10th March 2025

10th March 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 26 focus v1-6)


Message (Alan Burke) 


In the summer I was made to go to Wales on an extended family holiday and yes made. Anyway the reason I bring this up is that we went to a place called Tenby not a particularly exciting place and it was inundated with tourists just like me and what made it worse is that I was forbidden to enter Dales Music Store incase I came out with an armful of vinyl that I didn’t need. Honestly this devotion is not just a cheep version of therapy for me so I’ll get to the point. When in Tenby we went to the castle and from there I spotted an absolutely idillic place to live, somewhere you wouldn’t have to worry about the neighbours, you could walk around in your birthday suit all day and at the right time of the day it is only a short walk to go get some groceries in. If you have ever been to Tenby you’ll likely know I’m talking about St Cathrines Island Fort. It’s not actually habitable at present but if someone wants rid of me enough to finance me to make it a wonderful home I’d have to give it some consideration. That’s never going to happen but if you do a search for the island and see an aerial photo of it you’ll see how it’s only connected with Tenby by Tenby beach, as the tide comes in it is cut off and it’s about 0.12 miles long and 0.037 miles wide so it ain't very big. 


The city of Tyre, Tyre meaning rock referred to the fortress that was located on an offshore island that was about a mile long, half a mile wide and stood there ominously on the coast on a key shipping lane. It didn’t have a beach connecting it to the mainland, instead you could sail right the way round. There was Tyre on the rock and there was Tyre on the shore, both though were seen as one. The fortress on the rock being the strength of Tyre the city and became of its strength and strategic importance in the Mediterranean this city was like an octopus of which the tentacles reached far and wide across the region. Historic Tyre makes St Cathrines Island Fort look like a Childs play house. 


Here the imager that used of the many nations coming against Tyre, like the sea casting up its waves, the Lord grounds would come in an image that was familiar to them with  Tyre, the fortress on the rock and the city on the shore with the waves not lapping against it but crashing against it, while they had seen it all before the waves would come again and again and pound the city into submission. Tyre in its location was like a ship on the sea, while it was a fortified city it would not withstand the constant barrage of wave after wave against it. The result would be that the walls of Tyre would be destroyed, the towers fallen, left as if it had never been there, back to bare rock.


The Lord had spoken, Tyre became plunder for the nations even though it had sought to benefit from the plunder of Jerusalem and it was ravaged by the sword. The picture here of the coming judgment was complete, it would be desolation. They had taken delight in the downfall of Jerusalem, they rejoiced at the Lord's justice, the island fortress of Tyre, all the strength of men was no defence against the Sovereign Lord, they would know that he is Lord. Their Power, Strength, Might, could not prevent his judgment, they would know that he is the Lord as the waves finally ceased crashing against them and they were left a desolate rock all so that they would ‘Know that the Lord is God’, not by his grace, his compassion, his love but in his wrath that he would pour out upon them in his justice. 


For each and everyone of us as well as everyone who has ever lived we will know that the Lord is God, either by his grace, compassion, his love that is shown to us in the Lord Jesus Christ who experienced the wrath of God for us. Or we will know that the Lord is God not by his grace, his compassion, his love but in his wrath that he would pour out upon them in his justice. For all who call upon the name of the Lord they will be saved, for all who refuse, no power, strength or might will save them, preventing the Lord’s judgment, from experiencing the waves of his judgment for all eternity. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist?
A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.
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