20th February 2025

20th February 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20v1-21)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Can I ask you a personal question? Does the Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC) play any part in your Christian walk? No? That’s okay. No judgement here. But can I gently suggest it becomes part of your devotional life? The attention the WLC gives to the Ten Commandments is abundantly helpful for us. We can incorrectly look at the commandments and see a list of easily achievable standards. Instead of running to Jesus we then rest in our own arrogance believing that we have mastered God’s moral law. If I’m ever tempted to believe in my own greatness, I read the WLC and realise anew just how far short I fall. Even on my best day I am but an unprofitable servant.


Question 104 of the WLC asks “What are the duties required in the first commandment?” To which we might reply “Well I don’t worship any false gods and I didn’t buy that smiling buddha in Dobbies.” But here is the answer as given by the WLC “The duties required in the first commandment are, the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honoring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing of him; believing him; trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing in him; being zealous for him; calling upon him; giving all praise and thanks, and yielding all obedience and submission to him with the whole man; being careful in all things to please him, and sorrowful when in anything he is offended; and walking humbly with him.”


Do you see the scale of what we owe to God? We are to know Him and worship Him accordingly. He is to be at the forefront of our minds and He is to shape every aspect of our lives. We are to be zealous for the Lord, obedient unto Him, quick to repent and humble in our walk. There is so much more to the first commandment than we have previously thought. I think we can describe our right response as the fear of the Lord. This doesn’t mean that we run away from God as if He is a monstrous tyrant. Instead the fear of the Lord is as the WLC states, “remembering, highly esteeming, honoring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing” Him.


I’m tired of being a man who always believes that I’ll get around to things tomorrow. I’ll read those books tomorrow. I’ll be a better husband tomorrow. I’ll get back to the gym tomorrow. I am an unprofitable servant but even so, I want to walk rightly before the Lord in thankful fear with no other gods before His face. When? Tomorrow? By no means. May I (and you) know the work of the Holy Spirit as He cleanses us from our nonsense and works righteousness in us. When? If not now, then when?


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q12 What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created? When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death.
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