In our lives whenever we strive in faithfulness and obedience to God to be good, the devil is there to deceive and destroy.
As Covenant Nations we have been richly blessed by Almighty God with the blessings of His Amazing Grace through His Son Jesus our Saviour.
I recall and am always encouraged by a recent submission [1] to the Covenant Nations concerning Britain and Australia’s Constitutional Positions:
“… many Australian Politicians are gradually changing our Federal Constitution by stealth.
It was called the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia – but now Australian Constitution. I also add that it is a disgrace that politicians push for a republic – after giving an oath or affirmation of allegiance to the Queen! Perhaps I am old fashion but isn’t this actually treason? Demagogues and potential dictations are frustrated and even infuriated by our quaint “old fashioned” loyalty to the Crown. I often smile, for example as I hear a Prime Minister use the phrase “my Government.” Prime Ministers really do know better than to refer to the government as their own, but it frustrates some of them that Section 61 of our Constitution says “The executive power (i.e. government) of the Commonwealth is vested in the Queen …” and she says it is all subject to the Power and Empire of Christ!”
In our Book of Common Prayer, we always pray for the Queen and those in authority under Her.
Today in this submission I constantly read these sentences from the Book of Common Prayer:
Ezekiel 18.27
When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
Daniel 9.9-10
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him: neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws which he set before us.
I still pray: “Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy… Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me: Almighty and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done, And there is no health in us: But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders; Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults, Restore thou them that are penitent, According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord: And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the Glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
As I reflect, I also remember that in my same article [2] an important truth confirming our covenant Nations need for repentance is about “…the spiritual disobedience caused by the Heath Administration and John Major’s evil announcement in the House of Commons on 11 February 1993. I agree with the Editorial quote that: “Britain has been in a state of national unfaithfulness to its lawful husband – ‘the Queen-in-Parliament under God’. Treason by instalments…” I will never forget this.
I am humbled by Jesus’ amazing grace. His unmerited favour to His Covenant Nations.
I recall His loving care:
Matthew 11.28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
This loving concern of Jesus above leads me to reflect on attitudes in three aspects of our lives. These are simply – to see ourselves as we really are, to see Jesus for who He is and thirdly to determine or decide what to do individually as obedient subjects of the Crown or together as faithful Covenant Nations.
In our Covenant Nations today it is true to say that humanity is going further astray.
Isaiah 53.6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.
Indeed, I believe from the 1950’s orthodox faith in Almighty God based on the original faith of the Covenant Nations who followed the Book of Common Prayer began to grow cold. Postmodern liberal existential neo-tolerant relativism started to find favour resulting in the problems I have mentioned ranging from 1958, 1972, 1993 to today. Holy Scripture is clear in this regard:
2 Timothy 3.1-5
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God –
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power…”
I am reminded of my quotes from my previous article above again.
Further, in relation to unfaithfulness and disobedience by our leaders not truly honouring the Queen I am reminded of my comments [3] on Ezekiel 34: “Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, that’s the leaders, politicians, bureaucrats, church leaders…. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.”
Since 1958 I believe our Covenant Nations were going astray. Our Westminster System was being deconstructed by stealth. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us in holy faith as John records:
1 John 3.7-8
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
In seeing ourselves as we really are I begin with truth from Holy Scripture where Paul comments on our condition:
Romans 3.10-12
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
We see that on our own, left to our fallen human desires there is no way of stopping the war within. Look at the state of our Covenant Nations now. Again, Paul records:
Romans 7.21-23
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
In Jesus, His amazing grace and truth, God took the initiative when we, on our own, definitely had no way of stopping the war.
The Holy Spirit’s conviction guides us to see and perceive, to hear and understand that: Acts 4.12 “…Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
In the Christian faith of our Covenant Nations the Holy Spirit helps us to see how we really are and to come to Jesus. Jesus “came from the Father full of grace and truth” (John 1.14) Jesus amazing grace. On the Thursday before Good Friday He looked to heaven and prayed:
John 17.1-5
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
2 “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Notice He said “to all those you have given Him”. Remember:
Ephesians 1.4
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love…”
We are given by the Father to the Son. Jesus’ amazing grace. We pray that in our Covenant Nations our Queen’s subjects will see themselves as they should be in Jesus. Paul reminds us: Ephesians 4.23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds.
For 1500 years, certainly the last 400 years, Covenant Nation Britain has been blessed with amazing grace.
My second point is that we should see Jesus for who He is. Here I have simply remembered His “I am” truths. At Jacob’s well with Samaritan woman He declared “I who speak to you am He” i.e. the One speaking I am (John 4.26). Throughout His mission and ministry Jesus sustains us (John 6.35), lights up our way (John 8.12), protects us (John 10.7), shepherds and gives His life for us (John 10.11), ensures our eternal life (John 11.25), shows us the Father (John 14.1-9) – and the way to the Father (v6). Further, He encourages us in our ministry and life and is the beginning and the end of our history in His eternity (Revelation 1.8). It is important to remember who we are and who Jesus is in the faith of our Covenant Nations. Jesus’ amazing grace.
My third point is – what are we to do?
In my mind Covenant Nation Britain (Ephraim) has always been great. There has been great unfaithfulness by politicians from 1958 through 1972, 1993 to today. One great problem is mentioned in Hosea 7.9,11. Brexit has to happen. Britain, over the centuries, has been a nation of overcomers and taken Christian civilisation to the world. A nation based on private and public industry – of great invention and research of the Covenant Nations. Earlier I mentioned the Queen and her allegiance to “the Power and Empire of Christ”.
So, in my third point – the question – what are we to do as Covenant Nations? It is all about being faithful and obedient to Almighty God. Remember:
1 Samuel 2.30
“Therefore the Lord , the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and your father’s house would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained…”
It is about trusting and obeying the Lord in our ‘doing’.
Jesus’ brother James recorded:
James 1.22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.
The ‘word’ and the ‘perfect law’ above is the teaching in Holy Scripture based on the Ten Commandments brought to fulfillment (Matthew 5.17) by Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6.9-13) and his two commandments (Matthew 22.37-40) God’s amazing grace.
In the Old Covenant, King David was wise and successful because he trusted and obeyed Almighty God. It is so important to read Holy Scripture.
In Psalm 22 we see Israel being attacked by enemies all about. Note please verses 11, 21, 22, 27, 30, 31. Notice the Psalm which follows. I have included it:
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The Lord saved Israel from enemies. David acknowledged the Lord as the Shepherd-King – and Jesus our King of Kings is the Shepherd who saves us physically and spiritually to eternal life (John 10.11). God’s amazing grace.
As I have mentioned before, there is a type/shadow parallel as Churchill like David never surrendered to evil. Again, I remember in his speech to the Empire commenting on the D-Day landing on 6June 1944, he praised the operation for the liberation of France. King George VI asked for another Day of Prayer from the Empire. Everything was ready. All had been done. The dangers were great but they were overcome with endurance and strength of character. All this was for freedom.
Churchill reflected – Britain was not broken by the blitz – Britain would not melt in fire – Britain was tempered like steel by the fire. Britain endured. He was right! He was a doer! God’s amazing grace. We pray our Covenant Nations will continue in Holy Faith to be DOERS!
[1] Covenant Nations Vol 5 No 1, 2010 p 17
[2] Ibid p 16
[3] Australia’s Sovereignty & Unfaithful Governance Rev Dr Graham Whelan OAM p 48