10th December 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20:17)


Message (Alan Burke)


I’ll start with a confession and I do this because I want you to understand that I’m not just pointing the finger at you and trying to make you feel wick about yourself. The thing is that there are many weeks that I sit in the study and as I’m preparing a passage of scripture it is pointing the finger at me and my sin and I’m feeling wick about myself. But that is what the word of God does, Hebrews 4:12 tells us; “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. So here is my confession I have far too many tweed jackets, 80% of them have been got from charity shops and I love a good bargain. I was in Newcastle in the summer and I got a Magee tweed jacket for £7, like that’s 98% off RRP. Anyway I have far too many and I know that but the sin in my heart means I desire more. 


I’m not alone in this, I suspect you are not too different than me. It may not be with tweed jackets but how many coats do you own? How many pairs of shoes? Maybe I’m just getting at the ladies but I suspect that our houses, garages, sheds are filled with stuff that we don’t need, that we bought in a whim, that we don’t get use out of. Like it’s raining right now as I write this so let me as how many coats do you have and how many of them can you wear at the same time? I get having 20 pairs of socks so you don’t have to do a wash every day but 20 coats? But you see I’m not just pointing the finger at you I’m doing it to myself I’ve far too many tweed jackets even if they were a bargain. 


The issue is that advertisers bombard us with fallacy that enjoyment of temporal pleasures give our life meaning. That fulfilling our covetousness will make us happy but we can only know true joy and fulfilment as we live according to the LORD’s design, living a life that is not based on things that will never truly satisfy us. The hope of a believer is not in what happens in day-to-day life, we may find pleasure in many things but our hope is ultimately in the Lord and his salvation. The tenth commandment forbids covetousness and requires from us contentment, contentment in our situation, with our lot, to be content with our status, with the life we have, in what we have, in who we are and contentment, is the remedy for covetousness. 


Whatever we face, we are in Christ and that is enough. For contentment is confidence in the Lord God, confidence that weather we are wealthy or poor, whether we are striving or suffering that what matters is that we are in Christ Jesus, he alone can give us the strength to face what we face, to resist temptations, that can give us contentment. Knowing that God is at work, in our lives, in the good times but also the hard times, and what we need to do is choose to trust in him for what we have, in what we face, whatever the circumstances. Contentment is about trusting and resting in the sovereignty and gracious purposes of the Lord. So are you content with what you have? Or is there something that is not yours that you covet? Instead we must look to the Lord Jesus more than this world that can never give us what we truly want or need only Christ Jesus can.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q41 Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?
A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments.
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9th December 2025


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Job 36) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The ancient Greeks believed that there were twelve "gods" with the chief among them being Zeus. If you know any of Greek mythology then you will know that at times the Greek "gods" toyed with humanity and treated them like pawns. What about the Lord? Is He a disinterested deity who plays games with creation?


Job had wondered where God was while the wicked seemed to be doing whatever they liked. Elihu pointed his friend to the truth that God is sovereign over both the righteous and the wicked (36v6). Job may have felt utterly alone but the Lord always keeps His eye on the righteous (36v7) and He doesn't desert us even when trouble comes (36v8). How does the Lord help us when we are in distress? He speaks to us and opens our ears to His Word causing us to return to His side (36v9-11). The wicked are not so as they do not willingly receive the Lord's correction. They do not listen (36v12), they store up anger and they do not cry to the Lord when in distress (36v13). The Lord God does not play games with humanity, He is sovereign and He can be trusted to do what is right.


Elihu warned Job that he needed to be careful in what he was saying and believing about the Lord. In his anguish Job had suggested that God was silent and blind to the wicked's evil deeds. But brothers and sisters, no matter our level of suffering we have no right to call the Lord's integrity into question. God is greater than all - who can teach like Him (36v22)? Who can say to Him "you have done wrong" (26v23)? I think we need to become more comfortable with the grandeur of God. What do I mean? Our minds cannot imagine the immensity of our God but we sinfully reduce Him to a level where He is just a slightly better version of us. He isn't. He is unimaginably great.


The right response to the greatness of the Lord is to extol His work (36v24). To extol is to "praise enthusiastically" and this is the right response to the glory of God. How so? Because we know that God is great and yet we know so little about Him (36v26). He is eternal (36v26) and He is the One who sends the rain and commands the lightning (36v27-30). Is the Lord bored and disinterested? No. Does he sit upon His throne playing silly games with humanity? Absolutely not. He is sovereign, He is great and He has put the entire world on notice by raising Christ from the dead (Acts 17v31). Fall before Him and extol His work.


Sing


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Q40 What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.
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8th December 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20:17)


Message (Alan Burke) 


I hope you’re excited, 17 days until Christmas Day! Maybe you’re reading this and thinking the last thing you need is another dose of Christmas cheer but don’t get too excited because today we come to a commandment that deals with Christmas, well it deals with what Christmas has become. The reason why I say that is that advertisers are doing all that they can do, to woo you in order that you would spend your hard earned cash on things that you likely don’t need. They use emotions, humour, nostalgia and at this time of year it works, typically the average spend increases approximately 29% in the month of December on stuff. Advertisers are wanting you to have a ‘Coveting Christmas’. That was going to be my sermon title when I was planning the Tenth Commandment earlier in the year and I’m actually not going to get to preach it because I’ve Hiram coming this Lord’s day and I’m off. Nonetheless you’re going to get some of my musings on this the Tenth Commandment and if Hiram doesn’t show up I’m sure I can wing something. 


Think to the Ten Commandments. The first four of the commandments teach us the necessity of having the Lord God in his rightful place in our lives. The reminder of the commandments from the fifth to the tenth teach us how to love our neighbour, but we can only know what it is to love our neighbour as we love the Lord and that will be seen in how we treat our our neighbour. It should be tangible in our lives, it should be clear for others to see as we love, like people who say that we love God. 


As we come to the tenth commandment it is slightly different to the previous commandments and while we have failed to keep any of them many people believe they have. This one though reveals that the foolishness of believing that we have kept them. In this command it not only deals with the external actions but the internal motivation, the condition of our hearts. Even if we fool ourselves into thinking that we have kept the commandments up to this point, this is a command that none of us can claim that we are innocent in. The tenth commandment thou shall not covet, v17; “You shall not covet your neighbours house; you shall not covet your neighbours wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour’s.”


This commandment deals not only with our outward actions, it deals with our hearts. People may think that they are good, that they have kept the commandments because they have never murdered, committed adultery, stolen, lied, but how many of us have been unhappy because we didn’t get what we wanted, how many of us at different times in our lives have been discontent with what we have and we have wanted what someone else has. Behind the meaning of this word covet is to desire, in the Hebrew the word is literally desire, to covet is to desire. We have all failed to keep this commandment and as we are remind in James “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (2:10). That is why we need a saviour, that is why we need Jesus, for he kept all the of the righteous demands of the law on our behalf, he obeyed it perfectly for us so that as we repent and believe there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). This is the good news of the gospel that we have.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q39 What is the duty which God requireth of man?
A. The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will.
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6th December 2025


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Job 34&35) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


Elihu had not finished addressing Job and from speaking to the issue of God's apparent silence, he then turned to the subject of God's justice. Job had said "I am in the right, and God has taken away my right; in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression...It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God." (34v5-6,9). Needless to say, Elihu couldn't allow such a suggestion to go unchallenged. He feared that Job had begun to sound like a wicked man (Job 34v36).


Is God fair? Does the Lord always do justice? Elihu understood that the Lord cannot sin and he told the gathering that God will not do wickedly, He will not pervert justice and He shows no partiality (34v12,19). If the Lord for a second withdrew His power then all humanity would return to dust (34v14-15). All of us are reliant upon Him and He is good.


So how can any of us dare to question the Lord? How can any condemn the righteous and mighty God (34v17)? The Lord speaks, the Lord always acts justly and the Lord is omniscient/all-knowing. God sees everything done under the sun (34v21) and there is nowhere that the wicked can hide themselves from the Lord (34v22). The wicked may seem to prosper but the justice of God will be seen to be done (34v26). Indeed, even if it seems that the Lord is moving slowly we still have no right or business condemning Him and His ways (34v29-30).


Is there any advantage to being righteous before God (35v2)? Is there any profit in taking delight in the Lord (34v9)? Absolutely! But the righteous man should never believe that God is in his debt. Elihu pointed Job the clouds to highlight the immensity of God (35v5). Human sin can accomplish nothing against the Lord God Almighty and righteous deeds add nothing to Him (35v6-7). The Lord cannot be forced into a corner, He cannot become our debtor and He needs absolutely nothing from us. 


Does Elihu say that faith is worthless? By no means! Faith is precious and the Lord does not hear or have regard for a faithless cry (35v13). Saving faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2v8) and the work that He requires of us is to believe in the One whom He has sent (John 6v29). But brothers and sisters, please be clear that even the most righteous of us still has no grounds to demand anything from the Lord. Faith does not turn the Lord God Almighty into our own private good luck charm. 


Job had fallen into dangerous territory. He had begun to question the justice of God and he wondered "what is the point of trusting the Lord?" (34v36-37 & 35v15-16). If we notice these questions in our own hearts then we would do well to repent. Perhaps we need to pray as Elihu urged "I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more; teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more." (Job 34v31-32).


Brothers and sisters, the Lord still causes us to sing in the night (35v10). In your darkness please remember that God stills speaks, He does no evil, He needs nothing and you cannot back Him into a corner forcing His hand. God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55v8-9) but He will always do what is right (Genesis 18v25).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q38 What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? At the resurrection, believers, being raised up to glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.
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5th December 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20:16)


Message (Alan Burke)


Now as we think of what this commandment requires of us I want you to think of the truth. Now of course there are times when things are not black and white, like when the Mrs asks if you’re enjoying your dinner and it’s almost inedible you know as well as I do you’ll say that it’s lovely. Of course I jest but when it comes to the truth we should be those who tell the truth, we should be known for our words that they are truthful and the church is to be the buttress of truth (1 Tim 3:15). Yet if we are honest we’ve all told lies, we’ve stretched the truth, we’ve bene selective with the truth, there are many times that we have not been truthful as we should have been. 


Then there are the times that we have lied to save face, or lied to make ourselves look better, the lies that we have unwittingly told when we have been told something and we pass it on when we do not know it is truth, when we exaggerate a story, when we put two and two together and end up with not four but something totally totally different. What about flattery, what about saying something that is technically true yet is intended to deceive, what about painting a one sided picture of the events, what about exaggerating other peoples failings, what about misquoting?


In 1 Jn 3:11 we are commanded to love one another, in fact how we know that (15) we have passed death into life is because we love one another (1 Jn 3:11,15). That love is seen in many ways but in how we speak of one another. Our tongue is a good barometer, for if we really love our neighbour, if we have passed from death into life, our tongue is a good barometer if we truly love Jesus our Saviour. 


If we really are saved from our sin then it will be seen in two we speak of others. In James 3 we told of how the tongue can do both good and evil it says… 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:10-13). If there is a reality to who we are in Christ then gossip no more, then slander no more, half truths should not been told. 


None of us are guiltless when it comes to this command, if anything this command is the one that God’s commands and we fall shorter than any of the commands that the LORD gives. The good news of the gospel is this, while all of us are guilty, the Lord Jesus Christ who was guiltless, in whom there was no deceit (1 Pet 2:22), though his active obedience in his life, lived perfectly and through his passive obedience on the cross died making an atonement for son so that while none of us can claim to deserve anything other than the second death we may be credited with his perfect righteousness. So that while we are sinners he has atoned for our lying lips. Jesus has redeemed sinners, he restores us to relationship with God the Father as the Spirit applies that salvation to us. What we need to do is to look to the Lord Jesus, to know what he has done, we need his grace for we cannot cure ourselves of the sin within us, only the grace of God can, if you have not turned to him, repented and believed then do it now, trust in the one who died so that we might become the righteousness of God.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q37 What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A. The souls of believers are, at their death, made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves until the resurrection.
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4th December 2025


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Job 32-33) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Everyone knows that Job had three comforters but what many tend to forget is that there was at least one other person listening to the debate. His name was Elihu and because of his young age he had to wait his turn to speak (v4). Despite his youth he had found what he had heard to be entirely unsatisfactory and so he burned with anger against Job, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar (v2-3). In Elihu's opinion Job had sought to justify himself and the other comforters had failed to give adequate answers and so it was now Elihu's turn to speak. He had waited patiently for the wisdom of his friends but it had not come (v11-12) and so he felt the pressing need to enter the discussion. His belly felt like a new wineskin which was ready to burst and so young Elihu stood to speak - the wine of his wisdom was about to flow. 


What did the youngster have to say? Elihu had been listening and he accurately described Job's position in this way "I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks  and watches all my paths." (33v9-11). The other comforters were sure that Job had sinned and was stubbornly refusing to admit it. Elihu made no such charge, instead he was angered that Job in trying to justify himself had spoken sinfully against God. This caused Elihu to tell Job "Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man's words’?" (33v12-13).


That had been one of Job's problems - he was crying out to God but it seemed the Lord was silent. Elihu may have been young but he knew that our God is one who speaks once, twice, three times (33v29). We are of course blessed when the Word of God is opened and read then preached. We should never take for granted the weekly declaration of the Gospel and we must ensure that when the Word is preached we are there to hear it.


Elihu also pointed out the work of God's providence in our lives. Have you ever been unable to sleep because you have been condemned by your conscience? Have you ever experienced a vivid dream that has caused you to wake suddenly? Elihu told Job that while he was waiting for God to speak he missed the call of his own conscience which should have pulled him back to the Lord (v14-18).


Am I saying that our conscience is the voice of God? Am I encouraging you to regard dreams as something tangible and reliable? By no means! The human conscience is not the Holy Spirit and it should never be regarded as God's authoritative voice. Equally, dreams are fleeting, strange and unreliable. So what's going on when we dream or feel the wight of our conscience? The Lord has written His law upon our hearts and when our conscience burns within us it can often be a clear sign that we need to do business with God.


In like manner the Lord can sometimes use illness to call us back to His side. When we know the agony of suffering and find ourselves "rebuked with pain" on our beds (v19), it may well be time to return to Jesus. In Elihu's example suffering took a man to the pit before an angel came to bring restoration (v22-24). Job had not done anything wrong to bring devastation upon him but as he wrestled with suffering he arrived at a place of self-justification where he believed God was silent.


What if in our own lives it isn't so much that God is silent but more that we just aren't listening? The Lord does not wish for His people to be destroyed but instead He desires to light them with the light of life (v30). Brothers and sisters, perhaps this devotion was exactly for you in this very moment. Put away your phone, turn off the internet and stop in silence. Do you hear that? The Lord has been speaking all along. Listen to Him!


Pray (acTS)


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Q36 What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification? The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end.
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3rd December 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20:16)


Message (Alan Burke)


The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ is one of Aesop's Fables is about a shepherd boy who repeatedly tricks villagers into believing a wolf is attacking his sheep. When a real wolf eventually appears and he cries for help, the villagers do not believe him, leading to the loss of his flock. No one believed him because he lied, his words could not be trusted, even when he spoke the truth no one believed him. It’s a fable that packs a punch and warns of the dangers of lying. Here as we return to the ninth commandment about bearing false witness, bearing false testimony we have established that it goes beyond the courtroom setting of giving witness to lying in all regards, the LORD is forbidding lying, he hates lies (Prov 6:16-19). In effect the Lord is forbidding all falsehood and the reason why that truth matters to the LORD our God is primarily because of who he is. The LORD God that we come before is truth (Is 65:16, Jn 17:7). 


The Devil though is the father of lies. Jesus in John 8 there is no truth in him. When the Devil lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Jn 8:44). The Devil is seeking to destroy the truth, he does all that he can to undermine it. Which is seen most clearly in how Jesus the way the truth and the life, the only way to the Father (Jn 14:6) even though He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. False witness was made against him, he suffered and entrusted himself to him who judges justly, he bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (see 1 Pe 2:22–25).


When we do not tell the truth we are doing the Devil’s work, we are following the ruler of this world. But the children of God are not to live as those of this world, we are to live as his children. In the book of Ephesians, we are told… put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another (4:24-25).


As the followers of Jesus, as his disciples our words should be honest. It shouldn’t matter the situation our testimony of the truth, we should be those whose words match with our actions, with our lives, our words matter because truth matters to God. This manifests the reality of the truth within us for Jesus is the way the truth and the life, if we have come to know him then we will live righteously in this world, we will be people who are known that when we say yes it is yes, when we say no it is no, there will be a consistency that matches the truth within us. 


This is especially important today since we live in an age when people are taken in by all kinds of fake news, where there are many people who don’t keep their promises, people who make money out of falsehood. We as believers should be those who are known for the truth and it shows the one within us. Our words matter, our speech matters, we should be those who are truthful, honest, who keep our word. When we do not tell the truth, then we are doing the bidding of the evil one. We though are the children of God, we are to be those who do God’s will and not the devils. If our hearts are right with the Lord then our speech will be consistent with that, we will not bear false witness. 


The Lord forbids bearing false of any kind, of using our words that are to truthful at all times. He calls us to love the truth, the church is to be a buttress of truth (1 Tim 3:15). We are to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). The problem is that because of the wickedness of the human heart people suppress the truth, they exchange the truth about God for a life, (Rom 1:18,25). 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q35 What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
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2nd December 2025


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Job 31) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


One of the most famous poems in the world is Rudyard Kipling's "If" which begins "If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies" I have no idea if Kipling was inspired by the book of Job but chapter thirty-one is Job's own version of "If"


He said, if I have walked falsely (v5), if my steps have turned from God (v7), if my hands are unclean (v7b), if I have lusted after another woman (v9), if I have treated my servants harshly (v13), if I have kept help back from the poor (v16), if people have died because I did not give them clothes (19), if such a man had no call to bless me (v20), if his body was cold because I didn't give him the fleece of my sheep (v20), if I have hurt the orphan (v21), if I have trusted in riches (v24), if I have rejoiced because of my wealth (v25), if I was tempted to worship the sun or moon (v26), if I was delighted by the ruin of my enemy (v29), if I have failed in hospitality (v31), if I have kept my sins hidden (v33) and if I have abused my land (v38-40) then let me be punished. 


How many "ifs" was that? I count at least seventeen and there are probably more still. It's clear that Job understood the holiness of God. Few of us have such an awareness of human sin that we cry to the Lord in such a manner for vindication. Even so, in the coming chapters Job will be the subject of rebuke. Why? In the midst of Job's protest there was the sure hint of self-righteousness.


He longed to be heard by the Lord God Himself (v35) and if he were able to have a such an audience then Job would approach God like a prince (v37). Before we go any further let us say that the child of God has every right by faith in Christ to approach the throne of grace. The blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all sin and we can draw near to the Lord with all confidence. But Christ focused confidence is very different from man centred self-righteousness. Job's words had come to end (v40) and it seems he had fallen into the trap of sinful arrogance.


Brothers and sisters, do you believe that even if you spent the whole day in repentance that you would be adequately able to account for all your sin? Do you think if you had your own version of Job's "If" that you would be able to address the blackness of your heart? Maybe you but not me. It is good to reflect on God's holiness and it is a gift to be able to repent but let us never believe that the whole story has been told. If the Lord was to mark our transgressions who would stand (Psalm 130)?


I'm so thankful for God's grace and the complete obedience of Jesus. My hands are not clean and if I have sinned one million times I probably know only a fraction of my guilt. What should I do? What should we do? Our sin is great but Christ is greater. "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4v16)  


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Q34 What is adoption? Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges, of the sons of God.
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1st December 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20:16)


Message (Alan Burke) 


It’s been a few weeks now since ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ final in which Alan Carr managed to lie and deceive his way to the entire winning pot of £87,500 which went to his chosen charity Neuroblastoma UK. I have to admit I didn’t watch the series, I’ve no interest in such a TV show but I had to tolerate it in the background from time to time when it was on and hear about it from people at the school gate and the odd visit. The premise for the show is pretty simple, contestants must work together to compete in various challenges. However, among them are a select number of "traitors" whose aim is to sabotage the group's efforts while maintaining their cover. At the end of the game, the players vote on who they believe are the ‘traitors’ and the game is won if either all the traitors are eliminated or the so called ‘faithful’ manage to eliminate or rather vote out all the ‘traitors’. Whoever is left standing wins the entire prize fund, if there is six of them it is divided equally but if there is only one left as in the case of Alan Carr then the entire prize fun is theirs. The show makes lying into entertainment for the masses. 


Today we being to think through this the ninth commandment and it speaks of bearing false testimony, or false witness so we may think from the wording of this commandment that it only pertains to the court setting and does not speak to shows like Celebrity Traitors or lying in general. Yet as we have looked at all the commandments we have seen the scope of the commandments is much wider than first imagined and they speak into many aspects of our lives that beyond what we initially may have though. 


The language that is used in this commandment is that of a courtroom setting, ‘witness’ or ‘testimony’ depending on the translation that you use. In the context that this commandment was given witness testimony was curial as there was no such thing as DNA, CCTV and the like so convictions were made on the basis of eyewitness testimony. When it is one persons word against another then it really matters the words that you speak. In a capital case false testimony could not only lead to damaging someone's reputation it could be deadly. For if your testimony was accepted then it could lead to them being executed. 


Now there were checks and balances too. Two or three witnesses were required (Deut 19:15) and if you were the accuser then you’d be responsible for carrying out the sentence so if the person was to be stoned to death you’d get to throw the first stone (Deut 17:17).Remember the commands are being given in the context of community, they are concerned for the whole of the community and as individuals if they and we live according to what they command it benefits the whole community, but if we disregard them then the whole community suffers, not only one person is impacted but many. 


That is why this command is given because our words matter, they matter not only to us, but our neighbour and the whole community. But the implications of this command go much further than bearing witness, much further than giving testimony, much much much further, for the underlying principle of this command is that God forbids all falsehood, all untruth, all lies. In Proverbs 6 we are told there are six things the Lord hates, seven things that are detestable to him and there we are told twice how the LORD hates lying. Two of the seven things listed are lying (Prov 6:16-19). In effect you could say that lying is doubly hated by the LORD. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord (Pro 12:22). Although the ninth commandment deals with that of a court setting, we see how behind the command that the underlying principle is that God forbids every form of falsehood. It means that not only is the Lord prohibiting false testimony but also lying, deceiving. Our words matter so much so that when we lie, when we bear false witness and pour out lies then it is detestable to the LORD, we are detestable, our sin is detestable to the LORD, when we lie, when we bear false witness, every kind of falsehood is detestable to our LORD.


Pray (acTS)


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Q33 What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
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29th November 2025


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Job 29&30) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty person? Do you think the best years are still to come or do you believe that you've had your best days? Are you an eternal optimist or are you confident that only bad things will happen? In chapter twenty-nine we catch another glimpse of Job's emotional state and like many of us he was looking back and longing for those better days.


"Oh, that I were as in the months of old" (29v2) he cried! Wouldn't it be great if I was still in the golden years? Back then Job believed that God watched over him (29v2) and his life was one of blessing and productivity. He was surrounded by his children (29v5), he was called blessed by those around him (29v11) and he was a hero to the widow and the needy (29v12-16). Job's life was marked by righteousness (29v14) and the evil doer understood that Job was not to be messed with (29v17) - when he spoke they didn't speak back (29v21-22). He lived like a king (29v25) and was confident that he would die in comfort (29v18-20). No wonder he longed for the months of old, no wonder Job yearned for the golden days. 


Those happy memories seemed so far away for the man who was now laughed at by even the lowest members of society (30v1-7). Job had become a joke (30v9), hated and someone to spit at (30v10). The golden years were long gone and now all Job had was day after day of affliction (30v15-16). Worst still he believed that God had utterly forsaken him (30v19). He called upon the Lord and yet heard no answer (30v20). Job's life had been spent weeping and grieving for the needy (30v25), but now all he knew was trouble and darkness (30v27-28).


I can't help feel for Job when I read these chapters. He was a man of God who had done nothing to deserve the trouble that had come. He was unaware of the heavenly interaction between God and Satan, all he could see was that undeserved trouble had fallen upon him for no earthly reason. As he reminisced about the days of yore he couldn't help but long for the time when life was simple and secure and the dark clouds were still far off.


How are we to live when the rain falls and the storm blows? Living in the past is not an option. Solomon once counselled us "Say not, 'Why were the former days better than these?' For it is not from wisdom that you ask this." (Ecclesiastes 7v10) Equally our minds are not to be constantly planning for the future. James would tell us that we do not know what tomorrow will bring (James 4v14). Instead, I think we are to try and find rest in the fact that this moment, right now, this very second is the only one we have. It might be filled with joy or it might be another moment of crushing sadness. Even so, we are to approach today with faith. The golden years may seem to have gone and our hopes for tomorrow may be dashed but the child of God has reason to hope for a brighter day. There is something greater for the Christian than earth's brightest or darkest day. One day we will see Jesus and that is better by far.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q32 What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which, in this life, do either accompany or flow from them.
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