Advent II
Dec 5,
2021
Fr. Phil
Eberhart
We seem
to live today in a world of polls and pollsters – trying to “read the mind” of
the everyday man or woman on the street.
From questions on history to questions on faith and belief, everyone seems
to want to know what everyone else thinks about subjects that matter.
Once
again, our collect has spoken to us about the vigilant faithfulness and the
process that we need to embark on to see that the Word of God truly takes root
in our lives and bears fruit in our lives.
Remember your hand illustration:
And our
prayer we just heard at the beginning of the service:
Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our
learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and
ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in
our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hear
them; read them; mark them; learn them, and inwardly digest them!
And I’ve
spoken to this recently, so this morning I want to go beyond to the WHY…
Let me
tell you why its so important.
This past
week on our clergy call, Bishop Bill introduced us to some research done last
year at Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center, in
collaboration with pollster, George Barna, regarding the state of Christian
beliefs in our nation.
Though I
hate these things, let me lay out a few statistics for us:
Inside
the American Church the prevailing belief is that people are basically good and
that you can “work” your way to Heaven in some way. One study discovered a waning of belief in
the sinless divinity of Jesus, and confusion on the persons of the
Trinity. Many are muddled on the moral
issues of our day, unclear on how the Holy Scriptures speak to certain “hot
topics” in our culture.
I read
yesterday that the Bible is being put on trial in Finland, as “hate speech.”
We’ve had
that statute in the Colorado laws for the last half decade! It’s not new news!
One of
the conclusions of the studies of the Worldview Center was that we have
substituted “moralistic, therapeutic deism” for Biblical
Christianity in much of the American Church today.
Moralism is taking up the political causes of
our day as a way to build your “stairway to heaven.” It is undergirded by the straw foundation of
tolerance and relativistic humanism which is rampant in our educational system
and popular culture. Moralism bends
truth to its own shape, and unbendingly forces opposition views to submit. It
is tolerant only of its own opinion!
Therapy is something that is good, in most
ways, but when it becomes the middle leg of our faith, it has overtaken its
scope of usefulness and threatens to usurp God Himself, as we look to our
therapist or our sharing group for all the answers to life and living.
Deism is the most dangerous of all, as it
relegates God to “somewhere, out there!”
A Bette Midler god, who is watching us from a distance, but is either
too aloof or too powerless to intervene and make a difference in our everyday
lives. And we don’t really want that kind of God anyway, because when He shows
up, He usually messes things up. We like
to be in control after all, and an actual God who thinks He’s in charge is very
messy and inconvenient.
And so,
by in large, in broad strokes, our American Christian worldview has been
watered down to such a degree that it is powerless and useless – something to
be discarded by the cultural “revolution” that seems to be in ascendancy right
now in America.
So Why is
it important for us to “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest”
the Holy Scriptures in our day?
1. Because they inform and should FORM
our worldview. Worldview is just what it
says it is – how we ‘see’ the world around us. In what terms and by what
definitions do we “live and move and have our being?” Are they based on Truth? Do they provide an actual Way to live
according to that truth? And is that Life
going to reach a certain end and leave a legacy of positive fruitfulness in its
wake? There is only ONE who said HE was
THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE! And He
is the Living Word!
2. Because the Scriptures link us to the
God who speaks through them. We don’t hear,
read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them because we “have to” but because we “get
to” and more so, “need to.”
Communication is the key to all relationship, both in our present mortal
life, with spouses and friends, co workers and strangers! It is also the key to our IMMORTAL
relationships with Almighty God, the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
who has made a way for us to have ‘access’ to Him, through His Son, by the
power of His Spirit.
3. Because the Scriptures, if obeyed,
will lead us on the path to everlasting life, beginning today! Everlasting life
is not simply a life with the time-stamp removed! It is a life of quality; of value; of
meaning; of real significance, that begins NOW! A life that is “marked as Christ’s own forever.” This kind of life is an examined life, where
the Word is “living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, discerning
the depths of our motivations, down deep to joints and marrow, to the thoughts
and intentions of the heart.” (Heb 4).
4. Because the Scriptures are the only
instrument of renewal and revelation that we have at our disposal. When we
leave them, we leave behind the anchor for our souls and place ourselves at the
whim of wind and wave.
They provide us with correct teaching, with appropriate
rebuke, with needed correction and practical training in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16)
They are the renewing force for our minds, as we gain more and more the “mind
of Christ” and are transformed into His image from glory to glory!
5. And finally, the Word of God is the
sure foundation; the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who dwelt
among us. He is the exact image of the
invisible God and our relationship with Him in salvation, is the only WAY to
the Father and ultimately to our heavenly reward. But this isn’t about “pie in the sky by and
by!” This is about the living of a life
in which the “precious promises” have enabled us to become “partakers of the
divine nature!” Imagine what the world
would look like from that worldview!
Peter tells us: Friends, add to
your faith:
Goodness or Moral Virtue: integrity, virtues of courage, nobleness, and vigorous moral
valor. Add to
that…
Knowledge: of God’s ways, of God’s Word, Intelligence,
Understanding
Self-control; Temperance… (the virtue of one who masters his desires and
passions, especially his sensual appetites)
Patience, Steadfastness, Constancy, Endurance
the characteristic of a man who is not swerved
from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the
greatest trials and sufferings
Godliness,
Holiness, Piety towards God
Brotherly
Love, Kindness the love in which Christians cherish each other
as brethren
Unconditional Love, AGAPE, or OT HESED: Unfailing Love
Now
listen to the promises after these verses:
8 Since these virtues are already planted deep within,[s] and you possess them in abundant supply,[t] they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in
your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately.
[2Pe 1:8
NASB20] 8 For if these [qualities] are yours and are increasing, they do not
make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Put in
the positive: If these qualities are
yours and are increasing, they will make and keep you useful and productive in
the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Friends,
Why do we
“hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest” the Word? Because these “precious promises” will become
your power to “partake in the very nature of the Almighty God of the Universe.” You will begin to look like Jesus, which is
the whole enchilada of God’s plan for you and for this world!
Let us
pray:
70. For
inner renewal through The Word (BCP 667)
Gracious
God and most merciful Father, you have granted us the rich and precious jewel
of your holy Word: Assist us with your Spirit, that the same Word may be
written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us
according to your own image, to build us up and edify us into the perfect
dwelling place of your Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly
virtues; grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
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