Sermon for March 17th, 2019 - Revision history

Iraneal at 07:06, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 07:00, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 06:58, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 05:37, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 05:09, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 04:04, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 03:16, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 03:12, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 02:58, 12 March 2019

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Iraneal at 01:21, 12 March 2019

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 CALVIN:  You are patient, not in spite of your sorrows, but because of them and all they have taught you.  And we are blessed not because of what God has given...or taken...but because he loves us enough to take and give at all.
-NEAL:  One of my favorite poets is Lord Alfred Tennyson.  In contemplating the loss of a dear friend, he put it this way:
+NEAL: So...I know I'm only allowed to invite two people from the past into this conversation.  But to the words of my favorite theologian, and my favorite Biblical character, I can't help adding the words of my favorite poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson.  In contemplating the loss of a dear friend, he said:
   I envy not in any moods

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:00, 12 March 2019
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	CALVIN: You are patient, not in spite of your sorrows, but because of them and all they have taught you. And we are blessed not because of what God has given...or taken...but because he loves us enough to take and give at all.		CALVIN: You are patient, not in spite of your sorrows, but because of them and all they have taught you. And we are blessed not because of what God has given...or taken...but because he loves us enough to take and give at all.

−	NEAL: It is better to have loved and lost~~, than~~ never to have loved at all~~. Blessed be the name of the Lord~~.	+	NEAL: One of my favorite poets is Lord Alfred Tennyson. In contemplating the loss of a dear friend, he put it this way:
		+
		+	I envy not in any moods
		+	The captive void of noble rage,
		+	The linnet born within the cage,
		+	That never knew the summer woods:
		+
		+	I envy not the beast that takes
		+	His license in the field of time,
		+	Unfetter'd by the sense of crime,
		+	To whom a conscience never wakes;
		+
		+	Nor, what may count itself as blest,
		+	The heart that never plighted troth
		+	But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;
		+	Nor any want-begotten rest.
		+
		+	I hold it true, whate'er befall;
		+	I feel it, when I sorrow most;
		+	'Tis better to have loved and lost
		+	Than never to have loved at all.

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 But here's the thing.  Bein' blessed...is a double-edged sword.  'Cause when you're blessed, with money, with property, with success an' happiness, with beautiful, healthy children...you sometimes get to thinkin' that maybe you did something to deserve those blessings. That they belong to you.  And when your blessings run out ('cause sometimes they do) you get to thinkin' that it ain't fair. That God ain't fair. That it would have been better if you'd never been blessed, never even born, at all.  Bless your little, broken heart.
-NEAL:  The Book of Job, and the story of Job, is hard.  Especially for those of us who look to the Bible for inspiration, for hope--and for easy, simplistic answers to difficult questions.  That's why a lot of people skip over the next 40 chapters to get to the "happy ending" where Job gets everything back tenfold.  But as a parent myself of three amazing, beautiful children, I've always had a problem with that.  If God took away my children, but then said "Oh, don't worry.  After you suffer a little, I'll just replace them with another three new ones," it wouldn't take away the pain of that loss.  I read passages like this one, and honestly, I think, "What are you doing, God?  How can you allow things like this to happen?"
+NEAL:  The Book of Job, and the story of Job, is hard.  Especially for those of us who look to the Bible for inspiration, for hope--and for easy, simplistic answers to really difficult questions.  That's why a lot of people skip over the next 40 chapters to get to the "happy ending" where Job gets everything back tenfold.  But as a parent myself of three amazing, beautiful children, I've always had a problem with that.  If God took away my children, but then said "Oh, don't worry.  After you suffer a little, I'll just replace them with another three new ones," it wouldn't take away the pain of that loss.  I read passages like this one, and honestly, I think, "What are you doing, God?  How can you allow things like this to happen?"
 CALVIN:  My dear friend, Viret.  I would have written to you long ago, had I not been aware that my letter could not reach you one moment sooner than if I delayed writing until your return.  Greet all the bretheren, and your wife, to whom mine returns her thanks for so much friendly and pious consolation. She is unable to reply, except by me, and it would be very difficult for her to dictate a letter.  The Lord has certainly inflicted a severe and bitter wound in the death of our infant son, Jacques.  God gave me a son.  God has taken my little boy. But he himself is a father, and knows what is good for his children. Again, Adieu, and may the Lord be with you. Yours, John Calvin.
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 CALVIN: My dear friend, Viret.  Although the death of my wife has been exceedingly painful to me, yet I subdue my grief as well as I can.  I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life; she was the faithful helper of my ministry.  Many thanks for your friendly consolation.  May the Lord Jesus watch over and direct yourself and your wife. Present my best wishes to her and to the bretheren.  Yours, John Calvin.
-JOB:  The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, my friend.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.
+JOB:  The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, my friend.
 NEAL:  How can you say that?? Both of you--how can you just be...okay with it, and...?
-JOB:  And what? You want that we should be okay with all the good things God sends our way, but then not accept the bad things, too?  They go hand in hand.
+JOB:  And what? You want that we should be okay with all the good things God sends us in this life, but then not accept the bad things, too?  Good luck with that.  They go hand in hand.
 CALVIN:  Let us observe then, a disease many people are stained with: that is, that in time of prosperity they can bless God--but if he afflicts them, they change their minds, and begin to hold a grudge against him, forgetting all the praise they had given him, as long as he gave them what they desired.  This is great hypocrisy.
-If we are not patient when God afflicts us, then all the service that we do for him when we are blessed...means absolutely nothing!  And do not forget that without him, we would perish a hundred thousand times each day. If we have lived even just one day, we must acknowledge that it was a gift from God, and to him we must give praise for all our days.
+If we are not patient when God afflicts us, then all the service that we do for him when we are blessed...means absolutely nothing!  And do not forget that without him, we would perish a hundred thousand times each day. If we have lived even just one day, we must acknowledge that it was a gift from God, and to him we must give thanks and praise for all our days.
-*And here we see why the holy men that have been indued with excellent graces, have also been much more tormented in their life.
+JOB: Or there's the alternatives: You can go through your life bein' angry at God and at the world for all the things that didn't turn out the way you wanted. You can try to pretend that everything's just fine, even when you know it's not.  You can look for a different God to believe in, or no God at all--but that still don't make things any better, and it's a pretty lonely road to walk down. Believe me...I tried 'em all.  I'm not really as patient as Johnny boy over here thinks I am.
 NEAL:  It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

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 CALVIN: My dear friend, Viret.  Although the death of my wife has been exceedingly painful to me, yet I subdue my grief as well as I can.  I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life; she was the faithful helper of my ministry.  Many thanks for your friendly consolation.  May the Lord Jesus watch over and direct yourself and your wife. Present my best wishes to her and to the bretheren.  Yours, John Calvin.
-JOB:
+JOB:  The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, my friend.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.
-*Let vs marke then, a disease wherewith all of vs are atteynted: that is to wit, that in time of pro∣speritie we can blisse God: but if he afflict vs, we change our minde, and thenceforth beginne to grudge agaynste him, forgetting all the prayse whiche wee had gyuen him so long as hee dealte with vs after oure desire. And so there bee many hypocrites whiche cannot bee knowen nor discouered vntill God sende them aduersitie.
+NEAL:  How can you say that?? Both of you--how can you just be...okay with it, and...?
-*For wee see a greate number, who when God sendeth them all things at theyr pleasure, doo speake as sweete as sugre, as they say: and yee woulde maruell to heare howe that good God shall bee praysed: speciallie [ 10] when they finde theyr dishes full furnished, so as no∣thing is wanting, ô how well it lyketh them to confesse that God is good. But if hee beginne to handle them a∣ny thing roughly, that things fall not out to their con∣tentation, they take it sore to harte. If God proceede and plucke theyr fethers from them: then fall they yet to further outrage of murmuring, yea and they belke out blasphemyes agaynste him: and albeit that they vt∣ter them▪ not with their mouthe, yet is theyr harte full of poyson within, so as they chafe vpon the bytte, and re∣pine [ 20] at God for handling them otherwise than they lyke of. Ye see then that in tyme of prosperitie there are ynow that will blisse God: but that is but hypocrisie, I speake of such only as meane not to do it in deede.
+JOB:  And what? You want that we should be okay with all the good things God sends our way, but then not accept the bad things, too?  They go hand in hand.
-*If we are not patient when God afflicts us, then all the service that we do for him will mean nothing.
+CALVIN:  Let us observe then, a disease many people are stained with: that is, that in time of prosperity they can bless God--but if he afflicts them, they change their minds, and begin to hold a grudge against him, forgetting all the praise they had given him, as long as he gave them what they desired.  This is great hypocrisy.
-*Without him we shoulde perishe a hundred thousande times a day, and therefore that he must be fayne to watch continually for our safetie. VVe see then (as I haue sayde) how it is requisite that men should acknowledge their lyfe to bee nothing, considering how it is so frayle as nothing can be more, & how it is subiect to an infinite number of deaths, in so much that they be thereby stirred vp to pray God to take them into his tuicion: and when they shall haue lyued one day, they muste acknowledge that they were mainteyned by God, and vnto him must they yeeld the prayse of all
+If we are not patient when God afflicts us, then all the service that we do for him when we are blessed...means absolutely nothing!  And do not forget that without him, we would perish a hundred thousand times each day. If we have lived even just one day, we must acknowledge that it was a gift from God, and to him we must give praise for all our days.
-−

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	CALVIN: My dear friend, Viret. I would have written to you long ago, had I not been aware that my letter could not reach you one moment sooner than if I delayed writing until your return. Greet all the bretheren, and your wife, to whom mine returns her thanks for so much friendly and pious consolation. She is unable to reply, except by me, and it would be very difficult for her to dictate a letter. The Lord has certainly inflicted a severe and bitter wound in the death of our infant son, Jacques. God gave me a son. God has taken my little boy. But he himself is a father, and knows what is good for his children. Again, Adieu, and may the Lord be with you. Yours, John Calvin.		CALVIN: My dear friend, Viret. I would have written to you long ago, had I not been aware that my letter could not reach you one moment sooner than if I delayed writing until your return. Greet all the bretheren, and your wife, to whom mine returns her thanks for so much friendly and pious consolation. She is unable to reply, except by me, and it would be very difficult for her to dictate a letter. The Lord has certainly inflicted a severe and bitter wound in the death of our infant son, Jacques. God gave me a son. God has taken my little boy. But he himself is a father, and knows what is good for his children. Again, Adieu, and may the Lord be with you. Yours, John Calvin.
		+
		+	NEAL: And, just a few years later...
		+
		+	CALVIN: My dear friend, Viret. Although the death of my wife has been exceedingly painful to me, yet I subdue my grief as well as I can. I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life; she was the faithful helper of my ministry. Many thanks for your friendly consolation. May the Lord Jesus watch over and direct yourself and your wife. Present my best wishes to her and to the bretheren. Yours, John Calvin.
		+
		+	JOB:

	*Let vs marke then, a disease wherewith all of vs are atteynted: that is to wit, that in time of pro∣speritie we can blisse God: but if he afflict vs, we change our minde, and thenceforth beginne to grudge agaynste him, forgetting all the prayse whiche wee had gyuen him so long as hee dealte with vs after oure desire. And so there bee many hypocrites whiche cannot bee knowen nor discouered vntill God sende them aduersitie.		*Let vs marke then, a disease wherewith all of vs are atteynted: that is to wit, that in time of pro∣speritie we can blisse God: but if he afflict vs, we change our minde, and thenceforth beginne to grudge agaynste him, forgetting all the prayse whiche wee had gyuen him so long as hee dealte with vs after oure desire. And so there bee many hypocrites whiche cannot bee knowen nor discouered vntill God sende them aduersitie.

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 JOB:  Well, bless your little heart.  I remember the first time someone said those words to me.  I reckon' it wasn't exactly a compliment.  Bless your heart...you self-righteous jerk.   As if the blessin' somehow made it more kind.  People sure like to throw that word--blessed--around a lot. We're just so blessed.  The Lord has really blessed me today.  We'll even say it to a complete stranger when they sneeze. Bless you, because apparently you must need some kind of a blessin' after makin' that god-awful noise.
-But here's the thing.  Bein' blessed...is a double-edged sword.  'Cause when you're blessed, with money, with property, with success an' happiness, with beautiful, healthy children...you sometimes get to thinkin' that maybe you did something to deserve those blessings. That they belong to you.  And when your blessings run out ('cause sometimes they do) you get to thinkin' that it ain't fair. That God ain't fair. That it would have been better if you'd never been blessed, never even born, at all...bless your little, broken heart.
+But here's the thing.  Bein' blessed...is a double-edged sword.  'Cause when you're blessed, with money, with property, with success an' happiness, with beautiful, healthy children...you sometimes get to thinkin' that maybe you did something to deserve those blessings. That they belong to you.  And when your blessings run out ('cause sometimes they do) you get to thinkin' that it ain't fair. That God ain't fair. That it would have been better if you'd never been blessed, never even born, at all.  Bless your little, broken heart.
-−
 *Let vs marke then, that here the Diuell bewrayeth a disease wherewith all of vs are atteynted, vntill God haue hea∣led [ 50] vs of it by his grace: that is to wit, that in time of pro∣speritie we can blisse God: but if he afflict vs, we change our minde, and thenceforth beginne to grudge agaynste him, forgetting all the prayse whiche wee had gyuen him so long as hee dealte with vs after oure desire. And so there bee many hypocrites whiche cannot bee knowen nor discouered vntill God sende them aduersitie.

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 ==Two Preachers and a Trucker - Blessed==
-JOB:  Well, bless your little heart.  I remember the first time someone said those words to me.  I reckon' it wasn't exactly a compliment.  Bless your heart, you self-righteous jerk.   As if the blessin' somehow made it more kind.  People like to throw that word--blessed--around a lot. We're just so blessed.  The Lord has really blessed me today.  We'll even say it (casually) to a complete stranger when they sneeze. Bless you, because apparently you must need some kind of a blessin' after makin' that god-awful noise.
+JOB:  Well, bless your little heart.  I remember the first time someone said those words to me.  I reckon' it wasn't exactly a compliment.  Bless your heart...you self-righteous jerk.   As if the blessin' somehow made it more kind.  People sure like to throw that word--blessed--around a lot. We're just so blessed.  The Lord has really blessed me today.  We'll even say it to a complete stranger when they sneeze. Bless you, because apparently you must need some kind of a blessin' after makin' that god-awful noise.
 *Let vs marke then, that here the Diuell bewrayeth a disease wherewith all of vs are atteynted, vntill God haue hea∣led [ 50] vs of it by his grace: that is to wit, that in time of pro∣speritie we can blisse God: but if he afflict vs, we change our minde, and thenceforth beginne to grudge agaynste him, forgetting all the prayse whiche wee had gyuen him so long as hee dealte with vs after oure desire. And so there bee many hypocrites whiche cannot bee knowen nor discouered vntill God sende them aduersitie.

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:21, 12 March 2019
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	==Two Preachers and a Trucker - Blessed==		==Two Preachers and a Trucker - Blessed==
		+
		+
		+	*Let vs marke then, that here the Diuell bewrayeth a disease wherewith all of vs are atteynted, vntill God haue hea∣led [ 50] vs of it by his grace: that is to wit, that in time of pro∣speritie we can blisse God: but if he afflict vs, we change our minde, and thenceforth beginne to grudge agaynste him, forgetting all the prayse whiche wee had gyuen him so long as hee dealte with vs after oure desire. And so there bee many hypocrites whiche cannot bee knowen nor discouered vntill God sende them aduersitie.
		+
		+	*For wee see a greate number, who when God sendeth them all things at theyr pleasure, doo speake as sweete as sugre, as they say: and yee woulde maruell to heare howe that good God shall bee praysed: speciallie [ 10] when they finde theyr dishes full furnished, so as no∣thing is wanting, ô how well it lyketh them to confesse that God is good. But if hee beginne to handle them a∣ny thing roughly, that things fall not out to their con∣tentation, they take it sore to harte. If God proceede and plucke theyr fethers from them: then fall they yet to further outrage of murmuring, yea and they belke out blasphemyes agaynste him: and albeit that they vt∣ter them▪ not with their mouthe, yet is theyr harte full of poyson within, so as they chafe vpon the bytte, and re∣pine [ 20] at God for handling them otherwise than they lyke of. Ye see then that in tyme of prosperitie there are ynow that will blisse God: but that is but hypocrisie, I speake of such only as meane not to do it in deede.
		+
		+	* If we be not come to this trial, that is to say, if wee be not pacient whē God scourgeth vs: [ 40] al the seruice that we do vnto him wil be no great matter