Milo

May 16

“Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days.” (Dan. 10:12, 13)

WE have wonderful teaching here on prayer, and we are shown the direct hindrance from Satan.
Daniel had fasted and prayed twenty-one days, and had a very hard time in prayer. As far as we read the narrative, it was not because Daniel was not a good man, nor because his prayer was not right; but it was because of a special attack of Satan.
The Lord started a messenger to tell Daniel that his prayer was answered the moment Daniel began to pray; but an evil angel met the good angel and wrestled with him, hindering him. There was a conflict in the heavens; and Daniel seemed to go through an agony on earth the same as that which was going on in the heavens.
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers … against wicked spirits in high places (Eph. 6:12, margin).
Satan delayed the answer three full weeks. Daniel nearly succumbed, and Satan would have been glad to kill him; but God will not suffer anything to come above that we “are able to bear.”
Many a Christian’s prayer is hindered by Satan; but you need not fear when your prayers and faith pile up; for after a while they will be like a flood, and will not only sweep the answer through, but will also bring some new accompanying blessing.—Sermon.
Hell does its worst with the saints. The rarest souls have been tested with high pressures and temperatures, but Heaven will not desert them.—W. L. Watkinson.

16 MAY

Fly to Jesus, the stronghold

‘And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.’ Genesis 8:11
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Genesis 7:24–8:12

Awful have been the effects of sin in every age and country. But never had death such a general triumph over sinners as in the days of Noah. When he and his family were safely shut up, in that very day, the sentence long before denounced was executed, and all mankind, having corrupted their ways before God, were swept away with a flood. What heart can conceive the horror and dismay when destruction presented itself in every quarter, and the ark, which before they had slighted, and which was the only possible way of escape, was shut against them. This is an emblem of a still severer day of vengeance when the wicked shall be destroyed, not by water, but by a deluge of wrath and fire. O think of it in time and fly to Jesus, the stronghold, as prisoners of hope [Zechariah 9:12].
FOR MEDITATION:
Saved by blood, I live to tell
Shame and wonder, joy and love,
What the love of CHRIST hath done;
All at once possessed my heart;
He redeemed my soul from hell,
Can I hope thy grace to prove,
Of a rebel made a son:
After acting such a part?
Oh, I tremble still, to think
‘Thou hast greatly sinned,’ he said,
How secure I lived in sin;
‘But I freely all forgive;
Sporting on destruction’s brink,
I myself thy debt have paid,
Yet preserved from falling in.
Now I bid thee rise and live.’

In his own appointed hour,
Come, my fellow-sinners, try,
To my heart the Saviour spoke,
JESUS’ heart is full of love;
Touched me by his Spirit’s power,
Oh that you, as well as I,
And my dangerous slumber broke.
May his wondrous mercy prove!
Then I saw and owned my guilt,
He has sent me to declare,
Soon my gracious LORD replied;
All is ready, all is free;
‘Fear not, I my blood have spilt,
Why should any soul despair,
’Twas for such as thee I died.’
When he saved a wretch like me?

SERMON SERIES: GENESIS, NO. 18 [1/3], GENESIS 8:11

But two years before his conversion in 1837, a minor incident brought momentum to an inexorable process.

Ryle was out shooting with his old Eton friend, Algernon Coote, and some others. In the course of the day, he swore in the hearing of Coote’s father, a keen Christian, who rebuked him sharply. Ryle never swore again. This incident led to a lifelong friendship with Algernon Coote, of whom Ryle wrote: ‘he was the first person who ever told me to think, repent and pray.’ Although he did not become a Christian forthwith, he was very much aware that his own standard of life and that of the Christians he knew were in sharp contrast. Thus when the summer of 1837 came and with it Ryle’s conversion, the foundations had been laid. Just before he was due to take his final examinations, he became very ill with inflammation of the chest. The tutor’s report on his year’s work simply states ‘Aeger’ (‘sick’). But he was able to go through with the examinations, and for this he credits Bible reading and prayer. His illness gave him more time to think, and the more he thought the more he realised Jesus Christ was not at the center of his life.

Then one Sunday afternoon, he happened to go to a service in one of the parish churches. He remembered nothing particular about it, not even the sermon. But he did respond to the manner in which the second lesson was read -by someone whose name he never knew. The passage was from the second chapter of Ephesians and when the eighth verse was reached, the reader laid emphasis on it with a short pause between each clause. Thus Ryle heard: ‘By grace are ye saved – through faith – and that not of yourselves – it is the gift of God.’

The same truth which had so transformed Luther in his discovery of justification of faith now had like effect upon Ryle. By the grace of God, he had become a Christian. Henceforth, he would be doughtily upholding Reformation principles.

Over the centuries many scholars have tried to date the events in the Bible and thus establish the date of the Creation. James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh from 1625 to 1665, and a keen scholar, aimed to complete a history of the world from Creation to AD 70. In 1650 the result of his efforts was published in Latin: Annales veteris testamenti, a prima mundi origine deducti. In 1658 the first English edition The Annals of the World was published. This is one of that first printing in English. Ussher dated creation to 23 October, 4004BC. This date has since been a guideline for scholars with a belief in the literal truth of the Bible to refine Ussher’s chronology and establish a date for a creation as described in the Bible.

Be swept away by one of the most influential writers of the 18th century! J. C. Ryle’s works have been changing hearts and lives for over 100 years. He is still speaks to the heart and soul of every man through his simple, straight forward writing style and his gentle, loving tone, which make him as readable today as he was in his lifetime. Ryle tackles difficult issues with grace and kindness while providing an excellent and thorough examination of his subject or text that engages the scholar and layman alike. There are many wonderful facets to Ryle’s works, but Ryle’s love and knowledge of Jesus Christ leaps off of the page, and each work is filled with the same Christ-centeredness that characterized his life. His works are deep, concise, and thought provoking, but most of all, they point you to Christ and help you know and love Him better.

A most outstanding and excellent read, and Ryle’s writing is alive with the Word of God and the intensity of the Puritans. I am gaining in my appreciation for the works of J.C. Ryle – wonderfully written, challenging, yet encouraging to the heart.
�Dan Panetti

Table of Contents

Commentary on Matthew
Commentary on Mark
Commentary on Luke vol. 1 & 2
Commentary on John vol. 1, 2 & 3
Holiness
Knots Untied
A Call To Prayer
Principles for Churchmen
The Duties of Parents
The Christian Leaders of the Last Century
Home Truths
Selected Works of J.C. Ryle
Can There Be Unity and Other Sermons
No Uncertain Sound and Other Sermons
Simplicity in Preaching and Other Sermons
The Christian Race and Other Sermons

i have been reading through this book the past couple of years on kindle edition. its very long in reading , i’m still just at around 51 percent to date and thinking to myself how i’m going to finish it because it is one of the largest books i have ever read to date , next to bishop ushurs annals of the world which was a good book to read through as well. so the eating the elephant one bite at a time comes to mind 🙂

try not to get caught up on other peoples views of teaching around Ryles staunch calvinistic views , personally i find his writings refreshing and balanced when it comes to bible teachings. some like to argue and fight about their pet doctrines or bible views but like paul says, its best to avoid people who are like this. like the old saying goes , eat and enjoy the various fish out there and throw away the bones , my paraphrase. we are not yet perfected so human nature likes to engage in arguments at times , but some like hot engagements too much sadly to the hurt of others. but as another saying goes , been there and learned to avoid very quickly like putting hand on a hot oven top ring 😉