16th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:21-26 focus v21-22)


Message (Alan Burke) 


How are you today? One of the most common answers I hear to that is “good”. I know what they mean, that things are good, they have no complaints, they are feeling good about themselves. While I was in a Christian bookshop recently a staff member asked someone as they came in “are you good today” and as quick as a shot the person answered “No one is good—except God alone” (Mk 10:18). The staff member was taken aback but I had a smile on my face because the mans answer was right. Ok there is a difference between being good and feeling good but many people believe that they are good, they are good people. Today we come to a passage that confronts us of how none of us are good, there is not one of us who have kept the commandments but if we hear the words of Jesus and understand the good and necessary consequence of them then we will realise that there is not one of us who is good, not one of us who has kept the commandments rather we have left them in shatters. 


Our standing before the Lord is not about what we have done or can do and the reason is that sin has so distorted our nature that we are totally depraved. that doesn’t mean that we are as bad as we could be but that sin is such that there is not one part of us that is not wholly effected by it and our effort so Jesus strips all the pretence of our goodness away and leaves us knowing that it is not about what we have done or can do because even our best efforts are filthy rags before a holy God.  


Jesus here begins by correcting an understanding of the law that was taught in rabbinical teaching. The rabbinical teaching of the time was that you could keep the commandments of God by outward observance. Taking the sixth commandment Jesus expounds the full extent of what it requires of us. Murder is one thing but also anger and even belittling someone calling them a fool is enough to be in danger of the fire of hell. Actually the greek is much stronger than that, the NIV and the KJV says in danger of hell fire but a better translation as the ESV uses is liable, liable to hell fire. The greek is even more forceful, it’s deserving of the fire of hell. 


Now of course the point here in what Jesus is teaching is not that there is no difference between belittling someone, calling them a fool  and beating them to death with a frying pan, of course there is, but both reveal our hearts, they reveal the sickness, the sin within us and help us to see our need for God. There is also righteous anger, Jesus got angry, it is right and proper to be angered by injustice, abortion, immorality, by sin. Notice though who this anger and this belittling others is specifically in relation to, v22, if anyone who is angry with his BROTHER, then again, anyone who says to his brother. Jesus here is speaking primarily against anger and belittling fellow believers, our brothers and sisters in Christ. The primarily emphasis on this is towards each other, because if you are angry at your brother or sister in Christ, if you’re belittling them then you are showing that you haven’t understood the grace that has been shown to you. 


We might see what this is requiring of us as bordering on the ridiculous but it is with a purpose. What we see here is that if we are relying on our own righteousness then we have absolutely no hope whatsoever. You might think you are a good person but you don’t keep the commands when we rightly understand them. When we see what the Law of requires of us, how it should be understood, then we know that we are unable to do what is required. The standards of the Kingdom of God are far in excess of what we are able to do. It should drive us towards the promises of God that have now been fulfilled with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ who came to die for our salvation. The Covenant of Grace that has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ, who while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Knowing that we are V21-22 We Are Deserving Of The Fire Of Hell and this should drive us to Jesus. 


Pray (acTS)


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Q91. How do the Sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
A. The Sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.
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14th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Obadiah 1v10-14)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Edom was to be judged because her arrogance had led her to believe that she was untouchable. As far as the descendants of Esau were concerned, no one could bring them down from their lofty mountain position. Furthermore, as Jerusalem burned, Edom “stood aloof” (v11). As we have seen, Judah and Edom were cousins who should have enjoyed a “special relationship”. Tragically this relationship lay in the gutter and as strangers carried off Jerusalem’s wealth (v11a) and gambled for ownership of the great city, Edom didn’t lift a finger to help.


There is much discussion as to when Jerusalem was attacked. Some argue for 850BC when the Philistines and Arabs rose against Judah (2 Chronicles 21v16-17). Others point to the more famous episode in 587BC when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city, her temple and carried many off into Babylonian exile. If we can’t be sure exactly when Obadiah was writing, we can be sure that in both cases Edom did nothing to help. Theirs was a sin of “omission” which simply means that they did not do what was required by the Lord.


This would have been bad enough but the Edomites moved from a sin of “omission” to a sin of “commission” which, as you can imagine, means that they got off their backsides and acted in a sinful manner. How so? They began to gloat over the fall of Jerusalem (v12a), they rejoiced that Judah lay ruined (v12b) and they boasted in the face of Judah’s distress (v12c).


But as the Edomites celebrated, they moved slowly and surely to Jerusalem. Like a vulture picking the bones of a corpse, the Edomites entered the city gloating over the remaining inhabitants and taking for themselves any leftover loot (v13). Then as some of their cousins attempted to flee, the Edomites cut them off at the crossroads and handed them over to the enemy (v14).


Can you imagine being at your lowest ebb and someone close to you coming to rub your face in the dirt? Equally have you ever been in a position of strength and gloated that your enemy was “only getting what he deserved”?


You have perhaps seen the famous photo which allegedly shows August Landmasser refusing to raise his arm in a Nazi salute. Landmasser’s wife was Jewish and their relationship was illegal under the laws imposed by Hitler and his regime. In a crowd of shipyard workers, Landmasser was the only one with the courage to resist. We might say that to raise his arm would have been a sin of commission and so Landmasser stood in opposition.


Landmasser choose the lesser walked road and lost his life as a result. How many of us prefer silence when God requires us to speak? How many of us act at the whim of the crowd even though the Christ honouring path is silence? Brothers and sisters, the Edomites failed in both sins of omission and commission. May the Lord give us the wisdom to know when to act and when to stand still. May the crowd not cause our arm to rise when it should stay by our side. Equally may we know the peace of the Gospel especially when our conscience condemns.


Jesus didn’t stay at home but died to free us from our sins of omission and commission - His blood covers them all, thanks be to God!


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Q90 How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation? That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.
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13th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:17-20 focus v20)


Message (Alan Burke)


We’re going to be working though the sermon on the Mount to the middle of December and what I probably didn’t prepare myself for in the study before I began preparing is just how hard hitting it is. Like if you have your bible open in front of you look down to the second part of v22, …anyone who says ‘you fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. The greek is actually much more direct, it says deserving of the fire of hell. Then look down to v28, if you have looked at a woman lustfully you’ve already committed adultery with her in your heart. We might have thought we have done a good job at keeping the commandments of God but these leave any self confidence we may have in the gutter. Here as Jesus continues in teaching he says in v20; “…unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven”.


These guys were known as law keepers, as righteous men, they did everything that was required of them according to the law of God externally. What is more they sought that others would do the same, that others would obey the law just as they in every way sought to be obedient to the law of God. To give you an idea of their righteousness there are 248 commandments give and the 365 provisions of the law they put them together with explanation of how to follow them to the letter. They were seen as holy, they were those that you’d look at and you couldn’t fail to feel rubbish about your own piety in comparison to them. 


There are lots of people who by the worlds standards good people and but we can’t rely on that for our righteousness even our best efforts cant come close to the Pharisees and teachers of the law and as the rest of Sermon on the Mount makes clear that we should have no confidence in our own righteousness. The truth is that there is not one of us here who can keep the law, the truth no matter how hard that is for us to accept is that there is not one of us who are righteous, all of us deserve not the grace of God but the wrath of God and if we are trying to do it in our own strength, our own word we cannot keep the law, we fail. Our law keeping, Our goodness, self righteousness will will never justify us, our law keeping, or rather our attempts to keep the law will not make us right with the Lord, no matter how good we think we are, no matter how well we think we are doing we all leave the entirety of the law in shatters.


How then are we justified? We are justified through Jesus, the one who perfectly kept the law for us, it is his perfect righteousness that is imputed to us, it is given to us, put into our account, we are clothed with his righteousness. For what Christ has done for us means hat there is a glorious exchange, on the cross our sin was placed upon him on the cross of Calvary, he took what we deserve, we have been given what he has achieved for us. 


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Q89. How is the Word made effectual to salvation?
A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching, of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.
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12th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Obadiah 1v10-14)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


There are a range of opinions as to the exact historical setting of Obadiah. Verse eleven refers back to a day that the city of Jerusalem was captured and the wealth of the city carried off by her enemies. Jerusalem had known several days like this one but the most famous “sacking” of the city came in 587BC when Nebuchadnezzar arrived and brought to an end the Kingdom of Judah. Others argue that Obadiah is referring to an earlier day of trouble for Jerusalem which took place around 850BC. This was an attack by the Philistines and Arabs during the reign of King Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21v16-17).


Scholars go back and forth on the dating of Obadiah but we can say several things with certainty. Firstly, the ancient bond between Israel and Edom was in a sorry state. Secondly, the Edomites were filled with arrogance and pride - no one could bring them down from their lofty position. Finally, when Jerusalem needed help, Edom “stood aloof” and watched as the city gates were entered by a foreign invader (v11b). To be “aloof” is to be distant and reserved and so Edom remained in their mountain forts with the attitude “it’s got nothing to do with us.” Yet they had been misled by the arrogance of their hearts. The fall of Jerusalem was their concern because “Jacob” was their brother. Even so, Edom gave no help to Judah preferring to stand in splendid aloof isolation. Edom may have argued that they had not attacked the city walls or carried off the loot or spilled innocent blood but by their inaction they became like Judah’s attackers (v11c) - they were every bit as guilty as those who swung the sword.


Most prefer a quiet life and rarely do any “go looking for trouble” Yet this understandable desire can sometimes lead to sin. Is it appropriate to listen to gossip and tell ourselves “nothing to do with me”? It is acceptable to be in a position to offer help and say “no, sorry, too busy”? Is it right to silently watch a brother in Christ verbally torn to shreds with the attitude “I’m glad that wasn’t me”?


Brothers and sisters, I do not call you to constant fights and arguments but equally many of us are dressed for bed when action is required outside. The cause of Christ is noble, the Gospel is precious and we are with Jesus by faith. Therefore may we be dressed and ready for action with our lamps burning (Luke 12v35). Samuel Rutherford was right “God has called you to Christ's side, and if the wind is now in His face, you cannot expect to rest on the sheltered side of the hill.” 


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Q88 What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption? The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, Sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.
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11th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:17-20 focus v18-19)


Message (Alan Burke)


Jesus has not abolished the law or the prophets, he fulfils them. This is good news for the one that the Lord promised in Genesis in the midst of the fall as he declared the covenant of grace, of one who would come to deal with our sin and its consequences, the one whom the rest of the Old Testament had been pointing too has now come. Jesus once more speaks of law but this time it has a different meaning. The term Law and Prophets speaks of the entirety of the Old Testament whereas law uses by itself speaks of the commandments that God has given to us, those laws that deal with civil life ceremonial life ie the worship of the people and the moral law. 


And Jesus says, amen, truly, surly that until the heaven and earth disappear, basically all of creation, until it has all disappeared that not the smallest letter or punctuation mark would disappear. Or as the KJV puts it one jot or one tittle referring to the smallest letter and the punctuation used. Until everything is accomplished. This is when the full manifestation of the kingdom of God is displayed. This will come when Jesus returns. What this means for us is that while Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets he did not throw out the commandments and commands what is require of us, he didn’t come to abolish but to fulfil and he hasn’t removed the duty that is required of us how we are to live in response to our God as his image bearers. Some would say that Jesus has accomplished everything and therefore we have been freed from the Law’s requirement but as v19 makes clear that is not the case as it compares those who break the commandments and those who practice them. Those who break them will be called least the other will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 


Does this mean then we continue to observe the sacrificial system? Does it mean that we observe laws regarding justice so if someone commits the act of adultly then we stone them to death (Deut 22:21). The short answer is no. Jesus was the one that the ceremonial law pointed to, he is our passover lamb which means it doesn’t apply to us today, we no longer need to make sacrifices because Jesus gave his life for us as a sacrifice atoning for sin. In regard to the civil law that governed the relationship within the people of Israel, the Civil laws describe the judicial and civil duties of the citizens of Israel as God’s people. The civil law under the Mosaic Law was God governing His people under the government of the Law of Moses. Jesus inaugurated a new kingdom, God’s people the church are no longer identified as a nation, but as a people from all over the earth. The civil law no longer applies to us. 


But the moral law summarised in the Ten Commandments describes the principles of behaviour for all people. This is how we are to live, all people, in every land. This means that we can eat shrimp and tasty tasty bacon as Christians for we are freed from the ceremonial law and civil law though we as all people are bound by the moral law, summarised in the Ten Commandments and in the words of Jesus to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves. 


And remember our Lord Jesus says to us: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you (Jn 15:14). I could get more examples but if we are his we seek to obey his commandments. While we are totally unable to keep the moral law summarised in the Ten Commandments, we are unable to love the Lord our God with all out hearts and our neighbours as ourself, we might despair of that inability, but along with the law, there is the blessing which is found in the lawgiver, the one who alone kept the law perfectly for his people, that he might impute righteousness to them by grace. 


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Q87. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.
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10th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Obadiah 1v10-14)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Are you aware of the “special relationship” between the USA & Great Britain? The phrase was first coined by Winston Churchill who on the 5th March 1946 spoke of a special relationship between the English speaking people of the world seeing this relationship as key to a peaceful and prosperous future. The relationship has been tested ever since but we can nevertheless be thankful for God’s providence in the world of politics.


There should have been another “special relationship” in the pages of Scripture. We have already seen that God’s judgement was burning against the Edomities who pridefully believed they were untouchable. It shouldn’t have been this way. Esau and Jacob were brothers and the two nations that came from the twins should have been brothers too. Indeed the Lord describes Jacob as Edom’s brother in this very passage (v10).


Elsewhere the Lord commands His people to treat the Edomites well, He said “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother.” (Deuteronomy 23v7). When God speaks we should listen but tragically the Edomites throughout history found themselves in opposition to those who they should have been helping.


Trouble was coming to Israel who God here calls “Jacob” (v10a) and because of the violence that would be done to Israel, Edom would be covered in shame and cut off forever (v10b). We’ll see that this wasn’t unfair and it certainly wasn’t a matter of Edom being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were a sinfully proud people and we’ll discover later in the week that this pride had made their relationship with Israel rotten.


None of us are immune from broken relationships. Even as you read this you might be painfully aware that you and your brother don’t speak or that you have long maintained distance from your mother. I offer no magic solution to your problems and it should go without saying that my hands aren’t clean in this regard either. My wisdom, for what it is worth, is for you and I to honour Christ in our human relationships. This is all the more pressing when someone treats us badly or desires war rather than peace.


Jesus died for us when we were utterly unloveable (Romans 5v6). May He strengthen us by His ordinary means and cause us to honour Him in our relationships - especially those that look like a modern version of Israel and Edom. For Christ’s sake.


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Q86 What is faith in Jesus Christ? Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
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9th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:17-20 focus v17)


Message (Alan Burke) 


We’re focusing on one verse today where we learn that Jesus had not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, he had come to fulfil them. What does this mean for us? Well firstly think to the words that are used, ‘abolish’, ‘Law’, ‘Prophets', ‘fulfil’. They are words that we need to understand correctly if we are going to understand what is going on here. Firstly abolish. To abolish something means to do away with it. Law, well we might assume that it’s talking about the moral law summarised in the Ten Commandments but it’s not that, rather when the Law or the Prophets, or the Law and the Prophets is used together it speaks of the entirety of the Old Testament  from Genesis to Malachi. Last word for now, fulfil. It means to achieve, realise. So Jesus had come not to destroy, get rid of, do away with the Old Testament rather he came to fulfil it. 

What does that mean?


Well it means two things. Firstly the scriptures from the fall (think Genesis 3:15 when God preached the Gospel to the Devil) had been looking forward to the hope of the one that would come, the law and the prophets were to act as a big signpost pointing us to Jesus and at the same time they were teaching us how to live as the people of God. Of course there are other things that we learn of in the scriptures, but their thrust has always been to direct us to the hope we have in God through the promised one and how we are to live in response to our God as his image bearers.


Secondly the scriptures especially the moral law summarised in the Ten Commandments don’t just refer to what we do they also refer to our hearts. You might think you’re great that you keep the commandments but you’ve left them in shatters, we all have. To interpret them in a narrow sense that they deal with our outward actions just doesn’t cut it. We may keep up appearances, look respectable to the watching world, even to those closest to us but we are law breakers and as a result of our transgressions what we deserve is death (Rom 6:23). The law of God was meant to make us despair at our inability to keep it and to look to the Lord and his mercy. 


In every age there are those who have twisted the word of God to fit with how we want to live, others who have misunderstood the simplicity of it and though the meaning is plain there are those who will jump through hoops to make it say something that it doesn’t. They will do all that they can to explain a passage that they don’t like away because it would impact on them, it happened in Jesus day, it is not that the word of God lacks clarity, it is that such is our sin and our hatred of the law of God we will do what we can to make it fit with how we want to live. 


Here is the good news at this, Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets. We are sinners deserving of judgement. The good news is that Jesus had done all that is required of us. What we all deserve death the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus precisely because he fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. He was the one that the law and the prophets were pointing us to, the one in whom we have hope of salvation. None of us deserve God’s grace but for all who repent and believe they have the free gift of God, eternal life.


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Q86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
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7th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Obadiah 1v1-9)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Edom was to be destroyed, utterly despised by the nations of the world and made small in their sight (v2). God’s judgement was burning against them and He was moving to bring about their end. Nevertheless, all of this would have been a great surprise to Esau’s descendants. Their home was not a hole in the hedge or a few fields down the road.


Edom was a region about forty miles wide and one hundred miles long with a multitude of advantages. There were numerous regions in Edom suitable for farming, she was situated along important trade routes bringing great wealth and due to her famous red sandstone mountains she was easy to defend and a nightmare to fight. You may have visited the beautiful ancient city of Petra where buildings were once carved into the rock - if so, you’ve visited one of Edom’s finest cities. The land of Esau was beautiful, rich and almost impregnable. Almost.


The tragedy of Edom was that she had begun to believe her own hype. The Lord warned “the pride of your heart has deceived you” (v3). The Edomites may have lived in lofty dwellings carved out of rock (v3b), they may have soared like the eagle (v4a) and they may have believed that no one could bring them down to earth (v3c), but it was all a lie. They had opposed the Lord and He was preparing to bring them down from their high position (v4b). 


Indeed, the Lord’s judgement would be complete. Thieves might leave some things behind and those who gather grapes never pick every fruit (v5) but Edom was to be pillaged completely and all of her treasures were to be lost (v6). Her allies would betray her (v7a), those at peace with Edom would prove to be deceitful (v7b) and those who depended upon Edom for bread would turn away (v7c). Esau’s descendants were trapped with no understanding of the coming storm (v7d).


All of this is made more remarkable by the fact that Edom was known for her wisdom. The Edomite city of Teman was home to Job’s counsellor Eliphaz and another of Job’s friends was a Shuhite which is another Edomite region (Job 2v11). Solomon was a man of great wisdom and he was compared to another group known for wisdom called “the men of the east” (1 Kings 4v30) or as we have come to know them - the Edomites. The inhabitants of Edom and Mount Esau were no fools and yet the wise men were to be destroyed (v8). Furthermore, the mighty men and warriors from the Edomite city of Teman were going to be no help. Slaughter was coming to Mount Esau and Edom would be no more (v9).


Your old granny might have said “pride comes before a fall” but she took it from the Scriptures. The Lord hates pride and arrogance (Proverbs 8v13), He calls the proud “scoffers” (Proverbs 21v24) and pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16v18).


Brothers and sisters, pay close attention to your heart. It is deceitful above all things and often it whispers “There’s no one like you. No one will ever bring you down.” The Edomites found to their cost the sinfulness of arrogant pride. May our prayer echo that of the tax collector who knew his condition and cried “Lord have mercy on me a sinner!” (Luke 18v13), for the wise person knows that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4v6). 


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Q84 What doth every sin deserve? Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come.
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6th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:13-16)


Message (Alan Burke)


What does light do, it illuminates. When there is light darkness is dispelled, that which is hidden is disclosed and what ever is concealed comes into the open. When a power cut comes, and it’s something many of us have experienced, we can be left fumbling in the dark trying to find a torch or a candle, actually for most of us finding the candle isn’t the problem there are lots of them scattered about the house that you dare not touch because they are there just to look pretty, the problem is finding the matches. When you’ve finally found the matches and light the candle you put the candle is somewhere that it will illuminate the room, put it somewhere that will enable us to see and not walk in to things and do ourselves an injury. 


There is a sense here where Jesus is just staining the obvious, it’s unnecessary, of course a city in a hill cannot be hidden and you don’t put a lamp under a bowl, you put it on a stand so it gives light. 


Well since we are the light of the world we are to let our light shine. How are we the light of the world, well think to John’s gospel for a moment one of the I am sayings of Jesus where we are told in John 8; “…Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). Jesus is the lamp of God who has come to bring light and revelation of the kingdom of God, it illuminates the dark and the light of Christ is in us by the work of the Holy Spirit.


When we come to know Christ,  we have been illuminated by the light of Christ by the work of the Spirit are to manifest this light. Our task as the church as those who have been called from darkness to light is to live in the light and to make known the light of God’s kingdom in how we live and as we proclaim the good news of the Gospel about Jesus Christ the saviour of the world. This is what we are to do, in all that we do and the reason as v16 concludes is “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”


So does this mean we do things that are clear for other people to see? Well Jesus also says in chapter 6:1“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Mt 6:1). Then to v6 when Jesus says “6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Mt 6:6.)


Remember where this teaching comes, it comes right after the teaching on persecution, if you are going to be persecuted there is the desire to act like a chameleon, when you face suffering for the sake of Christ it would be easier to try and blend but we are to let our light shine. It means then that we are not trying to get people to look at us, but we are not hiding that we belong to Jesus, we belong to him and we live for him, it will mean that we live differently, it means we live consistently, faithfully according to the word of God. In doing so we should be living in a way that shows forth what we are, that we are the Lord’s that we love him. By living in accord with what the scriptures teach us we live counter culturally, we live as the salt and light that we are and we show a world that is decaying a better way. 


If you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, if you are a believer, then believer, no matter how rubbish you think you are doing in your walk with the Lord Jesus notice what Jesus says, it is not “try to be salt or light”, but “you are” declares you to be salt, he declares you to be light. This is what you are, he has called you to himself and live on knowing that he will help you to live as you have called to be right where you are. There are days that that will be tough, that you think you’ve made a mess of it but you are Salt, you are Light because you belong to Jesus.


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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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5th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Obadiah 1v1-9)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Obadiah’s message was short but for someone called “Edom” it was of vital importance. God’s servant Obadiah had received a vision that directly concerned Edom and so the Prophet had been sent out to the nations to proclaim his God given message (v1). Who was Edom? Edom is both a person and a place. Edom’s inhabitants were called Edomites who were descendants of Esau. Perhaps you remember Esau? He was Jacob’s older twin brother and when he was born he was hairy earning the name Esau, which means hairy (Genesis 25v30). Later in his life he sold his birthright for some red stew (Genesis 25v30) which got him another name Edom, which means red.


Later still Esau took foreign women as his wives and settled in a place called Seir (Genesis 36v2). Seir also means hairy and so it was an appropriate place for Esau to make his home. If you were in any doubt, Moses couldn’t have been clearer when he wrote “Esau is Edom” (Genesis 36v8) and needless to say, the Edomites were natural enemies of the Israelites.


Why was this so? The Lord told Jacob and Esau’s mother Rebekah “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25v23). This prophetic word was proved true throughout the Bible. On numerous occasions Edom stood against her cousin Israel and her attitude is best described by the Lord who said that Edom “cherished perpetual enmity” (Ezekiel 35v5).


That’s a tragic statement. Edom also called Esau also called Seir, preferred strife rather than peace. They took numerous opportunities to oppose Israel until one day Edom fell under God’s judgement and was no more.


I am always amazed at how many people give no consideration to their standing with God. They kid themselves that there is no God or if He exists He won’t judge anyone. In the meantime they happily live as they wish, burning bridges and destroying others if it helps them climb life’s ladder. Brothers and sisters, the summer is over and autumn approaches. What will this year be like for you? Another year of “perpetual enmity” or perhaps a new attitude of grace and forgiveness? I doubt that the Edomites realised their peril but you and I have no excuse. The Lord knows and sees all. May our pressing business with Him be addressed for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10v31).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


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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