Would the Queen have given consent if Prince Harry wanted to marry Prince George?

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The Instrument of Consent reads:

“NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, K.C.V.O., and Rachel Meghan Markle.”

And the Bishop Michael Bruce Curry of Chicago, IL, who will give the address, has said,

“The love that have brought and will bind Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle together has its source and origin in God, and is the key to life and happiness . . . and so we celebrate and pray for them today.”

CBS News reports it like this:

“Buckingham Palace has released an image of the handwritten document in which Queen Elizabeth II gives her consent for Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle. The Instrument of Consent image was released Saturday – a week before Harry is to marry the American actress at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The document, illuminated on vellum, features a design to the left of the text that incorporates a red dragon, the symbol of Wales. The design to the right features a rose, the national flower of the United States.

Under British law, the first six people in the line of succession to the throne must obtain the queen’s permission to wed.

Harry was fifth in line when he and Markle got engaged. He was bumped to sixth with the birth of his brother’s son Prince Louis last month.”

I don’t know what the queen would or would not have done if Prince Harry wanted to marry a man. I do know that the progressive culture of the UK would have approved of a man wedding a man – but what about the royal family? It’s a fair question to ask since the world will be watching with joy and awe at such a majestic display of the union of a man and a woman. I just wonder if the world would have the same holy reverence and humbled awe if Harry were to marry George? Would the Buckingham Palace and St. George’s Chapel in Windsor have graced and blessed the union of Harry to George? Or would these halls and chambers require more? I don’t know . . . but it’s still a fair question to ask in this age of confusion of what a marriage is and who is the author of marriage and what is the purpose of marriage.

Since the Bishop Bruce Curry of Chicago, Il. is on record for stating that this marriage has its origin in God, will the Bishop actually read the Words of God that speak to what a marriage is: the complementarian union between Christ and the Church, a male and female wedded in both body and soul that displays the original? I don’t know if he will or not, but it’s a fair question to ask.

I do know this: come May 19, 2018 the world will celebrate a mystery:

“‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church'” (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31, 32).

That is, when Harry marries Meghan the world will witness with inner knowledge and consent that this is right. Why? Because Jesus married his wife, the church (all true lovers of Christ). What I don’t know is this, if the world would have witnessed a “profound mystery” had Harry wanted to marry George? Is it possible that since such dignity and royal majesty befits the crown of a male Prince wedded to a female Princess, then maybe this is why we know deep inside that not only the Queen, but we as the human race reserve marriage between a man and women, if it’s the Prince! And if the Prince, then why not all mankind? Or do we dethrone marriage for the progressive peasants?

It seems that we hold royalty to a high standard of dignity and propriety. As it should be. We want more character, not less. But why stop there – surely this auspicious occasion should at least in principle be duplicated? Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, contracted not by man, but by God who made man in his own image: “What therefore God has joined, let not man separate” (Mark 10:9), says King Jesus.

May God bless you Harry and Meghan with life-long joy and perseverance as you become one flesh.

 

 

What Makes A Christian?

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https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/new-god-new-gospel-new-gladness/excerpts/what-makes-a-christian

Here are the words (transcript) of John Piper’s opening to his sermon at the Together For the Gospel (T4G link above) conference, and it is true: the real acid test of what is a real Christian, is the affections of the heart for Jesus Christ. If you don’t prove with your life that you love Jesus, then you are not a Christian, no matter how much you go to church, give, have been baptized, or even read or own bibles. Real Christians love and follow Jesus because they cannot resist the overwhelming desire to love and follow Jesus. That IS! the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Here’s Piper’s words:

“The most basic, most essential distinction between a Christian and a non-Christian is not new decisions of the will, not new deeds of the hands, not new doctrines in the mind, but a new delight in the heart. That’s my thesis. I’ll say it again. The most basic distinction between the body of Christ and the world is not godly decisions, not good deeds, not genuine doctrines, but glad delights in the glory of God, the beauty of God, the excellence of God, the holy majesty of God, the marvelous mercies of God — the person of God as revealed in Jesus Christ supremely.

The world is perfectly able to use its willpower to make decisions for Jesus. Judas certainly did for three years, all the while being a lover of money and a thief, while willing to follow Jesus all day every day. Secular philanthropists do good deeds. “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).

The devil himself knows more right doctrine to be true than anyone in this room. But neither the devil nor secular philanthropists nor the whole unbelieving world does or can delight in the glory of God supremely.”

Incivility is on the Rise! Just go to a little league game and you’ll see, and hear.

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Humans are becoming a less civilized people. Jesus said this would happen as it gets closer to his return: “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). And the reason why lawlessness will increase is because, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men . . . For this reason God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:18, 28). As time rolls on, humanity is getting uglier because God’s restraining hand is letting us go our own way.

For example, the metal placard attached to a baseball batting cage across the street from where I live reveals what is going on the hearts of parents of little children:

  1. “These Are Kids” says the sign. That’s because what is going on in the hearts of parents in their 30’s and early 40’s is this: “that boy on first base is my son . . . he’s better than your son . . . I will not tolerate any down-sizing of his immaculate place on the field or I will cuss you out!!!!!! My son’s exaltation is the means to my chest-beating . . . which means I, yes I, ME, ME MEMEMEMEME – is better than any of you dads. Just look at my 2018 Camaro parked over there . . .”
  2. “This is a Game” says the sign. That’s because what is going on in the hearts of these parents is life and death. “This is not a game . . . this is my community reputation on the line . . . this is a means-to-an-end: and the end game is public praise and approval of ME.”
  3. “The Coaches Volunteer” says the sign. That’s because what is going on in the hearts of parents is, “I swear, if he does not play my daughter in the next inning I’m going to pull my companies support to purchase next year’s jerseys and I’m going to secretly call a meeting with the other parents to have him fired from his volunteer job.”
  4. “The Umpires are Human” says the sign. That’s because what is really going on in the hearts of parents and is coming out of their mouths is, “You ^**%#$&* piece of %&*%$@#@. Why don’t you put your *^#&()^!^* glasses on and do your (&$@*))&^ JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

As summer sports gets going, and you happen to be a parent of a child who plays and competes, guard your heart from the escalating incivility that is all around us, from social media to the baseball field.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” – Eph. 4:29

If you are a parent who loves the Lord and a nasty verbal shouting match takes place right there in the middle of the game between a parent and an umpire, (and you’ll have to prepare your child for this in advance that this is what you’re going to do if this happens), publicly walk on to the field, take your child by the hand and walk out of the game, off the field, into the car and drive away, in front of everyone! Show that you will not tolerate the incivility of adults speaking that way and acting that way in front of your child. If no one else joins you, so be it. Do the right thing: #IWILLNOTTOLERATEINCIVILITY