17th January 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Jude 1v4) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


How is anyone saved? It is not by human work but instead by an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit. Salvation does not happen unless the Spirit works and raises a spiritually dead individual to life. That individual is born again and with a new heart freely chooses Christ as Saviour. Salvation is all of God and all of grace. 


But what comes next? Do we start by grace and stay in by works? Does grace free us from any moral duty? No and no. The false teachers who troubled Jude were guilty of perverting the grace of God. They used God's grace as an excuse for "sensuous" living. You can almost hear their arguments "You have no right to tell me how to live. Grace means that I am free of all rules and regulations!"


It is certainly true that we are not saved by our works and it is further true that our works don't keep us in God's good books but grace does not free us from all moral duty before the Lord. The Old Testament Law had three divisions - civic, ceremonial and moral. The civic and ceremonial law regulated how the nation of Israel was to live and worship but now with the arrival of Christ these laws have been fulfilled. However the moral law as summed up by the Ten Commandments remains in place for all and it has a threefold use in the Christian's life.


The first purpose of the law is to be a mirror which shows us our sinfulness and the holiness of God. Whenever we consider God's law and our own inability to keep it, the law causes us to run as fast as we can to Jesus. The second purpose of the law is to restrain evil. God's law tells us it is wrong to murder and so it restrains our hand and it is a restraint in wider society. We can and should be thankful for the influence of God's law in our human institutions - some justice is done on earth as we wait for the final judgement of Christ. The third purpose of the law is to show us what pleases the Lord. 


Christians are not saved by the law nor are we to reject it. As we seek to honour Christ we follow the standards of His moral law delighting to do His will. If we love Him, then we will strive to keep His commandments (John 14v15). Anti-nomianism was false in Jude's day and it should be rejected in ours for "the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." (Psalm 19v7).  


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Sing


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Q74 What is required in the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others.
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16th January 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read Genesis 4:1-9 and Hebrews 11:4


Message Alan Burke 


Abel's life was taken from him unjustly by his brother Cain. He began the first in a long line of martyrs who would die for their faith in Christ, but there are two ways in which he still speaks. Firstly, the wonderful way he still speaks is that the testimony of Abel still continues to go out into the world around. To all who read and know what is written about Abel, know his part in the church, and his voice is part of the church that rests in heavenly glory. Millions of people have been impacted by the faith of this man who became the first martyr in church history. He was not a perfect man; today, the message that is conveyed by Abel is not "be like Abel." No. Instead, it is as all of Scripture has been pointing to, to look to Jesus, to have faith in him, for He is the author and the object of our faith.


The other way in which Abel still speaks is given to us in Genesis, which Revelation also conveys. For when God confronted Cain about the murder of Abel, 10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Gen 4:10). The blood of Abel appealed to God for vindication; his blood cried out for justice. In Revelation 6:9-11, we are told of the martyrs of the faith who, before the coming Judgment, cry out with a loud voice asking, “ How long will the Lord refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” (Rev 6:10). But remember that Christ’s blood speaks better than the blood of Abel, crying out to the Father for forgiveness (Heb 12:24).


Abel, like all of us, one day will die. We may not be martyred for faith in Christ. I sincerely hope that Northern Ireland doesn’t degenerate that quickly, but my hope may be unfounded. None of us ever thought we would see half the stuff we see in our lifetimes. But although Abel’s body lies in the ground, he, like the souls of all believers, are at their death made perfect in holiness (Heb. 12:23) and do immediately pass into glory (2 Cor. 5:1, 6, 8, Phil. 1:23, Luke 23:43), and their bodies, being still united to Christ (1 Thess. 4:14), do rest in their graves (Isa. 57:2) till the resurrection (Job 19:26–27). (WSC37). By faith, the one who trusts in Christ will find that doing so has not been misguided. 


For Jesus Christ is the saviour and friend of sinners, and although we do not see Him, we believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. My dear brother or sister, rejoice today at the precious faith that the Spirit has worked in your soul. By that faith, you will receive your commendation. Many of us have a hard time accepting that what matters is faith, but it is by faith that we are saved. But it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The faith Abel had was in Christ. The way that all those who were listed here were saved was by Christ. The only faith that saves is in Christ! For every believer, it is by faith alone in Christ alone that we are saved. We often fall into the trap of thinking that it is about us, that it is reliant on how well we are doing. Like the more I read my Bible, the more God loves me. The more I do the right things, the more that God will love me. The more that I do this, don’t do that, the more I try, the more I believe the right stuff, the more, the more, then the more God will accept me. The only way that we are accepted before God is through faith. 


How are any of us commended before the Lord? For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Rom 1:17). Abel was a justified sinner, a man made right by his faith; only through faith could he offer sacrifices to God that were acceptable. Don’t miss the issue with Cain; he was the first man who was relying on religion, on his works; he was a man who outwardly may have had all the appearances, but the issue was his heart. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q73 Which is the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.
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15th January 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Jude) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


Although Jude wanted to write about salvation he found it necessary to change his mind. Jude’s letter would instead be a Spirit inspired appeal for his hearers “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (v3) We should never believe the years after the Ascension were some golden age for the church. Some like to cry “If only our church could be like the New Testament church!” As we will quickly discover in Jude, Christ had barely returned to heaven and Christian fellowships were already under attack from the enemy.


The problem in Jude’s day was the same as ours. Jude spoke against “certain people” (v4) who had crept into the church unnoticed. False teachers rarely enter a church riding a white horse. They don’t broadcast their false teaching when they first walk through the door and usually they work in the shadows, slowly but surely corrupting the true Christian faith. It is therefore of vital importance that our Elders know and understand the breadth of the Christian faith. If false teaching has crept into the pulpit or the Sunday school class or the bible study, our Elders should spot it and move against it.


Jude’s opponents had turned grace into sensuality (v4). In other words they were pushing for moral compromise. You may have heard similar arguments. The false thinking suggests that because our God is a God of grace you and I can live how we want. We have received the grace of God and so it doesn’t matter if we engage in sexual activity before marriage. It doesn’t matter if two men want to marry. It doesn’t matter if John wants to become Joanne. It doesn’t matter if my boyfriend is unsaved. My brothers and sisters, the Gospel of grace is not to be used as a licence for wickedness. Grace is not an excuse for sensuality. These individuals were anti-nomian or against-God's Law. 


But the false teachers didn’t just aim their attack on morality, they launched a full scale war on Christ Himself. Jude says that the false teachers even denied Christ our Lord (v4b). The enemy hasn’t changed his approach. Today false teachers would have you believe that Christ wasn’t God. Those friendly people who call at your door think Christ was a creature. Others preach universalism which relegates Christ to being just another spoke on the wheel towards God. Northern Ireland is full of churches but we would be foolish to think we are immune from falsehood. Jude's false teachers refused to submit to Jesus.


What is to be done? Contend for the faith says Jude! To content for the faith is to agonise over it and treat it as so precious, so valuable, so golden that we will not allow it to be watered down, added to or polluted by those who sometimes creep into fellowships. This requires effort on our part. We must first know the faith and then we must be prepared to contend for it.


Do you know what it is you believe and why you believe it? Do you understand why we cannot accept Jesus as a mere creature? Do you know why the universalists are wrong? Do you grasp the meaning of justification? Can you clearly articulate the Gospel? Listen to your pastor as he preaches the Word of God. Meet with him during the week when he opens the Bible. Read God’s Word for yourself. Open the Westminster standards and work your way through the catechisms. Know the faith and contend for the faith because there is nothing as precious as the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q72 What is forbidden in the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.
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14th January 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read Genesis 4:1-9 and Hebrews 11:4


Message Alan Burke 


The first martyr in the history of the Church was not John the Baptist (Mt 14:1-12), or Stephen in the book of Acts (7:54-60), but it was Abel who died for his faith, murdered at the hands of Cain. What we are told in the book of Genesis is that after Cain and Abel brought their offerings, Cain responded to the Lord looking on Abel’s offering with favour by being angry and downcast. Cain was outraged by this state of affairs and, despite God's warning, he ended up taking his brother's life. The Lord in His grace had warned Cain about the consequences of his sin and the failure to turn from it, but Cain rejected the gracious word of God. The concise and abrupt way in which the account of Abel’s murder is told (v8) depicts to us the awfulness of what took place; sin had mastered Cain. What he had done to his brother was ultimately directed against God; he hated Abel because he hated God.


Whereas Abel, we are told, was, “By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings.” (Heb 11:4)
Abel was commended as a righteous man by faith. And we know, from Romans 3, "There is no one righteous, not even one. No one who understands, there's no one who seeks God... There's no one who does what is good, not even one.” and that would include Abel (Rom 3:10). It’s not that Abel was righteous by virtue of his own goodness or morality, but because God commended, or declared, him as righteous by faith. Again we are reminded it was all about faith. It was faith in Christ that Abel had, that is why he was commended as a righteous man, it was faith in the promised one of God. Abel had faith in the one that his parents had taught him to believe in, faith in the one they hoped and longed for, the promised one who would deal with the sin that came into the world. Abel had faith in Christ, the one as Romans 3:25 reminds us, who came as a sacrifice of atonement, that the sacrifice of Jesus was for all sin before and after, because in His forbearance God left the sins committed beforehand unpunished to demonstrate His justice (Rom 3:25). 


The sin of Abel was placed upon Jesus Christ through faith; the atonement of Jesus Christ was once and for all; it was for Abel through faith who died before his coming, and it is for us who through faith believe. If you are struggling to get your head round this, how it was by faith in Christ that Abel was saved, look to Hebrews 11:26, because we are told in regard to Moses that he turned his back on the death and pleasures of Egypt, for the sake of… Christ! Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, all those listed were looking to the promises of God in Christ, the Messiah, the promised one of God, Jesus Christ. What we have here is a wonderful reminder of how from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation, is about One Lord, One Plan, One People. Every sinner has ever lived, as well as all those who are listed in Hebrews 11, and let’s not forget us, those of us here who have faith, are made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, justified by faith in Jesus Christ. 


For each and everyone who has ever lived, there is only one way that we are righteous before the Lord, and that is by faith, as the righteousness of Christ is given to us. There is a transfer; we are clothed by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ by faith. Abel looked forward with faith to what God would do in Christ Jesus, how the penalty for sin would be dealt with, but not only that, that the one who would take the penalty for sin would live a perfect life, fulfilling the law for all who put their trust in Him by Faith. This is how we are to be justified before a holy God, by the perfect righteousness of another, the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is imputed to all who have faith. It is what is known as an alien righteousness, for it belongs to Jesus, and Abel, a sinner, was commended as a righteous man through the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ, and likewise we are commended as righteous through the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is the wonder of what God has done for us! 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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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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13th January 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Jude) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


What was it that moved Jude to write his letter? Obviously every book of the Bible comes from the mouth of  God by the hand and pen of man, but how did the Lord move His followers to write down the inspired Word of God? In Jude’s case he tells us clearly. Jude was eager to write to discuss salvation. He was a saved man writing to a saved people and so he was more than willing to pen a letter that focused on the wonders of the salvation shared by Christians throughout the world. Such a topic never tires and Christians should always be delighted to speak in depth about the Gospel and the salvation that Christ has won for us.


Jude described our salvation as "common" (v3) which can sometimes be used by us to describe something or someone beneath us. Nevertheless, Jude's description of our "common salvation" is not an insult, rather he was accurately describing the salvation which Christ won for all of His people. There's something extraordinary in that. Consider for a moment that we find ourselves in 2026 as men and women saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The Gospel we have believed is not new and it did not start with the arrival of Jesus.


As Reformed Christians we believe in something called the Covenant of Redemption which is an eternal covenant between the three persons of the Trinity. The Father chose a people for the Son, the Son promised to come die for those people and the Spirit in time would draw those people to Jesus. I think we see the Covenant of Redemption in John 6v44 where Jesus said "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." The Father gives and draws a people to the Son who will surely raise them at His return.


If anyone has ever been saved it is under these terms and I would argue that the first pair to enjoy the benefits of salvation were none other than Adam and Eve. The first family sinned against God and yet in Genesis 3v21 we see God graciously covering the nakedness of Adam and Eve with garments they did nothing to deserve. It is my belief that we see salvation coming to the house of Adam and from that day to this, all who have been saved have enjoyed this "common" salvation.


I have no idea if Jude wanted to mention Adam and Eve or the Covenant of Redemption but his great desire was to speak to his brothers and sisters about the salvation they shared with the saints of old and the saints yet to come. The Gospel and what Christ has done for us is the grandest subject of all. Necessity may have took Jude in another direction but we shouldn't miss his Gospel focus. Brothers and sisters, delight in the Gospel, think about it and speak much of it. Our common salvation is wonderful indeed.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q70 What is the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
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12th January 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read Genesis 4:1-9 and Hebrews 11:4


Message Alan Burke 


I’m off to Ballygowan this week as the ‘Interim Vacancy Convenor’, and you know I don’t really know the lie of the land. I don’t know the people and what is going on in their lives, so when I’m there, I’m going to work through Hebrews 11. The reason why is simple, and that is because those listed are rarely role models who we should endeavour to be like, they are sinners saved by faith alone in Christ alone. It helps to understand that while we are still sinners, what matters is that we have faith. Hebrews doesn’t go into their faults and failures; instead, it commends them because despite the sometimes reprehensible people that they were, the carnage that some of them left, they were blessed by God because it wasn’t about them, it was about the kingdom of God and the coming Christ, the Messiah, the one to whom they looked. Today we focus on Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve. 


In Genesis 4:1-9, we are told of Abel, or rather, Cain and Abel. They were brought up in the same home; they were both taught about God in the home. Their parents had conveyed to them the hope that there was in the Christ. We are there told that in the course of time, v3, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast (Gen 4:1-5). 


There is that bit inside us that wants to say, ‘That’s not fair’, they both brought their offering, what more do you want? But Hebrews gives us the answer to why Cain’s offering was not looked on with favour and Abel’s was. ‘By faith, Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith, he was commended as a righteous man when God spoke well of his offerings.’ (Heb 11:4)


There's an abiding principle here, one that is the same for all human beings, at every point of human history. If you have Hebrews 11 still marked, and we will think about this more in a few weeks time week, look at Hebrews 11:6 for there we are told…”without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). We come to the crux of it: it is the same for all of us, as it was for Cain and Abel. It is by faith, faith, faith that we can please God. The only reason why Abel’s offering pleased God in comparison to that of Cain’s offering was faith. 


We should not forget there was also Cain, and he acts as a warning. Abel’s offering was accepted because it was brought by faith. It was received gladly by God, but Cain’s, well, his was a faithless worship. He came, he brought his offering, he worshiped the Lord God, but his offering was not looked upon with favour. In this, we are reminded here that God cares not only about how we approach Him in the worship of Him, in the form it takes, which should be founded and agreeable to His word, but also the motivation of those who worship. Cain came and may have done all the right things. He did what he had been taught from his parents. His parents had shown him what it was to worship, and he came according to the word of God, but he did not have faith. It is only when our hearts are right that we come by faith that God will look on us with favour. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. All of us must know that what matters not is us, it is Christ. Through faith in Christ, we can have confident assurance to approach a holy God in spite of our sin.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q69 What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.
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10th January 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Jude) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Jude wrote his letter “to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:” which is a delightful description of the Christian. Followers of Jesus are called, loved and kept. As a child if I couldn’t hear my mother’s call as she guldered from the front step of our house then I was 
obviously too far away. Practically speaking that allowed me a two street radius for all my activities - any further would lead me into trouble.


There are many who hear the call of the Gospel on a weekly basis but it is only the Christian who will hear the inner call of God. The outward call of the Gospel goes out loudly and clearly to all with a challenge to repent and believe, yet most ignore the call and reject Christ. The Christian is caused to be born again by the working of the Holy Spirit and they are enabled to hear the inner call of the Gospel. For the Believer this call is irresistible. They will hear it and believe it. The Christian is called.


The Christian is also one of the beloved of God. Paul tells us that even when we were dead in sin, God made us alive in Christ. This wasn’t a favour that the Lord owed us. It wasn’t because He didn’t want heaven without us. God made us alive in Christ because of His great love for us (Ephesians 2v4-5). Can you imagine the scale of God’s love for you? You may be hated in this world. Your husband may have walked out on you. Your parents may be disappointed with you. But as far as the Lord is concerned, He loves and adores you. The Christian is beloved.


Additionally, Jude tells us that the Christian is kept for Jesus. Life will be difficult and as we journey through it we will have ups and downs. But as far as the Christian is concerned they will be kept to the end. Not a single child of God will slip through His fingers. Jesus would say that “all that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” (John 6v37-39) The Christian is kept and will be raised up on the last day.


There is much in Jude which will cause us to scratch our heads but these opening verses are pure honey. To every child of God, to every person who has received Christ by faith, to every single Christian, the voice of God rings out with a reminder of your status in Christ. You are called, beloved and kept and today’s troubles will not rob you of any of that. Therefore, to the church of Jesus Christ, today and always, may mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q68 What is required in the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavours to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
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9th January 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (John 1:19-28 focus v24-28)


Message (Alan Burke)


The Island of Jura is one of my favourite places to go, I’ve been a few times and the last was back in 2024 where I couldn’t manage to convince my compatriots to attempt the paps of Jura. The time before that I went on a rib to the Corryvreckan Whirlpool and asked could we make a wee stop on the way which the skipper was more than happy to facilitate. While everyone else on the rib were interested in the scenery when we stopped, taking pictures and we got to see a White-tailed Eagle swooping I was more interested in Barnhill house. 


Barnhill house is where George Orwell wrote his dystopian novel that portrayed a terrifying future for humanity called ‘1984’. Since having children I’ve struggled to read it because of the scene as Winston recalling a childhood memory where he selfishly takes his sister's chocolate ration and runs away, after which his mother and sister disappear forever. It’s amazing how you change. But it is another novel written that came to mind and it is his work ‘Animal Farm’ which a satirical allegorical dystopian novella, in the form of a beast fable that critiques the hypocrisy of a society that claims equality while allowing some to dominate others. 


There is a phrase in it “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”. Equality is a myth, you can try to argue against me but while everyone is theoretically entitle to the same rights and opportunities, while we have laws that try to prevent discrimination we all know that if you have the right connections, or if you have enough money that some people are more equal than others. 


Here is where I am going with this, Jesus said of John the Baptist  “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist;” (Mt 11:11). None greater than John the Baptist. Yet this John whom there was none greater than said that he was not worthy to untie the thongs of Jesus’ sandals. We likely miss the fulness of what is being said by John, in effect only a slave would have untied the sandals of another, and John is saying that he’s not even worthy of doing that. 


John knew that before the one who was among them, who comes after him, that he was a sinful man, that the Christ is God incarnate, the sinless son of God. We might think that there are things that are beneath us, things we would never do, that is for someone else, it’s not for you. You might look at others and envy their status, wishing, dreaming that you had what they had. Yet know that no matter what our status in this life, whether we are all equal and some are more equal than others, that before the Christ, before Jesus the eternally begotten son of God you, yes you and I are unworthy sinners who deserve nothing but his eternal wrath. We are not worthy to untie even the thongs of his sandals and yet he came and died for the salvation of all who repent of their sin and believe. Oh what a saviour. Respond not just with tokenism, but with the adoration he deserves, with the entirety of your life.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q67 Which is the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.
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8th January 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Jude) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Do you remember the “Da Vinci Code”? It was a book published nearly 20 years ago which was centred around the supposed family tree and physical descendants of Christ. It was a best seller that spawned both books and movies. I read it at the time and I’d describe it as a fast paced page turner that was ultimately founded upon myths, lies and nonsense. The relations of Christ are of no importance to the Church. Jesus was not married and had no children of His own and we simply have little to no information about his nieces and nephews or the great-great grandchildren of Mary and Joseph.


Speculation around these matters might sell books but none of it should concern a Christian. Jude shows us that being part of Christ’s human family gained you no special privileges. Jude needed to be saved as much as you or I and so he didn’t write to the church boasting of his family connections but instead he declared his love for Jesus. This remains the issue for every man, woman or child. On the last day the Lord will not examine your family tree but instead all that matters will be what you have done with Christ. Will you declare Him to be the subject of a novel you once read or will you declare Him to be your Saviour and friend?


In John’s Gospel we read that Christ came to His own but they didn’t receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to be called children of God. Jude had the extraordinary privilege of being part of Christ’s earthly family and that family would have had their own stories just like your family or mine. Jesus is true God AND true man meaning that he would have enjoyed family meals, celebrated family successes and wept over family loss. Nevertheless, Jude grew up with Christ and first loved Him as a brother before he received Him as Lord.


Yet Jude never looked down upon Christians who didn't know the blessing of living under the same roof as Jesus. By faith in Christ we have been received into the family and household of God. Christ is our elder brother who laid down His life for His body and bride the church. Privilege, prestige and position mean nothing. You must be born again. Jude knew it and I hope you do too. Trust in Christ and be received into His family.


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Sing


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Q66 What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment? The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God’s glory, and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.

7th January 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (John 1:19-28 focus v19-23)


Message (Alan Burke)


"Who Do You Think You Are?" is a British documentary series that started in 2004, where celebrities explore their family history and ancestry, uncovering hidden stories and connections. The show has gained popularity for its engaging storytelling and has inspired international versions in various countries. Here John faces the question “who do you think you are?” He is faced with a delegation sent from Jerusalem to find out what he is playing at. The reason why they are being sent is because of the message that John was proclaiming, and the outworking of this message is that he was baptising people and that people were in their droves going to hear him and were responding to the message he proclaimed. 


John was proclaiming a message of repentance; for the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Mt 3:2). This, though, wasn’t only John’s message; this was the message Jesus proclaimed. He likewise called people to repentance (see Mk 1:15). This is a message that is just as relevant now as it was then. This land needs to be called to repentance.


To these religious leaders, the delegation sent from Jerusalem, they asked him who he was, and he made it doubly clear to them that he is not the Christ. He emphatically denies that he is the Christ. Now we know he is the witness to the Christ, but they didn’t. At the time in Judea, there was a growing Messianic hope, a growing expectation of the people of God that the Christ would come, that the promised one would come, that David’s greater son would come. It had been four hundred years of silence since Malachi, and the people believed that the LORD was going to act. The only problem was that those expectations varied widely. 


These religious leaders move from asking him if he was the Christ to asking him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” And John said, “I am not.” The reason why they ask him is that Elijah is the one Malachi prophesied that Elijah would come. The LORD said through Malachi, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes” (Mal 4:5). As a result, the expectation was that Elijah, who had gone to be with the Lord and never died, would return. They were looking for Elijah, not a figurative fulfilment of this prophecy, but a literal fulfilment. 


While John made no claim to be Elijah, he even denied it, Jesus made it clear that John was the fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi (Matt. 11:14; 17:12; Mark 9:13). With John’s denial of being Elijah, they then ask, “Are you the prophet?” They are asking in light of how the LORD promised in Deuteronomy of how he would raise up a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15-18). John’s answer is No and they then press him on who he is. 


He tells them that he is a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ 


John was telling them who he is and what he has come to do; he is the one that has come to prepare the way for the Lord; he is the precursor to the coming of the Christ that they have been waiting for. John is telling them that the Christ that they have been waiting for has come. John had been open to them and their questioning, but they are closed; they have the understanding but lack understanding and openness of the wonder of what is taking place in their day. Their attitude to what is going on is indifference. 


The Lord has sent his Christ, the one who came, the one for all who will receive him, who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (Jn 1:12–13). The has come, he calls us to repent and believe in him. It is a call that demands the entirety of our lives, have you responded to that call? Are you responding to that call daily in every aspect of your life? Repent and believe in the Christ who has come.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q65 What is forbidden in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing anything against, the honour and duty which belongeth to every one in their several places and relations.
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