The disciples were fishermen before the Lord called them to follow Him and become “fishers of men.” After the Lord’s resurrection, those same disciples returned to their boats and nets. When they caught nothing, the Lord appeared to them with the call to “cast the net on the right side,” which made the disciples catch a huge number of fish.

This story teaches how we personally can become more successful at sharing our religion with others. Instead of focusing on teaching the truths of the New Church, switch to sharing your love for the New Church.

In the New Revelation, the Lord teaches often about the relationship between good and truth, love and wisdom, or faith and charity. Because one of the most often taught lessons is that truth shows us how to be good, we tend to think that teaching what is true is more useful than teaching what is good.

However, the story of Ehud illustrates a better way of thinking about this teaching. When Ehud thrusts his sword into Eglon’s belly, we see how the truths of the Word (the sword) have the power to destroy the falsities of hell (Eglon). But Ehud could do this only because he strapped that sword (truth) to his right thigh (celestial love). Truth only works when it comes from the power contained in love. The truths of the New Church only become powerful when you live them because you love the Lord.

Learning the truths of the New Revelation is life changing to those who are already seeking them from a love of serving the Lord. Others, like those the disciples taught, need to learn of the life of religion and the power of that life before they begin to seek the truths of religion. When the next person asks you about your religion, instead of immediately jumping into the truths of your faith, begin by talking about what you love about the New Church and how your life has changed because of it. You may find that you catch more fish. The disciples were fishermen before the Lord called them to follow Him and become “fishers of men.” After the Lord’s resurrection, those same disciples returned to their boats and nets. When they caught nothing, the Lord appeared to them with the call to “cast the net on the right side,” which made the disciples catch a huge number of fish.

This story teaches how we personally can become more successful at sharing our religion with others. Instead of focusing on teaching the truths of the New Church, switch to sharing your love for the New Church.

In the New Revelation, the Lord teaches often about the relationship between good and truth, love and wisdom, or faith and charity. Because one of the most often taught lessons is that truth shows us how to be good, we tend to think that teaching what is true is more useful than teaching what is good.

However, the story of Ehud illustrates a better way of thinking about this teaching. When Ehud thrusts his sword into Eglon’s belly, we see how the truths of the Word (the sword) have the power to destroy the falsities of hell (Eglon). But Ehud could do this only because he strapped that sword (truth) to his right thigh (celestial love). Truth only works when it comes from the power contained in love. The truths of the New Church only become powerful when you live them because you love the Lord.

Learning the truths of the New Revelation is life changing to those who are already seeking them from a love of serving the Lord. Others, like those the disciples taught, need to learn of the life of religion and the power of that life before they begin to seek the truths of religion. When the next person asks you about your religion, instead of immediately jumping into the truths of your faith, begin by talking about what you love about the New Church and how your life has changed because of it. You may find that you catch more fish.

Read Judges 3:12-23, John 6:1-14, and Interaction Between the Soul and the Body 20.

1. How does being connected to the New Church help you? What different does it make in your life? Why do you care about this congregation?
2. What is a very useful thing that the Pittsburgh New Church could do to contribute to achieving the General Church’s goal of 1,000,000 meaningful contacts in 30 years?
3. How could you personally contribute to achieving the goal of 1,000,000 meaningful contacts in 30 years?
4. What concerns do you have about any aspect of this endeavor?

We’ll me meeting again (and the last time for a while) this Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008 at 9:00am in the auditorium.

But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (Exodus 17:12)

Part 1:

[Scroll down for Part 2]

The Lord wants us to look for His help in His Word and in the Church when we are under spiritual attack. This is illustrated for us in the story of the battle against the Amalekites. The Amalekites represent the lies associated with hidden evils. Just as they harassed the Israelites by attacking the weak and those separated from the main group, the hells go after us with lies when we are weak and alone.

The Israelites won the battle using the Lord’s power. So long as Moses raised his hands to the Lord, they prevailed; when he became weak and dropped his hands, the Amalekites prevailed. Likewise, in our own spiritual battles it is hard to always keep our focus on the Lord, because we are weak.

The image of Moses sitting on a stone, his hands supported by Aaron and Hur, is a representation of how we are to rest on the most basic and simple truths from the Word, and seek help from the Lord by looking to his Word and to his people—to one another. From this it follows that the Lord also wants each of us, as His Church, to be an instrument of His power, assisting others in their spiritual battles.

To see that this is true, read Exodus 17:8-16, John 16:20-33, Secrets of Heaven 7814-7817, and Secrets of Heaven 8555, watch Part 1 and Part 2 of the full video sermon, and then spend a week on the following task:

Help others striving to focus on the Lord and accept support on your own journey.
This week look to your spiritual community (friends, neighbors, spouse, family, mentors) to help keep your focus on the Lord. When facing challenges, reach out to your spiritual community and receive support and accountability as you walk your spiritual path. Ask for reminders of what is most important as you work on being a better person. Remember that you are not alone on your journey. Also, take time to recognize and offer the gifts and strengths you have to support your friends and neighbors in their spiritual work.

This sermon is part 6 of 8 in our series, “The Journey: Realizing Spiritual Freedom”, and is on the subject of offering and accepting support which helps to focus on the Lord. Check back next week for part 5, which will be about choosing to follow the Lord. For more information on the Journey, please contact us. To sign up for an online version, click here.

Exodus 17:8-16

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.”

So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, Jehovah My Banner; for he said, “Because Jehovah has sworn: Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

John 16:20-33

“Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”Secrets of Heaven 7814-7817

The human being has been created in such a way that he can look upwards or above self, and also downwards or below self. Looking above self consists in looking towards neighbor, country, Church, heaven, and especially the Lord; but looking below self is looking towards the earth, the world, and especially self.

The reason why looking towards neighbor, country, and Church constitutes looking above self is that it is looking towards the Lord; for the Lord is within charity, and it is the nature of charity to look towards neighbor, country, and Church, that is, to desire their welfare. But people who turn away from them and desire only their own welfare look below self.

Looking above self is being raised by the Lord to a higher level, for nobody can look above self unless he is raised to a higher level by Him who is above. But looking below self is of human origin since the person does not in that case allow himself to be raised up.

Those who have the good of charity and faith within them look above self because they are raised by the Lord to a higher level, whereas those who do not have the good of charity and faith within them look below self because they are not raised up by the Lord. A person looks below himself when he channels towards himself truth and good flowing in from the Lord. And one who channels towards himself the goodness and truth flowing from the Lord sees self and the world in front of him. He does not see the Lord or His goodness and truth because these are behind his range of vision and come to be so indistinct that he pays no attention to them and eventually denies their existence.

Secrets of Heaven 8555

…The subject [of the second half of Exodus 17] is the conflict of falsity arising from evil with the truth and good of faith. That conflict is represented by the battle which Amalek fought against Israel. The fact that those who have the truth and good of faith within them are winning when they look up to the Lord, and losing when they look down, is represented by the children of Israel, who were winning as long as Moses kept his hands raised up, but losing whenever he let them down.

[Scroll up for Part 1, along with the summary, task, and readings.]

And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exo. 16:3)

We are now tempted a third time to give up our journey. We find that the life of religion is all work and no play; it’s no fun. In our former lives, even if we were unhappy much of the time, at least we were happy some of the time and had some fun even though it made us feel guilty. But doing good is hard work with little reward and lots of sacrifice. Time and again during our difficult journey, we will fondly remember the very things that that made us leave in the first place.

The Lord does not abandon us there. Instead, the Lord provides new delights and new pleasures that will sustain us until we reach the final destination. While starting to live our new lives leaves us hungry for the lower or baser pleasures of the “flesh” we once enjoyed, the Lord satisfies that craving with the “bread from heaven” or the higher delights coming from the good we are doing.

Our hunger is the feeling that when our delights are gone, our very life is gone—we love the fun and excitement of evil. When we give that up, it feels like we’ll never have fun or experience pleasure ever again. We wish to return to the evil that we think would be delightful again. But we can persevere with the help of the Lord: He provides new delights that, while not as impassioned as those we left, provide enough to satisfy us and allow us to continue. We overcome this temptation when we seek to find delight in the new life that the Lord is giving us.

To see that this is true, read Exodus 16:1-8, John 3:1-6, and Secrets of Heaven 8413, listen to the full audio sermon, and then spend a week on the following task:

Acknowledge and show gratitude for the blessings the Lord brings into your life every day.
This week look for the ways the Lord is present in each day. Keep your eyes, mind, and heart open. Look for the manna. When you feel empty and spiritually hungry for happiness in your life, pray “give us this day our daily bread. Lord help me to recognize the bread (goodness and blessings) in my life.” When counting your blessings, it is also important to take action and make your gratitude known. It is useful not only to think about how we appreciate someone, but to actually show our appreciation. The same is true with God. Take time to talk about the blessings in your life with others. Take time to praise Him for His great gifts.

This sermon is part 5 of 8 in our series, “The Journey: Realizing Spiritual Freedom”, and is on the subject of receiving daily blessings from the Lord. Check back next week for part 5, which will be about offering and accepting support which helps to focus on the Lord. For more information on the Journey, please contact us. To sign up for an online version, click here.

Exodus 16:1-8

And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that Jehovah has brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you shall see the glory of Jehovah; for He hears your complaints against Jehovah. But what are we, that you complain against us?“ Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when Jehovah gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for Jehovah hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against Jehovah.”

John 3:1-6

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Secrets of Heaven 8413

‘To kill all this congregation with hunger’ means that they were perishing owing to the lack of delight and of good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘killing’ as depriving of life, at this point life made up of delight and good, for a person’s life consists in these, dealt with in 3607, 6767; from the meaning of ‘congregation’ as those belonging to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 7843; and from the meaning of ‘hunger’ or ‘famine’ as a lack of good, dealt with in 5893, at this point the good of lower pleasures, meant by ‘bread’ in 8410. For when that which nourishes spiritual life, or the life of the spirit, is taken away, hunger or famine occurs.

A brief statement showing the nature of all this needs to be made. When the good of charity, which is to constitute a spiritual life, is to be installed, the delight belonging to lower pleasures, which has constituted a natural life, is taken away. And when this delight is taken away the person enters into temptation. The person thinks that if he is deprived of the delight which belongs to those pleasures he is deprived of all life; for the life of his natural has consisted in that delight or good as he calls it. But he does not know that when this delight in which his life has consisted is taken away the Lord instills spiritual delight and good instead; and this good is what is meant by ‘the manna’. The previous kind of good or delight is meant by ‘flesh and bread in the land of Egypt’, and the deprivation of it by ‘hunger’.

But it should be thoroughly understood that a person undergoing regeneration is not deprived of the delight belonging to bodily and mental pleasures, for after regeneration he has full enjoyment of such delight, fuller than he had before, but in inverse proportion. Before regeneration the delight that belongs to lower pleasures was the all of that life; but after regeneration the good of charity becomes the all of life, and when it does so the delight belonging to lower pleasures serves as a means, as something embodying spiritual good and the happiness and bliss that go with it. When therefore order is to be inverted, the previous delight belonging to lower pleasures fades away and ceases to be anything, and a new delight from a spiritual origin is instilled instead.

And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (Exo. 15:24)

There are times when the things we learn seem wrong. In science class we are told that even when acceleration is decreasing, speed is increasing. The recording industry is beginning to think that they make more money when they give music away for free.

The Lord’s truth can seem counter-intuitive as well. Serving the neighbor is first in importance, but serving yourself is first in time. Doing whatever you feel like is slavery while submitting yourself to the Lord is freedom. Real charity is shunning evils within yourself as sins while helping the poor is only a secondary type of charity.

In Marah, the Lord taught the Children of Israel what to do when the waters were bitter; the Lord teaches us what to do when the truth seems confusing and unpleasant and therefor unholy and rejectable: heed the voice of the Lord. We need to have a basic trust in the Lord, that He wants the best for us and knows what He’s talking about—that He is Jehovah who heals us. So even when His laws seem counter-intuitive, we obey His voice instead of our own. The result of victory in this temptation is peace and comfort in an abundance of truth and the good things that come with it.

To see that this is true, read Exodus 15:22-27, Exodus 17:1-7, and Secrets of Heaven 8352:2, listen to the full audio sermon, and then spend a week on the following task:

Look for the good the Lord is bringing out of difficult, hard, and bitter experiences in your life. Consider the Lord’s eternal perspective on your life and look for the good in all situations. Even the hard truths and challenging situations in life are opportunities for growth. When you have a difficult experience, look for the good that can be brought out of it. What might the Lord be teaching you through these experiences?

This sermon is part 4 of 8 in our series, “The Journey: Realizing Spiritual Freedom”, and is on the subject of finding the good in challenges. Check back next week for part 5, which will be about receiving daily blessings from the Lord. For more information on the Journey, please contact us. To sign up for an online version, click here.

Exodus 15:22-27

So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to Jehovah, and Jehovah showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of Jehovah your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am Jehovah who heals you.”
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.

Exodus 17:1-7

Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of Jehovah, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”

So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt Jehovah?”
And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
So Moses cried out to Jehovah, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
And Jehovah said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted Jehovah, saying, “Is Jehovah among us or not?”

Secrets of Heaven 8352:2

A merely natural person cannot believe that anything such as [finding truth unpleasant] could be a cause of grief. For he thinks, ‘What difference does it make to me whether truths are pleasant or unpleasant? If they are unpleasant, let them be cast aside.’ But a spiritual person has an entirely different feeling. Learning truths and being enlightened in the kinds of matters that belong to his soul and so to spiritual life is the delight of his life. Therefore when those truths are lacking, his spiritual life becomes a trial and burden to him; and this gives rise to grief and anguish. The reason is that the affection for good flows in unceasingly from the Lord by way of the internal self, arousing accordant things in the external self which have previously been the cause of delight belonging to an affection for truth; and when these things are under attack from the evils of self-love and love of the world, in which too the person has previously taken delight, a conflict of delights or affections results, which gives rise to anguish, and this in turn to grief and complaint.

And Jehovah said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” (Exo. 14:15)

The Children of Israel were in a scary situation. They had trusted Moses to lead them out of Egypt, but that truwst was melting away as Pharaoh’s chariots came down on them. They were stuck between death by drowning or death by the sword. What was their solution? To complain about their terrible lot and to blame their problems on Moses, saying, “I told you so!” They wanted to take the whole thing back, to return to Egypt as slaves and never try to escape.

Do these “solutions” sound familiar? No good deed goes unpunished, or so the saying goes. When we try to do something good, the evil spirits are going to try and stop us in two ways, by directly attacking us and by making escape seem equally pointless. The evil spirits want us to believe we are “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” so you might as well try to have fun being the evil. In effect, we are saying that we would rather be slaves to falsity than take the even more scary next step: to trust our lives and salvation to the Lord.

What was the Lord’s solution to the Israelites dilemma? “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the Children of Israel to go forward.” As long as we think that we can solve our own temptations and fight our own battles, we will lose. But we will win the battle when we allow the Lord to fight for us. Our part is simply to “go forward,” to continue the journey on the path the Lord has set out for us—following His commandments. THere will be happy and sad times on that journey; there will be funny and scary times on that journey. We trust the Lord to take care of us and we go forward. We face the fears of temptation head on and march right through them.

To see that this is true, read Exodus 14, Lamentations 3:22-41, and Secrets of Heaven 8181, and then spend a week on the following task:

Hear God’s message and then take action to move forward and obey His voice. This week listen for the Lord’s direction and consider how He is asking you to “Go forward.” Notice the fears that hold you back. Be still and pray to the Lord to give you the courage to step forward and the trust that He will provide for and guide you. Consider what concrete step you can take that will help you move closer to God, heaven, and freedom? Take that meaningful step forward and observe how you feel and the work the Lord does in your life.

This sermon is part 3 of 8 in our series, “The Journey: Realizing Spiritual Freedom”, and is on the subject of moving forward on our spiritual walk. Check back next week for part 4, which will be about finding the good in challenges. For more information on the Journey, please contact us. To sign up for an online version, click here.

Exodus 14

Now Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zemphon; you shall camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am Jehovah.” And they did so.

Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zemphon.

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to Jehovah. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. Jehovah will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

And Jehovah said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that Jehovah looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”

Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

So Jehovah saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which Jehovah had done in Egypt; so the people feared Jehovah, and believed Jehovah and His servant Moses.

Lamentations 3:22-41

Through Jehovah’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“Jehovah is my portion,” says my soul,

Therefore I hope in Him!”
Jehovah is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
Let him put his mouth in the dust—
There may yet be hope.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
For He does not afflict willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.
To crush under one’s feet
All the prisoners of the earth,
To turn aside the justice due a man
Before the face of the Most High,
Or subvert a man in his cause—
The Lord does not approve.
Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass,
When the Lord has not commanded it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That woe and well-being proceed?
Why should a living man complain,
A man for the punishment of his sins?
Let us search out and examine our ways,
And turn back to the LORD;
Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.

Secrets of Heaven 8181

‘And let them travel on’ means a further stage, continuing until their preparation has been accomplished. This is clear from the meaning of ‘travelling on’ as a stage further and a continuation, dealt with in 4375, 4554, 4585, 5996. For this directive to travel on means that there should be no cry from them, that is, no pleading, but that the journeying should be continued towards the Sea Suph, and then through it towards the wilderness, that is, through hell, which they will pass through in safety, towards a succession of temptations continuing one after another, until their preparation has been accomplished. For the meaning of ‘the Sea Suph’ as hell, see 8099, 8137, 8148, and of ‘the wilderness’ as a state for undergoing temptations, 8098.

And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. (Exo. 3:2)

We learned last week that evil spirits will try to enslave us using the facts we know about religion; they will twist the teachings of the Word to prevent us from doing anything good. How do we combat that to live a spiritual life?

Some people think that living a spiritual life means not living a natural life, as if the two were mutually exclusive. Some people fear that tending to the everyday (making dinner, meeting deadlines, being nice to people you meet) gets in the way of spiritual life, as if meditation and prayer or reading and studying were the way to live spiritually. Ritual is sometimes confused with spirituality, believing that going to church on Sunday and saying your prayers at night constitute a spiritual life. In correspondential terms, we think that the fire of spiritual life should consume the bramble bush of natural life. But it doesn’t and we wonder why.

We often believe that the way to fight against the enslaving hells is to live apart from the natural life. But as long as we are on this earth, genuine spiritual life can exist only within our natural lives. Like our bodies are containers for our minds, our natural lives should be containers for our spiritual lives. Spiritual life is not something apart from the everyday, but is the purpose within the everyday. The fire does not consume the bramble, but instead allows us to experience the presence of God.

To see that this is true, read Exodus 3 and Secrets of Heaven 6832:10, listen to the full audio sermon, and then spend a week on the following task:

Be still and listen for the voice of the Lord through reflection and reading the Word. This week take time to hear the voice of the Lord and see His leading in your life. What is the message of hope that the Lord has for you in the face of enslaving thoughts, habits, and behaviors? Your task this week is to listen for the Lord God by spending time by yourself on a walk, sitting quietly, praying, or meditating. When faced with a challenge in a relationship, at home or at work, pause and listen for the message the Lord God has for you. Read the Word with these thoughts in mind “What is the message for me? How does this move me forward on my spiritual journey?”

This sermon is part 2 of 8 in our series, “The Journey: Realizing Spiritual Freedom”, and is on the subject of listening to God’s voice. Check back next week for part 3, which will be about moving forward on our spiritual walk. For more information on the Journey, please contact us. To sign up for an online version, click here.

Exodus 3

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush [was] not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

So when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand [is] holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I [am] the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

And Jehovah said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who [am] I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this [shall be] a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, [when] I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

And God said to Moses, “I AM HE WHO IS.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘Jehovah God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This [is] My name forever, and this [is] My memorial to all generations.’ Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘Jehovah God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and [seen] what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘Jehvoah God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.’ But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put [them] on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.

Secrets of Heaven 6832:10

People who do not believe in the existence of spiritual things, especially those who worship nature, cannot at all be led to believe that the warmth present in living persons, which constitutes the actual life within them, has a different origin from that which is the source of worldly heat. For they are not even aware, let alone able to acknowledge, that there is a heavenly fire radiating from the Lord as a Sun, and that this Fire is pure love. Consequently they are unaware of countless instances in the Word in which no other kind of fire is meant; nor are they aware of countless manifestations of it in the human being, who is an organ made to receive that fire.

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

When Israel and his children went to Egypt to live with Joseph, they were safe, happy, and free. But after Joseph and his brothers die, a new king of Egypt comes to power who does not remember the things Joseph did for Egypt. Fear of the Israelites leads the Egyptians to treat them with great cruelty, turning them into powerless and miserable slaves.

This story parallels our lives. In the Word, “Pharaoh” and “Egypt” represent factual knowledge, and “Joseph” represents the life from heaven that comes to us through love. As long as these two pieces are together, life is good. But when they are seperated, the facts we know start to deny the life of religion. The hells use these facs to strangle our happiness and freedom and enslave us to the experiences of our senses rather than the truths taught by the Lord.

Knowing facts is not a bad thing. But it is important to remember that the Lord’s truths are what informs our understading of our world, not the other way around.

To see that this is true, read Exodus 1:1-2:10 and Secrets of Heaven 6015:1-3, listen to the full audio sermon, and then spend a week on the following task:

Identify any behaviors, thought or emotions that hold you back and enslave you. Identify times in your life are areas of your life in which you are stuck: What holds you back? Where do you feel you are trapped or enslaved? Identify any behaviors, thoughts or emotions that are destructive to your life. When do they come up for you? What are their patterns? What are the excuses/lies you use to defend these behaviors? Do these habits have control over your life? Are you a slave to them? Once you have recognized ways that you are stuck in life you are ready for the possibility of moving out of the enslavement.

This sermon is part 1 of 8 in our series, “The Journey: Realizing Spiritual Freedom”, and is on the subject of discovering when we are stuck. Check back next week for part 2, which will be about listening for God’s voice. For more information on the Journey, please contact us. To sign up for an online version, click here.

Exodus 1:1-2:10

Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: Reuben, Simemon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”
And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Secrets of Heaven 6015:1-3

‘In the carts which Pharaoh sent to carry him’ means the matters of doctrine obtained from the Church’s factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the carts’ as matters of doctrine, dealt with in 5945; and from the representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as the Church’s factual knowledge in general. For ‘Egypt’ means the Church’s factual knowledge, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966, and therefore the king of that land means such knowledge in general, as he does elsewhere in the Word, though in the majority of places perverted factual knowledge is meant by Egypt and so also by Pharaoh. The representation of ‘Pharaoh’ as factual knowledge in general is evident in Isaiah,

The princes of Zoan are foolish, the wise counsellors of Pharaoh; counsel has become brutish. How do you say to Pharaoh, I am a son of the wise, a son of the kings of old? (Isa. 19:11)

Here ‘Pharaoh’ stands for the Church’s factual knowledge in general, which was why he was called ‘a son of the wise’ and ‘a son of the kings of old’. ‘The wise’ and ‘the kings of old’ stand for the truths that the Ancient Church possessed. But that factual knowledge made nonsensical is meant, for it says ‘The princes of Zoan have become foolish; counsel has become brutish’.

In the same prophet,

They depart to go down to Egypt but have not asked at My mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore the strength of Pharaoh will become shame for you, and trust in the shadow of Egypt ignominy. (Isa. 30:2, 3.)

‘Strengthening themselves in the strength of Egypt, and trusting in the shadow of Egypt’ stands for relying in matters of faith on factual knowledge and having no belief in any spiritual truth unless it is what factual knowledge and sensory evidence so declare. But that is a perversion of order. The truths of faith must occupy first place, and supporting factual knowledge must take second place; for if the latter occupy first place, no belief in any truth whatever exists.

In Jeremiah,

Jehovah Zebaoth, the God of Israel, said, Behold, I am making a visitation upon Amen in No, and upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt, and upon its gods, and upon its kings - especially upon Pharaoh and those trusting in him. (Jer. 46:25)

Here also ‘Pharaoh’ stands for factual knowledge in general. ‘Those trusting in him’ stands for people who rely on factual knowledge but do not rely on the Word, that is, on the Lord in the Word. Such a reliance leads to a complete perversion in the things people are taught to believe, which in turn leads to falsity and also to the refusal to accept that what is Divine and heavenly is anything at all. These people in particular are all too ready to say, Let me see these things with my own eyes; or, Produce the facts to prove the truth of it, and then I will believe it. But even if they did see them or such proof was produced they would not believe, because an unaccepting attitude of mind governs everything.

Good works are not optional. Which good works we do, and how and when we do them, are left to us to decide. But the Lord does not want people in this world to suffer and it is our obligation as his church to do something to make the world better. We start by shunning evils and performing our daily occupations, and also by being good citizens and good spouses and parents. But the Lord asks more of us. The world is full of natural as well as spiritual suffering, and we are not meant to ignore either.

When doing good works, it is important that we do them justly and from good judgment. Indiscriminately giving money to anyone who asks for it, for instance, may do as much harm as good. At the same time it is a mistake to let our fears of doing the “wrong” good deed stop us from ever attempting good works at all. So long as we try to use our best judgement, and try to do it out of the kindness of our hearts and not merely with the hope of some reward, the Lord will bless us and lead us to become ever better at it.

Now, natural charity is meant to be a foundation for spiritual charity, so in two weeks we will have part four, “Proclaim the Good News”.

To see the truth of this message and to learn how to apply it to your life, read Matthew 25:34-40 and True Christian Religion 459:13-17, then listen to the full audio of this sermon by clicking here, and then try out what you learn in your life. This sermon, along with the rest of the series, is available through the Pittsburgh New Church (where it was preached), TheoBlog.com, the New Church, and for free at the Apple iTunes Store.

* * *

Matthew 25:34-40

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”

True Christian Religion 459:13-17.

When the speeches were over, I held up my hand and asked permission, although I was a stranger, to give my opinion. The presiding officer put this to the meeting, and when it was agreed, I spoke as follows: ‘My opinion is that charity is acting in every deed and employment from a love of justice combined with judgment; but from love that has no other source than the Lord God the Saviour. All that I have heard from those sitting on the benches on the right and the left are well-known examples of charity. But as the presiding officer of this gathering said in his introductory remarks, charity is in its origin spiritual, but in what is derived from this it is natural. Natural charity, if inwardly it is spiritual, appears to the sight of angels transparent, like a diamond. But if inwardly it is not spiritual, but purely natural, it appears to the sight of angels pearly, like the eye of a boiled fish.

‘It is not for me to say whether the well-known examples of charity, which you have brought forward one after another, are inspired by spiritual charity or not. But I can say what the spirituality in it must be, for them to be natural expressions of spiritual charity. Their spirituality consists in their being done from a love of justice combined with judgment, that is, in a person looking to see, when he does something charitable, whether he acts from justice; and it is judgment which allows him to see this. For a person can do harm by kindnesses, and do good by things that look like doing harm. For example, harm is done by kindnesses if anyone supplies a hard-up highwayman with the money to buy himself a sword, although in asking he will not say this is his intention. Or if anyone helps him break out of prison and shows him the way to the woods, saying to himself, “It is not my fault that he robs travelers; I helped a fellow human being.” To take another example: if someone feeds an idler, and takes care he is not compelled to work, saying, “Come into a room in my house and lie in bed; why tire yourself out?” anyone doing this is fostering idleness, Or again, if anyone promotes relations and friends of bad character to high office, in which they can set on foot many kinds of mischief. Can anyone fail to see that charitable deeds of this sort are not motivated by any love of justice combined with judgment?

‘On the other hand, a person may do a kindness by acts which look like wrong-doing; for instance, a judge who acquits a wrong-doer because he weeps, utters pious expressions and begs to have his offense overlooked, on the grounds that he is his neighbor. Yet the judge in fact acts charitably, when he imposes the sentence prescribed by law, for by so doing he prevents him from doing further wrong and harming the community, which is the neighbour in a superior degree; and he sees to it that such a judgment is not a cause of scandal. Is anyone unaware that it is for their own good that servants are chastised by their masters, and children by their parents, for doing wrong? It is much the same with those in hell, all of whom love to do wrong, being kept shut up in prison and punished when they act wickedly, a punishment permitted by the Lord to reform them. This happens because the Lord is justice itself, and does whatever He does as the result of judgment itself.

‘These facts allow us to see clearly why it is that, as I said before, spiritual charity arises from a love of justice combined with judgment, but from love from no other source than the Lord God the Saviour. The reason is that all the good of charity is from the Lord; for He says:

He who remains in me and I in him brings forth much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

also:

He has all power in heaven and on earth. (Mat. 28:18)

All love of justice combined with judgment has no other origin than the God of heaven, who is justice itself, and the source of all human powers of judgment (Jer. 23:5; 33:15)

‘This leads to the conclusion that everything said about charity from the seats to right or left - that it is morality with faith breathed into it, piety with pity breathed into it, doing good to the upright and to the wicked, looking after one’s relatives and friends in every way, giving to the poor and helping the needy, building hospitals and supporting them with gifts, endowing places of worship and doing kindnesses to their ministers, that it is the Christian brotherhood of old, or forgiving everyone his faults - all of these are splendid examples of charity, when they are done out of a love of justice combined with judgment. Otherwise they are not charity, but only like watercourses cut off from the spring that feeds them, and like branches torn from a tree. True charity consists in believing in the Lord, and acting fairly and righteously in every deed and employment. Anyone therefore who at the Lord’s bidding loves justice and executes it with judgment is an image and likeness of charity.’

]]> http://www.pittsburghnewchurch.org/2007/07/29/be-the-church-part-3-serve-humanity/feed/ http://www.pittsburghnewchurch.org/2007/07/22/be-the-church-part-2-love-one-another/ http://www.pittsburghnewchurch.org/2007/07/22/be-the-church-part-2-love-one-another/#comments Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:48:44 +0000 Rev. Mac Worship Special Programs http://www.pittsburghnewchurch.org/2007/07/22/be-the-church-part-2-love-one-another/ Last week, in part one of our series, we reviewed our individual responsibilities to the Lord as citizens of his kingdom on earth, the Church. They are to live a life of piety (praying, reading the Word, and worshiping the Lord) and a life of charity (repenting, shunning evils, and serving other people) so that we may be born again.

This week, we are talking about how we can be the church to one another. In The Gospel of John, the Lord tells us, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” A very powerful and important way we can keep this commandment is by supporting each other in one another’s personal spiritual journeys. True Christian Religion teaches that the Church as a person’s neighbor provides true teachings and good deeds by which that person enters the Lord’s kingdom. If each of us is to be the church, then each of us is responsible for supporting our spiritual brothers and sisters as they try to understand truths and to do good deeds.

It is because the church—which is made up of each one of us—helps us in this way that we are to love and honor our spiritual mother the church as one of the highest forms of neighbor. And when we are the church to one another and are loving the church in one another, we form a spiritual community of individuals striving to help one another to become better people. This community the Writings for the New Church call the “communion of saints”.

But the communion of saints also includes people you have never met. And so next week we will look at ways we as a church can be a good neighbor to the rest of the world in “Be the Church, Part 3: Serve Humanity”.

To see the truth of this message and to learn how to apply it to your life, read John 13:31-24 and True Christian Religion 145-146, and then listen to the full audio of this sermon by clicking here. This sermon, along with the rest of the series, is available through the Pittsburgh New Church (where it was preached), TheoBlog, the New Church, and for free at the Apple iTunes Store.

* * *

John 13:31-34

So, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

True Christian Religion 145-146

Chapter V

The neighbor who is to be loved in a higher degree is the church, and in the highest degree the Lord’s kingdom.

Since man is born destined for everlasting life, and it is the church which brings him to this, the church ought to be loved as neighbor in a higher degree. For the church’s teaching is the means leading to and giving entry to everlasting life. It is the truths of its teaching which lead and the good deeds performed which give entry to it. This does not mean that the priesthood is to be loved in a higher degree, and the church because of the priesthood. It is the good and truth of the church which ought to be loved, and the priesthood for their sake. The priesthood only serves as a means, and should be honored to the extent that it so serves.

Another reason why the church is the neighbor to be loved in a higher degree, and so more than one’s country, is that one’s country introduces one to secular life, but the church introduces one to spiritual life, the life which distinguishes man from living purely as an animal. Moreover, secular life is temporary, having an end, and is then as if it had never been. But spiritual life, having no end, is everlasting, so that the term ‘being’ may be used of it, but ‘not-being’ of the other form of life. The difference is like that between the finite and the infinite, which are incommensurable; for what is everlasting is infinite in respect of time.

The reason why the Lord’s kingdom is the neighbor to be loved in the highest degree is that the Lord’s kingdom means the church throughout the whole world, what is called the communion of saints, and it also means heaven. If therefore a person loves the Lord’s kingdom, he loves everyone in the whole world who acknowledges the Lord and has faith in Him and charity towards the neighbor, as well as all in heaven. Those who love the Lord’s kingdom love the Lord above all else, and consequently have greater love to God than all others. For the church in the heavens and upon earth is the Lord’s body, since its members are in the Lord and the Lord in them.

Love for the Lord’s kingdom then is love towards the neighbor in the fullest sense. For those who love the Lord’s kingdom not only love the Lord above all else, but also love the neighbor as themselves. Love to the Lord is universal love, thus pervading every detail of spiritual life and also every detail of natural life. For that love dwells at the highest level in a person, and what is highest flows into what is lower, bringing it to life, just as the will does into every intention and thus every action, and as the understanding into every thought and thus every utterance. This is why the Lord says:

“Seek first the kingdom of the heavens and its righteousness, then everything will be given to you in addition.” (Mat. 6:33)

The kingdom of the heavens is the Lord’s kingdom, as is established by this passage in Daniel:

“Behold, one like the Son of Man was coming with the clouds of the heavens. And to him was given dominion, glory and the kingdom, and all peoples, nations and tongues will worship him. His dominion will be a dominion for ever, which will not pass away and his kingdom one which will not perish.” (Dan. 7:13-14)

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