sheepspeak: October 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy (early) Reformation Day!

October 31st is the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing up his 95 Thesis. Here they are if you would like to read them in Latin: Amore et studio elucidande veritas hec subscripta disputabuntur Wittenberge, Presidente R.P. Martino Lutter, Artium et S. Theologie Magistro eiusdemque ibidem lectore Ordinario. Quare petit, ut qui non possunt verbis presentes nobiscum disceptare agant id literis absentes. In nomine domini nostri Hiesu Christi. Amen.

or in English: Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

---

www.sheepspeak.com

The Almost Christian (Part 3)

B. What is implied by being altogether a Christian?

“What more than this, can be implied in the being a Christian altogether?” Three things: the love of God, the love of one’s neighbour, and faith. One has to love God with every ounce of emotion and action. One must “love the Lord your God with all they heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” One must love all people, friends and enemies, and we must do so with such sincerity that we love them as much as we do ourselves. We must have faith in God. We must have more than a belief in God. We must have a faith in Christ that even ‘purifies the heart’. Only then according to Wesley are we altogether a Christian.

This second list is not disconnected from the first. The attributes of the ‘almost a Christian’ are a subset of the ‘altogether a Christian’. Wesley acknowledges that even in his less affluent and less self-focussed times, that this is a difficult teaching. He lets us know as well that it is not enough that we have good designs desires to be a good Christian. He reminds us that indeed the road to hell is paved with such good intentions. We must truly have faith and a genuine for love God and our neighbour.

Is Wesley right and true? I believe so. Does this sermon preach today? Yes. Does it preach in North America today? I am not sure. I believe that this message is a holiness message that should encourage all the saints to persevere and not grow faint. I think that so many in our pews may not be included even in the ‘almost a Christian’ category of Wesley’s. I think that maybe this good and strong teaching is solid food for the soul but I think that maybe, in our society, we are not ready yet to be weaned of the spiritual milk. I think this is all true but that maybe we need to first encourage our people to wear the white milk moustaches of prayer and Bible study and as we continue to seek His Kingdom in that way, we will eventually be ready for Wesley’s meat and potatoes.

---
www.sheepspeak.com

The Almost Christian (Part 2)

A. What is implied by being almost a Christian?

Wesley’s description of the ‘almost Christian’ includes three traits, the first of which is ‘heathen honesty’. Immediately one is drawn into his discussion, for one does not necessarily in our contemporary society equate heathens and honesty whereas Wesley describes them as more honest than many people even in the churches these days. Heathen honesty encompasses refraining from the following acts: being unjust, taking from one’s neighbour, oppressing the poor or the rich, defrauding anyone at all and – insofar as possible – owing anyone anything. The common heathen also acknowledges truth and justice and does not think highly of liars. They can also expect love and assistance from each other: they will feed the hungry and clothe the naked and give away all that they don’t need. One may engage in all these elements of ‘heathen honesty’ and still be only ‘almost a Christian’.

The second trait that defines the ‘almost Christian’ is a form of godliness. One displays this by doing nothing that the gospel forbids. Wesley presents a long list of sins that will be avoided including, among the obvious, those which one would not necessarily attribute to the heathen such as refraining from taking the Lord’s name in vain. The heathen ‘almost Christian’, Wesley claims, not only does not profane the day of the Lord but even does not allow strangers to profane it. How many in our churches fail to live up to the heathen standard here by causing others to work on the Lord’s Day as we have lunch at a restaurant after the service? Wesley explains further that the ‘almost Christian’ will refrain from excesses, revelling and gluttony. How many in our own ranks of TSA Officers have the waistline or knowledge of TV shows that can only be gained by being less than the ‘almost Christian’? Wesley does not stop here. He continues in defining the ‘almost Christian’ as one who “whatsoever his hand findeth to do, he doeth it with his might”: one is not slothful. The ‘almost Christian’ also leads people to Christ and encourages them towards holiness and yet is still only ‘almost Christian’. One goes to church and one leads one’s family in prayer and still one is not even achieved ‘almost a Christian’ status (Outler & Heitzenrater 1991, 66). There is more.

To be ‘almost a Christian’ one still needs a third trait: sincere faith. It is only when one has this “real inward principal of religion, from whence these outward actions flow” that we may indeed obtain the status of ‘almost a Christian.’ Quoting a heathen Epicurean poet: “Good men avoid sin from the love of virtue. Wicked men avoid sin from a fear of punishment.” According to Wesley, one can – on top of all that has already been discussed “have a sincere view of pleasing God in all things” and still only be ‘almost a Christian.’ Wesley then asks the question that most of us, I’m sure, would ask at this point and that is: “Is it possible that any man living should go so far as this, and, nevertheless, be only almost a Christian?” (Outler & Heitzenrater 1991,67).

'The Almost Christian' by John Wesley (Part 1)

Preached at St. Mary’s Oxford, before the University, on July 25, 1741.

Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (2008) by Captain Michael Ramsay

Sermon 2 by John Wesley launches into his discussion of what defines a Christian from the base of Acts 26:28 : 'Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian'

The primary metaphor that Wesley uses to unite the discussion is a description of one whom he defines as the ‘almost Christian’. This is a wonderful vehicle for the discussion; as he compares her/him to the ‘altogether Christian,’ it demands that the hearer/reader pay more attention than if Wesley had merely launched into a discourse of faith versus works. Most readers/listeners, I would imagine, at some point during the description of the ‘almost Christian’ would have cause to ask, as Wesley articulates “Is it possible that any man living should go so far as this, and, nevertheless, be only almost a Christian? What more than this, can be implied in the being a Christian altogether? ” (Outler & Heitzenrater 1991, 65).

Wesley divided this sermon into two major sections, each of which attempts to answer questions he raises from Acts 26:28:

A. What is implied by being almost a Christian?

B. What is implied by being altogether a Christian?

---
www.sheepspeak.com/

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Are you a Christian? (Armybarmy rerun)

from http://www.armybarmy.com/

I stumbled upon this old article recently:----I am a Christian. No big deal, you say? Isn’t everyone? Well, no. In fact, it’s a relatively small group. I know we’ve stretched the meaning of the word so that it includes everyone who goes to church, everyone who’s been baptized, everyone who votes a certain way, everyone born in certain western countries. But it’s nothing like that at all. There are specific fundamentals to which someone who is a Christian commits. These fundamentals distinguish such a person from these other bloated groups. Let’s see if we can narrow down the collection of “Christians” to those who really are.

The first fundamental is the infallibility of Scripture. The Bible is true. It is the inspired Word of God. In its original manuscripts there are no errors at all. And the Bible is the only divine rule of Christian faith and practice. That will exclude heaps of people. Don’t buy any arguments you hear about the Bible changing over the centuries. Those are the statements of the ignorant. And don’t buy that the Bible’s teachings are out of date, that they are no longer valid because they failed to keep up with changes in culture. The Bible was affirming that the earth is a sphere even when, in the day of Columbus, the culture was claiming that it was flat. Truth is not determined by consensus.

The second fundamental is the Deity of Christ. That means Jesus is God. As the prophet Isaiah says, He is the mighty God, the everlasting Father. I know, I know; that excludes all the cults that claim Him variously as angel, prophet, enlightened one, or other such created being. It’s a radical thing to say, certainly not politically correct. But I’m afraid that’s it. Christians believe that Jesus is God.

The third fundamental is the Virgin Birth and the miracles of Christ. Now if you buy into the first two fundamentals this one is no big deal, since the Bible explains the virgin birth and Jesus as God can obviously pull off miracles. As you might imagine though, this is a big stretch for our ‘educated’ society. I mean, how can a virgin have a baby? But we’re dealing with God here, not your experience. The Former is a bit larger than the latter.

The fourth is Christ’s propitiatory death. Wow! Jesus didn’t die just as an example for us. He didn’t die by mistake. He didn’t die as a martyr to a cause. He didn’t die for political reasons. He died just because you and I - and everyone else - bear a MUCH closer resemblance to Adolph Hitler than we do to Jesus Christ, and He wants to change that. You see, we’re all in our natural state chock full of sin. Our sin separates us from God. Jesus died in our place so that our sins can be forgiven and we can be reconciled with God through repentance and faith.

The last fundamental is Christ’s physical resurrection and eventual return. Jesus actually came back to life, nail puncture holes and everything! It was a huge miracle. There were 500 eye witnesses. And He’s coming back like He promised. In the meantime we needn’t complain about who is not included, even if you are in that number. Instead, I invite you to consider these fundamentals of orthodox Christian belief. I invite you to submit to the living God, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, described in the infallible Scriptures, who died so that you may be saved, came physically back to life, and who is coming back. Ask Him to forgive you and change you, today.

----Who put the fun back into fundamentalism! :-)

from Armybarmy

previously run on this blog Saturday October 18, 2008

---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Monday, October 12, 2009

We'll be away for a while

Here's some reading for you (if you like) while we're gone:

Articles and Papers:
www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsays_opinion.htm
Sermons:
http://www.sheepspeak.com/sermons.htm
More Sermons:
http://www.sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/
Comics and Rations:
http://www.drwas.blogspot.com/
Everything:
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Enjoy!

Why do I turn to substances for Help

The Nipawin Journal, December 2007.
By Captain Michael Ramsay

Why do I turn to substances for help?

This is a question that I have actually heard quite a bit in my life. I was privileged to be invited to a birthday party at AA recently and at these celebrations one hears, among other things, the remarkable stories of success as the Lord delivers people from our addictions.

Prior to coming here we served in Winnipeg’s North End, Stony Mountain Penitentiary, and Vancouver’s downtown eastside with The Salvation Army. There are many stories. Some are of wonderful successes as the Lord transforms lives and some are of daily struggles that continue for a lifetime.

I think of friends from our time on Vancouver Island. The day she and her husband accepted the Lord she stood up sober and never turned back. He has fought almost everyday to defend his sobriety: It is a struggle.

To some of us, substances possess a Siren-like song: this song has such a powerful draw. In Greek mythology, the Sirens are creatures with the head of a woman and the body of a bird. They live on islands and with their irresistible song lure mariners to their destruction as they crash on the rocks near their island.

We have seen people as young as elementary school age who have been tempted by this Siren song to a slow (or quick) slide into ‘skid row’ and many of my friends from prison wound up there, in part, because they succumbed to substance’s Siren song; for them the Siren’s song ended in the song of sirens coming to take them away.

Myself even, I confess, there are days when a part of me would really like the temporary release that substances seem to offer but, with the Lord’s help, I will continue to persevere and I will finish the race – clean.

I have a friend who continuously asks me if it ever gets easy; I have another friend who reminds me that it is just one day at a time. One thing that I have noticed about substances and other struggles in our lives is that the more we turn to the Lord, the easier it becomes to resist temptation and on the days when we lose the battle with temptation, it is very important that we don’t surrender the war. With the Lord, our walk truly is one day at a time.

www.sheepspeak.com

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Hebrews 8: Covenant, Milkshakes and the New World Order (PART 7)

What is this new covenant?

Since this old covenant did not give us the Heavenly milkshake, what about the new covenant? What is it? Can God use the new covenant as a way to share the milkshake of eternal life with us? What is this new covenant that is God’s seemingly new idea? Firstly we should note that it’s not really a new idea at all.[15] God knew all along that He would eventually implement this new covenant. He knew this even before He put the old one in place but this new one comes into place with Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection (cf. Genesis 15:7-21; Jeremiah 34:18-20; Romans 7:1-7).[16] Jesus’ death fulfils the old covenant: it is finished (John 19:30). The old one – as bad as we were at living up to it - was not thrown out before it was finished; it was only discarded after it was completed on the cross.

It is like with our children. Our girls are only 7 and 8 right now but we know that someday there will be curfews and guidelines for using the car but there is no need for those to come into place just yet. We know this new order will eventually be coming to our home; it is not here yet but it is inevitable. Likewise, God knew that this new covenant was inevitable even before He made the old one.[17]

As far as my children are concerned, even further down the road (and probably an even better analogy to God’s new covenant), relating to these curfews and guidelines for driving the car that we will eventually have for our girls: there will come a time when even these rules will no longer be needed. Our children will grow up and be ready to have a relationship with us, and the world, as responsible adults. If we do our job as parents, then our children will grow up to love God, read their Bibles, love their neighbour and clean up after themselves – all on their own, without our rules to make them do it. They will do their chores and assignments as adults living and working in the world without us needing us to enforce our old house rules. (If we try to enforce our old house rules after our children have moved out, it will not work: our whole relationship with our children will inevitably fail.) This is what the Law and the old covenant is like; it was only good until the enactment of the new covenant at the advent of Christ (Galatians 3:24-25). The advent of Christ is like humanity’s coming of age – it is our growing up, our leaving home for the final time (Galatians 4:4).[18]

Paul tells us in Galatians 3:23-25 that the old covenant and the Law was needed but that the people were being imprisoned and guarded by the Law. He says that the Law –depending upon your translation -was our guard, our disciplinarian, our custodian, or some translations even say our schoolteacher. In Galatians 4, the Apostle Paul goes on to explain the Law as if it were this guardian servant who is the tutor of a small child. The guardian servant only has any authority until the child is grown, then the child has authority over her servant. And now we are here today; we are like the twenty-something year-old son or daughter who is making her way in the world today without our tutor, without our teacher, without our parents’ house rules but still with our Heavenly Father’s very real love. This is what the new covenant is. We no longer have the house rules to follow but because God raised us well, we can read our family history (the Bible) and because we are His children we can live the way He would have us live and this is good (1 Thessalonians 5:12-24). And the really good thing too is that – just like a Christian parent of an adult child – if for some reason we do become confused in life, we can always come to God. God is even closer than a phone call away; God is as close as a prayer.

Let us call upon Him now.

---
www.sheepspeak.com

Hebrews 8: Covenant, Milkshakes and the New World Order (PART 6)

Was there anything wrong with the old agreement itself?

Was there anything wrong with the old covenant, the old agreement itself that is now obsolete? Yes and no.[13] No, in that the old covenant was certainly fair: God promised that He would look out for His chosen covenant partners and He did. He let them enter His rest so long as they loved Him and their brothers and sisters. It is like any of us who are parents saying, “all right children, we can all go for a milkshake at the ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ ice cream parlour after dinner so long as you kids don’t fight and don’t give me a bad time.” This seems fair.[14] The problem is that the children of Israel just wouldn’t stop fighting and they weren’t very nice to their Father either. They were always fighting. They were always hurting each other. And they didn’t even bother to obey their curfew. They were likely to not even come home at all. Instead they’d hang out all night in the hill country with the Baals when they should have been spending the night safely in the protection of their Father’s house. And when they did come home the children of Israel would fight amongst themselves about all of this and more too. They didn’t show their love for their Father or for their brothers or their sisters.

A big part of the problem with Israel’s disobedience was that God promised them the metaphorical milkshakes from the ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ ice-cream shop IF they would JUST be good. And even though they didn’t deserve it, God really still wanted to give them their ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ milkshakes (See for examples Isaiah 3:1-6; 8:16-22; 9:1-7; Jeremiah 31, Amos 9, Micah 2:1-11-13; 5:1-4). Not only that: He wanted to drink the milkshakes with them in the ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ ice-cream shop, Himself. He wanted to spend this quality time with His children. He wanted to have fun with them. He wanted to give them all of this and much more but they just wouldn’t stop fighting and they just wouldn’t listen to Him so He just wouldn’t give them their reward.

This was the purpose of the milkshake incentive: the purpose of the Law, the old covenant, was to bring people closer to God so that they could experience His Salvation. God’s Law, His old covenant – that He set up so that His children could come for the eternal ice-cream with Him – this Law, that was created for good, actually wound up preventing His children from getting the ice-cream that God wanted to share with them. Because they were bad and they didn’t deserve this ice cream, God was very sad. God kept His part of the covenant. God wanted to enjoy that milkshake with them in the ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ ice-cream parlour but they just wouldn’t co-operate (See Romans 3:3,4). This old covenant failed to bring people into a Salvific relationship with God (Hebrews 8:7-9; See Hebrews 4, Numbers 14 and Deuteronomy 1; See also Galatians 3-4). God’s chosen people, the children of Israel failed Him; the Law therefore did not provide for their (our) salvation (see Galatians 3 and Romans 2:1-14).

---
www.sheepspeak.com

Hebrews 8: Covenant, Milkshakes and the New World Order (PART 5)

What happened to this ‘old covenant’? Why is it obsolete?

So what happened then? Why was all that the people knew and loved in the old covenant simply crumpled up and tossed away? Hebrews 8:13 records that this old covenant is now obsolete and even at the time this sermon to the Hebrews was preached it was already fading away. Why was it fading away already? How is it obsolete? What happened to this covenant? The terms of the covenant were broken. The Israelites broke them. The covenant was a conditional contract and Israel broke the conditions of it. Like we saw in the children’s story today, ‘Jeremiah’ (www.sheepspeak.com./jeremiah.pdf),[8] ancient Israel turned their backs on God. Israel turned their backs on their fellow YHWH worshipers. They betrayed the Lord and they betrayed each other. It would take much too long to run through all or even many of the times that Israel (The Hebrews) defied God or how they broke their covenant. One of the key ways, however, would be their neglect of the disenfranchised[9]: the poor, the widow, the immigrant (see for example, Exodus 23:6,11, Leviticus 19:10,15, 23:22, 27:8, Deuteronomy 15:7, 15:11, 24:12-15, 1 Samuel 2:8, Psalms 22:26, 34:6, 35:10, 82:3, Isaiah 61:1, Ezekiel 16:49, 18:12, 22:29, Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11-12, 8:4-6, Zechariah 7:10, Matthew 6:19-21, 19:13-26, 25:31-46).[10] One comment pertaining to this that I would point us towards is in the New Testament Gospels themselves. Remember when Jesus was asked about the old covenant and the Law? What did He say summed up the whole Law and the prophets? (Matt 22:36-40; see also Luke 10:25-28, Exodus 20, 34, Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 5, 10)? Love God and Love your neighbour. How does one love one’s neighbour? By Looking after the most vulnerable in society, by turning the other cheek, and by bringing others to the Lord (see Matthew 6:19-21, 19:13-26, 25:31-46). Micah 6:8 says that we are to ‘love justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God’. The Hebrews didn’t do this. They did not live up to the terms of the agreement.

An important point to remember here is that this covenant wasn’t exactly cancelled (See Leviticus 26:42-44; Deuteronomy 7:9; Judges 2:1; Matthew 5:17-20, 24:35; Luke 16:17, 27:33; Romans 3:3-4, 31, 7:1-6) rather it was completed (fulfilled) by the advent of Christ (See John 19:30). Remember that we said when we were defining covenants that when they are made with the Lord, He will be faithful until they are completed[11] (See Leviticus 26:42-44; Deuteronomy 7:9; Judges 2:1; Matthew 5:17-20, 24:35; Luke 16:17, 27:33; Romans 3:3-4, 31, 7:1-6). This old covenant wasn’t forsaken. It was completed or even renewed like a library book or a rented movie. When the allotted time for borrowing a book or a movie is completed, it can be renewed. We must not forget though that, as there is a penalty to pay if we fail to live up to the rental terms – if we’re late or damage the book/video there are late fees - so too there was a penalty that Christ paid on our behalf before He renewed our covenant[12] (see Jeremiah 31:31ff, Ezekiel 36:16ff, Joel 2:28ff, and also Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; 6:10; 9:25; Ezekiel 44:7). Let me explain by exploring a couple of more questions.

---
www.sheepspeak.com

Hebrews 8: Covenant, Milkshakes and the New World Order (PART 4)

What were some of the features of this old covenant that is now obsolete?

This old covenant was very, very important to the Hebrews people. There whole society was founded upon it. It was more important but not entirely dissimilar to the Canadian Constitutional Acts of 1982 and 1867 or even the Magna Carta and Habeus Corpus. There were a number of activities and ceremonies that were involved in the many cultural traditions that related to this old covenant, such as circumcision (this was actually directly related to Abraham’s covenant but often seen in light of the Mosaic covenant; John 7:22, see Genesis 17:11); ceremonial hand-washing; worshipping at the Temple (They would try to go here at least once a year); priests and Levites who had various jobs relating to the covenant; Sabbath (even though this has its roots even before Moses, in creation itself; See Genesis 2:2, Exodus 20:11, Hebrews 4); the Ten Commandments (the Law and the prophets are closely associated with it too; see Exodus 20, 34; Deuteronomy 5, 10); frequent sacrifices (of course); and much more.

Between all of these things relating to Moses, the election of the Hebrews for the task of proclaiming salvation to the world (see Genesis 12:3), the Temple and the Torah – even though the Israelites did not live up to the terms of the covenant – these ceremonies were very significant to the people. They loved them. They were extremely important to them; it was like a number of things are to some of us who have been involved with The Salvation Army for a while: the band, timbrels, songsters, Soldiers, Officers, uniforms, emergency disaster work, community and family social work, evangelism, League of Mercy (Community Care Ministries), thrift stores, etc.

But even more than that – Moses, election, the Temple, the Torah and all their ceremonies and holidays were as important to them as is to us: birthday parties, Sunday church services, New Years celebrations, Christmas, Christmas Eve, and Easter. It would be as difficult for the Hebrews to imagine life without the ceremonies of the old covenant, as it would be for us to imagine winter without Christmas. What are some other things that are very important to us in our culture – that are part of our everyday life? Our national anthem at hockey games and school assemblies, our public schools themselves, Medicare, and even our own Canadian style hospitals.

The old covenant covered every aspect of the Hebrews’ lives. The old covenant was as important to people then as a child’s birthday party or Christmas holidays and all they entail are to us here today. Our text (Hebrew 8:8-13) is saying that God has taken this whole important system to the Hebrews (like Christmas trees, Easter eggs, nativity scenes, and birthday presents to us), crumpled it up like a piece of paper and thrown it into the garbage. This would be even more devastating for them than if God took all of our Canadian Christmas traditions, crumpled them up and tossed them in the same garbage can. God says that their very important covenant is old. Jeremiah says that they need a new one. The preacher of this sermon to the Hebrews says that it is obsolete and should be thrown away and even replaced. Can you imagine how difficult that would be for the Hebrews of that day and age to deal with?

---
www.sheepspeak.com

Hebrews 8: Covenant, Milkshakes and the New World Order (PART 3)

What is this ‘old’ covenant?

So if a covenant is a tie that will not be broken then that raises the question, what are the new and old covenants? From our text today (Hebrews 8:8-13; cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34) we are speaking about the importance of a new covenant and if there is a new covenant then we know, of course, as Hebrews Chapters 7-13 record, there is an old covenant (See Hebrews 7:18-19; 8:6-7, 13; 10:13). We will look at the new covenant in a little bit here but first, in order to fully understand it, I think we need to look at the old covenant: what is this old covenant that the homiletician to the Hebrews is preaching about here?

We know that there are actually many old covenants made as part of the Old Testament, in the old world order. In the old covenant, in the Old Testament of the Bible some of the Big ones include God’s covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:17; Numbers 25:12). What was it that God promised Noah? Never again to flood the earth (Genesis 9:8-17). What was the symbol of this covenant? A Rainbow. Genesis 9:8-17)

Remember Genesis 6-9: the world was evil and deserved to be destroyed but God showed mercy to Noah’s family and the animals of the earth and He showed Noah how to make an Ark (a big boat), which he did, and with this humans and all the other animals of the earth were saved from extinction. Remember that God took Noah’s family and two of some of the animals and seven of others. God then made a covenant and a promise to Noah that He wouldn’t destroy the earth by flood again (see Hebrews 11:7). He left it open should He decide to destroy it some other way (fire, nuclear holocaust, plague, etc.) but He promised never to destroy the earth by flood again.

Another covenant: a really important covenant that God made (I would say probably the most important on the other side of the cross) would be the covenant He made with Abraham (Genesis 12-17; cf. Hebrews 11:8). What did the LORD promise Abraham? That all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3); that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17) or stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5, 22:17, 26:4); and that, provided his descendants were faithful, they would occupy the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:7-21). What was the symbol of this covenant? Circumcision (Genesis 17). Who is the one through whom this covenant that all the nations of the earth will be blessed is completed? Jesus.[5]

There was also the covenant that God made with David (2 Samuel 7, 2 Samuel 23:5; 1 Chronicles 17; cf. Psalms 89:3, 28-29; 93; 110:4). This comes into play a little bit in Hebrews here as well (especially in Hebrews 3:7-4:13).[6] This covenant stated that God would build a house, a dynasty for David’s descendents and that David would never fail to have an heir sit on his throne (2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17). This covenant was eventually fulfilled/completed through Jesus, of course, who sits on this throne forever.

These covenants all intermingle a lot in the history, truth, and the prophetic imagination of the Hebrews.[7] The main covenant of which we are speaking about in our text today (Hebrews 8:8-13, 10:19-39) though is the covenant with Moses. The covenant with Moses states that the people with inherit the Promised Land if they are faithful to the Lord; this covenant with Moses includes the Decalogue [Ten Commandments] and the Law; see Exodus 20, Exodus 34, Deuteronomy 5, Deuteronomy 10).

Roughly sketched out, the covenant here is that God will be the Hebrew’s God and they will be His people and He will give them the Promised Land IF they simply remain faithful to Him and His Law (Deuteronomy 5:32, 33). This condition is important. That is some of what the prophet Jeremiah was dealing with in the children’s story we read earlier and this is most certainly what the preacher of Hebrews is dealing with here (Jeremiah 31:31-35; Hebrews 8:8-13). Jeremiah said that if they abandon their covenant with the LORD then it will be no good to them and they will need a new one if they leave their old one behind. The preacher to the Hebrews (Hebrews 8:13) says that the old one now has now become ‘obsolete’.

---
www.sheepspeak.com

Hebrews 8: Covenant, Milkshakes and the New World Order (PART 2)

What is a covenant?

Can anyone tell me what a covenant is? A covenant is an agreement or a contract. The most commonly translated word for covenant (Berit[h], diatheke in the LXX), actually refers to being bound, tied or even shackled together.[3] Some common covenants that we have in our day and age are our Soldiership covenant (full membership in The Salvation Army), our Officer’s covenant (part of our ordination process) and – of course – the marriage covenant. With the word for covenant meaning to be shackled together, the marriage covenant (and others) always makes me think of that expression, “the old ball and chain” – it isn’t really so far off the true meaning and it is actually a good thing. Maybe instead of an old chain we should more positively phrase it as a seatbelt though: same idea but a much better image. Covenants meant are to keep us safely strapped in, safely bound together before the Lord.

Being bound to God or another person is like a three-legged race where we are tied to our partner for a purpose: to run a race.[4] In a three-legged race you’ll notice that some people run it with ease while others fall and trip all over each other. I’ve seen dads tied to their kids who’ve simply picked them up and run without breaking the tie that binds.

This is very much like how a covenant works. If we tie ourselves to God or anyone else in a sacred vow and do not follow God closely, it’s impossible to even finish, let alone win the race and experience victory with Christ. If we try to go our own way, we will crash like unsuccessful partners in a three-legged race.

On the other hand, if we move in step with each other, bound together by the tie of holy covenant, the race is easy and one can often move even faster than if she were running on her own. It is like this with our covenants before God, if we remain faithful and lean on our Heavenly Father we will find life’s race a lot easier. This is in essence what a covenant is: it is a contract, an agreement, a tie that binds us to our partner in life’s three-legged race and when Lord is involved that tie will not be broken until the race is successfully completed.

---
www.sheepspeak.com

Hebrews 8: Covenant, Milkshakes and the New World Order (PART 1)

Presented to Swift Current Corps, 11 October 2009
By Captain Michael Ramsay

Click HERE to read the scriptures
Click HERE to read a related children's story, Jeremiah.

Today we are going to be speaking about the new world order a little bit. I’m not talking about the new world order that the US Presidents have been proclaiming ever since the Soviet Union dissolved or even the one that seems to be shaping up these days with China at the helm. I’m talking about the new world order that the Lord proclaimed when Christ conquered Sin and Death (Romans 5-8, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, see Hebrews 2:14-15). There are many parts of this new world order that the preacher of the sermon to the Hebrews (Remember that the book of Hebrews is probably a sermon and not a letter) concentrates on in this section of the scriptures (Hebrews 7:1-10:39): He speaks about a priestly order enacted in the tradition of Melchizedek (7:1-8:13), a new priestly worship (9:1-15), death and purification (9:16-28), benefits of priestly ministry and the sacrifice of Christ, and about worship in this new world order (10:19-39).[1] And a fundamental aspect of this new world order is a so-called new covenant that accompanies it. It is this new covenant that we will be focusing on today as it is expressed particularly Hebrews 8:8-13.[2] First, however, I think that there are some general things that we should look at.

---
www.sheepspeak.com

2 Corinthians 9:12-15: Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift! (Hurricane Ike relief)

Presented to each the Nipawin and Tisdale Corps 12 October 2008
and Swift Current Corps via video 25 October 2009
by Captain Michael Ramsay

Hurricane Ike struck Galveston TX a few weeks ago. More than 1 million people were evacuated from Texas and to date more than 72 people have been found dead as a result of Hurricane Ike. Bodies were still being found when I left a couple of days ago.

Homes are destroyed. Businesses are destroyed. The sewers, the water, and the phones are still not working. People are housed in shelters both on and away from Galveston Island. Many still have no place to go. Power is still out in some of the parts where we were posted. The power outage means that even for families that did not lose their stoves and refrigerators – and most did; there were many refrigerators destroyed and lying on the side of the road for pick up – they were unable to keep or cook any food. They don’t have food and they don’t have water.

Food and water: this is a big part of The Salvation Army mission down there. We have around 30 food trucks (called canteens) from which we help to serve around 75 000 hot meals every day and give the people water and ice. Ice is very important. It was around 900 F during our time there. And the food: many people told me that without The Salvation Army they wouldn’t have eaten at all. They wouldn’t have survived. We thank the Lord for the service that the volunteers are providing to God and this community. We pray for them that as they continue to serve down there, the Lord will continue to bless greatly the volunteers and the populace alike.

2 Corinthians 9:12-15: This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Thanks be to God indeed on this Canadian Thanksgiving Day.

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/search/label/October%202008%20Thanksgiving

---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." - Canadian Parliament

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October.

The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!

For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed." Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.

Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks to the Lord for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October. Please remember to offer thanksgiving to almighty God this weekend for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.

DR Was for October 11th

Nehemiah 5-6 and Psalm 146 and Luke 24

"Love your anenamies"

DR Was for October 10th

Nehemiah 3-4 and Luke 23

more comics: http://drwas.blogspot.com/
---
home: http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Do Miricles Still Happen?

The Nipawin Journal, September 2008.
By Captain Michael Ramsay

There was a fellow who decided to go parachuting with his friend. As neither of them had ever been parachuting before they needed to be trained. They spent the day at the airport studying wind trajectories, physics, the speed of acceleration of a free falling object, as well as what to do if your parachute fails to open. The one friend did not understand it at all and even when they practiced with a mock parachute, he didn’t get it.

They went to the plane. Flipping a coin to see who would go first, the friend lost and was supposed to jump first. Discovering, however, at about 850 ft in the air that he was afraid of heights, he convinced his companion to jump first.

They were jumping from 3000 ft. As this was their first jump, cords were tied to their parachutes so that they would open automatically upon exiting the plane. The companion climbed out on the wing (as he was supposed to) jumped, counted to five (as they practiced), looked up saw that the parachute had opened beautifully and enjoyed one of the most peaceful experiences of his life noticing the miracles of God’s creation while drifting to the ground on this perfectly windless day.

The friend, emboldened, does the same: climbs onto the wing, jumps, counts and looks to see the parachute; he reaches to grab the steering toggles on his parachute…they aren’t there. His parachute isn’t there (most of it anyway). It isn’t working. He has to take it off his back and pull the emergency chute all the while following faster and faster towards the ground. As he pulls the cord, he prays: “Lord, please save me.” He pulls the cord, looks, and the emergency chute didn’t open properly either. It isn’t catching any wind. It isn’t slowing him down. He falls beneath the trees towards the power lines and highway below.

It is at this time that the Lord’s hand reaches out and actually lifts the parachutist up in the air, opens his parachute and gently sets him on the ground without a scratch. This is a true story; I am that parachutist.

Miracles do happen.

In another sense, we are each that parachutist, our lives are that journey from the plane and, as we call on the name of the Lord, we can all be saved. This too is a miracle.

Captain Michael Ramsay
The Salvation Army
www.sheepspeak.com

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Hebrew 4, Sanctification and Resting with God

The preacher of this sermon to the Hebrews argues here that the rest that the generation of Israelites with Moses rejected is even more than just the Promised Land (Numbers 14). The preacher explains this rest that they turned down in terms of the creation of the world. He says, Hebrews 4:3b-5, “And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: ‘And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.’ And again in the passage above he says, ‘They shall never enter my rest’” (See also Genesis 2:1-2; Exodus 20:8-11). He speaks about us entering into the same kind of rest that God has experienced since creation.

How do we enter into this rest?

How do we enter in this rest without giving up and falling short of the prize as Hebrews 4:11 warns us (Cf. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, (Philippians 3, 1 Timothy 6:12, Luke 9:62)? What does it look like to enter God’s rest?

Is it not just simply a time after we die - it relates to something here and now -today- in our own lives as well. It refers to something that we in The Salvation Army refer to as 'entire sanctification'. The Kingdom of God, after all, is at hand.

Pfeiffer says that, “This ‘Sabbath rest’ does not mean the end of service to God and works which are the fruit of the Spirit. On the contrary, this rest [is what] makes such works possible. It is not simply the rest of Heaven but the rest of the spirit in Christ…"

The Heidelberg Catechism states “that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.”

The Salvation Army’s Officers are called to give up all secular employment and work for God alone. All of us as Christians are called to serve God and serve God alone. In this way, by putting off the old self (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:9) and clothing ourselves fully with Christ (Romans 13:14, Galatians 3:27), by serving him and not ourselves, I believe that we too can experience God’s rest and the Kingdom of God that the Gospels tell us about that is at hand right now (See Matthew 12:28, 21:32, Mark 1:15, Mark 4:11, Luke 9:27, 10:9, 10:11, 11:20, 17:21, 21:31, John 3; See also Acts, Romans 13:11-14, 1 Corinthians 6:2, 1 Corinthians 15:2, Ephesians 2:8, 1 Peter 1).

The Salvation Army’s tenth doctrine states, “We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that [our] whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We can all enter that rest today (Hebrews 4:7, Psalm 95:6-9). Hebrews 4:12, 13 records, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

So then let us all take the time to enter God's sanctified rest today and celebrate with Him forever the eternal Sabbath.

Related sermon, Hebrews 4:1-13: a much needed rest : http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/09/hebrews-41-11-12-much-needed-rest.html

---
www.sheepspeak.com/

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Does God take time off?

What does it mean ‘God rested on the seventh day (Hebrews 4:9; Genesis 2:7)’?

· Our very breath comes from God and therefore if He withholds His breath, if He takes the day off and takes His spirit from us, then we will surely die (Psalm 104:29-30; See Genesis 2:7, 2 Samuel 22:16, Job 27:3, Job 33:4, Psalm 18:15, Ezekiel 37, Revelation 11:11).

· John 5:17: when Jesus was rebuked for healing on the Sabbath “Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”’ Jesus said that his Father is always working – not periodically with some catnaps here and there: not taking a break to go to the lake. God and Jesus, Jesus says, are always working.

· William Lane reminds us that rest for those with Moses and Joshua referred to relief from turmoil and secured borders that were to accompany entrance to the Promised Land - not idleness (Deuteronomy 12:9-10; see Numbers 14 and Psalm 95:7-11).

· He further emphasizes that the preacher of the sermon to the Hebrews here is connecting God’s act of creation to Psalm 95:11

· Simon J. Kistemaker says, “Rest for God does not mean idleness; rather it is a cessation from the work of creation; God continues to enjoy this rest now that the work of his creation is completed.”

Related sermon, Hebrews 4:1-13: a much needed rest : http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/09/hebrews-41-11-12-much-needed-rest.html

---
www.sheepspeak.com/

What exactly is God’s rest (Hebrew 4:3-5)?

· The preacher of this sermon to the Hebrews argues here that this rest Israel has rejected is even more than that land (Hebrews 3:11, Numbers 14). The preacher explains in terms of the creation of the world. He says, Hebrews 4:3b-5, “And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: ‘And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.’ And again in the passage above he says, ‘They shall never enter my rest’” (See also Genesis 2:1-2; Exodus 20:8-11). He speaks about us entering into the same kind of rest that God has experienced since creation.

· God’s rest means that He has finished His creation and that is good (Genesis 1:31-2:2). God’s rest is not a temporary state of ‘taking time off work’ – because we know that God never stops working (John 5:17). God’s rest is rather a cause for a celebration that we are invited to join. God’s rest is this ‘perfect Sabbath rest’

Related sermon, Hebrews 4:1-13: a much needed rest : http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/09/hebrews-41-11-12-much-needed-rest.html

---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/

Monday, October 05, 2009

As Christians do we have a responsibility to take care of the poor?

Captain Michael Ramsay
Nipawin Journal
January 2008

Little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

"Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbour as yourself.'"

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:13-26).

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).”

Canada is one of the richest nations on earth; one in six Canadian children live in poverty. Do I have a responsibility to share my wealth with those who are poor? Yes.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Sally Back

hat tips: Captain Sheldon Bungay and

New Saskatchewanite, Carlye Morris

A Soldier's Covenant

JAC, Issue #63
by Jessica Bryant

In the few years that I’ve been involved in the Salvation Army, I’ve seen a lot of people come in and out. Many of these people were just testing the waters; or so to speak. While, many of these same people came simply for free lunch after the Sunday morning service.

My main concern is seeing Soldiers drift in and out of their uniforms. It's okay to struggle and work through things with your faith and with your covenant (if we didn't, then how would we learn or grow stronger)? As far as I'm concerned, it is healthy to figure things out. What’s unhealthy is turning your back on the church, or worse on your Covenant. I have seen too many Soldiers think that their commitment means nothing, and they simply abandon the church that loved them, encouraged them and taught them.

A Solidership covenant with the Salvation Army is just that, a covenant.

read more: http://www.armybarmy.com/JAC/article7-63.html

---
JAC on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

---
www.sheepspeak.com