tell it evermore,

To Jacob's God sing praise;

And horns of sinners I'll cut off,

But just men's horns I'll raise.

From the Book of Psalms for Singing, copyright 1973 and published by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America.


Bless this food, O Lord,

and us to Thy service.

In Jesus' Name, I pray

AMEN

Sufficiency of Scripture for the Church

Here ye, here ye!

I have heard this fine sermon twice today and am prepared to listen again.

Join me?

Using Exekiel 43 as a starting point, my pastor of 32 years preached the Good News by proclaiming the Headship of  Christ for His Church.


The title of *Senior Pastor* or *Bishop* is nothing compared to the Name of Jesus to which every knee shall bow.

The Westminster Divines relied upon Ezekiel 43 to introduce their Book of Church Order in 1643.

And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, - and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.

In the same way that Christ died for the invisible church (the repentent, redeemed sinner), God also died the visible church (repentent and redeemed)AND sees her as white as snow: perfect and blameless because of the work and sacrifice of His Son.

This is so comforting.

While it may seem unusual to use Ezekiel 43 as the basis for the sermon, there were a host of additional Scriptural references.  But, do take the time to read Exekiel chapters 40 - 48 in order to understand the context in which the prophet was speaking in order to focus and train the eyes of his charges on future glory.

Restoration!

We sang hymns to reinforce these doctrines.  From the (blue) Trinity Hymnal:

Behold! The Mountain of the Lord (272) - based on Is 2:2 (Scottish paraphrase)
Zion, Founded on the Mountains (369) -  based on Ps 87:1

Approach My Soul (423) - based on Heb $;!4, 16 and written by John Newton (a favorite)

Glorious Things of Thee (269) - again Ps 87 but verse 3, and John Newton

We celebrated communion and submitted our tithes, hoping in the Lord.

Then, never forgetting that a good theology will invariably produce a good meal,

we returned home show enjoy Sunday's menu  ~

Beef Stew
French Bread
Merlot

Begian Chocolate Brownies with Walnuts
Black Coffee



Yes, there was broccoli in the brisker ....only to be overlooked.

I'd had enough vegetables for one day. (ref Dan 1)
Grin



Artwork Credit:
Open Door Chapel
Oil on Canvas
16" x 20"
by Margaret Jordan

Manhattan: Redeemer Pres

Hunter College
Auditorium








Last Sunday evening I worshipped on the upper East Side with about 500 Christians who make up part of the larger Redeemer Presbyterian Church. It was a delightful service with jazz band accompaniment, a strong female vocalist, a confident worship leader, and a teaching elder who entered the sanctuary moments before delivering the sermon. He also exited immediately afterwards and the service was closed by the unnamed worship leader.

When I left I asked an usher the name of the minister; it was Rev Matthew Paul Buccheri. The usher explained that they never know in advance who will be delivering the message because the session wants to decrease the chances of congregants' attendance based on the teacher.

While the music was definitely more contemporary than what I'm used to or what I prefer, it was well-done and I enjoyed the singing (7 songs all together!), even if I couldnt do it as lustily as I would have like (due to lack of familiarity).

The sermon was expositional: both basic and forthright and followed along in their series about King David (2 Sam 7:1-17).

Visiting churches is not one of my favorite things to do, but I'm definitely glad I went and would attend again.

What about you?

Do you attend church while on vacation (or traveling)?

Father's Day Menu


Baked Pork Chops 'n
Rice

Collard Greens

Grilled Yellow Squash





Pinwheel Croissants

Black Swan Merlot
Tea/Coffee

Banana Pudding
(made with Nutter Butter cookies)



At church today we were blessed by worshipping together with the saints: singing hymns and psalms, hearing the preached Word of God, participating in the Lord's Supper, and receiving the benediction.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! Psalm 57:11

Idols that provoke Jealousy


that cause me to sigh and groan:

National calamity has fallen on the people of God in OT Judah. God has abandoned His temple because *they were doing detestable things* (from Ezekiel Chpt 8)






1) mixing the religion of Jehovah with that of Baal - the Canaanization of the worship of the Lord, if you will.

2) church leaders portraying all kinds of creepy things on the walls of the Temple - hmmmmm, like icons or extra decorations in the sanctuary.

3) women mourning for Tammuz; historically when the women in a society lose their way, it is a sure sign of the demise of a culture.

4) ordinary members worshipping the gods of their enemies.

These acts of rebellion against the God of Israel by his own people are repeating themselves in our society today. Examples are clear to me. Do you see them?

It is unrealistic of us to think that there have not been nor will be consequences.

Look to Ezekiel 9 for some hints.

God sends seven angels to destroy the city. One is sent out ahead to mark certain citizens. Six others follow and are commanded to kill without showing pity or compassion.

Lord, this deterioration in our churches (and therefore, our nation) grieves me greatly.

Give me strength and grace to bear witness to You.

For Your Name's Sake.

Amen.


Listen to the entire sermon here.

Election Day Sermons



Just wondering, ladies?

Did you hear a good sermon yesterday?

I did.

Here's the link to ours.

It made me think a lot about *undecided voters* who generally perplex me. HOW can one not be decided?

NPR did put a face on one in a radio segment I heard last Friday. She's a 35 year old white woman, single mother of two, working for the TN Department of Corrections and she voted in the primary..... for Huckabee.


I wonder how this undecided person would digest the information in this sermon.

Hearing this exposition of Ezekiel 11 gave me confidence to cast my vote with a clear conscience.

Mad for the Lord

King David supposedly feigned madness before the king and secured release from his enemies. We may wonder whether he wrote Psalm 34 afterwards or actually spoke those alphabetic verses ad lib. But I know that when I hear someone *talking crazy*, I tend to distance myself. I would *let him go.*

Fortunately, the rest of the Bible proves that David was not crazy, but a God-fearing man. Does that make him *mad* (insane or demented)? Over and again David reminds us in his poetry that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is practically an injunction to fear God.

Today God-fearing men are rare.

Furthermore, God-fearing men are not noticebly welcome in the pulpit or the pew. I am thankful that our preacher will admonish us to fear the Lord. Here's a link to such.

Obviously, they are not found in the political arena.

Or in the government colleges and schools.

In fact, the main characteristic of the our society today is the post-Christian man (or woman) who admits no fear of God.

Did you learn in childhood that certain things exist which we ought to fear? Who taught you things like *it is a mark of manliness to hate what is abominable or to fear to commit evil.*

From Russell Kirk's essay -

A God-intoxicated man, knowing that divine love and divine wrath are but
different aspects of a unity, is sustained against the worst this world can do
to him;

while the good-natured unambitious man, lacking religion, fearing no
ultimate judgment, denying that he is made for eternity, has in him no iron to
maintain order and justice and freedom.

I hope the current financial disaster brings to consciousness a remnant of God-fearing men and women, a renewed knowledge of the source of wisdom. What raises up heroes and martyrs is this fear of God.

Yup, David was *mad* - intoxicated for the Lord.

I'm *mad*, too.

Taste and See



that

the Lord

is

Good!



Psalm 34:8

Fed at church by a rich sermon based on David's poetry written when he was *insane*, we came home to enjoy tasty flavors and good conversation too. Physical and spiritual nourishment on both fronts.

The psalm (34) is well-known to me, but was revitalized by the sincere preaching of our minister. I loved the personifications of the Lord in verses 15 - 17, when David talks about God's eyes, ears, and face. Furthermore, I plucked this week's memory verse (Jer 9:23-24) from an association with verse 2 about boasting in the Lord.

In the same way, the ingredients for our dinner were a motley melange taking up room in the refrigerator for almost too long :) Over the weekend, I was challenged not to use any gasoline due to the shortages we're experiencing as a result of the Texas refineries being damaged by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

All that to say that I determined to prepare Sunday's dinner without going to the grocery store.

The menu below went through several modifications over Saturday as I hunted through cupboards, tossed out spoiled foods, and used *mad* cooking skills. Not exactly insane, but as creative as David before Abimelech?

Italian Baked Chicken
Steamed Broccoli
Sauteed Peppers & Onions
Orzo with Parmesan
Pesto Rolls

Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream with
Homemade Chocolate Sauce and
Roasted Georgia Pecans

Iced Tea and Coffee


How are you showing your *madness* for the Lord?

Women Civil Magistrates

Today's sermon was based on Isaiah 3 and used as a jumping off point to explain what the Bible has to say about Sarah Palin and her involvement in civil government.

Here's a link, if you want to listen to the full hour of preaching.

JCMIII carefully explains the importance of God's order in society: the family, the church, and the home. I understand and affirm those Scriptural positions as a Christian.

But since I was never planning to vote for Mr. McCain in the first place, I was not tempted to reconsider even after he selected his vice-presidential candidate. I will admit to paying more attention to the media coverage of the race because I thought adding Gov. Palin to the ticket was an ingenious idea. And I may even watch the debate scheduled for September 26th on the campus of Ole Miss.

Nevertheless I am dismayed at the way Christians are using Mrs. Palin. There are women involved in local, state, and federal governments everywhere we turn. I propose that if churchmen are truly concerned about reversing God's judgment on society that they challenge the legitimacy of the ones right in their own counties and churches.

In a recent Xanga post, I recorded how many women hold public office in my area. Not so many, because I live in a *conservative* state.

But wanting to end on a positive note, I leave you with my selections for Goethe's quotidien duty of *hearing a little song, reading a good poem, seeing a fine painting, and speaking, if possible, a few reasonable words*:


SONG

Over my morning coffee, I hear the songs of the birds who come to my feeders.

POEM
penned by John H. Gurney, 1838 and sung as our closing hymn (#621 Trinity)

Great King of nations, hear our prayer,
While at Thy feet we fall,
And humbly with united cry
To Thee for mercy call;
The guilt is ours, but grace is Thine,
O turn us not away;
But hear us from Thy lofty throne,
And help us when we pray.

Our fathers’ sins were manifold,
And ours no less we own,
Yet wondrously from age to age
Thy goodness has been shown;
When dangers, like a stormy sea,
Beset our country round,
To Thee we looked, to Thee we cried,
And help in Thee was found.

With one consent we meekly bow
Beneath Thy chastening hand,
And, pouring forth confession meet,
Mourn with our mourning land;
With pitying eye behold our need,
As thus we lift our prayer;
Correct us with Thy judgments, Lord,
Then let Thy mercy spare.

FINE PAINTING

See Tissot's above.

REASONABLE WORDS

After church I spoke a few reasonable words with a fellow member, who was present at a Palin/Schlafly meeting.

Psalm 128

This *wedding psalm* was the basis of the sermon delivered by Reverend Joseph Morecraft, III at the marriage of our daughter,



Margaret, to Patrick McCarthy on Saturday, August, 30, 2008.

1)Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
2)For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
3)Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
4)Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.
5)The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
6)Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.




Complete audio version will be available soon at Sermonaudio.com

Here's the link.

Poetry and Sermons

In today's sermon, not only did the preacher quote poetry (Swinburne's Hymn to Prozerpine and Henley's Invictus), but the passage of Scripture also contain references to poetry.

What a providential hat-tip to National Poetry Month!

We had a guest minister while our own was attending the baptism of a new grandchild (JCM V). He was such a treat. The Reverend Bob Lester presented a bit of a travelogue while he exposited Acts 17.

Having recently visited Athens himself, he was able to describe graphically the Aerogopolis where Paul spoke to the men of Athens at Mars Hill.

Verse 16:
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirits was being
provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.

The apostle Paul quoted three poets (Epimenides, Aratas, and Cleanthes) in order to create some common ground for approaching his audience. While he may have tickled their ears with his skillful use of their verses, Paul (and our preacher) hit them (and us) right between the eyes with a clear presentation of the Gospel.

The heart of apostolic preaching is the life, death, and resurrection of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not heaven, or whatever a believer can gain by believing.

So, I will spend some time familiarizing myself with a poem or two by the above-referenced antiquarians (all unknown to me as I took Latin in highschool, not Greek).

But I will spend more time meditating on and praying the Word of God, specifically Acts 17:30-31

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.

Read that aloud.

Several times.

Emphasizing different words for effect.

Be provoked.

For the Record


Anticipating a sermon on Psalm 13 and singing hymns based on those verses, I'm looking forward to congregational worship today.







We're working and singing our way through sermons on the psalms.

Last Sunday I attended church in the morning at Christ Church Cranbrook, in Bloomfield Hills, MI where DD#1 sings in the choir. Later in the day, we attended an evening worship service at the newly form Hillsdale OPC, on the campus of Hillsdale College where DD#2 is a senior & DD#3 is a sophomore.

After church today we'll have lunch with our fellowship group: I'm bringing Oriental Coleslaw (recipe to follow), Creamed Corn, and a Praline Peach Pie (store-bought). By 3pm, we'll be gathering for Lovett's Upper School Choral Concert. DD#4 sings with this group and has a solo in the spiritual *Wade in the Water*

The weather is beautiful here, so I think I'll try and squeeze in a walk. And then wind down by watching Masterpiece Theater, which this week is focusing on the production of the Jane Austen series.

Blessings on your Sabbath.

"First the Blade"


One of the very important and much neglected verses of Scripture is Mark 4:28: "For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself: first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Our Lord tells us (Mark 4:26-29) that the Kingdom of God, as it develops in history, has a necessary growth and development. No more than we can plant grain and then expect the harvest at once, can we expect quick or immediate results in the growth of God's Kingdom. If we plant grain, we must cultivate it, often water it, tend to the field, and, only after much labor, reap a harvest. To expect otherwise is stupidity and foolishness, whether in farming or in the work of the Kingdom, In fact, our Lord describes quick growth as false (Matt. 13:5 6, 20-21).
The expectations of most people nowadays run contrary to our Lord's words. They demand immediate results, and then wonder why their harvests never come.

Within the church. this demand for immediate and spectacular results is commonplace. We need to remember that in church history sometimes the most successful preachers over the centuries have been heretics and compromisers. Carl E. Braaten has rightly observed, "John Tetzel was surely a popular preacher. He told people what they wanted to hear and sold people what they wanted to get. He was a preacher of indulgences, and lots of peoples swarmed to hear him and bought what he had to offer." (Currents in Theology and Missions, vol. 14, no. 2, April 1987, p. 111 f.) Today, even the Catholic Encyclopedia speaks of Tetzel's "unwarranted theological views." However, we need not go back to Tetzel, Today preachers of all sorts, and laymen too, believe in and demand of God instant results: sow the seed and stand back while the harvest pops up at once! As a result, such men often do better at growing weeds than grain.

This mentality is common in all circles, modernist and fundamentalist, socialist and conservative. During the 1930s, I recall spending a futile dinner hour trying to persuade a fellow student out of quitting his university training. A passionate and devout leftist, he was convinced that, very shortly, the forces of international fascism would conquer the world. It was therefore necessary to go underground with the party of world revolution and work for world liberation. He was totally convinced that, once the forces of world fascism were broken, peace and plenty would flourish from pole to pole and sea to shining sea. I believe that on that occasion I first made serious use of Mark 4: 28, but it was futile.

In the 1960s, great numbers of students all over the world fell victim to the same wild delusion. They believed that, with a little action, the full ear of corn could be reaped at once. One group held that only the reactionaries prevented the immediate dawn of an automated, work-free, and war-free world. When a reporter asked one girl in the group how a work free world could produce food, she answered with haughty contempt, "Food IS!" The student movement commanded superior minds academically, but it lacked any sense of historical development and growth. God can produce instantaneous results; He created all things out of nothing. But the Kingdom of God in history moves, our Lord tells us, in a different way, even as "the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself: first the blade, then the ear. after that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28).

In the past ten years, I have been involved in many court trials defending the freedom of the church, the Christian School, home schools and families. It regularly amazes and appalls me that so many Christians, before they have fought a court case or voted (so many still do not vote), are ready to give up hope or to think of extreme measures and flight. (In this, they resemble the students of the 1960s.) Only yesterday I talked with a fine veteran of Viet Nam whose pastor sees no alternative to total obedience to the state except revolution; since he opposes revolution, he insists on total obedience as the Christian duty. He overlooks the vast realm in between, i.e., voting, pressure on legislatures, the education of Bible believers (of whom 50% do not vote), and so on.

It is important to recognize that this inability to see the necessity of growth is a modern failing, and also to see its source. The church fathers by and large tended to neglect Mark 4:28; but Calvin noted that the parable has as its purpose to make us diligent and patient "because the fruit of... labour does not immediately appear."

It was the Enlightenment and Romanticism which produced the new mentality. According to Scripture, man's problem is himself: he is a sinner. His original sin is his desire for autonomy, to be his own god and law, determining good and evil for himself (Gen. 3:5). However, there is nothing man wants less to face than the fact that, whatever other problems he has, he, his own nature, is his main problem. In fact, man rejects radically and totally the idea that God's indictment of him is correct. He may approve of the motto, "In God we trust," but he lives in terms of the premise, "In myself I trust."

The more man develops in his sin, in his evil will-to-be-god, the more he believes that his own fiat word can make reality. If statist man says, Let there be prosperity, there should be prosperity. If he says, Let poverty, hatred, and oppression be abolished, these things should disappear.

But, the more he pursues this course as god and creator, the more the evils around him increase. As James tells us, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (James 4:1). Men create evils and then blame God, their environment, and other men for them.

How many politicians are ready to say, "We, the people, are responsible for the mess we are in. We want something for nothing. We want to eat our cake and have it too. We have despised God's laws concerning debt, and much, much more, and we deserve the judgment God is bringing upon us." Man himself is the primary problem, and man insists that the blame must be laid on someone or something else. As a result, his problem is compounded.

The Enlightenment and Romanticism deny the Biblical answer. According to the Enlightenment, man's Reason is the solution to the problem, whereas Romanticism locates the answer in man's will. In either case, man is the answer, not the problem.
Such thinking placed the modern age (in Europe, after c. 1660 especially) in radical disagreement with orthodox Christianity. The modern era exalts man and his needs, and it is at total war against the faith that declares man to be a sinner. The epitome of a God-centered faith is the Westminster Shorter Catechism's opening statement, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever."

The logic of such man-centered thinking in the Enlightenment and Romanticism led to Revolution. John Locke, after Aristotle, insisted that man's mind and being is a moral blank, neutral to good and evil. The premise of modern education is Locke's assumption: education then becomes the conditioning of the morally blank child.

But what about adults who are no longer morally blank but have been conditioned into an evil outlook by Christianity, family and capitalism? (This, for modern thinkers, is the great trinity of evil, Christianity, the family, and capitalism.) How are these peoples and cultures who have been conditioned by evil going to be changed? How can they be dealt with?

Revolution is held to provide the answer. Revolution is seen as personal and cultural shock therapy. We should not be surprised that psychiatrists turned for a time to electro-shock therapy: it is a form of psychological revolution. All old patterns are supposedly destroyed in order to clear the mind of past beliefs and habits; then the new, revolutionary changes can be instilled. Such a "therapy" has proven to be a dramatic failure; the moral nature of the man remains. It is not that which comes from outside which pollutes and warps a man but that which comes from within.

Political revolutions rest on the simple-minded belief in shock therapy. The French and Russian revolutions, and the Spanish and other revolutions, have all believed that destruction will free man from the chains of bondage, but all these revolutions have only enslaved man all the more. The more modern the revolution, the more destructive and vicious it becomes. The Russian Revolution murdered priests wholesale, worked to destroy the family, and confiscated property. The murder of priests became even more savage and intense in the Spanish Revolution.
The belief has been that the murder of man's past is his liberation into a glorious future. The results have been hell on earth, but the mentality of the past which is to blame. Gorbachev, to "reform" the Soviet Union, has intensified the war against Christianity.

Modern man refuses to be earth-bound. The proud American boast after the first space flight showed an astronaut as a newly born baby, and his umbilical cord tying him to earth being cut. Man now was supposedly transcending the earth to enter into a "space age" of freedom. With this new, god-like status, man, some held, would guide his own evolution, clone himself, and overcome space, time, and death.

Is it any wonder that even churchmen have neglected Mark 4: 28? Our Lord is very clear: the pattern of the Kingdom of God is like that of the earth which bringeth forth fruit of itself. There is an order and a progression from the seed, to the first green shoot to emerge, to the cultivated growth, and finally the harvest. Both time and work are essential.

I still recall my pity and revulsion for a prominent American pastor who, after World War 11, wanted people to spend their time praying for a speedy Second Coming of Christ. He was arrogantly contemptuous of all Kingdom building as wasteful of time and money. He agreed with another prominent preacher who dismissed all efforts at Christian Kingdom action as "polishing brass on a sinking ship." Such men do not preach on Mark 4:28.

I recall also, sadly, a very fine man, a very wealthy man, who called me to see him not too long before his death. His family and the firm's director were now fully in charge of all his wealth. About seven years earlier, I had suggested to him that, if he had as his intention turning America around to a better direction, starting Christian Schools across the country would do it. He rejected my answer sharply. Now, near death, he called me in to say that if he had spent the millions he did seeking a "quick victory" on Christian Schools instead, the country would indeed be different.

That man was the antithesis of everything revolutionary. He had funded generously a number of anti-Communist causes. He loved deeply the more simple America he had known in his youth. He loved the one-room schoolhouse of his midwestern youth, and the country church with its kindly, neighborly believers in the old-time religion. He was a simple, honest, hard-working, old-fashioned American Christian.

At the same time, although he did not know it, and would have been outraged at the suggestion, he was a revolutionist. However much old-fashioned, he had something in common with all revolutionaries, namely, the hunger for and the belief in a "quick victory."
Millions of American conservatives demonstrated, shortly after Reagan's election in 1980 that they too were believers in the myth of victory by revolution. They acted as though the millennium had arrived with Reagan's victory! Conservative political action groups saw an alarming decline in monetary contributions. Reagan was elected, the war was over, the troops were leaving to resume life as usual in their now peaceable kingdom.

The mentality of instant results is all around us. It is the mentality of the modern age, and of revolution. It is the belief that the problem is not ourselves but something outside of us which an election, revolution, money, education, or some other like measure can alter tomorrow. Meanwhile, we ourselves see no need for change where we are concerned! We can maintain our modern lifestyle and make God happy with a few dollars tossed into an offering plate.
But God says to us, as His prophet Nathan said to King David, a better man than all of us, "Thou art the man'' (IISamuel 12:7). The turn-around begins with us. Then, we work in terms of God's order on earth for His Kingdom: "First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."

Rousas John Rushdoony
Reprinted from Chalcedon
P.O Box 158. Vallecito. CA 95251

Sermon Synopsis

Three sermons into the the second chapter of I Thessalonians, I continue to ponder these first century Christians and their response to Paul's testimony. I wonder if they were really that much different than I. It is clear to me that I accept the Word of God as authentic only by His Sovereign Grace as did they.

See I Thess 2:13

JCM concluded with an illustrative quote from Spurgeon which I will turn into my personal prayer.

Heavenly Father, bless me this week by teaching me through the power of your Holy Spirit to eat into the very soul of the Bible. Nourish me so deeply there that my language will be more Scriptural than last week; that my words be more flavored with the Lord's than ever before; and that my blood be Bible-colored so that the very essence of these Holy Writings will flow through and out of me into the lives of others.

And we were given John Piper's mnemonic device for boldly accepting/believing the Bible. Treat it a precious, pleasant, and practical by memorizing it, meditating upon it, making music with it, ministering with it, and minding it.

Hymn 267 from the Trinity Hymnal (O Word of God Incarnate) concluded our service. The words fit perfectly.

Influential? The 100 year test

Having just finished a delicious dinner salad concocted with leftovers from the previous week's dinners, it's time to reflect on the day's sermon.

We sang from the Trinity Hymnal: #295, #30, #301, and #488.

Genesis 18:1-19 was read and the congregation was exhorted with twelve principles which, if applied, are likely to yield far-reaching effects in years to come.

Here's the list.

1) Believe that the people of God have a future - a victorious and glorious one at that. Matt 13

2) Believe that God has entered into a covenant with His people in Christ. Gen 17:7, Ex 20:5-6, Deut 7:9 Jer 37:17-18

3) Multiply - Be fruitful and have a family. Plan to outpopulate the wicked.

4) Create an inheritance - a material one, a spiritual one, an intellectual one, and an economic one. Pv 3:22 Job 27:13

5) Purchase land and keep it in the family. Job is a good example.

6) Obey God's Word when parenting/rearing your children. JCM read from Calvin's commentary on Gen 18:19

7) Give your children a distinctly Christian education. Deut 6:4-9

8) Pray for your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

9) Work to reconstruct our culture so that it will be less evil for your progeny. Gen 1:28 and Matt 28:18

10) Guide your children in their life choices using Scripture to substantiate your advice. Neh 13:23

11) Teach your children to think *futuristically*. JCM has preached an entire sermon on this topic and it covers the down-side of living only for the moment and not saving. See this sermon on Luke 16 delivered 4/2/06.

12) Pray earnestly to God and beg that He would be faithful to His promises. Is 65:17-19

Application: Around the dinner table, I gave each daughter an opportunity to comment about one of the twelve. We had some lively conversation.

Personal note: I pray for my children; I pray for their future spouses, and I try to pray for their children and grandchildren. It's not easy to do, not *knowing* them or their names. I have some pretty neat family stories and genealogy books, but none which say *I'm praying for my progeny*

Here's a link to one daughter's sermon notes.