7th March 2025

7th March 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 25)


Message (Alan Burke)


Believe it or now, our life choices can impact not only our lives but the lives of the generations that follow us. Looking back in my family history things could have been very different for me because my Granny and Granda Burke in the 1950s had made the decision to take advantage of the ‘Ten Pound Poms’. If you’re young enough you’ll have no idea what that is but for some of you, you will know immediately because you maybe considered it or knew someone who made the move to Australia. Basically the Ten Pound Poms were British citizens who took advantage of the scheme ran by the Government of Australia to emigrate to Australia on Australian government scheme and it was known as Ten Pound Poms because the charge of processing your application and travel to Australia. In 1955 that £10 processing fee works out about £222.91 in today’s money according to the Bank of England inflation calculator. Circumstances changed and my grandparents remained here, their choice is the reason that I am here today. 


Let’s think of the Ammonites and the Moabites. They were both descendants of Lord and his daughters. Genesis 19:30-38 gives us the account that explains that how the Ammonites were decided from a man called Ben-Ammi he was a man whose father and grandfather were the same man. Lot’s younger daughter had a son to her father. The Moabites descended from Moab was a man whose father and grandfather were the same man. Lot’s eldest daughter had a son to her father. This makes the Moabites, just as the case for the Ammonites related to the people of God, their line descended from Terah Abraham’s father.


Both these people were descendants of Terah, were related to Abraham. They had though turned from the ways of the Lord when their forefather Lot, Abraham’s nephew choose Sodom. He went their with his family, he didn’t think how it would impact him and his family to be surrounded by such and his daughters were so impacted by the ungodliness of Sodom that when they left they took matters into their own hands. The origin of the Ammonites and the Moabites is a testimony to the sinfulness of the human heart, they could have looked to the Lord God, Lot’s daughters could have sought refuge with Abraham, looked to him for their help and started a family with one of the many people who were with him but they did not they instead conspired to have children by their father.


Our life choices can impact not only our lives but the lives of the generations that follow us. Lot would've never imagined what going to Sodom would have resulted in, not only for his daughter’s, but also for his descendants who hated God people, even though they came from the same line, Terah Abraham’s father was the grandfather of Lot, he was a nephew of Abraham. I wonder if Lot had have known how his choice would have impacted his daughters and future generations would he have gone the same way? I doubt it, but nonetheless he made the choice. This is a warning that should make us think twice about the choices that we make for we might not think they will but they can will impact not only us but the generations that follow us not only in this life but for all eternity. I see this every Lord’s day when I walk down to the meetinghouse, Crossgar is bunged with cars as parents bring their wains to football. The chance of any one of them becoming a professional football is  0.012% — that is 3/25,000, do they sound like good odds? No they don’t but what are the chances that they will die and stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, well it is the same odds for us and it is 100% or 1/1. What matters is not how well we did at football or any other sports but have we repented and believed in the one who came to bring us salvation Jesus Christ. Our choices matter for us and our children for now and for generations to come. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q25. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us.
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