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Bringing Good Out of Evil

Worship Service: Children & Adult - August 08, 2010

The Lord allows the hells in the next life to lead the good into temptation, consequently to introduce falsities and evils. But at that time the Lord Himself is present directly - and by means of angels indirectly - with those undergoing temptation and is offering resistance by refuting the falsities of the spirits from hell and dispersing their evil. From this come renewal, hope, and victory. In this way the truths of faith and forms of the good of charity present with those who are governed by the truths of good are implanted more deeply and strengthened more firmly. The spirits who bring about temptations intend nothing but evil. But the Divine turns that evil into good, in accord with order existing from eternity; and life is thereby imparted to those governed by the truths of good. For it should be recognized that the spirits from hell who are allowed to attack the good in that way intend nothing but evil. They wish with all their might to drag them down from heaven and cast them into hell; for to destroy anyone's soul, thus to destroy him forever, is the sheer delight of their life. But they are not allowed by the Lord to do anything at all except for the sake of the end that good may come out of it, that is to say, so that truth and good may be made firmer and stronger with those who undergo temptation. In the entire spiritual world there reigns the end in view, emanating from the Lord, that nothing whatever should take place, not even the smallest thing, except in order that good may come out of it. This is why the Lord's kingdom is called a kingdom of ends and useful purposes. (Heavenly Secrets #6574) | By Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith | Ivyland New Church, PA
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The Great Covenant

Worship Service: Children & Adult - August 01, 2010

The vital importance of the Ten Commandments in life (Exodus 20, 33:11; Matthew 19: 16-19; TCR 283, 456) The Ten Commandments are the most important thing in the Word. As a result, they were the most important thing in the church that was established in the Israelite nation. In a brief encapsulation they included all the elements of religion that provide for God's connection to us and our connection to God. Therefore the Ten Commandments were the holiest thing of all. (TCR #283) People generally know that the law proclaimed on Mount Sinai was written on two tablets, one of which was about God and the other about humankind. People also know that in Moses' hand the two were a single tablet: the right-hand side contained writing concerning God, and the left-hand side contained writing concerning humankind, because if it was set before people's eyes in this way, the writing on both sides would be seen at once. Therefore the sides faced one another like Jehovah talking with Moses and Moses with Jehovah, face to face, as we read [Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10]. The tablets were made in this way so that together they would represent God's connection to people and people's reciprocal connection to God. For this reason the law written there was called "the Covenant" and "the Testimony." The term "covenant" refers to the partnership and "testimony" refers to the life that follows the points agreed upon. The union of the two tablets shows the connection between loving God and loving our neighbor. (TCR #456) | By Rev. Thomas H. Rose | Ivyland New Church, PA
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Where Does Freedom Come From

Worship Service: Children & Adult - July 04, 2010

Where Does Freedom Come From - The Lord's greatest gift to the human race (John 8:31-32; Arcana Coelestia 1937, 1947; Heaven and Hell 603) "The freedom which is in keeping with love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, consequently with the love of what is good and true, is true freedom, being the freedom that exists in heaven. "This freedom that exists in heaven originates in the Lord. All angels in heaven possess it. It goes with love to the Lord and with mutual love, and so with the affection for what is good and true. The nature of this freedom becomes clear from the fact that everyone who possesses it communicates from inmost affection his own blessedness and happiness to another, and that to him it is also blessedness and happiness to be able to communicate these things. "And what is remarkable, the one type of freedom is so much the contrary of the other that for good spirits the freedom which goes with self-love and love of the world is hell, while conversely for evil spirits the freedom that goes with love to the Lord and with mutual love is hell. "Since no one can be reformed unless he is in freedom, freedom is never taken away from a person, so far as the person himself is concerned. For it is an eternal law that everyone should be interiorly in freedom, that is, that his affections and thoughts should be in freedom, so that the affection for good and truth may be implanted within him." (Heavenly Secrets #2870-2876) | By Rev. Thomas H. Rose | Ivyland New Church, PA
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The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Worship Service: Children & Adult - March 07, 2010

The Lord always finds us. Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." (Matthew 12:40) "There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety and nine just people who need no repentance." (Luke 15:7) Because ten signifies all and much, that number is therefore used by the Lord in [many] passages, where all and much is to be understood, as of the woman having ten pieces of silver (drachmas); if she lost one piece, would she not light a candle and sweep the house, and seek carefully till she found it? (Luke 15:8). Ten here signifies much. This is said of a woman, and of her lighting a candle, and sweeping the house, on account of the spiritual sense in every detail of the Word. In that sense woman signifies the church as to the affection for truth, thus also, affection for the truth which pertains to the church. A piece of silver (drachma) signifies truth, and losing the piece of silver signifies to lose one of the truths or of the cognitions of truth. Lighting a candle signifies self-examination from affection; sweeping the house signifies to go over the whole mind, and to examine everything therein, where the truth lies hidden. Such is the spiritual sense of these words. A hundred, like ten, signifies much; therefore a similar parable speaks of a hundred sheep, if one were lost (Matt. 18:12-13; Luke 15:3-7) (Apocalypse Explained #675) | By Rev. Thomas H. Rose | Ivyland New Church, PA
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Rise, Take Up Your Bed and Walk

Worship Service: Children & Adult - February 21, 2010

Living our lives according to our faith Readings John 5:8-14;Mark 2:4-12; Apocalypse Explained 163 Faith that is separate from charity can be likened to the paralysis of one side of the body, or hemiplegia. (True Christian Religion 367) In John: Jesus said to the sick man at pool of Bethsaida, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" And straightaway, the man was made whole, took up his bed and walked. Afterward, Jesus found him, and said to him, "Behold you are made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you." (John 5:8-14) And, in Mark: They uncovered the roof where Jesus was, and they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. Jesus said,"Which is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise, and take up your bed and walk?' Then, He said, "Rise, take up your bed and walk and go to your house." And immediately he rose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all. (Mark 2:4-12) The Lord saying to these sick, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" signifies doctrine, and a life according to doctrine; "signifies doctrine, and "to walk" signifies life. "The sick man" signifies those who have transgressed and sinned; consequently the Lord said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, "Behold you are made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you" and to the paralytic let down on a bed through the roof, "Which is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say, 'Rise, and take up your bed and walk?' Those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word may believe that the words that the Lord spoke involve nothing more than what is obvious in the sense of the letter, when yet every particular of what the Lord spoke has a spiritual meaning, for He spoke from the Divine and thus in the presence both of heaven and of the world. (AE 163) | By Rev. Thomas H. Rose | Ivyland New Church, PA
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