30th April 2025

30th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:7-8)


Message (Alan Burke)


There are words that we use all the time that we use without a second thought and there is one that I think especially in the church we use without really grasping the wonder of what it means, it flows off the tongue and we hear it week after week, we sing songs about it but it has led to semantic saturation. Semantic saturation is a psychological phenomenon which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds. The word that I’m referring to is the word ‘Grace’. It has become nothing more than a platitude to many, others it goes in one ear and out the other, for others it is something they do not need for they are good people but the scriptures teaching of who we are in Adam, that we are sinners and the grace that God has shown to us is so profound that we need reminded again and again and again and again and again so that we may never loose its wonder. 


Grace is exactly the opposite of what we deserve. Q84 in the Shorter Catechism asks; What does every sin deserve? The answer is; Every sin deserves God’ s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come. God gives to you his grace, his undeserved and unmerited favour towards you a sinner. By his death and resurrection Jesus secured for you exactly what you don’t deserve, what I don’t deserve, that none of us do, what we deserve is God’s wrath and curse in this life and in that which is to come what we receive is not what we have merited, it is unmerited, the unmerited favour of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 


Paul speaks here about how the church in Philippi that whether he is in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, they all share in God’s grace with him. He often spoke and defended the faith, defended the truth of the gospel and confirming the gospel means to affirm the truth of the gospel, how this happens is by holding to its truth and showing it in our lives. Paul whether he spoke the gospel, defending it, or confirmed the gospel, affirmed the truth of the gospel which was seen in how he was willing to be imprisoned for its truth. For the church in Philippi he speaks of them sharing in God’s grace whether he was in chains or defending and confirming the gospel because the grace that they had come to know through Jesus Christ had led them to share in his suffering. It was evidence to Paul in their continued to support him in the work of Christ that they had come to know this grace. 


He was confident in the change in the lives of the believers, that they shared in the grace of God because it was seen in them. It was evident to Paul that there was spiritual health in church in Philippi, he could see it in them and he was more concerned about the work of God within them than he was in his own circumstances languishing in prison. He seen how they too share in the grace of God, they were sharing, another word that is used is partakers, like that of partnership, the trust of what is being said here is how they were part even though they were separate, they were sharing Grace in Christ. The work of God should be evident in us, in our private and public lives. Evidence that we are God’s children is shown in how we live, if we share in the grace of God, that is seen is in how we are commitment to worship, prayer, sacrificial giving, loving our neighbours, and sharing the gospel. Because without a genuine spiritual commitment then we do not share in Grace in Christ and are of no more use than a chocolate tea pot in this world. Is the work of the grace of God evident in us?


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q71 What is required in the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behaviour.
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