Opus 2022-249: Visions of Too Many Sugar Plums

The infinite wisdom of the You Tube algorithm has finally decided I would like to hear from Alistair Begg.  I am good with that.  I used to listen to his broadcasts and pod casts on a regular basis.  The one that got my attention seemed to be a final session in some conference where he was fielding questions.

The first question had to do with his habits for keeping healthy.  The short answer was he didn’t have any, but at one point he made joking reference to his appearance.  Since I think he is older than I am I could relate to his, “Just look at me” comment.  It got me thinking about how most older guys have some common sense about dressing.  I have not seen many gold medallions and hairy chests lately.  We follow his model.  Long sleeves and full length pants.  Only the top button of the shirt undone.  Reasonably loose fit.  I dress that way because I am self conscious and have never felt like I was great to look at.  In my concern for others I have never wanted to subject them to what I had to see in the mirror.

I wish others would return the favor.

If God and discipline has blessed you with a great package then feel free to show it off.  If you lost a lot of weight then sport that too small T-shirt.  If you have been working out then indulge in a muscle shirt.  If you look good in high heels then wear them and walk careful.  Let those graceful arms hang from your spaghetti straps.  

If, on the other hand, you have taken the basic model God gave you and driven it into the ground, please have mercy.  I don’t want to have the vision of a living walking Michelin Man and his soul-mate jiggling down the sidewalk.  Talk about needing a trigger warning.  One of the cruelest statements of the modern era is, “What has been seen cannot be unseen.”

Always try to understand the concept of good taste.  That means modesty, style (not fashion) and other people’s hang-ups.

I thank you.  Alistair thanks you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-275: Not Making Sensei

Alistair Begg was working through Titus and in one sermon addressed the different groups in the church.  He explained how young women were supposed to be learning from the older women.  He compared it to having a personal trainer, an interesting way of relating Biblical teaching to modern culture.

Think of all the areas in our culture where the idea of a “personal trainer” is not only accepted but expected.  Does the word “guru” sound familiar.  How about “sensei”?  Are you familiar with apprenticeships and OJT?  The traditional method of entering the teaching profession involves not only a lot of classes but a period of being a student teacher.

Yet when it comes to the church and the Christian faith we too often reject the idea.  People don’t want to be told what to do in the important areas, the ones involving eternity.  They reject correction, reproof and rebuke.  It is a sad state of affairs.

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Opus 2016-324: Morning Pulpit: One Gram at a Time

I am not sure what the reference was that Alistair Begg was preaching from but a phrase he used caught my attention.  It may not be exact because I could not write it down while driving in rush hour.  It went something like this:

“It might not be much, but it is what made the difference.”

I think he was talking about prayer and the influence it has.  The principle applies in most of our lives.  Few of us will be the leading character in a successful TV series.  We won’t make it into the history books.  No one will remember us but we all make little contributions that keep things going. 

In the morning when I am having my bread and coffee and celebrating my own personal Eucharist I often look at the bread and think of all the hands that went into putting it in front of me.  It runs from the guy who put the bolt on the wheel of the combine to the employee behind the counter that put the bread on the plate.  All it would take for my plate to be empty is one level of hands to not do their small bit.

So cheer up.  You make a difference.  The only question to ask is, “Am I a positive difference or a negative difference.”  If you leave the eggs out overnight it doesn’t make much difference.  If you leave the ice cream out it changes everything.

I am counting on you doing your part.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-266: Insy or Outsy

In one of his sermons, Alistair Begg made the distinction between sins of excess and internal sins.  Adultery is a sin of excess.  Lust would be internal.  One has to do with our outward actions, the other with inner thoughts.  What we need to understand is that both are sins.  Some people think that if they can just control their actions they have it made but Jesus said it differently.

(Matthew 5:28 KJV)  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

This is what makes the Christian faith so difficult to many.  It requires an act of God to deal with the inner sin.  It means that we are not in control and that we are dependent on His grace.  It means that we are not gods of our lives.  It means we must be willing to bend our knee in submission. 

It is also confusing to those watching church people.  It is hard to observe what goes on in people’s hearts.  It is easy to see what goes on in their interactions.  Those of us who are serious pray that God will change our inner person and give us the discipline to develop our outer person.  In Christianese it is the process of sanctification.

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Opus 2016-160: Discernment Watch: Social Justice

I have a lot of old thoughts to get to and write about.  This one hit me as I was listening to an Alistair Begg sermon back in 2011.  Begg used the term “social injustice”.  I am used to the term “social justice” but had not heard it turned around this way.  In case you are not paying attention you might think that “social justice” is something that Christians should be all in favor of.  After all, are we not called to justice?

(Micah 6:8 KJV)  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Yes we are, but we are not called to “social” justice. 

The whole meaning changes when you add the adjective.  Social justice is a term coined by a group of manipulators who want to carve out special privilege for certain groups of people at the expense of others.  Social justice means that you take the blindfold off the statue of justice so that she can she who is on trial and adjust the results to compensate for supposed inequality.  In the last few years we have had a judge decide that a handicapped person who wants to be a professional golfer could be allowed to ride in a golf cart.  This is in spite of the rule that says all golfers must walk the course.  It is the source of the blue outlined parking spaces outside of gyms and athletic fields. 

The Biblical idea of justice is based on truth.  If you buy a dozen eggs then when you get home you should find twelve eggs in the carton.  You should not have eleven eggs.  You should not have two rocks, three marbles and seven eggs.  Justice demands twelve eggs.  If you get home and find that you only have ten eggs because the grocer knew you had high cholesterol and didn’t need the eggs and gave the two extra eggs to someone with five children, that is social justice.  If, in the process, he made you pay more for the eggs because you made more money, that is social justice.  If it just so happens that the person who is getting the benefit of this social justice is a relative or someone who’s vote you want to buy, that is also social justice.

Why do we need the adjective.  Adjectives modify nouns.  If God has given us a noun why do we feel a need to modify it?  We act like we are clarifying but often we are just watering down.  I am on a diet.  I am sure you are impressed but keep in mind, everyone is on a diet.  You modify the type and meaning of the diet by the adjectives you use.  Remember the See Food Diet.  You see food and you eat it. 

Justice does not play favorites.  Justice is.  Or it is not.  I am afraid that social justice isn’t.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-147: Ignoring the Problem

A long time ago Alistair Begg was talking about the apostle Paul’s comments on spiritual warfare.  He said Paul doesn’t try to present a case for the existence of the devil, he just assumes it.  I can’t find the reference at his point but Hebert Schlossberg maintained that one of the assumptions we should have is that there is a spiritual realm and we are battling in it.  Remember the well known statement of C.S. Lewis about the devil.  He said there are two mistakes people make.  They either totally ignore him or give him too much attention. 

The problems that our world faces are based on spiritual malnutrition, not material shortages.  Take world hunger.  People are starving to death all around the world.  It isn’t because there isn’t enough food to feed them.  The problem is governmental coercion and personal selfishness.  It is in distribution and management, not production.  The same case can be made for most shortages.

How about unemployment.  Obviously there are some big issues but one of the contributing factors is an unwillingness to work.  It always amazes me then young men who seem alert and capable ask me for money outside a store when across the parking lot there is a sign saying, “Now hiring”.  Two things are necessary for a person like this.  They must be willing to work and willing to cut their life style to match their income.

We do live in a physical world.  There are physical needs and demands.  Those are real.  Our problem comes when we forget the spiritual forces and priorities that propel how we deal with those demands.  Saving is wise.  Hoarding is destructive.  Feasting is glorious.  Gluttony is a sin.

As long as our leaders and teachers refuse to address the spiritual we will continue to be like natural water, always running down hill and following the path of least resistence. 

Schlossberg, Herbert.  Idols for Destruction.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983.

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Opus 2016-108: Listen for the Difference

Alistair Begg was preaching about the resurrection.  He explained how the disciples and the women did not expect the resurrection even though Jesus had been telling them repeatedly what would happen.  That reminded me of the students in my class who need things repeated again and again and still say, “You never told me that.”  A variation is “I wasn’t here when you gave out that paper.”

This is another way in which Jesus demonstrates that He knows what it is like for us.  If the eternal Son could not communicate with a small group that He spent three years trying to disciple, why should I feel like a failure if I can’t get inattentive children to listen?  Are you a parent or any kind of leader?  The problem in communication and training may not be in you but in the target audience.  Why are veteran soldiers such an asset to a battle?  It isn’t necessarily that they have learned from experience.  It may well be that they are the ones who listened and learned enough to survive.  It is a form of short term natural selection.

Learn to listen.  It makes a difference.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-85: Forgiveness, Not Fusion

I was listening to Alistair Begg preach.  I don’t remember the context but I made a note that he said, “Jesus did not come to deal with my loneliness, He came to deal with my sin.”  In that one statement Begg pointed out another big conflict between modern culture and Biblical culture. 

The Bible is not a history book.  It is not a book on self-esteem.  It is not a self-help book.  It is not designed to help us make friends and feel good.  It is a book that is presented to deal with God’s attempt to redeem mankind, one soul at a time.  It is a book to deal with the big issue, sin.  Every problem we face is rooted in sin.  It is a condition we are born into and the actions we take.  There is no solution to that in philosophy or science.  We may some day find the key to fusion power.  We may find a way to educate everyone.  We may find a way to pay the federal deficit.  None of that will make much difference because sin will cause us to misuse the solutions.

We face problems like nuclear proliferation.  The problem is not in the science, it is the values behind the science.  Carry that across into everything we are trying to do.  What is the point of having a doctorate in Chemistry is you don’t know it is wrong to poison people?  Why be the master of economics if you don’t accept that it is wrong to cheat people?

I’m sorry.  It may sound trite.  It may sound simple minded.  It may set your teeth on edge but what the world needs is not “love, sweet love” but Jesus.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-36: Ponzi Deluxe

I was listening to Alistair Begg.  Yes, again.  He was sharing that to his knowledge there is not one believer in the news media standing up and declaring the cause of Christ.  He did not say there were no believers, just that they were not making a clear statement.

I don’t know why but that made me think about how rampant porn and such is everywhere you turn.  It is getting to the point where dissipation is on auto-pilot.  Satan does not have to push very hard any more.  Simple things like the internet are doing his work for him.  Once the seed is planted tendencies grow on their own.  Think of the ads you see when you are on line.  They start with a mild attraction and you bite.  Then you click on something just a little further down the path.  Then you click again.  If we don’t stop clicking, Satan has us.  Even if you stop the cookies have been imbedded and you will keep getting those types of ads.  The cookies planted by business are a perfect tool for Satan to distracted us with the subtle desires of our hearts.  He just sits back and laughs.  It is kind of like a spiritual Ponzi Scheme. 

Social pressure works the same way.  He spends his time working on a more subtle level:  getting young girls to dress like a rock star, getting older girls to dress in provocative ways.  Getting the boys interested and then pulled into lust.  It doesn’t start off with hard core porn but by looking out the corner of our eye. 

An old saying is that “mighty oaks out of acorns grow”.  The same procedure can produce a yard full of dandelions. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-412: Einstein vs Grandma

Recently Alistair Begg quoted Albert Einstein.  It doesn’t really matter the quote.  I am sure it was very clever and fit into the sermon.  The problem I have is that we quote people like Einstein on issues of life.  If you have a question about physics or relativity, he might provide some real insights.  His personal life was devoid of morality and his positions on the social issues of his day were bad.  He was usually a brilliant scientist.  That does not make him qualified to comment of the big issues.  We have the mistaken idea that celebrity status qualifies us to comment on life changing topics.  It doesn’t work that way.  Your grandmother, who did not graduate from high school, may be more qualified to give wisdom than any scientist or actor that has ever existed.  Let me go one step further.  Your grandmother was definitely more qualified.

If you want to know how to build a rocket ship, Einstein might help.  If you want to know if you should build a rocket ship, he would not have had a clue.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-377: A Problem of Emphasis

I was listening to Alistair Begg on the way to work.  Nothing new there.  He made reference to just being a sinner saved by grace.  Nothing new there.  I decided I was tired of the emphasis.  Nothing new there.

Christians are sinners saved by grace.  You can’t argue with that because that is the truth.  We are nothing, and never can be anything, by our own strength and power.  We cannot earn our salvation.  It is a gift.  Notice:  The gift is available and it changes things.

So why do some people spend all their time focused on life before the gift.  When Begg and others of his persuasion say it they are saying, “we are SINNERS saved by grace.”  What they should be saying is “we WERE sinners.  We ARE SAVED by grace.”  Or even, “We were dirty, no good rotten sinners, but we are now SAINTS SAVED BY GRACE.” 

I once was a baby that soiled my diapers.  Once I ate mashed potatoes with my fingers.  I used to pass gas in public.  Left to myself I would still practice habits like that.  I may have stopped wearing diapers.  Hopefully the work of my parents has had some effect.  I don’t brag about how dirty my bib used to be but how clean my shirt is now.  I don’t need training wheels on my bicycle any more.  I might need a speed regulator on my car, but that is a different story.

Thank you, Mom and Dad.  Thank you, Jesus.  I could not, and would not, have done it without you.  I hope I am a credit to your names.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-101: What Is Wrong With the World?

You may have noticed how often people observe that things are not going well in the world.  Violence, pollution, crime, poverty, disease.  The list goes on.  How do you explain it?  Alistair Begg has an interesting progression he uses to explain the Christian world view:  The good, the bad, the new and the perfect. 

Begg explains that it all got started with the Good.  God created the universe and it was perfect.  Six times in the first chapter of Genesis we find “it was good.”  Of course that was before humans were created.  After that He said “it was very good.”  (Genesis 1:31)

Then we have Adam and Eve rebelling against God and sin became a part of creation.  Bad.  This effected not only all descendants of the pair but the plants and animals also.  This would be considered the problem with the world.  It is called sin.  It is defined many ways but it has to do with things no longer being as God designed them.

Then we come to the new.  This is the solution to the problem of sin.  Sin was something that no human action or effort was powerful enough to deal with.  Sin brought death.  Christians believe that Jesus, God become man, gave His life to pay for the debt of sin.  This was a sacrifice that was pure enough to pay the price.

The perfect is still in the future.  The universe as we know it will come to an end and be remade.  Those who have had their sin dealt with will be resurrected into new bodies in a new world and spend an eternity in the presence of God.

The Christian view is different than the secular view.  We believe in a personal God who is involved and in control.  We believe that things are flawed now but there is a solution.  We have an assurance about this life and what comes after.

Obviously thousands of books have been written about this but we have short attention spans.  This will need to suffice for today.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-248: Mystery Religion?

Recently Alistair Begg was preaching about the incarnation and the two natures of Jesus that are not mixed or combined.  Jesus was both fully God and fully man.  Both are total.  This is mystery of the incarnation.  It is a mystery because it is true yet almost impossible for us human beings to understand.  How could Jesus be both fully God and fully man.  We can grab at it.  We can struggle with it and come to some understanding but in reality we will never understand it.  It is beyond us. 

There are other mysteries:  The trinity, free will and foreknowledge, and eternal God who cares about individual people, salvation itself.   That is okay.  We don’t need to understand everything now.  We will have eternity to work on it.

When Christians talk about mystery though, it does not mean the same as the pagan religions or elitist cults.  We are not talking about secret knowledge that is only revealed to a special few of the initiated.  We are not talking about nonsense that has nothing to do with anything but is still supposed to be of great importance to eternity.  This is not the wisdom and mystery of fantasy novels that is made up late at night after a bull session.  We are simply talking about things that are beyond us and may always be beyond us. 

Even when we are resurrected it may be that we will never be able to understand the trinity.  That’s okay because our view of God is that He is so far beyond us that we will never be able to totally comprehend Him.  That is part of being God.  That’s okay because it fits in with our understanding. 

Mystery does not let us off the hook.  It does not mean that we are not to seek knowledge or understanding, to grow in grace.  It does not allow us to turn off our minds and coast.  It tells us that while there are things beyond us, we can keep reaching and growing forever.  God is the total, not us.

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Opus 2014-133: Fast Food and Freedom

Some of us need the restrictions of rules and regulations; all of us some times;  some of us all the time.

In one of his sermons Alistair Begg shares how he struggled with math.  He could understand how to do a specific problem but could never seem to grasp how the bigger principles applied to the entire math world. 

There is a good possibility that all of us have areas of our life where we will never get the big picture or the principles of how things will work.  There are many possibilities of why.  Some may not care to know the big principles because the principle of “me” is all they care about.  Some may be immature and developing.  They will get there some day.  Some may be to limited in their mental equipment. 

It may be there are some people who need a legalistic structure because they need people to tell them in each specific case what to do.  Making mature decisions is hard to do.  It requires mental effort as well as an understanding of how life works.  Often it is easier to just have someone else make the decisions.  I can decide what to eat at In-n-Out much quicker than I can at Cracker Barrel.  In-n-Out has the choice of a hamburger, cheeseburger or double-double.  I also get to choose fries or not.  Cracker Barrel has multiple pages with variations on each theme.  There is a reason why one is called fast food.  Most of the thinking is done before I hit the parking lot.

Even eating out is a sign of releasing responsibility.  It is easier.  To eat at home it is necessary that someone go to the grocery store and make many selections, haul it in the house, store it, make more selections when it is time to prepare, cook making decisions and then you need to decide on portions.  Freedom is a burden.  That is why so many are content to allow the Nanny State a growing power over their lives.

Freedom demands.  Liberty demands responsibility. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-70: Simple Truth

Alistair Begg was talking about fools.  He said being a fool is not an intellectual issue but a moral issue.  I like the way he puts it.  I have always said being a fool is not acknowledging God.  Consider the words of Solomon.

(Pro 9:10 KJV)  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Real wisdom is rooted in a knowledge of God but this points out why our culture has such trouble with real wisdom.  They reject God because God demands moral behavior.  They are not stupid, just sinful.

What is wrong with our culture?  Why don’t our schools work?  Why is there so much hatred?  Why do people drive the way the do?

It isn’t lack of education or poverty.  It is not a lack of government leadership.  It isn’t the wrong political party in control.

It is sin.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-68: The Fullness of Time

In a sermon I listened to a few years ago Alistair Begg asked the question, “Why didn’t Jesus come now?”  He was commenting on how it would be easier to spread the gospel with all the modern communication technology. 

There is a problem with that question.  It assumes that we would have all the modern communication technology is Jesus had not come.  I don’t think so.

Much of what we have today is based on a culture that was produced by the followers of Christ, not Mohammad, etc.  The scientific method that is at the root of our technical advances depends on the Christian view of God.  It would not be possible in Islam as it developed.  It never developed in the pagan world.  It is based on a world created by an immutable God not on the superstitions of the non-Christian world. 

Also found in Christianity are the ideas about the worth of the individual that led to the crumbling of belief in the divine right of kings and the God-given superiority of class.  Without the modern philosophies and sense of self worth stirred by Christ we would not have the modern advances.  Things would not have gotten much better.

So if Jesus had not come when He did we might still be riding horses and dying of simple infections.  Electricity would be worshiped instead of harnessed.  Children would be sacrificed instead of...oh, well, you can’t win them all.

There is still a lot of work to do.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-55: Rationalization

In a sermon Alistair Begg commented about how we ask for wisdom but, if we get wisdom that doesn’t agree with what we want to hear, we ignore it.  How true.  We are really good at finding reasons not to do what we know is right.  I think the term I learned in college was “rationalization.”

We make a lot of choices.  We make exceptions for ourselves and demand high standards from others.  How often have you seen an obnoxious person complaining about the service they receive?  How would the morning drive be if everyone drove like you?  How crowded would the restaurant be if everyone stayed as long as you?

This is not acceptable for followers of Jesus.  You have seen the signs that say, “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.”  Too many church attenders seem to be saying, “We reserve the right to refuse service to Jesus.”

It doesn’t work that way.  That is why we are told to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile.  That is why we are commanded to be concerned about the other guy more than ourselves.

That is wisdom.  You may not like it but don’t take it up with me.  Talk to the guy who gets the red letters in your Bible.

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Opus 2014-39: What Is the Age of Accountability?

At what age do human beings become responsible for their actions?

What is the age of accountability?  How do we know?  Alistair Begg was talking about the Garden of Eden and how God came to Adam and Even in their nakedness.  After eating the apple and sinking into sin they suddenly became aware of their condition.  With awareness came shame.

That got me to thinking about how an awareness of their sin went with embarrassment of their nakedness.  Where do we see that parallel?  New born babies think naked is normal.  As children grow they are not very self conscious.  They might be shy.  They have personalities.  They are all different but none of them seem to care is they have their shirt on backwards or buttoned wrong.  That changes.  Eventually there comes a time when they begin to realize they are skinny or fat, gawky or clumsy.  They become aware of their bodies.  Perhaps that is an indication of the point where they have matured enough to be accountable for their sin.

So what is the age of accountability?  When you see the piece of candy that fell on the floor as dirty instead of desirable?  When mustard on your nose is a reason to stop and use a napkin?  When combing your hair becomes important?  When you stop hating taking a bath?  With awareness comes moral judgment.

Perhaps this could be used in the courts as a measure of when to put someone on trial as an adult.

Perhaps the rejection of the concept of sin is the reason the courts don’t want to hold people responsible for their actions.

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Opus 2014-25: From the 20th Row

A couple of years ago Alistair Begg was talking about trusting the airline pilots to fly the plane.  He gave a humorous story of how he always tried to fly the plane from the 20th row.

I thought of how experienced flyers tend to be relaxed and newbies panic every time they hear a rattle or squeak.  Spiritual maturity follows that pattern.  Experience helps us live by faith because we have been through trials before.  We have had our times of anxiety and experience should have taught us that life will go on.  This is one of the benefits of having a mixed congregation that shares about their lives.  Sometimes we can learn from the experiences of others.  If you don’t believe that ask yourself why people watch cooking shows.

Life experience should teach us how to cope.  Unfortunately, some people never learn to relax.  Some people never learn to trust God or other people.  When I used to get into worry mode I would sometimes stop and ask myself how many meals I had missed over the years.  It has been close.  I was down to one can of soup once, but God came through.

So learn to know the difference between times of trust and times when concern is called for.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-393: Is It a Nominative or Genitive Christmas?

What did the angels really say to the shepherds?

The controversy was brought about at the Christmas Eve service last night.  The translation on the screen had a modern text of Luke 2:14.  It came up again as we read through the Christmas story at home.  Most people are familiar with the King James.

(Luke 2:14 KJV)  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Modern translations say it in a different way.

(Luke 2:14 NAS77)  "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

To the casual reader this is no big deal.  Actually it shows a difference of theological understanding about salvation and how God interacts with each of us.

The difference goes back to the Greek.  The KJV uses what is called the Textus Receptus or Majority Text.  This Greek text has the largest number of manuscripts, thus “majority.”  Most modern translations use the group of texts that are thought to be older but not as common.  The words are the same in Greek but the tenses are different.  The Majority Text has the nominative case and the other the genitive case. 

What difference does it make?  Does the peace of God extend toward all mankind or does He reserve it for those that please Him?  If you are one who lives in obedience it applies both ways.  If you are one who likes to thumb your nose at God or wants to put off getting your act together it is important to believe that God extends His peace to everyone regardless of our behavior.

This came up in one of Alistair Begg’s sermons.  He was talking about Jesus calling Matthew, “Follow me.”  Begg was making the point that Matthew was a tax collector and thus outside the fold.  He was one of a hated class that was known for their selfishness and greed.  Begg, a Calvinist, was making the point that God can chose whoever He wants, which of course is true even to non-Calvinists.

But what were the conditions that made him pick Matthew.  Tax collectors were notorious, true.  Was Matthew just another greedy Roman foil or did Jesus sense an openness in Matthew that wasn’t in the others?  I doubt if He picked him because he was a stinker.  Personally I think that Matthew may have been one of those rare honest tax collectors.

Are there people that Jesus called that said “No.”  We don’t have a list of them but there were people who seemed to be ready to follow but pulled back.  Think of the ones who wanted to go bury their parents and such. 

If God has preordained each of us in our response then it doesn’t make much difference which translation you use.  If you are expected to respond then it follows that the peace of God is extended to those who please Him.

Merry Christmas. 

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