Year 2 Day 331
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 7:33-35 Message - Alan Burke Today we communicate in many different ways. Like the way in which you are engaging with this devotion and I am communicating with you is by a means that was science fiction to all of us not so long ago. Before there were smartphones, email, text messages, social media and the like, we communicated in very different ways. Do you remember using something call the post and the telephone? How about doing things like meeting to have a conversation or setting a day and a time that we would rendezvous some day in the future and put it in a paper diary that we carried about with us. Ok we still do some of those things some times, we still write the odd letter, send a card for special occasions, but most of the communication that takes place when we are together is through speech. This man that was brought to Jesus could barely speak, nor could he hear so Jesus communicated with him in way that he could be in no doubt who it was that brought this healing. Firstly Jesus takes him to one side as to not make a spectacle of him and also to avoid the self promotion that would have brought more and more people out to him to be healed and witness these healings instead of coming to hear the message he proclaimed and the good news, the need to repent and believe. Taking this man aside away from the crowd, Jesus does something unlike any of the miraculous healings in Mark’s gospel, He begins by putting his fingers into the mans ears, then He spat and touched the mans tongues. There has been nothing like this before and if you think back and contrast this to what happened with the daughter of the Syro-Phoenican where Jesus didn’t even need to be present to work miraculously it is altogether different. This seems invasive and disgusting, sticking your fingers in someone else’s ears, spitting and touching their tongue, these details need hardly be recorded and the fact that they are recorded and they are so unlike anything that has come before should make us take note. Firstly touching this man in this way would have left Jesus ritually unclean, but Jesus had dealt with how we are unclean because not of what is on the outside but because of our heart so that’s not what should jump out to us. Also when he had healed many others he had simply touched them and were healed. Also Jesus might have accomplished this mans healing with a single act of his will from a distance but instead he sticks his fingers in his ears, spits and touches his tongue all so that by these outwards sings would communicate to this man that would leave him in no doubt that it was Jesus himself that caused him to be healed. Jesus deals with this man on a personal level, in an intimate way that meant the focus was not on Jesus being watched by the crowd by on this man and his needs by the saviour. Not only were the mans ears opened but also his tongue was loosened and he bang to speak plainly. The fact that he could speak plainly in itself was miraculous never mind that he could hear again and that his tongue was loosened. This miracle is here to help us to understand not only Jesus power, but who he indeed is. The word that is used here for ‘deaf’ (v32) is only used twice in the whole of scripture, here and in Isaiah 35:5. If you read the context it tells us of God would come, and although it was with vengeance, with divine retribution the purpose of his coming is that he had come to save and we read this… “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy…”. Here Jesus by healing the deaf and mute man was showing that he was indeed God among them, he had come, although with vengeance and divine retribution he had come to save, salvation is at hand in him for the Lord God was at work through God the Son. The saviour has come that we might have our eyes opened and our ears unstopped to the wonder of the Gospel. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q86 What is faith in Jesus Christ? Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, (Heb. 10:39) whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel. (John 1:12, Isa. 26:3–4, Phil. 3:9, Gal. 2:16)
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Year 2 Day 330
Pray (ACts) Read - Jude 1v14-16 Message - Scott Woodburn There is next to nothing in the Scriptures about Enoch. Indeed the whole story of Enoch is so short that it can be written here "When Enoch had lived for 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah for 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." (Genesis 5v21-24) We see him again in the family tree of Christ (Luke 3v37) and then in Hebrews 11v5 we are told that he was a man of faith. I'll not count up the number of words but you'll agree that not much is said. Long after Enoch was taken to heaven a book bearing his name appeared. This book is known to this day as "The Book of Enoch" and was written a couple of hundred years before Christ. Enoch didn't actually write it and it is not considered to be part of the canon of Scripture. However just like the "Assumption of Moses", it seems that the false teachers were well aware of "The Book of Enoch" and used it in their "teaching". Jude once again turned the words of the false teachers against them with an exact quote from "The Book of Enoch". Jude said that Enoch prophesied against the false teachers by stating “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgement on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” What are we to do with this quote? Did Jude take a quote from an uninspired book and somehow turn it into God's Word? Let me explain. Have you ever heard that even a broken clock is right twice a day? Well in the same way even a book that isn't considered to be the Word of God can at times accurately speak truth. In this case "The Book of Enoch" was correct - the Lord is coming in judgement and He will call to account the ungodly. What does this ungodliness look like? Jude cuts right to the bone. He states that the ungodly are those who grumble. Those who are never happy - the so called malcontents. Those who follow every sinful desire. Those who loudly and proudly boast and those who are "sleekit" enough to favour someone in order to gain an advantage. Tragically these marks of ungodliness are often quite evident in our churches and in our own souls. Let's hear the voice of God today - it is on account of sins like these that the Lord is coming in judgement. Flee from such sins! Enoch didn't write a book but he did walk with God. Even all these years later, walking with God remains the antidote to our sinful self-obsessed existence. False teachers and those who follow them are fools who will one day fail to stand in the judgement of Christ. But you and I need not be fools. As we have received Christ by faith may we follow Him all the days of our lives. May we put aside the old-self with all of its old desires. We leave behind the grumbling, the discontented spirit, the boasting and the favouritism. Instead as we attend to the ordinary means of grace may the Lord grow us up in the faith and lead us in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Then when our race is run may it be said that we walked with God. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q85 What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin? 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. Year 2 Day 329
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 7:31-32 Message - Alan Burke In the midst of a large crowd or even sitting in a coffee shop or a restaurant with others sitting at the tables around us, or it could be anywhere with people, it would be fair to see that we know so little of what they are facing, what they have been through, their experiences, their challenges. We might be able to make some assumptions, we might even gather something from an overheard line or two from a conversation but most of the time those around us are but another face in the crowd that we will soon forget. Today we learn of some people who bring a man to Jesus, most likely if you had seen him in the midst of a crowd you wouldn’t have given a second thought about him, but then we learn of his condition. This man we are told was deaf and could hardly talk would have impacted his life in so many ways. Think of the ease we have to ask a question, well this man was unable to ask a question or ask for help he needed it. Not only was he unable to ask a question or ask for help, even if he could ask, he couldn’t have heard an explanation, sign language wouldn’t have been like today and he would have only been able to communicate in the most basic way. It’s difficult for us to imagine, understand or even comprehend the ways in which this would have impacted his life. Also the likelihood that this man would have been unable to read. So he couldn’t hear, couldn’t read, couldn’t speak and the truth of the scriptures would have been hidden to him. He would have also faced prejudice that his condition was either the judgement of gods or that he was demon possessed. This man was just a face in a crowd. He couldn’t have heard Jesus’ teaching, he wouldn’t have heard the things said of him, he would have been totally oblivious to anything about this Jesus except in the midst of it all, maybe seeing those gathered around him and would have likely kept away from them. Well here we are told that there were some who loved this man enough to bring him to Jesus and they begged Jesus to place his hand on the man. He was unable to make a request of Jesus for himself, nor was he able to understand who this Jesus was that he was brought before. The depths of this mans helpless are complete, he couldn’t hear of who Jesus was or the message that he proclaimed, nor could he ask Jesus in his need. By our nature we may not see it but we are just as helpless as this man was. This man gives us a picture of our natural condition, the plight that we face, for we are by our nature deaf to spiritual truths, why do you think Jesus has said on several occasion in this gospel has said… “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.””, then look to chapter 8v18 as he is speaking to the disciples… “Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear”. The depths of this man’s helplessness are in fact the depths of our helplessness, for we are unable to save ourselves, we are unable to make ourselves hear. One other thing I want to draw out from this before we move on, it’s not the thrust of the passage but I do think there is an application here. These people who bring this man to Jesus, whether family, friends, neighbours who ever they were brought him to his only source of hope. Our only source of hope in this life or the next is the Lord Jesus, and these people loved this man enough, or at least liked this man enough to take him to Jesus. They were in effect interceding for him before the Lord. There are those around us that will never hear of their condition unless we tell them, there are those whom we love that will never hear unless we take the gospel to them or we take them to the gospel. We need to be praying for those whom we know, using what opportunities we have, sharing the gospel and if unable to share it ourselves, bring them to it, just like these people brought this man to Jesus. After all How will they believe in Him whom they have never heard? How can they know salvation unless they have heard of the saviour! Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q84 What doth every sin deserve? Every sin deserveth God’ s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come. (Eph. 5:6, Gal. 3:10, Lam. 3:39, Matt. 25:41) Year 2 Day 327
Pray (ACts) Read - Jude 1v11-13 Message - Scott Woodburn We could all probably recount a story about a tragic situation in a local church. Usually there has been a problem of some description, awful things have been said and wicked actions have been taken. Situations have grown arms and legs and caused great pain and division among those who profess faith. These incidents are never pleasant but we should always remember that the Lord knows the truth about every difficulty in every church. He sees through the lies. He understands the attack and strategy of the enemy and He will certainly move against those who have treated His Bride with contempt. Jude knew this and pronounced “woe” to the false teachers of his day (v11). The enemies of Christ may seem to be winning and at times it appears they have destroyed fellowships and reputations but when it is all said and done their end is only woe upon woe. Jude compared the false teachers to several well known figures from the Old Testament. They were like Cain who filled with bitterness and envy took the life of his own brother (Genesis 4v1-16). They were like Balaam who sought financial gain from cursing the Israelites (Numbers 22-24). They were like Korah who rebelled against the spiritual authority and leadership of Moses (Numbers 14). All of this was bad enough but Jude hadn’t finished. The false teachers were like hidden reefs of coral which could shipwreck a Christian (v12a). They attended fellowship meals (love feasts) without any fear - we might say they had no shame (v12b). They were shepherds who fed themselves and let the sheep starve (v12c). They were like clouds which promised water for the thirsty but were soon blown away without rain (v12d). They were like uprooted trees which provided no fruit in late autumn, twice dead - dead because they gave no harvest and dead because they had no root (v12e). They were like a restless wild wave of the sea which only produced the foam of their own shame (v13). They were like wandering stars who followed their own course and could not be trusted to lead (v13b). In the heat of the moment we may struggle to believe it, but those who oppose Christ will not win. Jude says that the Lord has reserved “the gloom of utter darkness” for those who seek to harm and destroy His church (v13c). What should we make of this? A couple of things. Firstly, we do not receive this teaching with arrogance. We do not point and sneer at the false teachers. If we have escaped hell it is only by the grace of God and by the blood of Christ. Secondly, if our fellowships go through times of trouble and disruption caused by those who oppose Christ, we have absolutely no mandate to “fight fire with fire”. If someone lies about you, you do not lie in return. If someone seeks to destroy your reputation, you may speak only truth about them. If your fellowship is disturbed by a wolf among the sheep, trust the Lord to fight the battle. Finally, be confident that evil will not win. Jude pronounces woe upon the false teachers and it will surely be woe upon woe for the opponents of Christ. The Lord will keep His church to the end, she will persevere and not one of Christ’s people will be lost. Today we may face the lies of the enemy and weep when those whom we love turn against us, but sleep in the comfort that Christ knows the truth. In this world we will have trouble, but we keep walking safe in the knowledge that Christ Himself will acknowledge us before the Father. Stand firm for Jesus is coming soon. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q83 Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. Year 2 Day 326
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 7:29-30 Message - Alan Burke This women had come in desperation to Jesus, she had thrown herself at his feet, she begged Jesus to drive the unclean spirit out of her daughter and now we are told that he does. Remember though what we have just heard, how Jesus had just told her a parable that would have been to many people scandalous and offensive, but this woman didn’t respond by saying “how dare you say that to me”, or “what an awful unloving thing to say”, or “how could you help all these other people and refuse to help me”. No this woman, she sees past it, because she understood that Jesus was not telling her to leave, rather He was making clear her helplessness and unworthiness. The response of the woman does not make demands of Jesus, she doesn’t contest her status as a “dog”. Her answer instead to what Jesus said is, “Yes Lord”, this woman comes in submission, she had heard the words of Jesus, and she understood the spiritual reality of what he was teaching by this parable, she wasn’t offended by his words. This woman wasn’t expecting the entire meal, just wanting a few crumbs, in particular one crumb, one miracle to heal her daughter. Then as Jesus responds to her, He tells her for such a reply the demon has left her daughter and when she went home the demon had gone. This woman understood the parabolic language of Jesus. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that it was her faith that made the healing of her daughter, nor that her desperation is the reason why the demon had left her daughter. No, it was because of her understanding. This woman knew and understood what Jesus was teaching, what was going on. Contrast to that of the disciples who were on the inside, who had grown up as Jews, who were following Jesus, who were hearing his teaching, who had witnessed him do many miracles, the same disciples who time and time had to ask Jesus to explain what He had said and then this woman. Fresh ears, a teachable heart, a willingness to listen and understand is what this woman had, in essence she had faith, she had come in faith, she understood in faith, she had faith in the only one who could bring salvation for her and her daughter. This is the saviour, who has come, who has the power over the very demons themselves, He has the power over salvation, He is the one who has come to make us clean as we repent and believe. This woman had come in her helplessness, because she recognised her helplessness and came in faith. She had in a sense every reason to be offended by what Jesus said to her. There are many in the gospels who had every reason to be offered by Jesus, after all he called people hypocrite, an evil generation, a brood of vipers, a dog and many other things. Yet these are among the things Jesus called those to whom he interacted. We might want a ‘god’ who will not offend us sensitivities, that will allow us to think we are cracking people, that we are by our nature good but then that’s more to do with what you want rather than what we need. Until we realise just how desperate our situation is then we will never be willing to humble ourselves before Him, falling at His feet for His grace, we will never accept being called a sinner, who is in need of his grace. That is what we all need to do, come knowing our helplessness to save ourselves, recognising that helplessness and in faith trusting is Jesus. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q82 Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, (Eccles. 7:20, 1 John 1:8,10, Gal. 5:17) but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed. (Gen. 6:5, Gen. 8:21, Rom. 3:9–21, James 3:2–13) Year 2 Day 325
Pray (ACts) Read - Jude 1v8-10 Message - Scott Woodburn What does a false teacher look like? How can we recognise those who do not have the interests of Christ at heart? The book of Jude is incredibly helpful in this regard. As Jude continues his argument he outlines five characteristics of false teachers. Firstly, Jude says the false teachers act “in like manner” to the three Old Testament examples in verses five to seven. So false teachers display the unbelief of the Israelites in the wilderness, the arrogance and pride of the fallen angels and the sexual immorality of those in Sodom and Gomorrah. The years may have rolled on but there is nothing new under the sun. The history of the church is littered with those who proved themselves to wolves among the sheep. Even in modern times we have seen famous pastors groom sexual partners from among their congregations. One man was happy to declare himself as “a big deal” and the same individual used underhanded methods to sell his books whilst ruling his fellowship with fear and threat. Jude wouldn’t be surprised. Falsehood is often accompanied by unbelief, arrogance and sensuality. Secondly, Jude states that the false teachers rely on their dreams (v8). In other words they claimed that they had visions and messages given directly to them via the means of a dream. But dreams are not the Word. Dreams are fleeting and often strange. They are not the basis for truth. Beware anyone who tells you that they receive direct messages from God. Thirdly, Jude tells us that false teachers “defile the flesh”. That is to say their false belief leads them to a place of so called “sexual freedom”. They think themselves to be so enlightened and so in tune with the Lord that sexual norms do not apply to them. But they are misguided. They practice things which are shameful and defile themselves before Almighty God. Fourthly, false teachers “reject authority”, they have no regard for the local church and the authority that God Himself has placed within it. This is perhaps the biggest challenge for the modern church. We are all aware of our rights and privileges in 2022 regardless if we are returning an item to Tesco or raging against the spiritual authorities in our own church. Jude is clear, rejection of authority is a clear sign of a false teacher - they are individuals who simply will not be told! Finally, these individuals are so arrogant that they are even prepared to blaspheme the angels. To underscore his point, Jude uses a story from a book called “The Assumption of Moses”. This isn’t a Bible book and Jude’s goal isn’t to introduce it into the canon of Holy Scripture. Instead we get the impression that the false teachers used this book and now Jude uses a story from it to turn the tables. The false teachers blasphemed the angels and yet Jude reminds them that not even the archangel Michael dared to blaspheme the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses. Jude’s point was that their arrogance was so great that they were prepared to do that which the angels wouldn’t do. Their arrogance was monumental! Ultimately these false teachers claimed great knowledge but would finally be destroyed by their animalistic sexual appetites and desires (v10). Jude does not paint a pretty picture of the opponents of Christ’s church, yet we can be thankful for the picture he paints. It is a clear portrait of that which we must be on guard against in our day and age. This devotion isn’t a call for you to check under the bed and behind the curtains for false teachers. We shouldn’t seek to have witch trials and live endlessly suspicious lives. Yet we must absolutely be alert. The church is always in danger and truth is always under attack. Read Jude’s words and remember them. Be wise and discerning and prayerful in these days and make sure you leave no open window for the enemy to climb through. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q81 What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his. Year 2 Day 324
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 7:27-28 Message - Alan Burke I want you to imagine walking in to a hospital and seeing someone falling at the feet of what looks like a doctor, holding on, crying out, begging and pleading for them to do something with tears in their eyes. It is hard for any of us to look upon someone in that situation without feeling at least a twinge of emotion. Then imagine the doctor coming out with what you know is a racial slur you’d be in shock or at least I hope you’d be. Well here we have this woman who was a Greek, she was not from among the people of God, she was born in Syro-Phoenicia, living in a godless pagan in Tyre and to the Religious leaders in Jesus day she would have been despised and considered unclean. Yet she comes to Jesus in her helplessness as her only hope and throws herself at his feet. What Jesus says to this desperate situation there in verse 28 on the face of it seems harsh and well it is, it also seems unsympathetic, but the response of the woman and then the subsequent casting out of the demon in her daughter tell us that there is something much more is going on here. In relationships between Jews and Gentiles the word dog was uses as a derogatory term. What is said here though by Jesus is so scandalous, it would have been for many who heard it so offensive that they would have simply walked away from Jesus. But then that’s the whole message of the gospel, it is scandalous, we are sinners, who need a saviour, and people who are offended by what Jesus says will never understand the salvation he offers. Well this woman before Jesus, on her knees begging him to work, she didn’t respond by saying “how dare you say that to me”, or “what an awful unloving thing to say”, or “how could you help all these other people and refuse to help me”. No this woman, she sees past it, because she understood that Jesus was not telling her to leave, rather he was making clear her helplessness and unworthiness. This woman had come recognising her helplessness, her plight, she recognises that Jesus alone could help her. This response of the woman, does not make demands of Jesus, she doesn’t contest her status as a “dog” rather she points to the reality of what happened in those jewish households that included dogs. She understood what Jesus was saying that for many their willingness to be offended would have prevented them. Look at her answer, “Yes Lord”, she comes in submission, and then says “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” This woman had heard the words of Jesus, and she understood the spiritual reality of what he was teaching by this parable, she wasn’t offended by his words. This woman wasn’t expecting the entire meal, just wanting a few crumbs, in particular one crumb, one miracle to heal her daughter. In this encounter the woman understood the what Jesus was teaching about the place of Jews and Gentiles in the kingdom of God. The children of verse 27 are the Jews, they were God’s covenant people, they would hear the good news of the kingdom first, they were the ones who would have the bread. For Jesus came to first that which was his own, but his own did not receive him (Jn 1:11). Then those who are the dogs the Gentiles, that is us here, we have also become the recipients of God’s grace but it was first God’s plan and purpose to come to his own. This woman recognised the outworking of God’s plan, she did not ask for first place, she just wanted a crumb and in faith she believed that Jesus Christ was for her as well. God in His grace has brought to us salvation, first to the Jews then to the Gentiles so that all who will believe He gives the right to become Children of God (Jn 1:12. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q80 What is required in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, (Heb. 13:5, 1 Tim. 6:6) with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his. (Job 31:29, Rom. 12:15, 1 Tim. 1:5, 1 Cor. 13:4–7) Year 2 Day 323
Pray (ACts) Read - Jude 1v5-7 Message - Scott Woodburn There are some who can’t quite reconcile the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New. In the Old Testament God seems constantly angry while in the New Testament God is constantly loving. My brothers and sisters this thinking isn’t new (nothing is) but is an old heresy called Marcionism. Jude would have had no time for Marcion for as Jude considered the Old Testament he saw the work of Christ. As Jude speaks against the false teachers who were always seeking “new” things, he takes us on a journey through the Old Testament showing us that Christ was active against all kinds of wickedness. Jude begins by making it clear that his hearers had already heard this teaching. “I want to remind you” says Jude (v5a). Whatever it is Jude is about to say, it has already been said and now a reminder is necessary. Isn’t this the reality for each church? Truth is preached and studied and proclaimed and yet for a multitude of reasons it doesn’t seem to stick. Brother and sisters, listen well to truth, write truth down, commit truth to memory for truth in the church seems to evaporate quickly! False teachers thrive when truth evaporates but Christ is not ignorant of their schemes - He will certainly punish those who promote falsehood. To underline this, Jude gives three examples from the Old Testament. Firstly Jude reminds us that Christ saved a people our of Egypt but later destroyed those who didn’t believe (v5b). According to Jude, Jesus was instrumental in the exodus out of Egypt but when the people rebelled in the wilderness, it was Christ who destroyed those who didn’t believe. Secondly Jude recalls that it was and is Christ who has kept the fallen angels in eternal chains in gloomy darkness until the final day (v6). These angels fell with Satan filled with arrogance and rage. They refused to keep the position that the Lord had assigned them to and a suggestion in Revelation hints that a third of the angels fell in the angelic rebellion (Revelation 12v4). Today Satan and his angels are active in the world but we can take comfort from the fact that they are not free to do whatever they want. Christ has placed them in chains and will judge them at the last day. Finally Jude speaks about the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Christ destroyed these places by fire due to their sexual immorality and unnatural desires (v7). As we recall the story we remember that the men of Sodom wished to rape the angels who had come to urge Lot to flee. The destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding cities was an example of the eternal fire of punishment to come. False teaching is no small matter. Jude couldn’t be clearer - Christ will judge and punish all manner of sin. It might be the sin of unbelief or the sins of arrogance and pride or the sin of sexual immorality, Christ hates sin, opposes sin and will certainly judge and punish sin. He has in the past and He will certainly do so when He comes. Brothers and sisters, God’s Word is not immune from attack in this world, indeed it is hated and despised. It is of vital importance that you know what truth is so that you may be well established and grounded in the faith. Bathe regularly in the refreshing stream of truth. Test everything in the penetrating light of God’s Word. Be hesitant to believe those who promise a “new thing”. Demand more of the Word in your life not less. What’s at stake in the battle for truth? Eternity. Father God, we pray as Christ once prayed, sanctify us by the truth, your word is truth! For Christ’s sake. Amen. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q79 Which is the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. Year 2 Day 322
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 7:24-26 Message - Alan Burke In school I had a history teacher called Mr Wilkinson. For me he made history come alive and part of that was to do with his collection of historical items that he would bring into class. From suits of armour, shields, helmets, to things that we were left wondering ‘what is it?’. He had this line that he would quote “Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It.” The quote is most likely due to writer and philosopher George Santayana, and in its original form it read, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This sentiment is hard to disagree with, just think of the twenty-first century and you will see the human race do the same things again and again. Events may not be exactly the same but as Mark Twain put it, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme” and our history, what has come before impacts us all. As we come to todays passage in understanding it, it is important to know some context, some historical details because for a Jew reading this, knowing this is what Jesus did it would have been filled with shock and horror. Tyre itself was on the Mediterranean Sea, north of Isreal, it was historically a Canaanite city, when you know that it was a Canaanite you can guess there is going to be problems of history here, legacies of the past. Well in Ezekiel’s day (28:1), the people of Tyre rejoiced when Jerusalem was destroyed (586 BC), aright it may have been around 600 years before Jesus going there but we all know that those things take more than a week or two to sort themselves out. Jesus went to this a region that one would have expected to be hostile to him, he goes to enemy territory, among people who were undesirable, and this woman comes and seeks Jesus out. Look at what we are told there in verse 25, for it was as soon as she heard about him she went to him. The reason why is that her little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit. If you have a King James before you or a ESV, you’ll get a better idea of what is said. The NIV only gives us a footnote to it, maybe you’ll see it there, her daughter was possessed by an ‘unclean’ spirit. We can easily miss it, but here the issue is that this girl is unclean, once more it connects this to what comes before it, uncleanness is a universal problem, it wasn’t just a matter for the Jews, the Pharisees, the Teachers of the law, the crowd Jesus called to himself, His disciples, it was as much of a problem for the Gentile too, and it’s as much a problem for us. Here no longer is Jesus surrounded by people who think they are clean but those who know they are unclean and this woman comes to Jesus in her helplessness as her only hope. It’s a striking emotive introduction to this woman and her problem. In it we see something of her desperation, her need, and we know that it was only Jesus who could help her. Many of us will never feel that we are in such a desperate situation, so hopeless and helpless with our lot, but with our own uncleanness, because of our sinfulness we are by our nature in a desperate situation, so hopeless and helpless, history reveals just how sinful the human heart is. What we need to do, each one is to come to Jesus, to throw ourselves down before Him for His mercy, for He is the only way of salvation. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q78 What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’ s good name. (1 Sam. 17:28, Lev. 19:16, Ps. 15:3) Year 2 Day 320
Pray (ACts) Read - Jude 1v3-4 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. Yet 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 speaks against “certain people” (v4) who have 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 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. 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. What is to be done? Contend for the faith says Jude! In simple terms we should hold the truth of Christ as so precious, so valuable, so golden that we will not allow it to be watered down 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 WSC Q77 What is required in the ninth commandment? 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. |
Alan
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