5th October 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 6:1-4 focus v1-2)


Message (Alan Burke) 


Let me ask you this: say if you do something that requires another person’s forgiveness and they forgive you, what does that mean? Does it mean that great, you can do the same things again knowing that you will be forgiven, or is the assumption that because you’ve been forgiven you won’t do it again? I think it’s the latter rather than the former. When we have been forgiven, the assumption is that we won’t make the same mistake again or at least we’ll try not to make the same mistake again.

What comes here flows naturally from what Paul has just said in 5:20; “…where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Rom 5:20) as Paul asks of the believers in Rome; “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” Of course, it is a rhetorical question that comes out of what he has just said. After all, if sin increases, grace increases all the more, why not keep sinning, why follow the law at all, for if we sin more, we will know more of his grace! But Paul’s answer to such reasoning is emphatic: he says; “By no means!” If you’ve a KJV in front of you, it’s much stronger, it is “God forbid.” "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid.”


By no means, absolutely not, categorically not, under no circumstances,  should we go on sinning so that grace may increase. In a sense, Paul has already touched on this idea, back in chapter 3 as they were being slanderously reported as saying and some claiming that they were saying “Let us do evil that good may result”? (3:8). 


For the believer, one who has understood the gospel of God, who has tasted union with Jesus Christ, it leads to a new love and obedience to the law of God. An obedience that comes from faith. There is a reason why we are told in James (2:26) “faith without works is dead", because if that obedience is not seen in our lives then we can try to fool ourselves, but even the dogs on the street can see something doesn’t add up. Paul tells the church in Ephesus in v17, “…I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.” 


By no means should we go on sinning that grace may increase! Look to how Paul continues; "By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The reality for the believer is that in our union with Christ, we have died, we have died to sin. Some of you will never remember a day that you came to saving faith, and that should be our hope and prayer for our children. Whenever it was, whether you can remember the place, the day and the hour or you can’t, at that moment you died to sin, for you at that moment have been given new life, we are born again.


Since at that moment we died to sin, Paul asks; “how can you live in it any longer?” It is a statement of fact, that we are dead to sin, we have died to sin, the mastery of sin in our lives has been defeated, it is dead, because Christ died to sin (6:10) and as a result sin is no longer our master (6:14). Grace is not God's permission for us to remain as we were. Grace has changed our relationship with sin. The Christian still battles sin, sometimes painfully, but we battle an enemy that is no longer our master. We have died to sin. So, asks Paul, how can we continue to live in it? How can we live in it? Well think about this more on Wednesday but for the believer, know that the master of sin in your life has been defeated, know it, believe it, for through Christ it has.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q83 Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?
A. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.
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3rd October 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Genesis 44)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


There was unquestionably evidence that the Lord had done a work of grace in the lives of Joseph’s brothers but there would be one final test. Joseph commanded his servant to send his brothers on their way back home with an abundance of provisions but the servant was also to take Joseph’s silver cup and place into Benjamin’s sack (v1-2). The steward was then to overtake Joseph’s brothers and accuse them of theft (v4-5)


Everything happened as Joseph commanded and needless to say Joseph’s brothers protested their innocence. They were so confident of their innocence that they promised that if one of them had stolen the cup he would die and the rest would willingly become servants of Joseph (v9). The steward didn’t threaten death but instead he made it clear that the thief would become Joseph’s servant while the rest could go home (v10).


As the brothers opened their sacks eventually the silver cup was found in Benjamin’s belongings causing great anguish among the sons of Israel (v11-13). Soon the brothers went back to the house of Joseph and fell before him. Judah spoke for his brothers and promised that all eleven would become Joseph’s slaves - God had found them guilty (v16).


Yet Joseph offered all but Benjamin a way out - only Benjamin would become a slave, the others could go home (v17). What an offer! Certainly Israel would be distraught at the loss of Benjamin. It would mean that essentially both Rachel’s sons would now be considered dead but at least the lives of the other ten would be free. Previously Judah and his brothers had thought nothing about their father’s welfare. They were prepared to kill Joseph and lied to Israel about his son - surely Judah and the boys would leave Benjamin high and dry and head for Canaan?


Perhaps the Judah of years before would have taken this approach but not the Judah of Genesis 44. Judah passionately speaks to Joseph and we see the old selfishness is gone. As far as he is concerned it is simply not possible to return to his father without his beloved son Benjamin. Judah is clear, his father has already lost Joseph and losing Benjamin would send him to his grave. Instead he proposes a solution - Judah will stay in Egypt as Joseph’s slave. Judah will become a substitute so his brother might go free (v33).


Judah’s love and compassion for his father and little brother shines out. The Lord’s hand of providence had brought this situation to a head. Slowly but surely he chipped away at the hard hearts of Joseph’s brothers. Judah now realised that God had declared them guilty in their treatment of Joseph and here they now were bowing before their brother as he once had seen in a dream. No longer do they seem to be filled with wickedness but instead repentance and contrition.


Behold the grace of God! All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and yet He reaches into the pit and redeems guilty sinners. Christ is the Lion of Judah who becomes the willing substitute for His people. He dies a sinner’s death so that we might go free. We were wicked, guilty, hell bound and hell deserving sinners…but now…through faith in Christ…we are saved! There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! This is good news and may we respond to it with an attitude of praise. May we be quick to repent, may we rest in the assurance of sins forgiven and may we love our brothers and sisters with a sacrificial love without grudges or grumps.


“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.” (1 John 2v9-10)   


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q82 Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.
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2nd October 2026 


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Romans 5:12-21 –– focussing on v.20) 


Pray (ACts)


Message (Stuart McKimm) 


I hate shopping for new clothes. Mostly because I hate changing room mirrors. I thought they were supposed to make you look better in their clothes! Instead, they show up everything I don’t like about myself in glaring detail. Hence my love of black, baggy clothes. 


That’s a similar dynamic to what’s going on in Romans 5:20 –– “The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more…” Bartel Elshout (a Dutch Reformed minister) gets it right when he says, “How exceedingly painful it is when the Spirit sheds light upon this truth and causes us to see our life from God’s perspective! Then we agree with Isaiah: ‘The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it’ (Isa. 1:5-6)”. Isn’t it a bit of a relief to hear that this is the Christian’s experience? That as we stand in front of the mirror of God’s law, it isn’t given to us to make us look terrific & feel great about ourselves! It’s supposed to expose more and more the ugly depths of our deformity, how far off the standard of God’s righteousness we are, so that we feel ourselves to be seriously unfit & unwell, & continually left with no confidence in ourselves before God. This is the ongoing role of the law in the life of the Christian, & we need it. Later in Romans, Paul says what we need to feel about ourselves via the Law: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh… Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:18, 24) In the same way it’s good for us to periodically have a reality-check about our health & fitness levels, we need the Law to every so often show us what we really are, morally & spiritually, from God’s perspective, & thereby have our dangerous, silly self-confidence and self-righteousness chopped down. 


Paul, speaking the words of the Holy Spirit, aims here at re-wiring where we’re disposed to put our confidence: he wants us to be ever more inclined to rely on God’s grace confidently, and distrust ourselves completely. And he’s going about it by emphasising to us what we saw previously in vv.15-17 –– the extraordinarily greater strength of the kindness God feels and shows towards sinners, than the horrifying strength of sin in them. The law of God doesn’t encourage us that we’ll find grace; its message runs out when it makes us feel exposed, ashamed, & condemned for what we are. And yet, because of the deep sin-sickness in our souls, we very often stay under the sound of the Law’s message, & don’t run away (as the Law actually wants us to!) to find the grace we need. Today, we need to pray for God’s help to be people who use His Law rightly – as a terrifying experience that tears self-righteousness out of us. And we do need that; but then, we need to take our leave of it. When I’ve seen clearly how the clothes don’t suit or don’t fit in the changing room, & I’m sufficiently humbled, I don’t stay in the changing room. I go to where I’m supposed to: my baggy black clothes, that more than sufficiently cover me in all my flaws. And so it is with God’s “super-abounding” grace (v.20) –– there’s enough grace in Christ to cover all the dire deformities in my soul from God the Judge’s sight, & so after my humbling experience at the hand of the Law, I must cast myself into those endless depths & riches. 


When it comes to the issue of our right-standing with God - our justification - it’s essential that we abandon self-righteousness, & cling to Christ’s righteousness alone, freely offered to us. This is the proper use of the Law of God - to make us enjoy the abundance of our God’s generosity to the undeserving. So let’s not stay stuck, beaten up, ashamed – let’s run swiftly to enjoy the invincible righteousness of Christ that’s always available to the spiritually ugly & undeserving.  


Pray (acTS) 


Sing 


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Q 81 What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.
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1st October 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Genesis 43)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Joseph had told his brothers that if they were to return to Egypt then they needed to bring their brother Benjamin with them. Despite a severe famine and the urging of Reuben, the family hadn’t immediately started back to Joseph (v10). Eventually the food they had brought back from Egypt ran out and Israel told his sons to go and get some more (v2). Judah reminded his father that such a journey would require Benjamin’s presence (v5).


Israel took some persuading but Judah promised that he would do all he could to keep Benajmin safe. Finally Israel relented and instructed his sons to take a gift to the mysterious Egyptian including the money that had been placed in his son’s sacks (v11-12). Israel prayed that the Lord would grant his sons mercy and eventually bring all his sons back to him (v14).


As Israel’s sons arrived in Egypt they found themselves invited to a feast at Joseph’s house (v16-17). They wondered if the invitation would be used to punish them - perhaps Joseph believed that they had stolen the money and would attack them at the feast (v18)? So in a display of honesty and integrity the brothers explained the situation to Joseph’s steward. They had no idea who had placed the money in their sacks and had returned with it in full (v20-22). The steward told them the money was a gift from God - they had nothing to fear (v23).


Soon the brothers were reunited with Simeon and in a sign of respect they prepared the gift that they had brought for Joseph, bowing before him as he entered. Joseph asked after the welfare of his father and must have been overjoyed to hear that his dad was alive and well (v27-28). But soon  Joseph would finally set eyes upon his youngest brother Benjamin. He was so overcome at the sight of his mother’s baby boy that he went to his chamber and wept privately (v30). Later as the feast began, Joseph ensured that Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than his brothers (v34).


What’s going on in this chapter? Joseph continues to prod his brothers. Israel loves Benjamin and it takes a long time before he agrees to let him travel to Egypt. Benjamin is the baby boy and to this day that often remains a favoured spot. Joseph is moved with compassion for his little brother and deliberately gives him five times more than his brothers. How will they respond? In years gone by Joseph’s brothers had been filled with jealousy towards him that had seen him almost murdered and then sold. Were they still a jealous bunch? Would Joseph’s favourable treatment of Benjamin cause his brothers to hate their little brother? We are told that Israel’s once jealous sons now responded with maturity. Benjamin may have been served more but his brothers rejoiced with him regardless (v34b).


In this chapter we see the fruit of contrition and repentance. The brothers keep their word in returning to Egypt. They go out of their way to explain the situation with the money and when their little brother is treated like a king they display no jealousy but instead drink and make merry with him. The Lord has been sanctifying these men. Their hands were not clean but the Lord had moved them to deal with their treatment of Joseph. They now act with integrity, honesty and maturity, thanks be to God.


Before I leave my pulpit I read two things. One comes from John 3v30 “Christ must increase, I must decrease.” The other is a quote from George Whitefield “Let my name die everywhere, let all my friends forget if by that means the cause of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ be promoted.” They are little reminders that the world doesn’t revolve around me and church is certainly not there to entertain or glorify Scott Woodburn. 


Joseph’s brothers seemed to growing up and as I begin a new church season as a balding, middle aged man I want the same. Perhaps you’ll pray with me? Father God, forgive me my sins and grow me up in the faith. Produce in me fruit in keeping with repentance. Sanctify me by your word, your word is truth! May Christ increase and I decrease. For Christ’s sake. Amen.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q80 What is required in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbor, and all that is his.
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30th September 2026 


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Romans 5:12-21 –– focussing on vv.15-17) 


Message (Stuart McKimm) 
I absolutely love this quote from John Owen, possibly the greatest British theologian to date. In His book ‘The Death of Death in the Death of Christ’, he says: 


“…the way of salvation which [the Gospel] declares is wide enough for all to walk in. There is enough in the remedy it brings to light to heal all their diseases, to deliver them from all their evils. If there were a thousand worlds, the gospel of Christ [could] be preached to them all, [because there is] enough in Christ for the salvation of them all, if…they will derive virtue from him by touching him in faith.”  


Enough salvation in Jesus for the salvation of a thousand worlds. That’s how much grace there is in the Lord Jesus. That is the strength of grace & righteousness that’s in Him. 


And it’s my experience that pretty much every problem I have in my Christian life, or dear brothers and sisters have in theirs, is failing to see that. That is, we have far, far, far too small, stingy, inaccurate views of God. And my periods of low assurance that I’m saved; my coldness and deadness in prayer; my ‘couldn’t be bothered’ attitude towards serving the LORD at Church, etc.; all of these are at their root springing from those small, stingy thoughts of my Lord.  


In Romans 5:15-17, Paul’s out to smash those small, stingy thoughts, to obliterate the heart of so many of our sins and weaknesses in the Christian life. In vv.15-17, he contrasts Adam and Christ –– the only two representatives humanity have ever had before God –– and in the process of doing so, he wants to obliterate any notion in us that God struggles to be gracious to us, struggles to forgive us, or struggles to want to give us eternal life.  


Through Adam as our representative, our status before God became condemned (“condemnation”, v.16). That brought “death” upon all he represented (“many died by the trespass of the one man”, v.15). All this, to the point where it has to be said that “death reigned through that one man” (v.17) –– that is, physical and spiritual death dominates every single human’s experience as the clear indicator that we are, through Adam, God’s enemies. By nature, God’s holy hatred rests upon us. And we behave as such: “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12). It’s hard to express the severity of our sinfulness.  


Perhaps the clearest way we see how depraved we are is the scale of grace that Christ’s shown us. To rescue us from the hopeless horror of being left to death’s vast power & the wrath of God, that’s swallowed up countless billions of sinners who had Adam as their representative, Christ has shown “much more…grace” (v.15, 17) –– grace that “super-abounds”, the Greek says in v.20 –– that “overflow[s] to the many” (v.15). How many? Genesis 15:5: “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” That’s how many. To what end? So that we may “reign in life” (v.17).  


All that to say: if death looks like it’s strong in this world, sweeping away masses into Hell, the strength of grace that’s stored in God’s heart… the graciousness of His character displayed in Christ’s life & death… is boundlessly greater. Its no contest between death and Christ’s grace. “One sin” opened the floodgate of sin & death that’s ravaged this world –– the work to redeem the world that Christ has done hasn’t just been to undo “one sin”, but “many trespasses”… all our countless daily sins added on top of Adam’s sin (v.17). And yet He still endured it & still accomplished it –– a whole new humanity, rescued from condemnation and death. The strength of grace in Christ is greater than the strength of sin and death in us or this world. Enough strength to save a thousand worlds of those who are willing to trust in Him. 


Hopefully this gives you a sense of strength of grace in God. Remind yourself of what God says His name is: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…” (Exodus 34:6). Look how fully He’s proven it! 


Let this obliterate any stingy thoughts of God in your heart, & any absence of assurance that He is not able or willing to forgive you, even you, even that sin, & even that sin again. If the sin, condemnation, & death that swallowed this whole world & all of humanity wasn’t too much for Christ to suffer for & forgive, your sin won’t be. He invites you to Himself & His grace, all over again. You cannot ‘out-sin’ His commitment to your good. Be filled with joy and assurance that you too will “reign in life” (v.17). 


And be filled with confidence and encouragement by this for your evangelism! If this is the strength and scale of grace there is in the heart of Christ, how can we not plead confidently and expectantly for many people we know to find life in Christ, too? How can we not speak to them about Christ, too, if this is true? Do so, confidently and expectantly.   


Pray (acTS) 


Sing 


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Q. 79 Which is the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
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29th September 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Genesis 42)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


God had given Joseph wisdom that had prepared Egypt for severe famine and providentially it forced his brothers to make a journey to the land of the pyramids. Jacob knew that there was much grain in Egypt and so he sent his all of sons except Benjamin to buy food (v1-5).


Joseph’s brothers had once upon a time conspired to kill him but mercifully Reuben had stood up for his brother and so Joseph had been sold into slavery instead. As far as the brothers were concerned Joseph was dead and gone. Did they ever think about him? Did they regret their actions when they witnessed their father’s grief? Only God knows but He would use their predicament to bring them to a place of repentance.


Joseph recognised his brothers immediately but they didn’t recognise him (v8). He began to test them by speaking to them harshly (v7) and then accusing them of being spies (v9). The Lord was working through Joseph to arouse his brother’s guilt and remorse. They didn’t remember their brother but would they remember their guilt? Slowly but surely the Lord broke up their hard hearts.


Jacob’s sons protested that they were not spies but step by step they began to reveal truth. They declared themselves to be the sons of one man (v11). Joseph prodded again accusing the brothers of coming to spy out the land (v12). Once more the brothers protested their innocence and again they stressed that they were the sons of one man who had twelve sons. One of those sons remained at home in Canaan whilst one other son was no more (v13). Little did they know that they stood before the son who was no more!


The brothers had spoken truthfully but their time of testing wasn’t over. Joseph stressed that they wouldn’t leave Egypt unless their youngest brother (still in Canaan) was brought to Joseph. To give them time to consider their options, he put his brothers into custody (v14-17). Three days later, Joseph returned to his brothers and reiterated the accusation that they were spies. He urged one of them to stay behind in Egypt and for the others to go and later return with Benjamin. If they agreed to this it would surely be a sign of their truthfulness (v18-20).


It was at this stage that the wall started to crumble as the brothers began to remember what they had done to Joseph. He had begged them not to harm him and yet they hadn’t listened. They had treated him abysmally and lied to their father about his fate. They were not the honest men that they claimed (v11). There could be no justification for how they treated Joseph and now they realised that their actions had repercussions (v21-22).


Joseph heard every word and turned away from his brothers and wept. He gave orders that Simeon would stay in Egypt while the others would return to Canaan. Joseph’s staff filled the brother’s bags with grain, replaced their money and gave them provisions for their journey (v25).


As they made their way home one of them discovered the replenished money in his sack. It struck fear and awe into the family. What was going on? Who had put their money back? What was God doing to them? Finally they explained the whole situation to their father Jacob. The chapter comes to a close with Jacob uncertain about sending Benjamin to Egypt - he couldn’t bear to lose another son. But Reuben was absolutely determined to travel back down the road even saying that his own two sons could be killed if he didn’t bring Benjamin home safely. Reuben seems to be the voice of his brothers and his voice wants to put right what the brothers had done wrong.


Brothers and sisters are you crippled with guilt? Have you been doing your best to forget your words and actions from twenty years ago? Does it seem that every sermon seems to poke you right where it hurts? The Lord is gracious in how he deals with us but at times He brings us to a place that is deeply uncomfortable. Slowly but surely God shows us our sin and brings us to a place of repentance. My friends begin this new year delighting in the grace of God. Repent today and repent tomorrow and always be determined to repent. Fall before the Lord seeking his forgiveness - we are not good people with pure motives, we are desperate sinners in need of grace. Forgive your brothers and sisters and cancel all grudges and gripes - forgive as you have been forgiven. Repent for “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1v9)


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q78 What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbor’s good name.

28th September 2026 


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Romans 5:12-21 –– focussing on vv.12-14) 


Message (Stuart McKimm)  


Many of us will know what it’s like to complete a probation period of around 6 months when we start a new job. My official title (I think) in the Church, as an assistant minister, is actually ‘Probationary Licentiate’. A big factor in whether probation is straightforward or tough is the working conditions. If they’re bad, failure becomes so much more likely! If they’re good –– if the induction training is good, the relationships in the workplace are good & encouraging, & so forth –– success should surely follow. 


In Romans 5:12, Paul is thinking back to the time when Adam was on probation in Eden. The job? The representative of all humanity before God. He was tasked with obeying God & leading Eve in the obedience of God’s commands (see Gen. 2:15-17), ensuring no evil worked its way into the Garden or into their hearts. And what about the working conditions? Outstanding! The Garden was, and Adam had been prepared for the role good, righteous and without sin. Yet Adam still failed. And failure didn’t just mean he was sacked –– it meant v.12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—“  


Adam’s job was to represent all of us before God in this probationary period in Eden. Successfully remaining faithful to God would mean the bliss of Eden would be elevated to unimaginable levels of glory, & us with it. And our right-standing with God. But his failure resulted in not just the loss of that glorious future, but the bliss of Eden too: the friendship with God we were created for & with, the God-loving righteous nature we were originally created with, and freedom from death, which we never meant to experience.  
  
Understanding this was Adam’s role –– representative of all humanity before God, with his actions determining our standing before God –– helps us understand the rest of the Bible and the Gospel altogether. In a sense, after Adam’s failure during the probationary period, God ‘put up the job advertisement again’, & the rest of the Old Testament is an outline of the impossibly specific, unattainably high job description required for someone else to now be representative for all humanity before God. Adam, Enoch, Melchizedek, Isaac, Jospeh, Moses, Joshua, David, & so forth, are all giving us an outline of what our representative should and would look like, when he eventually came –– he’d succeed were they failed, & copy their successes but on a much greater scale. Noah’s ark, the manna in the wilderness, the bronze serpent on a pole, cities of refuge, the levitical laws, & so forth –– these all symbolised aspects of the ‘job description’ our new representative would have to somehow fulfil, miraculously.  


And the LORD made an in-house hire, so to speak; He appointed His own eternal Son to the role. And hence, when Christ shows up in the Gospels, we see this Man who’s capable of such astonishing feats, miraculously reversing the effects of sin and death wherever He goes. The miracles of Christ aren’t random. Modern people, and especially unchurched people like I was, often come to the Gospels and wonder, ‘what on earth is the relevance of all these miracles to me? They might mean Jesus is impressive, if they really happened. But how does it affect me & my life, 2000 years later?’ 


The answer is: they’re Jesus showing He’s the One, the only One, who could match that impossibly specific, unattainably high job criteria of representing sinful, dying humanity. His healing of the lepers, casting out demons, restoring sight to the blind, raising the dead, & so forth –– they all communicate to us that Jesus Christ is God’s newly given representative for humanity, who can reverse all the effects of Adam’s failure. Hence Romans 5:14 finishing with this initially confusing phrase: “Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.” Just as Adam’s acts, success, or failure was counted as representing all the rest of mankind, & so we fell with him in his failure, Christ has been given to us so that, in His success, we rise with Him into a totally renewed Creation.  


What does this mean for us? 3 very simple things: 
•  Recognise this is how the Bible & the Gospel works: just as Adam was our representative, Jesus is now our representative. It isn’t a job-share between Him & us –– Jesus on His own represents us before God. And given His perfect righteousness, that’s good news for us. Our standing before God is as secure as Jesus Himself is secure with God.  
•  Praise God for Jesus, our new representative! 
•  When we or someone we know struggles with doubt that Jesus & his miracles seem irrelevant or even nonsensical, explain this verse to them: Adam failed in his to represent us, & so plunged us all into sin & death – but Christ’s miracles show He’s the One come to reverse the effects of Adam’s failure, & give us all a successful representative before God. 
  
Pray (acTS) 


Sing 


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Q.77 What is required in the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.
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26th September 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Genesis 41)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Very few of us have the number of a plumber on hand and usually we only search for such information when we’ve put a nail through a pipe. We then put a message out on Facebook - “anyone recommend a good plumber…QUICKLY???!!!” But if a good plumber is hard to find, what do you do when you’re troubled by dreams?


Pharaoh soon found himself asking that question. The leader of Egypt had two dreams. In one, seven plump cows were devoured by seven ugly skinny cows. In the other dream seven plump ears of grain were devoured by seven thin ears of grain (v2-7). The dreams annoyed Pharaoh so much that he sent for his magicians and wise men to interpret the troubling visions but no one was able to solve the problem of the cows and the grain.


Two years had passed since Pharaoh’s cup bearer had been in prison but finally he regained his memory. He told Pharaoh that he had been in jail with a young Hebrew who had successfully interpreted the dreams of both the cup bearer and the baker (v9-13) and quicker than skinny cows could eat plump cows, Joseph stood before one of the most powerful men in the world.


Joseph didn’t quake. He was clear that he had no ability to discern the meaning of dreams but he was confident the Lord God Almighty would answer Pharaoh (v16). Egypt’s ruler then outlined the details of his dreams and soon realised that Joseph was no fraud. Jospeh told Pharaoh that the two dreams were actually one. The seven plump cows and plump ears of grain represented seven years of plenty. The seven ugly cows and the seven thin ears of grain represented seven years of severe famine (v25-31). The dream had been repeated to show that the events were fixed by God - they most certainly would take place (v32).


But Joseph wasn’t finished. He urged Pharaoh to appoint a wise man over the nation who would ensure that grain was kept aside during the years of plenty. When the years of famine arrived, Egypt would then be prepared to meet the challenge head on (v33-36).


Joseph had moved from the prison to the palace and Pharaoh liked what he saw and heard. As far as he was concerned there was none wiser than Joseph and he put him in charge over his whole house and land of Egypt (v40-41). He honoured Joseph with a ring, clothing and other jewellery (v42). He changed his name to Zaphenath-paneah which means “God speaks and lives” and he gave him a wife called Asenath (v45). Indeed when Pharaoh and Joseph drove past in their chariots every Egyptian was to bow the knee (v43).


What a dramatic change which Joseph well understood. When his two sons were born he named them Manasseh meaning “God has made me forget my toil and my father’s house” and Ephraim meaning “God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction” (v50-52). Joseph had moved from toil and trouble to a place of fruitfulness and all of it had been worked by the providential hand of Almighty God.


The journey from the pit to Potiphar to prison to Pharaoh had taken years and I’m certain Joseph at times would have wondered if brighter days would ever come - but eventually they did. Brothers and sisters, we have spoken about God’s providence and must accept that the movement of His hand is often unseen and to our mind it moves much too slowly. But the Lord does not slumber nor sleep, He is always at work and He rules over the forgotten prisoner and the dreaming Pharaoh. Joseph’s ascent to power was part of a grander narrative and like a chess grand-master the Lord was always several steps ahead.


If our God is sovereign over nation states and world affairs and if he is able to govern times of famine and harvest, then I am certain He is able to help us in our time of need. Do not lose sight of Christ, He is for us and He is the true Zaphenath-paneah for in Jesus the world will see that God speaks and lives.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q76 Which is the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
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25th September 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 5:6-11 focus v11)


Message (Alan Burke)


I heard recently of an old friend who is getting married. Of course, that should be a day to celebrate. I’m pretty sure it will be one heck of a party. I know the minister who is doing the wedding; he’s so nice. But if I were invited as a guest, I’d decline to go, and if I were the minister, I’d have told them why I couldn’t marry them and sent them to someone else. The reason why is that it’s her third marriage, and the fella she’s getting married to, well, she cheated on the second husband with him, and to be fair, she cheated on the first husband with the fella who became the second husband. It’s a big mess, and often I find that truth is stranger than fiction. But here’s the thing: I’ve seen far too often the carnage that comes in those situations, the many others who are hurt, the ripple effects that reach much further. When two people who loved one another become alienated or estranged, even if they live only a few miles apart, the distance between them is greater than anything that can be measured. I’ve seen far too many situations like that.


Think about the word, reconciliation, for a moment. For it implies that there has been alienation. By nature, we were alienated from God, but we have been reconciled because Jesus faced the alienation that we deserved. He took our place, our sin upon himself. He was treated as an ungodly sinner, an enemy of God, so that we might receive reconciliation with God. By nature, we were in rebellion against God because of our sin, and deserving of God’s wrath. But now, through Jesus Christ, we have been reconciled to God, and we can rejoice, rejoice in what God has done. The depths of God's love for us were manifested, shown in and through what Christ has done. And notice the language: we have been, it is something that has been done. 


The love that God has for us is not based on a subjective feeling that we are convinced of inwardly but the objective reality. While we were powerless, ungodly sinners, those are the words that are used, and even so Christ died for us, the enemies of God, so great was the love of God towards us. It was love in action, a tangible manifestation of the love of God. So often I think we're guilty of making the whole Christian experience about us and how we are feeling on a particular day. This is why it is so important for us to grasp that the love of God, which grounded the objective reality of what Christ had done. Christ died for us. 


You may struggle to fathom the love of God, but his love was seen in what he did for us. You may not feel loved, accepted, forgiven, you may not feel close to God today, yet Christ died for us. While we were powerless, ungodly sinners, Christ died for us. While we were enemies, Christ died for us. There will be many days when we struggle to sense God’s love. The weight of sin bears down upon us. The Devil accuses us. Trials come our way, and we can be robbed of the enjoyment and sense of God’s love towards us. Yet none of those things diminishes the reality of his love. Brother, sister, if that is you, remember how the love of God was manifested towards us. Christ died for you. Take your eyes off yourself. Look to Jesus and what he has done.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q75 What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbor’s, wealth, or outward estate.
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24th September 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Genesis 40)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Do you consider yourself lucky? Does everything seem to go your way? Do you always come up smelling of roses? Regardless of your answers we can be comforted in the knowledge that there is no such thing as luck. Christians don’t “touch wood” or “cross fingers” or “throw salt over a shoulder” instead Christians trust in the providential hand of Almighty God. What is providence? God in His holiness and wisdom and power preserves and governs us and all our actions. Not a hair can fall from our heads without His knowing.


It is by the providence of God that Joseph found himself in prison. By God’s providence He had received the favour of the keeper of the prison and it was by God’s providence that two high profile prisoners came to share Joseph’s prison. One man was Pharaoh’s cup bearer and the other was Pharaoh’s chief baker. These were vitally important positions - Pharaoh didn’t want poisoned wine or a dodgy pan loaf.


One night the men both had a troubling dream and in the morning they lamented that there was no one to interpret. But providentially (not luckily) the cup bearer and baker shared a prison with Joseph. The cup bearer told Joseph his dream. He said “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.” (v9-11)


Joseph by the grace and gifting of God was able to tell the cup bearer the meaning. In three days Pharaoh would restore the cup bearer to his former position (v13). The cup bearer’s lamenting was turned to rejoicing and so the baker wanted to hear good news as well. He told Joseph his dream saying “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” (v16-17).


Unfortunately the baker wouldn’t receive good news. Joseph told him that in three days Pharaoh would hang him and the birds would eat his flesh (v19). Everything came to pass exactly as Joseph had said. The cup bearer was restored and the baker was hung (v20-22). Our God is good and He is gracious but sometimes His providence tastes sweet and other times bitter. Joseph didn’t shy away from this reality. His job was to be faithful and to tell these men exactly what the future held.


If the providence of God had put Joseph in a position to interpret the dreams of prisoners, God’s providence had also given Joseph an opportunity for freedom. He told the cup bearer good news and urged him not to forget this kindness. Jospeh had been stolen from his home and he had done nothing to deserve prison, he therefore asked the cup bearer to remember him and to bring his case before Pharaoh (v14). Perhaps the cup bearer was too excited by his release but when he left prison he promptly forget Joseph (v23)!


As a New Year begins may this news comfort you - cup bearers may forget but Almighty God never does. We have no certainty about what 2022 will bring. It may be a year of sweetness or life may taste incredibly bitter. Whatever comes may the Lord strengthen our faith for the days that are still ahead. As we gaze into the unknown of a New Year may our eyes lift instead to Jesus. He is our unchanging Saviour, He intercedes for us and none of life’s ups or downs can pluck us from His hand. He guides our path with mercy and grace and all things will certainly work for our good. So my dear brothers and sisters, may you and yours have a happy new year. Do not fear the days to come, instead rest in the providential care of our holy and wise God.


“What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.”


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q74 What is required in the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others.
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