The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. This was basically what David was doing when he declared The Lord will perfect that which concerns me., Scriptures: 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. "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 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. 18, 19. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. This is living with God. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. The daily prayer in the closet, the endeavour to keep the attention fixed when praying with others, either in our regular services or in family worship. Luke 12:7 says, --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. 1, 2. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. 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. Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. We become unconscious of everything by long use. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. Here is what we see in this text: the promise of peace, the God of peace, and the recipient of peace. He was saying I am certain, I am confident, I have no doubt in my mind that God will perfect that which concerns me. His omniscience. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. The daily prayer in the closet, the endeavour to keep the attention fixed when praying with others, either in our regular services or in family worship. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. Chapter i. 8). Nor did God create these each by himself, and join them together as alien by birth: but He created the one St. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. 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. 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. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? G. T. Shedd, D. D.: One of the most remark. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. To Dominicus, Bishop. - the power of the Holy Spirit, which worketh in me now; the promises, so many, so great, and precious, contained in the Holy Scriptures; and my own experience thus far, and that of many others; - all encourage and establish my faith that ' the Lord will perfect that,' etc. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other. 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. David wasnt saying how I wish the Lord will perfect that which concerns me like how you could say how I wish theres no work tomorrow, how I wish theres no school tomorrow, how I wish I could speak French, or how I wish someone will just write a cheque of 5million in my name. A wish doesnt necessarily have anything to do with God nor is a wish based on faith in God, because it isnt usually directed to God or addressed to God. A History of the Half-Way Covenant. Mercy must be the theme of our song here; and mercy enduring for ever must be the subject of the sonnets of paradise. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. He will revive us."--HOS. 1. 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. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. He sees the whole of everything at the same time. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. 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. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. This Psalm is a Psalm of David. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. The LORD Will Perfect That Which Concerns You The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. AugustineOf Holy Virginity. And this will generally be just when we are tempted to do wrong, or perhaps just when we are actually beginning to do it: some secret sin of which no one knows or dreams perhaps, some self-indulgence, which we dare not deny that God condemns. And it is also true of the work of grace all around us. Being confident of this, he that has begun a good work in you will perform it. 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. PSALMS 138:8 KJV "The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy "Forsake not the work of Thine own hands. "Forsake not the works of Thine own hands." OURSELVES. 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. (Admonition 23.) "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. 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. Rom. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? (2)There is the error that imagines that death will make some fundamental alteration in their relation to God.2. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thy right hand shall save me."--PS. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . We have received with the utmost gratification the letters of your Fraternity, which have reached us somewhat late by the hands of Donatus and Quodvultdeus, our most reverend brethren and fellow-bishops, and also Victor the deacon with Agilegius the notary. Faith In Perfection | The Charles Spurgeon Sermon Collection 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 will revive us."--HOS. 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. He was saying I am certain, I am confident, I have no doubt in my mind that God will perfect that which concerns me. If we had such a window we should pray for shutters, and should keep them closed.God omniscientWeekly Pulpit. To Dominicus, Bishop. There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. If there is a creator of the universe, He must also be its sustainer: He cannot press material forces into service and go and leave them, as we do a windmill to draw water, for all force depends upon Him for its existence. St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. 18, 19. When used as an adjective, this is how the dictionary describes the meaning of perfect- adjective prfikt 1. 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. Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. How shall we learn to walk by His side? 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. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. When David said the Lord will perfect all that concerns him, he meant that the Lord will fulfill His purpose for our . 5, 6. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. This thought is expanded and enforced by its application to all measures of space. 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. From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. Text-Featuring a sermon is a less expensive way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands on the right bar with optional newsletter inclusion. 2. For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. xlix. Nero's sword will not have the final say, but Jesus is going to bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? 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. He would always talk to God, even in the midst of rejection and persecution (Matt 11:20-28)! For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. 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. Psalm 138:8 Choice comfort for a young believer As every state has its dangers, so the peril of religious concern is despondency. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him Saint Bernard of ClairvauxSome Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of ClairvauxThat the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. That the Ruler Should be Always Chief in Action. 18, 19. There is a sweetness and a power in the very monosyllable, "Thy mercy"; because it is peculiar to God, it is His own property, it distinguishes Him. "He is both, sir." God often perfects that which truly concerns us by taking us away from that which never ought to concern us. Put your hope in God. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . iii. Modern Worship, Church of the Saviour - January 29, 2023 | Modern 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. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, AthanasiusSelect Works and Letters or AthanasiusCovenant Duties. And so, if we do not die shouting victory, we hope that we shall peacefully fall asleep, "for His mercy endureth for ever." He will revive us."--HOS. 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. 19-22).3. )God all-seeing:In the mythology of the heathen, Momus, the god of fault-finding, is represented as blaming Vulcan, because in the human form, which he had made of clay, he had not placed a window in the breast, by which whatever was done or thought there might easily be brought to light. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. "God is a Spirit," etc. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. Higher Aim is a 501(C)(3), non-profit registered in the US. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. 6. Thomas experiences the presence of the risen Christ and he responds by saying "MY LORD AND MY GOD!" Thomas addresses Jesus in the same language in which Israel addressed Yahweh. God Will Perfect That Which Concerns You A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. 9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. "God will perfect everything that concerns you." ( Psalm 138:8, NKJV) I have heard my wife use King David's phrase many times in her public prayers. This is the communion with Him, and with Christ, which unquestionably helps the struggling, the penitent, the praying, more than anything else. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. )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. (Admonition 23.) Those who live much in refined and educated society acquire refinement insensibly. How shall we learn to walk by His side? The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. 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. It is a fearful distinction (Genesis 28:17). (Admonition 23.) lvii. (Psa. 6. The fear of the Lord is far more than a Biblical teaching, principle or idea. The self-knowledge, remember, must come in the one way or the other.