7th May 2025

7th May 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:9-11)


Message (Alan Burke)


Do you know what a sword drill is? I’ll be honest I had no idea until I arrived in Crossgar and was then introduced to it. Obviously I grew up in the wrong type of churches and my childhood was wasted because I  didn’t learn by books of the bible by doing sword drills. Rather my R.E. in school was in what felt like punishment to learn every book of the bible by repetition and at the time I thought to myself this was as useful as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I wonder did Mrs Surgeoner believe just hate that she had to teach R.E. because she didn’t believe any of it anyway! I don’t know her heart but if I was teaching the children and had an hour every week I’d be trying to leave them with some truths of the gospel rather than the order of the books of the bible, I’d want them to leave my class if not knowing the Apostles Creed at least knowing the wonderful truths that it contains, why Jesus was born, died, buried, why he faced hell for us and rose on the third day because without it the whole of this life is as useful as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Thank’s Mrs Surgeoner for teaching me the books of the bible but I wish you’d taught me the wonder of the gospel not that I’d have listened anyway. 


Paul prayed that for the believers in Philippi that their love may abound more and more and we thought about the necessity of love in Monday’s devotion, but the love he was praying for was a love that would abound in knowledge and depth of insight so that they would be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ (Phl 1:9-10). The word knowledge that is used in v9 is always used in the New Testament to speak of knowledge of the things of God, theological knowledge. Paul is praying that they would abound in love and that that knowledge of the things of God would develop, would grow in them. For those who are in Christ Jesus their love and knowledge should grow and grow. Paul in his letter to the church in Colossi speaks of the purpose of which he writes, that the church may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. (Col 2:2–3). Learning the books of the bible is not the ABC’s of faith. Also he’s praying that they would have depth of insight, ie that they would have correct moral perception that they would know what is right and good and pleasing to God. 


The scriptures teaches us everything we need to live to his glory, in the words of the Westminster Confession it reminds us; “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture:” WCF 1.6. Paul was praying for the church that they would abound in love, that they would grow in the knowledge of the things of God, in their theological knowledge and that as a result they would have discernment, moral perception, they would know what is right and good and pleasing to God and we know what is right good and pleasing from his word, even if the scriptures don’t teach directly about a subject we can by good and necessary consequence discern the will of God. 


He is praying for them in this way because he desires that they would be pure and blameless on the day of Christ. That is when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead for all will be judged by him. The more we know about God the more that we know him, the more that enables us to discern what is right and good and pleasing to God and the more our lives are lived in this way the more and more we will be conformed into the image of Christ our elder brother. You’ll likely have heard what these words mean and be filled with a sense of total inadequacy. How can we possibly live in this way for our sin is ever before us. Well that is why we must look all the more to what Jesus has done, the love that he has shown us, being filled with the knowledge of God, theological knowledge for while we are totally unable to do what is required of us everything has been provided. Jesus lived a pure and blameless life for us, it is his blood that cleanses us from sin (1Jn 1:7). 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q77 What is required in the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.
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