Honesty

Honesty One of the big issues Offered by Doug Blair, Waterloo ON, 2020

Entirely Clear, This Nathaniel Posted on ​July 20, 2020

“A man in whom There is no guile” That’s what He said of me.

The Nazarene And I made light of His

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Home Town.

But He passed by such rudeness He wanted my help My allegiance My hopes and dreams.

Hadn’t He known My secret views Of Jacob’s Ladder?

Of Heaven for the attaining?

But no guile?

I wonder as I think now About the old verses On guile. ​(Psalms 32, 34 and 55) Oh I had some, alright Was He speaking in faith?

Knowing what would come In progressive measure In the new creation.

In gentle rebuke?

In encouragement?

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He always seemed to think The best and to draw it out Of the bunch of us.

We were so fortunate In the wanderings together The stories told The hungry hearts mended The comforts given to the bruised.

And then we ran We ran in terror.

When clanking armour And fake phylacteries Did their worst.

The Cross event Only John attended.

With the Lord’s Mother.

The Master saw beyond the grave Made it beyond the grave Bringing our greatest hope to life Forevermore.

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And yes, I want to be Entirely clear about this Entirely bold And without guile.

He is risen. Jesus is risen indeed.

Nathaniel​ (less frequently, Nathanel, ​Nathanael​ or Nathanial) is a given n ​ ame derived from the Greek form of the Hebrew ‫( ְנ ַתְנ ֵאל‬Netan’el), m ​ eaning​ “God/El has given” or “Gift of God/El.”

Is this not one of our greatest expectations?

That people will be straight with us. Give us the honest goods. Be sincere and never flippant, trite or evasive. Perhaps there is not much that can be called more honest than Jesus’ beatitudes in Matthew 5. He shows that the righteous life has its share of heart hunger, conflict encountered, challenges to purity and persecution.

But oh how worthy is the journey and how delightful the destination. It is the Kingdom, starting here and ever increasing unto eternal peace, purpose and joy.

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Seven Chapters: Beginning Isaiah 52 Posted on ​April 8, 2020

Introducing God’s Suffering Servant

The Lord is telling the people of Israel to Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments O Jerusalem…

He alludes to their past desertions and idolatry and says that because of His Covenant there is coming a time of rescue.

But…my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold it is I. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings the good tidings, that publishers peace.

God here promises a Rescuer and a string of worthy witnesses to His character; His unchangeable long-suffering, mercy and power. But this Rescuer will not be the expected or extraordinary. Rather he will be like the rest of us, fairly normal in appearance, but made to go for our sakes through terrible physical and emotional abuse.

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Verse 14: As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.​ Please read Psalm 48.

And of course this all leads us into the land of Isaiah chapter 53, the subject of Handel’s miraculous music in the Messiah. The ears’ focus both at Christmas and at Easter…Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…

Follow this link: https://momentsmidstream.blogspot.com/2011/04/options-for-old-ears any-ears.html

Eager to Approach Him? You have seen so much of the twisted charismatic and hyper-faith that now you can hardly bear to hear the name Jesus. Pity, that imbalance, presumption and wishful thinking seen in others should cause you to doubt the Greatest Friend and Hope. Never lose hope in the Real Deal.

If only you could separate Him from the misrepresentation and confusion. You have told me that you will not pour yourself into the mould and terms of reference of others who claim the one Way, the one Truth, the one Life.

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https://justhappeneduponthis.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/misrepresen tation/

Rather you expect Him to provide you with your own revelation. That is quite proper Friend. Only move yourself to ASK. You must ask, seek, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. The Lord is hugely imaginative and loving in His approach.

You say that you have heard so much Bible talk and insistence upon signs and wonders and the imminent Second Coming, that the Good Book is now a closed book.

Do this for me, would you? For you, most importantly. Allow the historian and physician Luke to speak into your life. Boldly and expectantly read his Gospel and the Acts of Apostles. For the time being, just Luke. As you progress, take whatever time seems right and manageable. Pray in all sincerity for some personal revelation and threshold into the Greatest Story Ever Told. You will not be left disappointed. You will be changed. You will see light cast upon one of the greatest promises ever recorded in the English language: “Delight yourself also in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37: 4 ) But there must also be a warning, and I give it in the way of a brief parable: A peasant was talking over the back fence to his neighbour, “Wife and I were at market yesterday and saw her cousin from two shires over. He said that he had

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enjoyed a brief visit with the King, and it had not been all that bad. We talked this over on our way home. She really wants this. I guess I could cooperate…But he knows where I live, and presently I am very busy with the crops and all. He will have to come here wearing something appropriate to meet me in my field, and share my lunch at regular hour. If he is really all that good he will oblige, like any other decent neighbour.”

The King never came.

If There Were to be a Fifth Gospel…

We are told now To rest in Christ's merits (chapter 4) As the glorious "Fifth Gospel" explains.

His the matchless Unstoppable priesthood

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ONCE the scapegoat (chapter 9) For all of our pains.

Oh we had all The rules of the Temple And the endless Procession of Lambs.

But in Hebrews We know it is Finished, praise God We trust in our Blessed I AM. All the rituals merge In the one rite Just to gaze on His Cross and repent.

Blessed Hebrew folk You are the line Grace has used All your heroes knew What this Grace meant. (chapter 11) As the priest bore His nation on breastplate So Messiah bears Us in His prayer.

And we will enter Into the home of His rest Yes the King of Kings waits on us there.

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Consolation To a Youth

St Peter's, March 1.1842. My Dear A. "I did not think I was to have answered your kind letter in the time of bitter grief. But so it pleases Jehovah, whose will must be our will, if we would be happy. It is good for you to bear the yoke in your youth. This is the way God trains his saints, and especially his ministers. I saw your dear little brother twice on his dying bed, and indeed I could not believe he was dying, except that his calm eye was directed to the hills of Immortality, and he seemed already to breathe some of the atmosphere of the world of sinless joy. I do trust and believe that he was a saved boy.

You know I am rather slow of coming to this conviction, and not fond of speaking when I have not good evidence; but here, I think, God has not left us in doubt.

At Blairgowrie he used several times to speak to me about divine things, and the tear would gather in his eye when he said that he feared he had never been brought to Jesus. Once, when he' had a sore throat, he told

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me he was not ready to die. But now he was quite different. The veil seemed to be lifted away from his heart and he saw divine things simply and fully* Over and over he told me that he was not afraid to die, for Christ had died. " How kind it was in God to send Jesus to die for sinners." He seemed tranquil and happy, even when the pain came on in his head and made him knit his brows. You have reason to mingle praise with your tears. Do not sorrow as one who has no hope. Only seek a right improvement of this bereavement. ​He is not lost but gone before,

and we shall soon put off this clay cottage also. ​And soon we and

he, made new, body and soul, shall meet the Lord in the air, and so be for ever with the Lord. I was at your house on Sabbath night, and saw them all, sorrowful, yet rejoicing. Your dear little brother lies like a marble statue in the peaceful sleep of death, till Jesus' voice shall waken him.

Happy boy ! he shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on him nor any heat. The days of his mourning are ended, and his eternity of love and holy joy is begun.

Improve this sharp wind, dear A., for you will soon lose the benefit, if not carefully sought after. Search out the Achan in your heart at such an hour. Let affliction strike heavy blows at your corruptions, your idolatries, and self'pleasing and worldly schemes. Learn much of Christ at such an hour Study him at the grave of Lazarus—John xi.; and at the gate of Nain—Luke viii. 11.; and also within the veil—Rev. i. 18. Do not be ashamed to grieve deeply, but let your sadness find relief in the bosom that was pierced with the spear

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" Is any afflicted ? let him pray." Strange, Satan often tempts us to restrain prayer at such a time. Be very gentle towards the souls of your kindred now.

Remember D and H at the throne of grace. If God had taken them, where would they have been ? Learn also that ministers must care for lambs. " Preach the gospel to every creature."

Pray for me, also, that I may do so, that I may be made a better man and a more faithful pastor of old and young. Ever yours, till we meet in glory, &c."

Robert M. M'Cheyne

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