18 " Ep., cxxx. The thought will flash across us that God sees us. Hence Paul Leo the GreatWritings of Leo the GreatSense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. (2)His knowledge of us is entire, complete.2. His omnipotence (vers. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. (1)He knows our actions, ways, words, thoughts. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. (Admonition 23.) The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? This Psalm is a Psalm of David. Therefore the first natural bond of human society is man and wife. To Dominicus, Bishop. The Lord Stood By Me - Cities Church 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. 2. Ps. Hence he entreats God to see and disclose it, and then taking his hand to lead him in a way which, unlike the way of the wicked (Psalm 1:6), does not perish, but ends in everlasting life. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. Luke 2:8-15. mmc. v. 22). )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. How many are the Scriptures which bid us, by direct precept or by actual example, to fear lest we should come short of eternal life! Nay, more, this process of self-inspection may go on indefinitely, and the man grow more and more thoughtful, and obtain an everlastingly augmenting knowledge of what he is and what he does, so that it shall seem to him that he is penetrating so deeply into those dim and shadowy regions of consciousness where the external life takes its very first start, and then he may be sure that God understands the thought that is afar off, and deep down, and that at this lowest range and plane in his experience he besets him behind and before. 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. 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. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius John Edgar McFadyenIntroduction to the Old TestamentLinksPsalm 138:8 NIVPsalm 138:8 NLTPsalm 138:8 ESVPsalm 138:8 NASBPsalm 138:8 KJVPsalm 138:8 Bible AppsPsalm 138:8 ParallelPsalm 138:8 Biblia ParalelaPsalm 138:8 Chinese BiblePsalm 138:8 French BiblePsalm 138:8 German BiblePsalm 138:8 CommentariesBible Hub, (3)Everywhere. When David said the Lord will perfect that which concerns him, he wasnt praying to God. [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. Ps. Nor does such a feeling indicate malevolence. His omnipotence (vers. 17, 18).2. lvii. The simple question, then, which meets us is, Wilt thou know thyself here, and now, that thou mayest accept and feel God's pity; or wilt thou keep within the screen, and not know thyself until beyond the grave, and then feel God's judicial wrath? Ps. 7 Bible Verses About God's Perfect Timing - Abide and Seek vi. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. OURSELVES. RCCG: THE LORD WILL PERFECT THAT WHICH CONCERNETH ME. Sermon From Chapter i. "(Archbishop Temple. That of a prayerful seeking of the Divine guidance (ver. But whatever does really concern me, and especially my soul's full salvation, I am sure the Lord will perfect. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made John CunninghamThe Ordinance of CovenantingIntroduction. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. 2. the lord will perfect that which concerns me sermon 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. In the day when I cried Charles KingsleyOut of the DeepWherefore a Few Witnesses, which the Lord Deigns to Suggest to My Mind32. Justice, in this reference, is out of the question. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God . It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. But if that knowledge whereby man knows himself is mysterious, then certainly that whereby God knows him is far more so. But once let a man or woman reach this assurance that through all the various scenes of life God is moulding them, and even by the "strokes of doom" fashioning them "to shape and use," and all the life sparkles with glad significance. Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and--what is more than all--once a sinner he is now a saint. vi. Psalm 27 NKJV - An Exuberant Declaration of Faith - A - Bible Gateway 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. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration St. But yet there is another, not less powerful than any, which deserves special mention. able characteristics of a rational being is the power of self-inspection. 1, 2. (Admonition 23.) 157 views, 7 likes, 9 loves, 29 comments, 4 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Miller Memorial Baptist Church: Sunday, February 26, 2023~ Reverend Damaris Y Walker, Esq., Pastor ~ Scripture: Song of. 3. "I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."--ISA. A Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. He cannot comprehend it, which is not strange, for how is the finite to comprehend the infinite? Cultivate a loving affection for Him.(Homilist. Before the Searcher of hearts all mankind must appeal to mere and sovereign mercy. For the Chief Musician. 24).(W. 5, 6. That of welcoming the Divine searching (vers. 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. lxxxv. That of siding with Him against evil (vers. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. (Isa. When David said the Lord will perfect that which concerns me, he was making a declaration of faith. OURSELVES. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? xlix. Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. So, too, by living in the presence of God and, as it were, in the courts of heaven, we shall assuredly learn something of a heavenly tone, and shake off some of that coarse worldliness, that deeply ingrained selfishness, that silly pride and conceit which now spoils our very best service. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN KNOWS OF HIMSELF. OURSELVES. "Alas!" 15. GOD.1. He professes his confidence in GodDictionary of Bible ThemesPsalm 138:86708predestination8125guidance, promise8441goalsPsalm 138:7-81265hand of GodLibraryFaith in PerfectionIn the opening, I must remark that this is not the heritage of all mankind. Specially with His people. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. iii. He is always at work organizing our lives to bring Him glory and grow us in Christlikeness. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. Our hearts will put us in mind of God's eye being upon us every now and then involuntarily. For the Lord is good and His love is eternal, and His faithfulness endures to all generations." (Ps. S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. 24).(W. The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way of life to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. : While the Americans were blockading Cuba, several captains endeavoured to elude their vigilance by night, trusting that the darkness would conceal them as they passed between the American war-ships. God has made us so. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. 5. Self-consciousness has been the problem of the philosophic mind in all ages; and the mystery is not yet unravelled. 1. But that crown of life which you have submitted to His wisdom, which you have taken up in obedience to the plain indications of His providence, which you follow out with integrity, walking before the Lord and committing your way unto Him that crown of life shall have His blessing, and none shall be able to put you on one side. Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. 19 III. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Gregory to Dominicus, Bishop of Carthage [1454] . 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. Why should he? He will revive us."--HOS. 8). It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. 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. (Weekly Pulpit. 13-16).4. 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. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. THE DIVINE OMNISCIENCE (vers. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. To Dominicus, Bishop. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. 7. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? lvii. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius John Edgar McFadyenIntroduction to the Old TestamentLinksPsalm 138:8 NIVPsalm 138:8 NLTPsalm 138:8 ESVPsalm 138:8 NASBPsalm 138:8 KJVPsalm 138:8 Bible AppsPsalm 138:8 ParallelPsalm 138:8 Biblia ParalelaPsalm 138:8 Chinese BiblePsalm 138:8 French BiblePsalm 138:8 German BiblePsalm 138:8 CommentariesBible Hub. 1216141335123 . 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. 6. S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. The Lord Will Perfect That Which Concerns Me Sermon by - Sermon Central There is, therefore, nothing wrong in our forgetting that we are in the presence of God any more than there is anything foolish in our forgetting that we need air to breathe or light to see by, or that if we fall we may hurt ourselves: just in the same way as we very often, and quite rightly, forget that we are in the company of men who will take notice of our faults. He is a "faithful Creator," and if you are seeking to answer the end for which He made you, His everlasting honour binds Him to fulfil His part. The worst has been seen, and that too by the holiest of beings, and yet eternal glory is offered to us! Those who live much in a court acquire courtly manners. Psalm 138:8 This is a message that grips my heart because I have every reason to believe that the LORD desires to perfect that which concerns His children. )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. Our relation toward such a God should be 1. 19-24). [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. 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. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. Thomas AquinasOn Prayer and The Contemplative LifeEpistle Xlvii. Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. 15. St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. Get a grip at this, thou troubled one, and by a personal faith say, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. It is perfectly plain from the elevated central point of view where we now stand, and in the focal light in which we now see, that no man can be justified before God upon the ground of personal character; for that character, when subjected to God's exhaustive scrutiny, withers and shrinks away. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. 7. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Are we not perpetually warned against departing from the living God, grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit? 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. (Isa. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." 18 " Ep., cxxx. These included visiting the second longest beach in the world called Wherefore a few witnesses, which the Lord deigns to suggest to my mind, I proceed to mention, from out the teaching of Christ concerning humility, such as perhaps may be enough for my purpose. 7 ad 3m II. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. Verse 8. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.for" 24).(W. Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. xlix. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. 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. [2105] And these without all controversy we take to be humble. It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. 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. He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. Letter Xliii a Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey. A History of the Half-Way Covenant. The simple question, then, which meets us is, Wilt thou know thyself here, and now, that thou mayest accept and feel God's pity; or wilt thou keep within the screen, and not know thyself until beyond the grave, and then feel God's judicial wrath? 18, 19. He may be an uncommonly thoughtful person, and little of what is done within his soul may escape his notice; nay, we will make the extreme supposition that he arrests every thought as it rises, and looks at it; that he analyzes every sentiment as it swells his heart; that he scrutinizes every purpose as it determines his will; even if he should have such a thorough and profound self-knowledge as this, God knows him equally profoundly and equally thoroughly. 5, 6. so his questioner asks again; and the psalmist is at no loss for reply. So we cannot but -. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' Let us not act so by Christ. Nor are they few or slight, but amount to a vast sum, more numerous than the sands of the sea. lvii. To reveal the supreme interest of human life. Do we not begin at the Cross, and when we have climbed ever so high, is it not at the Cross that we end? The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. If you look at it, you will see that there is in its bowels a full description of a true Christian. 1. In the next verse the curious growth and unfolding of the embryo is referred to. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers. He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. GOD ACCURATELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY KNOWS ALL THAT MAN MIGHT, BUT DOES NOT, KNOW OF HIMSELF. Psalm 138:8 - " The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands." (KJV) The month of July kicks off the second leg of our prayer and fasting in RCCG worldwide. "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us. We see that mercy has provided for the ruined life to be restored and built up again according to the plan of the great Architect. 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. 1, 2. Each of us must at some time face the crucial question: "Whom say ye that I am?" ( Matt. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. But in almost every case the dazzling rays of a searchlight frustrated the attempt, and the fugitives' vessel was captured by the Americans. "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years."--HAB. 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. Rom. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." 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. The Lord Shall Perfect That Which Concerns You | Sermon Preview Decision # 5: Choose Daily to Serve the Lord. )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. I will ask you three questions suggested by the words themselves, and according to your answer to these three questions, shall be Charles Haddon SpurgeonSpurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Question of the Contemplative LifeI. That of adoring and constantly thoughtful reverence (vers. That act whereby another being knows my secret thoughts and inmost feelings is most certainly inexplicable.I. Play Audio! He compasseth man's path, and his lying down, and is acquainted with all his ways. The brilliant searchlight sweeping the broad ocean and revealing even the smallest craft on its surface is but a faint type of the Eternal Light from which no sinner can hide his sin. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. The thought will flash across us that God sees us. (Admonition 23.) xviii. S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. Sense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, no doubt, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. : The fact that God is always present and knows every minute trifle in our lives, and that His unerring judgment will assuredly take count of every detail of our character and our conduct, neither exaggerating nor omitting, but applying absolute justice; this truth is one of those which lose force from their very universality. He will revive us."--HOS. That God had made the light, but had not made the sun? 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. THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION (vers. Conclusion . From the just we learn justice; from the charitable we catch an infection of charity; from the generous we receive the instinct of generosity. The text, however, itself, is its own guard. Chapter i. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. 19-22).3. Ps. lxxxv. It is not his own strength or good resolves, but that ever-enduring mercy which fortifies him against all the risks and perils which he knows beset him; and he will abide in that mercy through continual prayer and trust. 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. How shall we learn to walk by His side? St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. Now, in this condition of things, God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. 19 III. So say many. Understanding Celibacy. His discourse, the first which He delivered to His disciples at greater length, began from this. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." GOD.1. 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. the regular habit of reading the Bible at a fixed time, the occasional reminders of ourselves that God is looking on, these are our chief means of learning to remember His presence. Though the transgressor is ignorant of much of his sin, because, at the time of its commission, he sins blindly as well as wilfully, and unreflectingly as well as freely; and though the transgressor has forgotten much of that small amount of sin, of which he was conscious, and by which he was pained, at the time of its perpetration; though, on the side of man, the powers of self-inspection and memory have accomplished so little towards this preservation of man's sin, yet God knows it all, and remembers it all. His communion is unbroken. If God is omniscient and omnipresent, then the moral character of His creatures is unveiled to His gaze, and clearly and distinctly known to Him. Higher Aim is a 501(C)(3), non-profit registered in the US. Like the air we breathe, like the light we see, it involves a mystery that no man has ever solved. Hoyt, D. D.: This psalm sings of I. Those who are always hearing pure and high principles set forth as the guides of life learn to value and to know them even faster than they can learn to live by them. Introduction. 17, 18).2. Ps. 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 is in (1)Heaven. 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.