If it be God's plan for you for life you will carry it through. LET US LOOK AT THE SPEAKER. "Thy mercy, O Lord," etc. Whenever servants of the Lord come together and examine what it is that they need to be, there must be a vision of Christ. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. 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. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. Rom. 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. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. Then , 1. 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. Jesus Set Aside Divinity, Empty of Divine Capacity (Bill Johnson Sermon cxxxviii. And have not many actually made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience? 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. the regular habit of reading the Bible at a fixed time, the occasional reminders of ourselves that God is looking on, these are our chief means of learning to remember His presence. The simple question, then, which meets us is, Wilt thou know thyself here, and now, that thou mayest accept and feel God's pity; or wilt thou keep within the screen, and not know thyself until beyond the grave, and then feel God's judicial wrath? Forasmuch as each man is a part of the human race, and human nature is something social, and hath for a great and natural good, the power also of friendship; on this account God willed to create all men out of one, in order that they might be held in their society not only by likeness of kind, but also by bond of kindred. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. cxxxviii. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. TRY TO LEARN HIS SECRET. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. To Dominicus, Bishop. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. Rom. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. The simple question, then, which meets us is, Wilt thou know thyself here, and now, that thou mayest accept and feel God's pity; or wilt thou keep within the screen, and not know thyself until beyond the grave, and then feel God's judicial wrath? 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. "Whatever concerns me," says he, "the Lord will perfect.". But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. Hilary of PoitiersThe Life and Writings of St. Hilary of PoitiersPsalmsThe 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. When I healed people, Christ did that through me. But, and if the religion you have received is the work of God, then be certain that He who began the work will perfect it. If that Being has gone down into these depths of human depravity, and seen it with a more abhorring glance than could ever shoot from a finite eye, and yet has returned with a cordial offer to forgive it all, and a hearty proffer to cleanse it all away, then we can lift up the eye in adoration and in hope. Well," he says, "I know the Lord has begun his work in me. Hoyt, D. D.: This psalm sings of I. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. 13). Said Milton, speaking of his travels abroad when a young man: "I again take God to witness that in all places where so many things are considered lawful, I lived sound and untouched from all profligacy and vice, having this thought perpetually with me, that though I might escape the eyes of men, I certainly could not the eyes of God."4. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. 7. Joseph put all his confidence in God, and God perfected all that concerned Joseph. 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. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. lvii. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. 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. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. 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. III. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. THE DIVINE OMNIPRESENCE (vers. Hence Paul Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatSense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. GOD.1. What Does It Mean to Fear the Lord? - Olive Tree Blog "Show me as much as I can stand, Lord." So what did God show him. David praises God for the truth of his word4. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me;" not, "I will perform it myself. The Lord Will Perfect That Which Concerneth Me: 12/14/2014 (SUN) | Bible: Psalm 138:8. And it is also true of the work of grace all around us. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. To Dominicus, Bishop. But sing in your heart, "Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever." AugustineOn the Good of MarriagePrayer Out of the Deep. Chapter i. 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. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! 13-16).4. "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15b). We will be engaging in this for 21 days. 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. The right state of mind plainly is to have the thought of God's presence so perpetually at hand that it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted. iii. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the Deep. His omnipresence. 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. vi. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. 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?' But in almost every case the dazzling rays of a searchlight frustrated the attempt, and the fugitives' vessel was captured by the Americans. 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. 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. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. 13-16).4. Luke 12:7 says, The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. 18, 19. 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. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. See how this works in us rest from fear. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? 1, 2. xviii. When David said the Lord will perfect that which concerns him, he wasnt praying to God. (Admonition 23.) 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. ", 6708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goals, Question of the Contemplative LifeI. Did the Almighty pause in the middle of creation and leave His work unfinished? Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. 19 III. For that voice more readily penetrates the hearer's heart, which the speaker's life Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatHow those that are at Variance and those that are at Peace are to be Admonished. 1, 2. God has made us so. xviii. Download MP3 (13.5MB) Request: transcript & translate this sermon What? 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. ( Psalm 138:8) "God will perfect everything that concerns you." ( Psalm 138:8, NKJV) I have heard my wife use King David's phrase many times in her public prayers. : 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. 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. And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. The strophe closes with a frank confession of the writer's impotence and awe. We must understand that everything in life has a spiritual ear. The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. 1. 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 psalmist affirms . Hoyt, D. D.: This psalm sings of I. 5, 6. 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. Sermon: The Goodness of God - Psalm 145, 107 - LifeWay Christian Resources Said Milton, speaking of his travels abroad when a young man: "I again take God to witness that in all places where so many things are considered lawful, I lived sound and untouched from all profligacy and vice, having this thought perpetually with me, that though I might escape the eyes of men, I certainly could not the eyes of God."4. 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. 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. ad probam IV. 7. Never; but it issues in eternal glory. Hence Paul Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatSense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? The Lord Will Perfect All That Concerns Me Is a Declaration of Faith When David said the Lord will perfect that which concerns me, he was making a declaration of faith. A broad confidence. He is in (1)Heaven. David praises God for the truth of his word4. OURSELVES. 1. 7 ad 3m II. That exquisite pleasure in sin, which comes from its fancied concealment, is utter folly. (Isa. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Question of the Contemplative LifeI. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God7. How shall we learn to walk by His side? : While the Americans were blockading Cuba, several captains endeavoured to elude their vigilance by night, trusting that the darkness would conceal them as they passed between the American war-ships. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. Some are too small and some too distant. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? the regular habit of reading the Bible at a fixed time, the occasional reminders of ourselves that God is looking on, these are our chief means of learning to remember His presence. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius, The Saints' Final Perseverance Secured by the Mercy of God, The saints' final perseverance secured by the mercy of God, David praises God for the truth of his word, He prophesies that the kings of the earth shall praise God. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. (4)In the dark as well as the light.3. Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. 1, 2. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. Our lives would be radiant with joy, and our lips filled with praise; the joy of the Lord would be our strength. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." The text, however, itself, is its own guard. David praises God for the truth of his word4. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. 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."(W. Whence the material universe? His omnipotence (vers. God has made us so. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. The thought will flash across us that God sees us.
the lord will perfect that which concerns me sermon