Victor Moore Jr, Articles T

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. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. You are anxiously asking Him, shall I persevere to the end? Chapter i. Ps. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? ad probam IV. v. 22). Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. Wherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. "I am, as Thy creature, wholly dependent on Thee; without Thee, faith must die, and hope expire; without Thee, love must decay and perish. 1, 2. 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. 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. When I preached or taught or wrote letters, that was Jesus at work in me. God is everywhere; not only above all as transcendent, but also through all and in all as immanent in nature. 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. lxxxv. THE DIVINE OMNIPRESENCE (vers. All that concerns present safety and future glory are thus secured. 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. so his questioner asks again; and the psalmist is at no loss for reply. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. 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. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. 1, 2. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. the lord will perfect that which concerns me sermon From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. (Weekly Pulpit. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. Ps. 13-16).4. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. THE LORD GIVES US REST IN HIS MERCY, for what says the text, "Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever." 17, 18).2. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. TRY TO LEARN HIS SECRET. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. David praises God for the truth of his word4. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. Whenever servants of the Lord come together and examine what it is that they need to be, there must be a vision of Christ. 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. (Admonition 23.) G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. "When a foul crime has been perpetrated, tender-hearted Christian women who would not harm a hair of the enemy's head, but would rather feed him, will express keen resentment, and will be disquieted in mind till they hear that the perpetrator has been convicted and duly punished." 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. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. 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. 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. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. (Admonition 23.) But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. 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. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. Psalm 138:8 KJV - The LORD will perfect that which - Bible Gateway For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. 7 ad 3m II. xlix. 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. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. 19 III. 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. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. If God is omniscient and omnipresent, then the moral character of His creatures is unveiled to His gaze, and clearly and distinctly known to Him. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? To Dominicus, Bishop. 7. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. v. 22). Whose works of grace, in that same earth, have steadily built up a kingdom of love, of peace, of righteousness? For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. 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. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. A Psalm by David. 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. 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. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. His omnipresence. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. v. 22). 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. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. 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. 7 ad 3m II. He cannot comprehend it, which is not strange, for how is the finite to comprehend the infinite? When David said the Lord will perfect that which concerns him, he wasnt praying to God. cxxxviii. G. T. Shedd, D. D.)God's presenceArchbishop Temple. For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. 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. Perfect all that concerns me O Lord (Psalm 138:8) O Lord, let Your hand of perfection straighten every crooked path before me. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. 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?' And here let us look upon the bright as well as the dark side of this subject. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. Phil 1:6. II. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. 1-6). When David said the lord will perfect that which concerns him, David wasn't saying how I wish the lord perfect that which concerns me. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me." ( v.16-17) An enemy is someone who wants harm to come to you either by their own action or by someone else's. Faith, Perfection, Mercy Of God, 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, [NEW YEAR] 4-Week Series to kick off 2023, [PRODUCTIVITY] Fulfill your full potential, [FOUNDATIONS] Getting back to what matters most. vi. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. 24).(W. A Call to God's Church | Higher Aim, Inc. OURSELVES. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. Hence he entreats God to see and disclose it, and then taking his hand to lead him in a way which, unlike the way of the wicked (Psalm 1:6), does not perish, but ends in everlasting life. 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. The Lord will bear with you and forbear. 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. 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. 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. Thoughtfulness soon degenerates into distrust, and holy anxiety easily rusts into unbelief. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. Rom. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. And so, as I thought and prayed about what I might bring to you in these wonderful days, I was drawn by the Holy Spirit . vi. 19-22).3. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. Nero's sword will not have the final say, but Jesus is going to bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. His omniscience. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. 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. It is a fearful distinction (Genesis 28:17). Psalms 138:8 - The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: th - GodTube I receive perfect joy, health, favour and breakthrough in the name of Jesus. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? David praises God for the truth of his word4. His omnipotence (vers. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. : 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. 19 III. Hence Paul Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the Great, Sense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 18, 19. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. xviii. The Lord's invitation to follow him is individual and personal, and it is compelling. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. But he knows it and bows in reverence before the sublime truth. 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. The faith of that Centurion He on this account chiefly praised, and said St. )PeopleDavid, PsalmistPlacesJerusalemTopicsAbandon, Accomplish, Age, Chief, Complete, Concerneth, Concerns, David, Endures, Endureth, Eternal, Everlasting, Fall, Forever, Forsake, Fulfil, Fulfill, Hands, Kindness, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Mercy, Musician, O, Perfect, Psalm, Purpose, Steadfast, WorksOutline1. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. xlix. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. 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. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. But in almost every case the dazzling rays of a searchlight frustrated the attempt, and the fugitives' vessel was captured by the Americans. v. 22). The thought will flash across us that God sees us. One day the Lord spoke to me through a particular scripture. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one of its aspects, it starts infinite hope in another. 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. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 1. xviii. 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. (Isa. 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. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. We become unconscious of everything by long use. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Rom. The Coming Andrew MurrayThe Ministry of IntercessionForasmuch as Each Man is a Part of the Human Race1. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." That He will complete the work. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one St. He is always involved in our lives as the Sovereign Orchestrator. 5. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. Rom. 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. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? 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? 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. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. So, David was saying it doesnt matter what my situation is today, it doesnt matter what is happening around me, I am convinced with everything in me because of the love and mercy of God, the Lord will perfect all that concerns me. The word, "me," in the text, cannot be appropriated by any man, unless he, in some respects, resembles the character of David, who penned this psalm. If God is omniscient and omnipresent, then the final judgment will be a time of full and complete revelation, as well as a time of righteous retribution (Ecclesiastes 11:14; Revelation 20:12). Chapter i. October 27th, 2022 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your Hands. Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. 1, 2. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one St. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. 15. 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. "And can you tell me," said the infidel, "whether your God is a great or a little God?" 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. Hoyt, D. D.)God's knowledge of manW. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. Understanding Celibacy. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. 19-22).3. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? 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. 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 takes His motives entirely from Himself. To Dominicus, Bishop. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. 3. - S.C. "Show me as much as I can stand, Lord." So what did God show him. II. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. 15. IV. vi. In the day when I cried, 32. Sunday, February 26, 2023~ Reverend Damaris Y Walker, Esq., Pastor 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. OURSELVES. 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. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. Even in its most rudimental form, invisible to any other ken, it is still open to His eyes, and He determines all its subsequent development, recording in His book the days to come, i.e. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. : 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. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. (4)In the dark as well as the light.3. The mercy of the creature is changeable; the mercy of Jehovah is unchangeable. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. 4. We become unconscious of everything by long use. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." "Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever." 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 former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. 1. 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. 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?' III. )PeopleDavid, PsalmistPlacesJerusalemTopicsAbandon, Accomplish, Age, Chief, Complete, Concerneth, Concerns, David, Endures, Endureth, Eternal, Everlasting, Fall, Forever, Forsake, Fulfil, Fulfill, Hands, Kindness, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Mercy, Musician, O, Perfect, Psalm, Purpose, Steadfast, WorksOutline1. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. I. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. Give me to see, and know that I am thine in an everlasting Covenant, which cannot be broken: that from having committed my soul-concerns into thy hands; all my earthly interests I may safely leave at the disposal; and that . Chapter i. 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. 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.