The world around us is energized by a general discontentment, and every politician and advertiser is stoking the fire.  This is nothing new; it is just the natural state of man.  Two thousand years ago, Jesus addressed the issue with His followers.  After assuring them that their heavenly Father would lovingly provide for all their needs, He summed up all His instruction with these words: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matt. 6:33).” The practical application is this: contentment is a matter of priorities and not circumstances.  Seek first God’s kingdom and He will take care of your circumstances.

Why is our country wasting away in discontentment?  Because our priorities are askew.  Our current circumstances are the judgment of God, and let us pray that He does not relent until there is repentance.  The current socialist agenda is being executed by those who say they hate to waste a good crisis.  But I say that our current crisis will have been wasted unless we repent of our rebellion against a holy God.  It is better to die in faith than to live in unbelief.  And it is better to be impoverished to the point of being absolutely dependent upon God than to live in luxury but forget Him.

“The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato’s and other ancients applauded by some of later times; that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God…”

http://townhall.com/Columnists/MeredithTurney/2009/06/09/americas_first_experiment_with_socialism

Governor Bradford and his elders held to the sufficiency of Scripture; they knew from the history of Israel that Joshua had divided the land according to family. This was the plan of God instituting the principles of private property, including the fruits of one’s own labor. Given the failure of collectivism, Bradford was bold in his faith to forsake the wisdom of this world and to venture all on the authority of the Bible. His statement is classic and could only have come from a Puritan. Man in his depravity and his autonomous wisdom thinks “as if they were wiser than God.”

Now, has anything changed with man? We have new Platos and many drones who advocate naturalism and collectivism. Man is still lost in his depravity and is unwilling to seek the eternal wisdom of the self-revealed God. He still seeks the same failed solutions dictated by the autonomous wisdom of men that is the same in every generation.

Now, we have new evidence that supports our doctrine of depravity. In the face of the unparalleled blessings of prosperity and freedom resulting from a culture that built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, a new generation has arisen that does not know its heritage. They are ignorant of the origins of liberty and cannot see the danger of losing what has been given to them from past generations. They would consume the foundations on which they stand.

“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him…Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” [Matthew 21:30-32; 43]

In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus continues with their condemnation, identifying them as the unworthy invited guests. The prophets are the faithful servants; they had written of the New Covenant and the coming of Messiah and the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus pronounces wrath on the teachers of Israel who should have recognized the signs of His coming; those invited would not come and even abused the servants sent to invite them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious and sent out his armies to destroy those murderers, and burned up their city.

The Jewish church rejected the establishment of the kingdom in the coming of Messiah and the new order in the New Covenant. The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD marked the end of the Old Covenant. There is now a New Covenant and a new nation that bears the fruit of the Lord’s vineyard.

Who are the guests that fill the wedding hall? The new servants are the ministers of the New Covenant; these are the apostles and the pastor teachers. They extend the invitation to all men. All are invited without regard to kindred, tribe, nation or tongue. ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise’ [Galatians 3:28-29]. This is the new order inaugurated in the New Covenant church.

This is Christ’s invitation: “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” [Revelation 22:17]. And here is Christ’s satisfaction, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” [John 6:37].

So how can we explain the man who is bound and expelled from the wedding feast? We ask this question: do all who profess Christ know Him? Are all that are in the church partakers of salvation? The NT doctrine of spurious faith is illustrated in Judas, Demas and Ananias.

There is an outward call of the gospel that goes out to all men without distinction. Jesus explains in His doctrine that hearing they do not hear and seeing they do not see. It must be given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. So, not all hear this call, because they cannot see the kingdom. The ones who hear and see have been given this ability in regeneration. These are the chosen. This is the effectual call as compared with the general call.

The wedding guests must be dressed with a garment given to him by the king. This covering is the robe washed white in the blood of the Lamb. Christ must cover us with His righteousness because our righteousness is filthy rags in comparison, making us unfit to stand in the wedding feast.

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” [Matthew 7:22-23].

These words come at the conclusion of the parable of the Wedding Feast given in Matthew 22. The parable begins with these words…

‘And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said…’ [Matthew 22:1]

In order to establish the context of the parable we must know who Jesus is addressing and what He is trying to teach them. Matthew 21 establishes these things…

‘Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching…’ [Matthew 21: 23]

They question His authority. Jesus then questions them concerning the authority of John the Baptist. They answer Him, “We do not know.” [Matthew 21:23-27].

Jesus follows this encounter with the Pharisees with three parables of which the Wedding Feast is the third.

The first is the Parable of the Two Sons and is introduced as follows: “But what do you think?” The second is the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers and is introduced with, “Hear another parable:” So, it is clear that Jesus is addressing the ‘chief priests and the elders of the people’ in all three parable.

The Parable of the Two Sons addresses the reference to John and how they had responded to him compared with the sinners who repented. The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers addresses their responsibility as vinedressers of Israel [Isaiah 5:1-7]. In both these parables they unwittingly condemn themselves with their answers before Jesus makes the application to them…

 ‘Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.’ [Matthew 21:45]

The third parable starts with these words…

“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son…”

The rights of conscience have long been a cherished characteristic of the American civil fabric, and America's Framers openly praised these protections:

No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience. THOMAS JEFFERSON, SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION

Consciences of men are not the objects of human legislation. WILLIAM LIVINGSTON, SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION

Security under our Constitution is given to the rights of conscience. JOHN JAY, ORIGINAL CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE U. S. SUPREME COURT

Government is instituted to protect property of every sort. . . . [and] conscience is the most sacred of all property. JAMES MADISON, SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION

That’s the part that is lost in the intelligent design debate: Design implies purpose. When design is suppressed, then purpose has no meaning and every man becomes a law unto himself.

What is the purpose of man? The old catechism says it best: The chief end of man is to love God and to enjoy Him forever. He has given us the Law and the Gospel that we might find our purpose.

When men suppress this truth and give up the Christian world view, then rights also lose their meaning. No longer are they derived from the self-revealed God giving them a reference to the absolute, but they become arbitrary as derived from the autonomous reason of man.

The rule of law is meaningless to the culture of lawlessness, personified in Obamanomics.

What was Dr. Tiller doing in a church? What kind of church could this man claim as home?

The apostle told the Corinthians to remove the lawless man. They were not spiritual to allow the sinner to remain in open, unrepentant sin. Dr. Tiller brought unrepentant murder into the church and judgment found him while in the church.

We are so civilized now that abortionists can attend church and we condemn his murderer as uncivilized. We lump those who speak out against the slaughter of innocents as the instigators of his murder. There was a time in America when the civil law would have stopped a man like Dr. Tiller. Now those who handle the law are lawless because lawlessness begets more lawlessness.

The church is the pillar and ground of truth. It is all that stands against a lawless culture. When the church is apostate then lawlessness influences the whole culture from law to the sciences to the arts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090528/sc_afp/uspaleontologychina_20090528195207

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A huge volcanic eruption in China some 260 million years ago led to the sudden extermination of marine life clear around the world, British paleontologists announced Thursday, in a report being published this week in the journal Science.

[The age of 260 million is derived from the position in the geologic column complied and dated under the assumption of evolution theory]

The researchers were able to pinpoint the exact timing of the massive eruption thanks to a layer of fossilized rock which showed mass extinction of different life forms -- clearly linking the volcanic blasts to a major environmental catastrophe.

[Clearly?]

"The abrupt extinction of marine life we can clearly see in the fossil record firmly links giant volcanic eruptions with global environmental catastrophe," said Paul Wignall, a professor and palaeontologist at the University of Leeds, who was the lead author of the research paper in the May 29 edition of Science.

[Clearly again? This may be the end of his career at the university]

The eruption in southwest China unleashed about a half million cubic kilometers of lava, covering an area five times the size of Wales, according to the research by scientists at the British university.

The mass extinction of ocean life came about because of the collision of fast flowing lava with shallow sea water, which caused a violent explosion at the start of the eruptions and threw huge quantities of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere.

[Glad to see that he dropped the word clearly on this claim.]

"When fast flowing, low viscosity magma meets shallow sea ... there's spectacular explosion producing gigantic clouds of steam," Wignall said.

Micah, you are reminded at least yearly at your birthday of the Scripture that your parents identified with your name. On this occasion let us take a closer look at what Micah 6:8 has to teach a young Christian as he considers his future in the world.

For one so highly privileged much is expected. Let us pose this question: how can you best realize your potential?

Let us read Micah 6:8 in its context…

With what shall I come before the LORD,
      And bow myself before the High God?
      Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
      With calves a year old?
       7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
      Ten thousand rivers of oil?
      Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
      The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

       8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
      And what does the LORD require of you
      But to do justly, to love mercy,
      And to walk humbly with your God? [Micah 6:6-8]

Is there any greater goal for you than these things? The prophet Micah gives us the Gospel in OT language. His words remind me of the Lord Jesus, ”Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

First – Do Justly

From Genesis 13 the record of Abram and Lot gives us an idea of what it means to do justly.

[Reading of Genesis 13]

The Law says to love your neighbor as yourself, and the law puts content to love. Abram gave preference to his neighbor. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.

To do justly is to love your neighbor; this is the way of blessing.

From Genesis 50 the record of Joseph and his brothers gives us an idea of what it means to love mercy.

[Reading of Genesis 50:15-21]

We must know mercy in order to show mercy. As the Lord has forgiven you so also the Christian must be quick to forgive others.

Joseph teaches us that mercy is greater than anger and forgiveness is more powerful than revenge.

From Daniel 6 the record of Daniel teaches us something about walking with God in humility.

[Reading of Daniel 6]

Some men will accuse us and some will see God in our testimony. So, in all things fear God, rather than men.

We know our authority: the Judge of all is our Redeemer. And we know what He requires of us…Do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

Micah, hold to the doctrine that you have been taught. Theology is the first thing. God is sovereign over all things including your life; He is good and does good to His people. He has ordered all things for your sanctification to prepare you for the ultimate reality. This will encourage you when all else fails.

And what is reality? The form of this world is passing away because the kingdom of God has come and continues to come...

Grace has come to all men in the coming of Christ. He is the perfect man of which Abraham, Joseph and Daniel are a shadow. We now have the substance revealed to us in the apostolic testimony.

The kingdom continues to come as the gospel goes forth and as men submit to Christ’s authority through the work of the Spirit.

The kingdom will come when Christ finishes gathering His elect: a multitude that no man can number from every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue. Remember the promise to Abraham that his seed will be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands of the sea. Those joined to Christ by faith are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the covenant.

Christ makes the great promise: “I will lose none, but raise them up on the last day.”

God is rich in mercy towards sinners, defying human understanding, and with this the Prophet Micah agrees…

Darwinius masillae

This newly claimed primate genus and species is said to be an ancestor of humans. The fossil [named Ida] dates to 47 million years ago. The abdomen contains organic remains of food in the digestive tract.

[source: http://www.livescience.com/animals/090519-fossil-scene.html]

Ida’s Death Scenario

There it is! And these men claim to be scientists, rather than religionists. Is there any doubt that the clues of broken bone and food remains suggest a catastrophic and rapid burial of Ida? This is similar to the remains of the Frozen Mammoths documented at http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FrozenMammoths.html.

Why will men with a science degree not question the existence of organic remains of food in the digestive tract of a 47 million year old fossil? Why is this accepted as real science, rather than nonsense?

‘Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…’ [Romans 1:21 KJV]

Re: http://townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2009/05/20/after_death_decadence

It is a given that when men suppress the knowledge of God and hold the Law of God in contempt then lawlessness will become more and more prevalent. There is no limit to the depths of human depravity.

In this age of irrational materialism evidenced by the preaching of unrighteousness and the adandonment of science to evolution evangelism, the world view displayed in the statement about Messiah is a refreshing change. Mr. Medved's deference to his Christian readers is noted and appreciated. We thank him for reminding us of the testimony of Job…

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

            That in my flesh I shall see God’ [Job 19:25-26].

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” [Matt. 28:18-20].

Notice that Jesus’ command was that His disciples teach in accordance with His commands. Significance is placed on the words of Christ. He is preeminent. Even the words of the apostles, including Peter, are subject to the words of Christ. None of the apostles had the authority to contradict the words of Christ. Their letters to the churches are divine commentary on the words of Christ. If none of the apostles had the authority to contradict the words of Christ, surely no church has such authority.

So how do we evaluate the various traditions which claim to be the truth?  For instance, Mormons claim that their traditions come from Christ Himself, and yet they believe that they each have the capacity to become gods, and so Jesus is merely one of many gods.  The Jehovah Witnesses also believe that their tradition comes directly from Christ, and yet they believe that there is but one God and Jesus is not God. By what authority is the Roman Catholic tradition any more valid than the other traditions that claim to go back to Christ? 

Since Christ said all teaching should be done in accordance with His instruction, how can any tradition be held as valid if it departs from Jesus’ words?  Here is the problem: if a tradition can be held as valid even if it departs from the words of Christ, then any tradition can be held as valid.

We make no stand on tradition.  However, it could be said that our tradition goes back to Christ, through Augustine; a tradition that was endorsed by the Bishop at Rome at that time. What is the significance of Augustine? We view tradition not mainly that of Roman Catholicism versus Protestantism, but in terms of Augustinianism versus Pelagianism.

The Augustinian/Pelagian controversy has to do with the very nature of salvation. Is it of grace alone or grace plus something of man? What is so ironic is not only has the Roman Catholic Church embraced Pelagian, but also the Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God, the Churches of Christ, the Nazarenes, and the vast majority of Lutherans are now Pelagian. 

No doubt that the newly elected President Washington was thinking of Psalm 2 when he spoke these words in the context of his inaugural address.

‘Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!’ [Psalm 2:10-12 NAS]

Kiss the Son or do homage to the Son; either way the meaning is clear: Messiah is sovereign over the nations and demands humble and respectful submission to His authority. Our first chief executive understood this.

Also he speaks of a consensus among the Congress that reflects the consensus of the people regarding the good Providence of God in the establishment of their nation. A consensus that Christ rules the nations by His Law and His Kingdom extends under the influence of His Law, in men and in nations.

According to Washington a national policy that wins the affections of its citizens and commands the respect of the world depends on the ‘immutable principles of private morality.’ He is referring to a morality based on revealed truth.

Like Moses in Deuteronomy 30 he reminds his listeners that in honoring God’s Law comes the blessings of life and prosperity, but turning away brings reproach and decline. The preservation of liberty depends on the continued regard for the ‘eternal rules of order and right which God has ordained.’

Washington was committed to the new Constitution and its separation of powers. He cautions the Congress regarding amendments to the Constitution that conservatism considers the balance between ‘the rights of freemen’ and ‘a regard for the public good and harmony.’

He had the novel idea that public service was not for the purpose of monetary gain. Even as General of the Colonial Army he received no compensation other than actual expenses. For him this was a matter of duty and honor.

Washington pleads with the Almighty for His blessing on their efforts to govern a free people for the ‘advancement of their happiness.’ If I were to paraphrase his prayer it would be something like this…

Re: http://townhall.com/columnists/TerryJeffrey/2009/05/13/obamas_catholic-basher

In this respect there is no difference between Pope Benedict and Miss California. It’s a matter of authority. The statists can have no authority, but the state. Christians have the notion that God’s Law is a higher authority to which the state is accountable and can be judged by the people with open Bible. The original Americans also thought so. That is the original meaning of the term ‘rule of law’; the Law of God would rule the nations, rather than the arbitrary laws of autonomous men.

Re: http://townhall.com/columnists/StarParker/2009/05/11/republicans_need_washingtons,_not_specters

So powerful was Washington's character and reputation that the organizers of the Constitutional Convention believed that his presence was necessary for success. Washington did attend the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 and was unanimously chosen to preside over it as President.

The most lasting effects of Washington's influence on America are the product of his two terms in office as the nation's first President. The Constitution as we know it was only agreeable to the people of the new nation because it was widely assumed that Washington would be the first man to be its Chief Executive.

It was widely feared that any other man, would not have wielded the power of the office as capably or responsibly as Washington. Throughout his Presidency, he passed by opportunities to assume and consolidate power. Arriving in the Capitol city before most of the members of the newly elected Congress, Washington chose to wait for the Congress to convene before committing any official acts as President. Instead of succumbing to popular sentiment that he be treated as a king, Washington downplayed his stature as President. He did so through dozens of actions, some purely symbolic, such as wearing a simple brown broadcloth suit to his Inauguration, and some very substantive, such as stepping down after two terms to set the precedent of timely and orderly transitions in political power and leadership. [http://www.thisnation.com/question/017.html]

How does a man devote himself to the service of country and reject the lure of political power? How do the people recognize such a man?

They understood greatness in the context of Jesus Christ…