20th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 19 focus v1)


Message (Alan Burke) 


This is introduction six for this devotion, the others have all been scraped because I was over thinking things. So I’ll keep this one simple, when was the last time you lamented about anything? The loss of a loved one? What is happening in this world? The failure of the Church in many places to preach the truth of the Gospel? You could put anything in there, when was the last time you lamented? I don’t mean feel sorry about something, some compassion, share a few tears but filled with a grief that hurt you to your very core. I’ve seen this in a few people recently when they have lost a loved one but when it comes to the state of our leaders, the decline of the church, the sinfulness of our society it’s like we have all become so accustomed to it that we barely bat an eyelid. 


We pick up today after chapter 18 obviously where the people had mocked the Lord God with a proverb how “ ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? (Eze 18:2). In truth it was their ways that were unjust, they as a people while in exile were blaming their plight on father’s sin, that God was punishing them for their fathers sin but was just as much their own sin that had caused it. The Lord had given his sinful people exactly what they deserved. There we learnt that the Lord God by his grace had always welcomes the sinner who turns from their wickedness, lives in accordance to his laws and following his decrees but the problem was his people they had not done this. As chapter 18 finishes and 19 begins it is a continuation of the word of the Lord, he now tells Ezekiel to “Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel.”


What God’s people are to do is repent so that they would live as chapter 18 made clear but they are also  to lament their present circumstances, the princess of Israel as well as the decline of the nation. Instead of protesting their innocence and blaming God they were to respond with repentance and lamentation. To lament in Ezekiel’s day was to do more than to cry a wee tear or feel the heart strings pang it was a very public manifestation of grief. Those who lamented would have wailed, sung, chanting a dirge, slapped their chest, tore their clothes. Have we ever been driven to such extremes?


While may seem a little strange to us it was normal to have such a public manifestation of grief and the people, and those who were in exile to whom the Lord speaks to through Ezekiel were to lament. First they were to lament their leaders and then they were to lament themselves, they were to lament that their sin had brought this upon themselves. We will get into the passage in more detail as the week goes on but for now there is a place for us today to lament the sinfulness of our leaders, the sinfulness of us as a people, the sinfulness of this nation. How we continue to reject the word of the Lord, despising his truth. 


While our lament doesn’t need to be shown in wailing, singing, chanting a dirge, slapping our chests, tearing our clothes but it should be seen in how we speak of the continuing decline of morality, of the evil of our nation, we know that his word is true above the emotive arguments that are given. It should be seen in how we seek to mortify our sin for we all know the hidden wickedness of our hearts. Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Mt 5:4). He wasn’t talking about the grief of the loss of a loved one but those who come mourning over sin. While we mourn we find comfort in the Lord our God, because in spite of our sins there is forgiveness. There is hope in and through the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done for us so that our sins might be forgiven. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q92. What is a Sacrament?
A. A Sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.
​

18th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5v13-26)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


“First posted Year 21th January 23”


It was the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder who said "nothing is more useful than salt and sunshine." We probably enjoy both every single day - salt on our dinner and sunshine on our face. Famously Jesus said that the Christian was to be both salt and light in this world - we are to be as useful as these two common things.


What does salt do? In the Lord's day salt was used as a preservative. Salt would be rubbed into meat and it would slow the process of decay. In the same way the Christian who bears the marks of the beatitudes on their life will act like a preservative in modern day society. This world is fading and cannot last but the Christian should be a blessing to the community they are in. Tasteless salt is not good for anything and so a Christian is to take care that they remain "salty" and therefore useful to the cause of Christ in this evil age.


In the same manner light chases away darkness and represents purity over and against wickedness. The Christian is like a light shining in this dark world (v14). Imagine a dark stormy night and there in the distance is a brightly lit city on a hill (14b) guiding you to safety - this is the visible Christian life. Lights brought into the home aren't hidden under a basket but instead they are used to give light to the whole house (v15). So the Christian is to shine brightly in this world, not to bring attention to themselves but so that pagans see our good works and give the glory to God (v16).


What does salty light shining living look like? The Lord speaks about an individual bringing an offering to the altar and then remembering that his brother has something against him (v23). What should this individual do? Christ is clear - go and be reconciled to your brother and then come back and offer your gift (v24). It is better to come to terms with our accuser on the way to court than be handed over to the judge who will punish us harshly (v25-26). The Christian bears fruit in keeping with their repentance and in doing so is salt and light in this fallen world. 


The difficulty in being salt and light is that if we are being honest we really aren't very good. We might have never physically murdered someone (v21) but the Lord points to our hearts where we harbour anger towards our brother and to our lips where we denounce our brother as a fool (v22). Both situations deserve judgement and hell. We are to shine brightly in this world but frankly sometimes our behaviour doesn't match the beauty of the Gospel.


Thankfully the sermon on the mount is not about changing our behaviour with a simple call to "be better". The scribes and Pharisees of the Lord's day were finely behaved individuals. They took the law of God incredibly seriously and were outwardly righteous but they missed the vital point of the Gospel - the root of the tree must change first and then the fruit. Our hearts are in dire need of transformation.


Only Christ can bring such transformation. Jesus didn't come to abolish the Law or the Prophets (v17), instead He came to fulfil them. The Lord's obedience was perfect, He kept the Law's demands both actively and passively. He was active in keeping the Law and He was passive as He accepted the punishment for Law breakers. Christ was and is the fulfilment of the Law and Prophets and this is incredibly good news.


As He sat on the mountain Jesus proclaimed that God's law will remain until the heavens and the earth pass away (v18) and that the Law is not to be relaxed but taught (v19). Indeed to enter the kingdom of heaven our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (v20). How is this good news again? By faith in Christ we are justified and His righteousness has been credited to our account. The outward righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees has been exceeded for we have been given new hearts and even our imperfect works are acceptable in God's sight through Christ. Outward change flows from inward transformation.


Brothers and sisters, we are to be salt and light in this world and despite our failures it is possible to be as useful as salt and sunshine in these dark days. Just as the Lord has declared us righteous, may He continue to sanctify us. May He take our sin stained deeds and use them to bring glory to Himself. May He make us and keep us salty. May He reform us and make us as bright and shiny as redeemed sinners can be. To God alone the glory. Amen. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q. 91. How do the Sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
A. The Sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.
​

17th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 28:21-32)


Message (Alan Burke)


We all love a wee story of how someones life has been transformed by the gospel and here the Lord explains to Ezekiel that if those who are wicked turn from their sin and  does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 22 None of the offences he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Now heres the thing, since we were wains we were told that we were good, thats why the big fella in the red suit comes and gives us gifts isn’t it!? But scripture makes it clear that there is not one of us who are righteous, not one good (Rom 3:10-12). What is required of us is each one to turn from our sin, that is the way of life to turn from our sin and live. Repentance is what is required of us and it is a message that reverberates through scripture the need for repentance. 


What the Lord is telling his people that they needed to do and what we need to do is repent. Repentance is shown here by in what the Lord says, this man turns from his sin. We don’t earn salvation by repentance nor does it mean we are perfect if we repent for anyone who claims to be without sin deceives themselves (1 Jn 1:8), rather to repent means that we are looking to what Christ has done, we know nothing but the blood of Jesus can deal with our sin, for we are sinners, each and everyone of us, unless we repent of it then there can be no salvation. 


The Lord does not take pleasure in the death of any, even the wicked as he makes clear in v23, instead ie is pleased when they turn from their ways and live. The Lord desires that all repent and fine life in him. It was the message that those whom Ezekiel spoke needed to hear in the midst of them pointing the finger at God and saying it is not fair, it is not just and it is what we need to hear, what this world needs to hear, repent so that we might live. 


But there is a warning that is given, v24 that speaks of a righteous man who commits sin, in effect repenting, turning from his righteousness, turning from it just as the wicked turned from his sin well he will face death. The truth of the matter is that he was not righteous for he has apostatised, rejected, renounced what he was, his faith in the Lord God. We are repeatedly reminded in the new testament about finishing the raise, of endurance, Paul speaks to Timothy of how he fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7). 


The proof of our righteousness, of our faith is that we fight the good fight, we finish the raise, we have kept the faith. It is possible along the way to fall into sin but we pick ourselves up and we get on our feet again and continue on but this man who repented of his righteousness, who apostatised did not get up again, he fled from what he once was and as s result, none of the righteous things that he had done would be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of, for he was unfaithful to God, turning from him. God by his grace had always welcomed the sinner who turned from their wickedness, living according to his laws and following his decrees but his people had not. The Lord through Ezekiel reminds them of the mercy of God, for he is just and fair, he is the one who will show his mercy and grace to all those who turn from their sin and trust in him and all those who do they will live, this is the way of the Lord’s mercy for all who repent they will live. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q90. How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation?
A. That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.
​

16th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5v1-12)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


“First posted Year 19th January 23”


Long before the coming of Christ a man called Moses was used by God to lead the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. I'm sure you'll remember what happened at Mount Sinai...that was the place  where the Lord appeared to His people and gave them the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone. We have already heard that Jesus is the true Israel called out of Egypt and now we see Christ as the greater Moses. How? Because in Matthew 5, Christ went up on the mountain, sat down and began to teach his "law" to his disciples (v1-2).


What follows is the famous Sermon on the Mount and that sermon begins with the "beatitudes" or "blessings" How are we to understand these blessings? Are we to do these things in order to be saved? Absolutely not, for then no one would be saved. Instead as we consider the beatitudes we are to realise that by faith in Christ we are saved and therefore we are already truly blessed. In Christ the blessings outlined in these verses already apply to us and because we are in Christ we are to respond to our salvation by striving to keep Christ's law. Brothers and sisters, the beatitudes speak to Christians telling us who we already are and what we are to be.


So as the greater Moses sat on the mountain, what did He teach us? "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (v3) Christ's followers understand who they are and who God is. A major mistake is to think that we're not that bad and that God is a slightly better version of us. Such a perspective is wrong. The Christian understands the depth of their sin and the unfathomable holiness of God. Therefore we are to be constantly humble before Him, decreasing everyday and seeking the increase of Christ in our lives.


Those who mourn are blessed says Jesus for they shall be comforted (v4). It is true to say that Christ comforts us when we mourn the loss of loved ones but this blessing speaks of our mourning for sin. Tragically this is often missing from our lives as we wink at sin and believe it to be unimportant. Sin is a heinous thing before a sinless God. The Christian is to mourn sin, repent of it and receive the blessing of Christ's comfort.


Meekness is yet another virtue of the child of God. The meek will inherit the earth says Jesus (v5) but that seems to go against all earthly wisdom. To be meek is to be weak isn't it? Well no. Meekness understands our position and strives to live in this world with humility and gentleness in all our dealings. The new heavens and earth will not be taken by force but will be given to the meek followers of Christ. Those who refused to exalt themselves on earth will find themselves exalted in glory.


Likewise the Christian is to hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will surely be satisfied (v6). This beatitude speaks about our pursuit of the things of God. Do we love His Word and seek to sit under it? Is prayer a chore or a joyous means of grace? We are righteous in Christ and therefore we are hunger and thirst for righteousness.


Jesus tells us that the merciful will receive mercy (v7). What is mercy? It is an attitude of kindness and generosity to those around us. It is hard to be merciful to those who have wronged us and sometimes we tell ourselves that the suffering of others is none of our concern. But just as we have received mercy, we are to cultivate mercy in our own lives.


Equally those with pure hearts will see God (v8). Thanks be to God for the Gospel for He has made our hearts pure by taking away our sin. Therefore the pure in heart are those who continue to seek holiness without which no one see God. Furthermore the pure in heart are not double minded. They realise that God is their supreme treasure and so they are "purely" focused on Him saying “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” (Psalm 16v2)


God will call the peacemakers His sons (v9). Who are the peacemakers? Those who are unashamed of the Gospel which brings peace between God and man. The one who receives Christ knows true peace and in response to the Gospel they will seek to bring peace to the strained relationships all around us. Peacemaking is hard work which often we would prefer to be left undone but as we are at peace with God through Christ, we are to be at peace with others in this world.


We should be under no illusion that those who seek to follow Christ walk a difficult road. Samuel Rutherford once warned that because we are with Christ we cannot expect the sunny or the sheltered side of the hill. As the beatitudes finish, Jesus tells us that even during trouble we are called blessed. When we are persecuted for righteousness sake we will remember that to us belongs the kingdom (v10) and when others oppose us in a multitude of ways we rejoice and remember that our reward in heaven is great (v11).


Brothers and sisters, contending for the faith in this harlot world will see us persecuted for righteousness sake and even bearing the title "Christian" will cause us to be mocked, persecuted and slandered. It happened to the prophets before us (v12) and it happened to Christ. Nevertheless we press on knowing that the blessed life is the one that follows Christ.


How should we respond to the beatitudes? In praise for the knowledge of who we already are in Christ and in prayer asking for further sanctification and growth in the Christian life. True blessedness is not found in early retirement or dancing on your one hundredth birthday - blessed is the one who is found in Christ.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q. 89. How is the Word made effectual to salvation?
A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching, of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.
​

15th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 18:5-20)


Message (Alan Burke)


Are you righteous? Let’s start with an easy one, are you righteous? What it means to be righteous is that we have right standing before ether Lord.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), we are without excuse, each one of us here are sinners, completely sinful although not as sinful as we could be. Those who are righteous, they are those who live by faith, (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17). Those who have faith in the Lord, are those in the Old Testament were those who had faith in the promised one who would come, Hebrews 11 makes it clear that it was the Christ that they looked to, the one who has come, Jesus Christ the one who came to save his people from their sins (Heb 11:26, Matt 1:21). 


Well here the people are given examples of a grandfather, his son and grandson. Three generations of one family to confront them with how erroneous the proverb is how they were accusing the Lord of not treating them fairly. 


Example one is given in v5-9. Suppose a righteous man and v5-9 detail how the righteous man lives, none of these things earn his righteousness, they are not what makes him right before the Lord but how he lives in response to the Lord, as Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commands” (Jn 14:15). Here it is clear that the righteous are those who live in response to what God has done, they live accordingly and the verdict of God is that this righteous man will live. This man has life because God has given him life, God had brought him life spiritually (see Eph 2:3-4) and he would receive eternal life, in the presence of God. He will live, he will escape the judgement of God that is due to all, what Ezekiel holds out for all who have faith is life, life in God now and eternally. That is the hope of all who believe, who have faith in the Lord’s Christ. 


Example two is that of his son v10-13. So in contrast to the righteous father we are given that of the unrighteous son. The son of the father but he isn’t like his father, he’s not a chip of the old block as the saying goes. He is one who demonstrates in how he lives that he is unrighteous that he does not have faith. The son does not live as his father did, his father who did what was just and right, who did not worship false idols, who took the marriage bond seriously, and the purity laws, who didn’t oppress others, who didn’t take interest, who didn’t commit robbery, who gave to those in need, he didn’t do wrong, judged fairly and he followed the degrees and laws of the Lord. The son though does the opposite. 


This isn’t meant to be understood as the son does all of these things but any of these things and the Lord rhetorically asks, will such a man live? He will not declares the Lord. He will die, he will be put to death, his blood will be on his own head. The responsibility falls at the feet of the son not the father. Each and every one of us will stand before the Lord our God, we are accountable for our sin each and every one of us. 


The third example in v15-18 the Lord makes it clear to his people and to us here today that it doesn’t need to be this way, we all have a responsibility. The violent mans son who has seen his father commit all these sins, he has grown up and has not followed in his father's footsteps. For while he had seen them all he chose not to do them, he was like his godly grandfather for he does not follow in the unrighteousness of his father, he kept the laws and followed the decrees of the Lord. The Lord makes it clear that this son would not die for his father’s sin, he will surly live, he would live because he was a righteous man, he is one who had faith in the Lord and his promises. But his father would die for his own sin. 


As the Lord continues he underlines that point to his people and to us, for while they might object, saying v19, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ In a sense they were looking for the son to be punished for the sins of the father, the exact same thing that they accused God of doing but the Lord judges each person individually, they are either righteous by faith and they shall live or they shall die because they have rejected the Lord and have sinned. The Lord does not punish us for someone else’s sins and we cannot and should not use their sin as an excuse for our own. Each of us have a choice, either we trust in the one who forgives our sins the Lord Jesus and live in response knowing his righteousness or we live in sin and no matter how good we may appear without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6).  


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q88. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?
A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, Sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.
​

14th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 4v12-25)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


“First posted Year 17th January 23”


It was time to move from the ministry of John the Baptist to the ministry of Jesus Christ. John had come as the herald of Christ and his ministry had been completed but there was to be no retirement for John. Matthew tells us that John was arrested and as we will see later in the Gospel, John's death would come in a tragic way. In response to John's arrest Jesus headed north to a place called Galilee (v12). The move was a practical one as it removed the Lord from the gaze of Herod Antipas but it was also a move which fulfilled Scripture once more.


Matthew tells us that Jesus left Nazareth and lived in a place called Capernaum in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali (Zebulun and Naphtali were two of Jacob's twelve sons). The prophet Isaiah once decreed “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9v1-2)


Do you see Matthew's point? Galilee was seen as a place of darkness far from Judah and the temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah also refers to it as "Galilee of the Gentiles". In Christ's day the region was a mixed place but just over one hundred years later, Jewish people had largely disappeared from Galilee. Christ the light of the world had come and was shining in the place of great darkness. Christ had come and His good news was for Jew and Gentile alike. 


As John left the scene, Christ began to preach saying "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (v17). I've heard far too many people saying that Christ's message was one of acceptance, love and peace. The same voices argue that Jesus was never judgemental and never one to mention sin. Brothers and sisters, do not be mislead. Christ came preaching the essential need of repentance for sin. True repentance is a Spirit worked grace where we understand the filth of our sin and the need for forgiveness. Repentance causes us to flee to Jesus and to fall at His feet seeking mercy.


The ministry of the Lord had begun but He wouldn't act as a lone ranger. Jesus called two fishermen to follow Him and to become "fishers of men" (v19). Simon Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed Christ (v20) and they would soon be joined by two other fishermen James and John the sons of Zebedee (v21-22).


Christ and His followers went throughout the region of Galilee teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons (v23-24). Soon great crowds gathered and followed Christ coming to Him from Galilee and the Decapolis in the north and Jerusalem and Judah in the south (v25).


We can only imagine what it would have been like to have witnessed the ministry of Christ first hand. Imagine the joy of walking behind Him, witnessing every miracle and hearing His powerful teaching which was greater than anyone before or since. But we cannot go back in time and we are certainly not to be pitied. Every local church where the Scriptures are read and faithfully preached is a blessing to the local community that surrounds it and in those places there we will find Christ.


He continues to call humanity to repentance and faith and He still extends the hand of friendship to guilty sin soaked sinners. It will not always be this way but thanks be to God for this extraordinary day of grace. The Baptist prepared the way and he was followed by the Christ who still declares "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.
​

13th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 18 focus v1-4)


Message (Alan Burke) 


I wonder how would you fell if you were arrested and thrown into prison for the actions of your grandfather 50 years before you were born. How would you feel? I’m sure if you are anything like me you’d feel aggrieved at such an idea, it is preposterous. Let’s say because of your grandfathers actions your family had been put in a penal colony where you now resided would you feel that is fair that you and your family were still facing the consequences for your grandfathers actions? Of course you wouldn’t think it is fair, you’d be aggrieved. That though is what the people of God are accusing the Lord God of, that they are being held accountable for the sins of their fathers. 


Look how the passage beings, The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and he rhetorically asks “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?…”


The erroneous proverb is in mockery of the Lord’s righteousness, that he would punish children for their parents sin, it is questioning God’s goodness, that he is fair, that he is just. In effect they are saying that children are being punished for the sins of their father. This is how things are, nothing can change it. This fatalistic understanding had meant that the people had no reason or desire to change. Like if we are going to be held accountable for the sins of our fathers then why would we change. When the Lord said to his people that he would visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me… (Ex 20:5). It was not the Lord’s intention that his people would think that it didn’t matter if they turned from their sin or not. Rather the Lord there had been making the point to his people that they needed to guard their conduct because how they lived, just like how we live it matters and often we can see situations where the sin of the father has become the sin of the son, our children can easily follow our footsteps, they are little sponges who look at us and often mirror our behaviour. 


The Lord says, as surely as I live (v3), you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel and he counters the proverb that they have been using but before he does that he makes it clear that everyone whether they want it or not, whether they accept his rule or no belong to the Lord (v4). You and I whether we live according to his Lordship in our lives we belong to him. He after all is the creator of all that is, he is the one who sustains all life, the one whom we owe all that we have to. 


And one day all of us will stand before the Lord Jesus who will be our judge. What will the standard of judgement be? Will it be the sins of our grandfather, or grandmother, or our father or mother that we are being held responsible for? No it will not be the sin of our parents our grandparents, it will be our sin and the standard of judgement will be Jesus himself. For those who have repented of their sin and demonstrated by their works that they loved him they will be saved for all eternity, for those who do not they will die, they will face the second death. This is what the Lord is warning his people of, what he is warning us, we are all responsible for our own actions each and everyone will come before the Lord and we will either be judged in Christ and live or in our sin and die. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
​

11th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 4v1-11)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


“First posted Year 14th January 23”


It is hard to read Matthew without quickly realising that a great focus of his Gospel is to underline that Christ is the fulfilment of the promises of God. Do you remember Matthew 2v15? Jesus was taken to Egypt to protect Him from Herod's rage and He remained there until Herod's death. Matthew states "This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'" Matthew takes Hosea 11v1 and applies it directly to Christ. Hosea says "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son."


This verse of course speaks about when the Lord brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. Who was Israel and who were his children? Israel was the new name given to Jacob after he wrestled with God in Genesis 32. Jacob is a name that means "usurper" or "supplanter" and spoke of Jacob's often underhanded methods. But after wrestling with God, Jacob was given the new name "Israel" which spoke of his striving with God and in a deeper way, God's striving for Jacob. The children of Israel therefore were descendants of Jacob who eventually found themselves as slaves in Egypt.


But if we apply Hosea 11v1 to Christ we realise that it finds its true fulfilment in Jesus. He is the true Israel called out of Egypt and eventually into the wilderness like the Israel of old. In the wilderness the children of Israel moaned and complained against God and wandered for forty years. Christ on the other hand spent forty days in the wilderness and stood firm under the temptation of Satan.


Who is Satan? He is a fallen angel who rebelled against God and led a multitude of angels in opposition to the Lord. Satan is not another god nor is he God's equal in any fashion, instead we confess him to be part of God's creation. Angels are ministering spirits and are sometimes called God's host. Satan's original purpose was to serve the Lord but now he is the enemy of God's people and he rages against the church.


In the wilderness Satan tempted Christ to ease His hunger by turning stones into bread (v3) but Christ responded by quoting from Deuteronomy 8v3 saying "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Satan then took Jesus to the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem and urged Christ to throw Himself off. The enemy was so sly that he used Psalm 91v11-12 to try and win the day saying "it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" But Christ could not be swayed drawing from Deuteronomy 6v16 and saying "Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (v7) Finally the Devil's attack focused on power. Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory if only Jesus would worship him (v8-9). Jesus would be pushed no further and stated "Be gone, Satan!" before quoting Deuteronomy 6v13 saying "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"


What was Satan trying to accomplish? For Christ to make bread from stones would have seen Jesus not resting in the Word of God but taking matters into His own hands. For Christ to jump from the top of the temple would have been to put God to the test which is expressly forbidden by Scripture. For Christ to worship Satan was pure idolatry and would have brought division to the God who we confess to be one. Satan launched an all out attack on Jesus but the thunder of the enemy made no mark on the Rock who is Christ and soon Satan would leave and the angels would come to minister to Jesus (v11).


All of Christ's responses drew from Deuteronomy 6-8 where Moses was speaking to the Israelites before their entry into the promised land. He reminded them that they had wandered for forty years in the wilderness but now it was time for a new day. They were to be men and women who relied not just on bread but every word that proceeded from the mouth of God. The Israelites were to understand that they should never test the Lord and they were to make Him alone the object of their loyalty and worship. History shows that Israel rarely matched these standards and would know division, idolatry and finally exile.


But Christ is the true Israel and His time in the wilderness was not marked by failure. He was tired, tempted and tried but was not found wanting. Jesus left the wilderness and today continues to lead His people on another exodus to the promised land of glory. My brothers and sisters, regardless of your fears and failures...the one who rests in Christ rests secure. As we sometimes like to sing "I will trust in You alone, For Your endless mercy follows me, Your goodness will lead me home."


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q85. What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin?
A. To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.
​

10th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ezekiel 17 focus v22-24)


Message (Alan Burke)


A brief summary of what has happened so far is that the Lord through Ezekiel had given his people a riddle that was also a parable of the eagles and the vine (v1-10). The Lord then explained the riddle and the parable to his people and explains how it is a picture of what had actually happened and what was happening in their midst with Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian King, Zedekiah Judah’s King and Judah as a people. The riddle and parable of the eagles and the vine was a picture of what was unfolding but it was also a picture of what the people of God had done in their history. To what his people had done the Lord passes judgment, there was nothing that his people could do to prevent it, but that's not the end, the sovereign Lord speaks once more and this time it is with a wonderful hope of what he himself will do and that is where we pick up today. 


What we are told now takes us back to the first fable in v3-4 of the great eagle that came to Lebanon, taking hold the top of a cedar, breaking of its topmost shoot. Nothing more was said of the cedar, the imagery turned to a vine. We might have been left wondering what happened to that cedar. Now what comes makes it clear that there was a double meaning, the first meaning that the Lord had used speaking of the great eagle in verse 3 spoke of Babylon and their king, taking the king into exile in Babylon. But now the Lord uses the imagery and applies it to himself. For the Lord himself would take a shoot from the very top of a cedar he would plant it, a tender sprig from its top most shoots planting it on a high and lofty mountain, alluding to Mount Zion. 


The Lord is guaranteeing that the cedar would continue, that it would flourish, it will produce much fruit, it will see all kinds of birds live under it, it will grow providing shade with its branches and birds will nest there, God will cause the tress of the field to know that he is the Lord. Zedekiah was the king who was uprooted to wither in Babylon but the Lord would place another king in his place, someone who is in contrast to the failed kings of Isreal. The Lord would do this because he had not forgotten the covenant that had had made with David. In second Samuel we are told how David was settled as king in Jerusalem, Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies and he said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” The Lord made it clear that it was not David who would build a house but his son, and the Lord would establish the throne of his kingdom forever. The closing words of this chapter when the Lord says clearly, “ ‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’ ” it would come to pass, the Lord himself would act. 


God was promising his people though in exile that one day there would be one who would come, the true king unlike the kings that came before. It is the coming of the Lord Jesus that fulfils the hope that was given here at the end of this chapter. A new king, a future king, who would rule over the people of God. Well the Lord God has kept his word, he sent forth his son, A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. The genealogical records in Matthew (1:1-17) and Luke (3:23-38) make it clear that Jesus was descended from the line of Jesus and his son David. The Lord God keeps his word and while in v11-21 the people would know that the Lord is God, that the Lord would bring his judgement upon them, God’s judgment was coming and he would not relent, he would bring it, but through what the Lord has done we may escape the judgement that is coming to all. God even though his people have been a sinful unfaithful people throughout the ages has kept his promise, salvation has come. While we are sinful and unfaithful the Lord has shown that he will keep his word, he has shown to us his grace even though we are infinitely undeserving of it. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q84. What doth every sin deserve?
A. Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come.
​

9th January 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 3v13-17)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


“First posted Year 12th January 23”


If the Pharisees and Sadducees were unlikely candidates for baptism then Jesus trumped them all. The Lord had travelled from Galilee to the Jordan river in oder to be baptised by John (v13). John was not an arrogant man and he understood fully his place in redemption history. He had already declared that he was unworthy to untie the sandals of Christ and so immediately stated he needed to be baptised by Christ and not the other way round (v14).


However the Lord was insistent saying “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” (v15) John put aside his opposition and Jesus was baptised. But why? In the earlier verses of this chapter it was clear that John’s baptism was one related to repentance of sin. Was Christ seeking baptism because of sin? Surely not! We confess Jesus as the sinless, spotless lamb of God who was without and stain or blemish. Christ’s baptism wasn’t to confess His own sin but to identify Himself with sinners.


We read in Isaiah 53v12 “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” Christ our Saviour willingly was numbered with the transgressors, He was reckoned to be a sinner and to save sinners He took their place and their punishment. This explains the baptism of Christ - He was not repenting of His own sins because He was sinless, rather He was publicly identifying Himself with sinners as the suffering servant who would die to set sinners free.


What came next only served to confirm the arrival of the Messiah. The heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ like a dove (v16) before a a voice from heaven declared “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (v17). The word “trinity” is not used in Scripture but we rightly believe that “trinity” accurately describes our God. We come to this conclusion by “good and necessary consequence”. What do we mean? The good and necessary consequence of passages like this one is that our God is Triune in nature. The good and necessary consequence of Genesis 1v1-3 is that our God is Triune. The good and necessary consequence of John 1v1-3 is that our God is Triune.


We are Trinitarians and whilst the doctrine of the Trinity is complex we confess that there is one God, three persons, all equal. Our God is one but He has revealed Himself in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is not the boss of the Son and the Spirit is not more important than the Father. The three persons of the Trinity are equal in power, authority, might and glory. As the old hymn suggests “God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”


But the events after Christ’s baptism weren’t just to teach about the Trinity, rather Scripture was being fulfilled. Isaiah 42v1 states “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” and Psalm 2v7-8 says “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.’”


Christ’s baptism identified Him with the sinners He had come to save and the Father’s declaration alongside the Spirit’s descent identified Him as the suffering servant long promised by the law and prophets. Brothers and sisters, the events of Matthew 3 were a public declaration of the glory and validity of Christ. If you are seeking a saviour Matthew 3 is a signpost which declares “Here He is! Look at Christ! He’s the One! This way and no other! It’s Christ! It’s Him! Behold the Lamb of God!” What a joy it is to be a Christian! Our eyes have been opened to the beauty of Christ and as we gaze upon Him, we remember the Father’s declaration “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Whoever has trusted this Christ will therefore never be put to shame.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q83. Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?
A. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.
​