17th November 2025

17th November 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20:14)


Message (Alan Burke) 


I’m sure you know more than one person who acts high and mighty around others especially when they know the past sins of others thinking that they are so much better than them, that they are not like them, filled with their own self righteousness. The world is full of good people, filled with people who are self righteous, fill with people who act high and mighty. Lots of people fall into this category, more than we probably care to admit the word of God though strips away any sense of goodness we have in ourselves, any self righteousness and instead of leaving us high and mighty should leave us humble that we have a God that would choose sinners like us to be his treasured possession. As we begin to look at this the seventh commandment that forbids adultery we need to know the extent of the commands and what they speak to are much much greater than we might like. 


So we start and we look to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 where Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Mt 5:27–28). Jesus there expounded the full extent of what this commandment requires of us. And of course while Jesus speaks of a man looking at a woman the reverse is also true if a woman who looks lustfully at a man has already committed adulterer with him in his heart. 


The seventh commandment deals with not only the action but the hearts desire. This teaching doesn’t just apply to those who are married rather it goes much much further, because it applies if you’re single, married, divorced no matter who you are or what stage of life you are at or relationship you are in, it has far reaching implications. This commandment means that for those things reserved for marriage then they should only be enjoyed in marriage and while we might like to think it is only our actions that matter so we are safe and haven’t broken this commandment, it is not only our actions that can break this commandment but also our very thoughts, not only our actions but our thoughts are sinful. 


Those who act high and mighty, those who are filled with their own self righteousness, those who think their are good people are all sinful before God. The commandments were give to act as a mirror to us of just how sinful we are and as James 2:10 reminds us; “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it”. We are all guilty and need God’s grace and mercy. Through Jesus we can know that grace and mercy, when we repent of our sin and believe in him and that grace demands a response which is that of obedience. We might fail along the way, face the temporal consequences but his grace is sufficient and your eternal home is secure.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q21 Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?
A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for ever.
​