Day 303

Pray (ACts)

Read - Acts 3.11-26

Message - Scott Woodburn
As news spread that the lame beggar had been healed, a crowd ran to meet Peter and John (v11). Miracle workers always gather a crowd and many of them make their fortune by filling stadia and auditoriums around the world. But Peter and John didn't have white suits or perfect teeth, instead Peter addressed the gathering crowd to make sure they understood what was going on (v12).

Peter stressed that this man had been healed by Almighty God (v16) and not because Peter and John had miracle working power (v12b). Indeed he further stressed that it had nothing to do with their piety either. In other words Peter and John healed this man by the power of God and not because they were some sort of super Christians. With that message underlined Peter immediately turns to the Gospel.

Please note once more that the miracle of this man's healing wasn't to put on a good show or fill a stadium nor to make a service of worship more exciting. The healing of this man was a wonder and a sure sign that the Gospel was true and so Peter proceeds straight to the Gospel. The God of Abraham glorified Jesus (v13) who was delivered over to Pilate. The Jews could have had Christ released but instead asked for a murderer in Jesus' place (v14). Jesus who was the author of life (v15), the One who had made all things, was put to death but soon raised from the grave (v15b).

How was the lame beggar healed? By Jesus (v16). He had trusted in Christ who had caused him to stand again physically and spiritually. The beggar's new strength was miraculous but even more so was that a spiritually dead man was now alive. All of this done by Christ.

The crowd had rushed to see the brand new miracle workers and were instead confronted by the Gospel. They received much more than a good show, they received the word of life. Christ has fulfilled what was promised by the prophets (v18) and now it was time for the people to respond with repentance and faith (v19). If they would do so their sins would be blotted out.

Peter is sure that Jesus is the prophet spoken of by Moses (v22-23) and Samuel and the other prophets (v24). The covenant of grace had been made with Abraham (v25) and fulfilled in Christ and He has come to turn us all from our wickedness (v26).

I'm sure Peter and John left many disappointed that day. The crowd wanted lame beggars walking not a message of Christ who had died in weakness, after all what's better than a lame beggar walking? Greater than the greatest wonder is the Gospel. It is worth more than silver or gold. It has power to raise the dead to life. It is a message of grace and salvation. Christians - cherish the Gospel! Everyone else - believe it!

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q72 What is forbidden in the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.

Day 302

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 3:1

Message - Alan Burke

It’s Wednesday morning again, seriously I wonder where the weeks go, maybe your the same. The weekly monotony continues although it may be slightly more wearisome than this time last year for you because of Covid. What is it today? another day in front of a screen, another day trying to get back on your feet, another day homeschooling and praying that your children don’t hate you after it, another day taking six hours to do something that you know you can do in two, another day out on the yard, another day in the van or something completely different because your so skunnered and you’ve decided to do your weekly food shop in the form of a supermarket crawl only buying one item in each store and that will hopefully fill your week.  

Well for Moses it was just another day, the usual monotony, moving his sheep to new pasture, making sure that they were all there, traveling great distances with them in the wilderness that would have been etched into his mind from the years of being alone with his sheep in the wilderness with no fences, dry stone walls to worry about. Moses most of the time was in a place of solitude only having sheep to talk to and exposed to the bitter reality of life. 

What a change in the life of Moses, he was brought up in Egypt, in the place of Pharaoh, surrounded by servants and any want or whim his heart desired would have been catered to, the opulence of his upbringing when he was taken to the palace, now it would have seemed like a different life after these forty years.

Yet in it all The Lord God was at work and had been leading him throughout his life and to Horeb, to the mountain of God. For in his divine providence, God had brought Moses to this place and God would speak to him. It is not the setting that is significant, the mountain itself but rather it is that God appears and speaks to the wondering Moses. 

These forty years were not forty wasted years, rather it was forty years of training and preparation for Moses in what lay ahead, it was his discipleship training for want of a better term, a forty year internship in looking after sheep. In all of it though God was shaping him, preparing him for what lay ahead by sending Moses to look after someone else’s sheep. 

The Lord doesn't work according to our time scales, he is not in a hurry as we are often are, this apparent delay was not wasted time, this was part of the purposeful plans and purposes of God to bring salvation to his people. For God was training Moses up to the the shepherd of his people (Ps 77:20).

All his life God had been preparing Moses in what lay ahead. I’m sure Moses through those years cried out to God, he had no idea of what God was doing but God by his providence was at work. God by his most holy, (Ps. 145:17) wise, (Ps. 104:24, Isa. 28:29) and powerful preserving, (Heb. 1:3) and governing all his creatures, and all their actions (Ps. 103:19, Matt. 10:29–31) was at work in the life of Moses and all that he face and likewise he is at work in what we face this day. 

I don’t know what that is, I don’t want to belittle what anyone is going though, but know that God is at work. We thought about this last week to, how many of us had experiences in the past or present that we haven’t a baldy why we are faced faced them, jobs that we only did as a stop gap, times of despair, heartache or hurt, suffering, yet in it all God was and is at work in our lives just as he was in the life of Moses. In all that we face remember that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10), that means in all of it, God is at work in our lives preparing us for what lies ahead. We were never promised an easy life as believers, our Saviour reminded us that following him means that we are to take up our cross (Matt 16:24-26), but remember that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Rom 5:3-4). 

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q71 What is required in the seventh commandment?
The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbour’ s chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior. (1 Cor. 7:2–3,5,34,36, Col. 4:6, 1 Pet. 3:2)

Day 301


Pray (ACts)


Read - Acts 3v1-10


Message - Scott Woodburn
A long time ago I found myself regularly calling with a man who was dying of cancer. I was two years into my training and had been assigned to a church for a few month's work experience. I would see this man every week and when I didn't see him someone else from the church would be by his bedside. We prayed constantly for his healing, we celebrated any good news and we grew fearful at the bad news. However as time went on the bad news kept coming and eventually it was clear that the man wasn't going to be healed.

I'm sure most of us have prayed passionately and yet didn't seem to get an answer. It is frustrating. It angers us. We wonder where God is. In such moments I would encourage you to look to what is permanent.

Peter and John came across a lame beggar who asked them for some financial relief (v3). Amazingly the Apostles would give him something much greater than silver or gold (v6) and then something greater still. Firstly they restored this man physically. Peter commanded him in the name of Jesus to rise up and walk (v6b). As the Gospel moved beyond Israel's borders it would be carried by the Apostles. These were men who had seen the raised Christ, who had been sent out by Christ and were able to perform signs and wonders to authenticate their message. At a command Peter was able to see this man's strength restored.

Yet there was greater to come, for as strength returned to his feet and ankles he began praising God (v8). His transformation was so amazing that the people around him were filled with wonder and amazement (v10). This man was walking and leaping but more than that he was praising. We are not Apostles and do not have the ability to heal the sick or to command strength to return to withered limbs but again we set our gaze on the permanent.

We do not know the rest of this man's story but we can be certain that his healing was for a time and a day would come for him to die. Perhaps on his deathbed he would tell his loved ones about the day he met Peter and John and how they spoke to him and how suddenly his body was like new. Perhaps on his deathbed he sang Psalms praising God and urged his friends to praise God too. Then at some stage this man closed his eyes for the last time and died. His physical healing was for a few years in this life, his spiritual healing was eternal.

We do not have enough silver or gold to fix the world. We cannot heal the sick at a word or at a touch. But what we do have is the Gospel. As we proclaim it and as the Spirit works, those who were spiritually dead are raised to spiritual life. It is not a temporary fix but an eternal one. It is truly miraculous when an enemy of Christ becomes His friend. The one who accepts Christ will still one day breathe their last but they will open their eyes in glory and behold the beauty of Jesus.

The man who I visited all those years ago died and was buried on a roasting hot July day that I can still remember like yesterday. My boss stood at the funeral and declared "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His saints." He was right. Our prayers for the man's temporary healing had gone unanswered but when death came he faced it with his faith in Christ. Today the temporary has gone and he is with Christ which is permanent and better by far.

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q70 What is the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Day 300

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 2:23-25

Message - Alan Burke

What would you do if you woke up with chest pains during the night? Where would you turn if you were struggling with debt? Who would you call if someone broke into your house? What would you do if you were unfairly sacked from your job? It’s not a quiz so there are no right or wrong answers, I’d suggest if you woke with chest pains to phone 999 and ask for an ambulance, if you were struggling with debt get in touch with CAP that’s ‘Christians Against Poverty’, if someone broke into your house you phone 999 and ask for the police, if you were sacked unfairly contact your union or citizens advice. We could make an exhaustive list of circumstances and where to turn to in our time of need but what if there is no one to turn to, no where to go?

It is God whom often people even with no faith cry out to when they are left feeling helpless, when there seems no one or no where else to turn to help. That’s what the people of God did, they cried out to God, they had no where else to turn to for help. They had been slaves in Egypt for possibly as long as four hundred years, who were living as an oppressed people, who faced hardships that were unimaginable to us, cried out to the Lord God, they had no where else to turn to (2:23). This is the turning point in the whole account of their slavery in Egypt, these first two chapters had set the scene, covering four hundred years of the life of the people of God and the next thirty eight chapters would now speak of what God did on their behalf. 

For to Abraham, God had promised that he would deliver his descendants from the house of bondage, in Genesis… “The Lord said to him (Abraham), ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions’ ” (Gen. 15:13-14). Even if God’s people had forgotten this covenant promise of God, he had not, he still remembered, not like recalling something to mind but a constant remembrance, ongoing, never forgotten. With the king of Egypt now dead it was possible for Moses to now return, God was at work, He was sending His people a redeemer, a saviour, one who would free them from their slavery. Ultimately this was only one part of God’s plan of redemptive purposes to bring about the Saviour of His people and that is Jesus Christ our Lord so that all who turn to him in repentance and faith will be saved. 

A couple of things as we finish. God has promised that he will hear the cry of his people, the groaning of his people. We have in our weakness the spirit of God who even when we do not know what to pray intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Rom. 8:26). Even when we don’t know what to say, even when we have no words to express how we feel, God understands what we are trying to pray. He hears our cries for help and our groans for deliverance, just as he heard them in the days of Moses.

Now look to verse if you have an NIV you will likely read something like “So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” But literally it is… “God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.”

God knew, just as it is clear from the opening verse of Exodus (1:1) God knew them his people are a people that are chosen by Him, they are known by name and individually numbered, God knew and knows each one of his people, we also know that they were there by God’s divine plan, purposes and promise. 

The God we come before is the God who sees, hears and remembers, is the God who knows our situation in all its desperate need. He is a God who is worth praying to. He already knows all about our situation because he sees everything that happens. He hears our prayer, He remembers that we belong to him through Jesus Christ and He answers our prayers even though they may not be in the way we wanted or desired but in a way that brings him glory. 

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q69 What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbour unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto. (Acts 16:28, Gen. 9:6)
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Day 298

Pray (ACts)

Read - Acts 2v42-47

Message - Scott Woodburn
By the grace of God this year will see our fellowships returning to normal. We will all rejoice on the day that masks are no longer a part of church life and we no longer need to watch the clock or insist upon a certain seat. But when that day comes what will the priority be for our churches?

The passage before us today is famous for its focus on the day to day life of the church of Jesus Christ just as the Gospel was beginning to leave Israel. We could perhaps quote these verses off by heart and they have been preached by many a new minister in the first few Sundays of his tenure. Yet as we read them today I suspect we all realise that most of our churches don't look like this.

Luke tells us that these Christians were devoted to the teaching of the apostles. They had a hunger for the Word of God, read and preached. They listened intently to the teaching of the apostles, it was a priority, they knew that God had spoken and so their response was to listen. They enjoyed fellowship with one another, they had a common faith and so the highs and lows of life were shared. They laughed together and cried together, they had fellowship.

They broke bread together, certainly partaking of the Lord's Supper but also having dinner together. Enjoying meals and fellowship and chat and they prayed together. They were devoted to "the prayers" realising that prayer is essential to the church of Jesus Christ. We can do nothing apart from the Lord and so these men and women called upon Him constantly. As you read these things ask yourself if your church resembles this one?

Those on the outside of the church fellowship were awed by these Christians (v43) and the message of the Gospel was authenticated by the signs and wonders carried out by the apostles (v43b). As these Christians cared for one another they held all things in common (v44) and some even sold their possessions to give to the needy (v45). The church isn't called to communism but instead mutual love and affection as we put other's needs first.

The fellowship met on a daily basis for worship and for fellowship (v46) finding favour with outsiders (v47a) and seeing God add to their number each and every day (v47b). Many years have come and gone since the events of Acts. The apostles are no more and the world in which we live is much different but I ask you, as we all (hopefully) return to normal...what will that be like? Back to the endless busyness of church life? Back to a fellowship centred around secondary issues? Back to endless meetings? There is another way, a God ordained way and it is written for our instruction in these verses.

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q68 What is required in the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavours to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
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Day 297

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 2:15-22

Message - Alan Burke 

Pharaoh may have been a tyrannical leader of his people but he wasn’t stupid. He would have known fine well that or at least had his suspicions that Moses was a Hebrew but he was like most fathers when it comes to their daughters, there are times it is better to smile and say nothing in order to have a relationship with them. If you don’t believe me think to yourself how many fathers don’t confront their daughters with the truth of how that fella that they brought home is a buck ejit, for they know it’ll all end in tears and the buck ejit will likely marry their daughter who wont speak to them ever again. Here’s the point, while Moses behaved like a prince of Egypt, Pharaoh couldn’t lay a finger on him, as long as he didn’t step out of line Moses was safe, but then Moses killed an Egyptian! 

Politicians and Monarchs may behave with a certain decorum today (I use this loosely so no emails, phone calls or texts please about what Boris or Donald are up to), but Pharaoh was a god to his people and those of his household could have laid waste to thousands just for the craic, the only reason why Pharaoh bats and eyelid about this Egyptian of no significance that Moses killed was that it was the excuse he needed to get rid of this Hebrew Moses, he didn’t issue a decree “I want Moses dead or alive", Pharaoh simply wanted Moses dead. Moses was forced to flee but it was a road that he embarked on before he killed the Egyptian slave master, it began when he left the Palace and saw the plight of his people. 

But there is something intriguing that we see in Moses once more as he does flee and that is compassion. Moses once more is faced with injustice, he sees some local shepherds intimidating the daughters of Reuel. He does what was needed to drive them off and it see him invited into the household of Reuel who we later know as Jethro. Yet if you see here how the daughters of Reuel speak of Moses it is as an Egyptian. Moses was a nobody, He had the urge to take up his people’s cause while in Egypt but he would have to wait in God’s timing. There he longed for his people and a place to call his one, which is evident from the fact that he called his oldest son Gershom, saying, “I have become a stranger in a foreign land”. This is what he was a stranger in Midian but also Egypt.

In a world full of injustice the actions of Moses are a reminder that as Christians we must when we see the injustice that surrounds us and should be filled with compassion. With Moses we are reminded that the ends does not always justify the means which our WSC today reminds in the case of Moses, compassion had led Moses to kill but that goes against the Word of God. For us we have to remember that there is no justifying that which is in opposition to the word of God, no matter the motivation for it or the outcome, for we are to be holy as He is holy in all our conduct (1 Peter 1:15-16) even when that means we are powerless to do something, it means that we must trust in the providence of God, and there are groups and organisations that we may agree with their aim but their means of achieving it are wrong and thus cannot support them. For Moses that would be forty years, for the people of God it would be even longer but God was and is at work, God reminds us that He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, it is him that we need to look to and trust (Rom 8:28).

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q67 Which is the sixth commandment? 
The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill. (Exod. 20:13)
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Day 296

Pray (ACts)

Read - Acts 2v14-41

Message - Scott Woodburn
The young preacher stood at the door on his first Sunday at his new church. He had wrestled with the text all week and finally as he preached he felt that it had all come together. He spotted Mr Bloggs heading towards him and took a breath. Mr Bloggs was apparently not behind the door in telling preachers what he really thought and here he was advancing towards the new minister. "There's nothing like a good sermon" said Mr Bloggs "and unfortunately that was nothing like a good sermon."

You'll rarely please people like Mr Bloggs but what makes a good sermon? Couple of jokes? Nice stories? Not too long and not too short? Mmmmm. I read this a few years ago from Charles Spurgeon and I think it hits the nail on the head. "I believe that those sermons which are fullest of Christ are the most likely to be blessed to the conversion of the hearers. Let your sermons be full of Christ, from beginning to the end crammed full of the Gospel. Preach Jesus Christ, brethren, always and everywhere." If we are not preaching Christ then we probably should find another job.

Peter's sermon at pentecost was unashamedly full of Christ. The apostles weren't drunk as some supposed (v15) instead the prophecy of Joel was being fulfilled (v16-21). Peter and his friends had received the promised Holy Spirit and now they began their work of preaching Christ and Him crucified. The Gospel must always be preached regardless of those who tell you "preach Christ and when necessary use words." Words are always necessary and Peter uses just a few words to show that Christ was the promised one, crucified and raised (v22-24).

Indeed Jesus is the one that David was speaking about in Psalm 16 and Peter quotes directly from there (v25-28). David was a great leader but he died and his tomb was still in Jerusalem then as now (v29). But this Jesus wasn't abandoned to the grave nor did His body decay (v31). In fact, preached Peter, Jesus was raised and exalted to the right hand of God (v32-33) and it was this same Jesus who had poured out the Holy Spirit (v33).

David didn't ascend to heaven (v34) but did say that Jesus would in Psalm 110v1 which Peter drops into his sermon (v34-35). Those listening to Peter needed to know that Jesus alone was Lord and Christ (v36). Peter's sermon exalted Christ and those listening asked "what shall we do?" (v37). Peter's response was to urge them to repent and receive Christ by faith and remarkably around three thousand souls were saved that day (v38-41).  

It is the plan of God to use the foolishness of preaching to build His church. It was true at Pentecost and it is true today. Brothers and sisters, do not despise the preached Word. Do not treat it as an extension of your entertainment. Come prayerfully to receive it and when it has finished, leave to prayerfully consider "what shall I do?" and may every single sermon no matter how long or short be filled with Christ and His majesty. He remains Lord and Christ and the grandest figure in human history.  

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q66 What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment? The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God’s glory, and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.
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Day 295

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 2:13-14

Message - Alan Burke 

“Augh, sure their heart was in the right place”. I’m sure we have all heard that said on more than one occasion maybe even about ourselves, what someone means when they say it, is that the actions of someone although were well meaning and done with the right intention were not helpful and sometimes even caused more problems than they solved. Well Moses’ heart was in the right place but what followed was a disaster in once sense, yet God was still at work in it all. 

Likely you haven’t forgot from Monday how Moses left the palace and saw what was happening to one of his own people he was filled with compassion, how he could have simply clicked his fingers and he would have had salves and servants coming to his aid and stop it all. But that’s not what Moses did and he killed the Egyptian and he buried the corpse in a shallow grave (12). He may have thought it was all done and dusted but it wasn’t. Once more we see Moses moved to compassion, his heart was in the right place as he witnessed two of his own people struggling, fighting the bit (13) out and tries to intervene. Think though to what Moses is witnessing, his fellow Hebrews, who were born in slavery, grew up in slavery, who lived all their lives as slaves and moved towards death as slaves, fighting not those that enslave them but among each other. 

Moses as he intervened was seeking justice, in the book of Acts we learn more of what was going on as Moses came to them, saw they were fighting said to them ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’ ” (Acts 7:26).

And their response is a cutting one; 

“Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?”

How they found out could be any number of ways, the man Moses saved could have told everyone, there may have been onlookers. Yet with their response these men make it clear that Moses had no authority of Moses, as if they say, who gave you the right to challenge us? These men had come to the conclusion why should they trust Moses, why should the they trust another killer. 

Moses who had been on the cusp of greatness in the courts of Pharaoh, now was a murderer, rejected by those whom he had appointed himself to save. He may have thought the murder of the slavedriver would be kept hidden or see him heralded as a saviour, his sin had found him out and there were consequences. How could he lead the entire nation out of Egypt when he couldn’t resolve a simple dispute, his credibility had been destroyed. His sins had found him out, God would use Moses but he still had a lot to learn, forty years would pass. 

Even if Moses had have successfully hidden it from all ultimately God knew, for He knows all things, there is not one thing we can keep hidden from him. We may try to keep our sin hidden from our spouse, the watching world, but God knows and calls his people to repent of their sin. (Num 32:23). Nothing is hidden from the Lord God. There is something that it would do us good to remember, Moses is listed among the heroes of the faith (Heb 11:23-28). Moses was is a sinner, his life at this stage is a mess, how could this man ever be used by God, no matter how many years followed would you want him as your leader, your minister, this fallen, murdering, dirtbag, we’d be protesting if this man ended up in our town as the local minster after all there have been protests about better men than Moses. Well it’s a good thing that God is not like you or I and it's a good thing his grace is sufficient because as the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 130:3 If the LORD should mark iniquities who could stand? The truth is not one of us! Remember God “saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6).

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q65 What is forbidden in the fifth commandment?
The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing any thing against, the honor and duty which belongeth to every one in their several places and relations. (Matt. 15:4–6, Ezek. 34:2–4, Rom. 13:8)
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Day 294

Pray (ACts)

Read - Acts 2v1-13

Message - Scott Woodburn
You have probably heard it said that Pentecost was the birth of the church. I do understand what people mean by this but they are wrong. In these devotions I have made the case for the church starting with Adam and Eve who, after falling into sin, received a covering from the Lord. If anyone has ever been saved it is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Pentecost did not mark the beginning of the Gospel age with another path of salvation now being left behind. So what actually was going on?

Let's go back to Sunday school. Long ago the earth had one language and the same words (Genesis 11v1) and, using this unity for sin, the people of the earth sought to build a tower with it's top in the clouds "to make a name for themselves." (Genesis 11v4). In response the Lord scattered the people throughout the globe and confused their speech (Genesis 11v7-8). When you arrive in Spain next summer (maybe!) you see dramatic evidence of sin in the simple fact that unless your hosts can speak English, your language and theirs is still confused.

Pentecost means "fifty days" for it took place fifty days after Passover. It was a time that all Jewish males had to come to Jerusalem for the feast of weeks (Numbers 28v26). This is what is taking place in Acts 2. The disciples are together (v1) and the Spirit arrives in power (v2-3). They are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in tongues (v4). What is this gift? It is the gift of being able to speak in another language that was previously unknown to the speaker. It is not babble or mumbling or a so called heavenly language, it is intelligent speech, a foreign language that the individual previously did not know.

So those who have travelled to Jerusalem for the feast of weeks suddenly hear the Gospel in their own language (v8). Suddenly the curse of Babel is being reversed. Humanity's confused speech is put in order as the Spirit works and what many hear is the Gospel. The prophecy of Joel 2v28-32 was being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. It wasn't the birth of the church and today another Pentecost is not possible or required. The Lord's promise to gather a people from the nations was being fulfilled and the Gospel was leaving the boundaries of national Israel.

We may not be able to order a meal in Thailand and we might struggle to ask directions in Peru but the Gospel is the same in every language. Christ Jesus died for sinners and all who receive Him will be saved. Paul tells us of Pentecost's significance in Ephesians. "Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called 'the uncircumcision' by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2v11-13)

In Christ your nationality is irrelevant and the language you speak is not a factor. The curse of Babel has been reversed and one day with united voice the church of Christ will sing His name forever!

Pray (acTS)

Sing

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Q64 What is required in the fifth commandment? The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.

Day 293

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 2:11-12

Message - Alan Burke 

Imagine the media furore there would be if Prince William had saw someone being attacked and ran to their aid but in what followed he had killed the attacker. Some would be calling him a hero, demanding he was made king today for what he did while others would want to see him languishing in prison. I doubt any court in the land would convict him unless the video of what happened by the forty onlookers who stood their and did nothing to help. Even if it did end up in court I imagine that the best defence lawyers in the land would be representing Prince William and a technicality would mean the case was dropped. 

Today we have read about Moses taking the life of an Egyptian. How did it come to this? Remember those years that he had been brought up by his family before being adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, well they had taught Moses who he was, he was a Hebrew. When Moses left the palace and saw what was happening to one of his own people he was filled with compassion at what he saw. He could have simply clicked his fingers and he would have had salves and servants coming to his aid and stop what he saw but he was incensed and his rage resulted in him taking action and the blood of this Egyptian was shed and he buried the corpse in a shallow grave (12). 

As a prince of Egypt he held the power of of the sword, it’s doubtful whether he would have faced any consequence if he had just left the dead slavedriver where he lay, and to the Hebrews he would have likely become a patriot. It doesn’t change the fact that this compassionate prince had taken the life of another. In Acts we are told that when Moses killed the Egyptian, he was acting in obedience to a divine vocation as he understood it (Acts 7:25) yet it was not God’s way.

The book of hebrews helps us to understand somewhat what goes on here where we are told, for:  “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Heb 11:24–26).

It was the moment that Moses left the palace to see the people of God that changed, he had made a choice to leave what he knew behind him even though he had nothing to gain from an earthly point of view and it changed everything for him. He in one foul swoop had brunt his bridges with Egypt.

Think a moment to what Moses has done, he has gone from a place of influence to nothing, there are many who may think that Moses would have been better to stay in Pharaohs court, he could have with his influence made a difference to his people, he could have done good there, compromise after compromise to make a difference. Likewise there are many today in positions that they feel that staying where they are even though it involves compromise after compromise is the right thing. But Moses knew that following God meant that he had to turn his back on where he was even if he did it in the wrong way. What about us, where we are, is compromise for the greater good the way of it or is it taking up our cross and following the way of Christ, for we are called to suffer of the sake of Christ (Heb 11:26).

Pray (acTS)

Sing

WSC
Q63 Which is the fifth commandment?
The fifth commandment is, Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Exod. 20:12)
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