A Prayer for Our Consciences
The Collect- Today's Collect for the 12 S. after T.
"ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen. "
Today's Collect for the 12 S. after T. talks about something that we should all know ; the Epistle Lesson from 2 Corinthians 3 as well affirms this truth. In the LORD, there is liberty. In the LORD there is mercy and our consciences may recollect things we wish to forget . However in the Lord there is forgiveness and goodness and He gives " more than either we desire or deserve."
"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life." Mark Twain in brainyquote.com or "Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends. "H. L. Mencken As a child my favorite was what Jimmy Cricket sang in Pinnochio the Disney movie, " Give a little whistle, and always let your conscience be your guide."
Well, and how is the conscience to know the right thing? Ask the Supreme Court? Ask the Church? Ask ....?
1. We can either be slaves to our own whims or we can be servants of God in Christ. There is no other half way point. We must choose which master we are going to serve.
2 Cor 3 talks about the law and without the Spirit we cannot have life. See vs 6. The letter of the law kills, but the " Spirit giveth life." "The word “letter” (gramma) stands, not for what we call the literal meaning of Scripture, as contrasted with one which is allegorical or spiritual, but for the whole written code or law of Judaism. " Ellicott Commentary No OT saint was ever justified by working for it. Circumcision did not save either, just as baptism does not. The Spirit must be present in the heart so that faith is the means of salvation, " By it (faith) the elders obtained a good report." Hebrews 11:2
The early Church had this problem as well and the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians to tell them that " ...For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith which worketh by love." 5:6
Abraham was not given eternal life by keeping the law. " Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 3:6
2. Liberty in Christ. The vail has been taken away . Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.
No Christian can observe the law perfectly. We read the Ten Commandments once a month but they will not bring us eternal life by trying to keep them. We break them every day. We put other things before God certainly on a daily basis which is the first commandment.
As the prayer above says again, God is always more ready to hear than we are to pray. Our conversations unfortunately are often one sided. We are thinking about our response before we let the other person finish what they were saying....we are not really listening.
But God in whom we have liberty ( our national idea is liberty by the way, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, no taxation without representation---these things are the United States of America) is always ready to hear us. We need Him .
We are given more than we desire or deserve in God who is our Liberty . In Christ we keep the law, "...the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Galatians 3:24
The early Church had to fight the battles over keeping the law, such as circumcision . The Gentiles were not required according to the first General Council of the Church because the law was fulfilled in Christ alone for us.
What did Jesus say at His baptism? Matthew 3 ,"...Suffer it to be so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."
3. Lastly the prayer for today we ask , " Forgive us those things whereof our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. "
This reaches to the heart of today's message that troubled my thinking . Our consciences are often afraid and we do what? We worry. This was what I was going to talk about today in depth. Worry or anxiousness are sin. They are a lack of trust in God's providence and care for us. I Peter reminds us so well, " Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
God will forgive us for our shortcomings, failings, and lack of vision if we but ask for it. He gives us things which we are not even worthy to ask for. All of this is given to us because of the merits and mediation of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
To Him Be glory forever and ever.
"ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen. "
Today's Collect for the 12 S. after T. talks about something that we should all know ; the Epistle Lesson from 2 Corinthians 3 as well affirms this truth. In the LORD, there is liberty. In the LORD there is mercy and our consciences may recollect things we wish to forget . However in the Lord there is forgiveness and goodness and He gives " more than either we desire or deserve."
"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life." Mark Twain in brainyquote.com or "Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends. "H. L. Mencken As a child my favorite was what Jimmy Cricket sang in Pinnochio the Disney movie, " Give a little whistle, and always let your conscience be your guide."
Well, and how is the conscience to know the right thing? Ask the Supreme Court? Ask the Church? Ask ....?
1. We can either be slaves to our own whims or we can be servants of God in Christ. There is no other half way point. We must choose which master we are going to serve.
2 Cor 3 talks about the law and without the Spirit we cannot have life. See vs 6. The letter of the law kills, but the " Spirit giveth life." "The word “letter” (gramma) stands, not for what we call the literal meaning of Scripture, as contrasted with one which is allegorical or spiritual, but for the whole written code or law of Judaism. " Ellicott Commentary No OT saint was ever justified by working for it. Circumcision did not save either, just as baptism does not. The Spirit must be present in the heart so that faith is the means of salvation, " By it (faith) the elders obtained a good report." Hebrews 11:2
The early Church had this problem as well and the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians to tell them that " ...For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith which worketh by love." 5:6
Abraham was not given eternal life by keeping the law. " Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 3:6
2. Liberty in Christ. The vail has been taken away . Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.
No Christian can observe the law perfectly. We read the Ten Commandments once a month but they will not bring us eternal life by trying to keep them. We break them every day. We put other things before God certainly on a daily basis which is the first commandment.
As the prayer above says again, God is always more ready to hear than we are to pray. Our conversations unfortunately are often one sided. We are thinking about our response before we let the other person finish what they were saying....we are not really listening.
But God in whom we have liberty ( our national idea is liberty by the way, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, no taxation without representation---these things are the United States of America) is always ready to hear us. We need Him .
We are given more than we desire or deserve in God who is our Liberty . In Christ we keep the law, "...the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Galatians 3:24
The early Church had to fight the battles over keeping the law, such as circumcision . The Gentiles were not required according to the first General Council of the Church because the law was fulfilled in Christ alone for us.
What did Jesus say at His baptism? Matthew 3 ,"...Suffer it to be so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness."
3. Lastly the prayer for today we ask , " Forgive us those things whereof our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. "
This reaches to the heart of today's message that troubled my thinking . Our consciences are often afraid and we do what? We worry. This was what I was going to talk about today in depth. Worry or anxiousness are sin. They are a lack of trust in God's providence and care for us. I Peter reminds us so well, " Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
God will forgive us for our shortcomings, failings, and lack of vision if we but ask for it. He gives us things which we are not even worthy to ask for. All of this is given to us because of the merits and mediation of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
To Him Be glory forever and ever.
Comments
Post a Comment