Year 2 Day 319
Pray (ACts) Read - James 2:10, Acts 20:21 Message - Alan Burke By our nature are enemies of God (Rom 5:10), we were blinded by the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), we do not see or understand the things of God even though they are made plain to us (Rom 1:18-23), there is not one of us by our nature that seeks God (Rom 3:11) and we are slaves to our sin (Rom 6:20). What hope is there we may ask? Well the sinners hope even though we are infinitely guilty before an infinite God, is that ‘What God requires of us to come before Him, to come into His presence, He also provides’. What God requires, He provides. For in the midst of it all He provides the way of escape from His wrath and cruse of God due to us for sin. There is not one of us who do not sin, not one of us will be able to stand in our own righteousness before a Holy God, for we are unholy creatures and although some sins are more heinous than others no sin, any sin no matter how great or small mean that before God we are guilty not just in part but wholly guilty (Jam 2:10) and as the wages of sin (Rom 6:23), the penalty that our sin deserves is death, not just physical death but also spiritual death. While that is the bad news, and it is terrible news there is also good news, there is gospel and it is the most important news that any one can hear, for God has made a way for us to escape the impending destruction which our sins deserve. The Lord God, in his grace and compassion towards us, in his great love for us, that while we were still sinners provided a way in Christ Jesus, a way of escaping what is due to us. Turn with me to Acts 20, for there it summaries the way of escape for us there in v21… I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. The Lord though Paul was taking the message of Jesus out to both Jews and Greeks, those who were by birth part of the Jewish church and those who were outside it. Paul took the same message that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a message that did not originate with himself, this message is one that comes from God. Remember how God sent one to prepare the way for this message, John the Baptist, (Mal 3:1, Is 40:3, Mk 1:2-3) who came “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. Then when John was arrested (Mk 1:14) Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” The “believe” that Jesus spoke of in the necessity to repent and believe means more that to accept something to be true, more than just an intellectual understanding, rather what the greek word means is to believe, to have faith. And in faith we turn from what we once were, turning to Christ each day as repent of our sins. This is the appropriate response to what God has done. Belief, faith in Jesus Christ is all that is necessary to become a Christian, but it must be a belief that changes the life. If you say that you believe, that you have faith but there are no substantial changes in your life, you had better consider carefully whether you truly do believe, wether you truly have faith. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q76 Which is the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
0 Comments
Year 2 Day 318
Pray (ACts) Read - Jude 1v1-2 Message - Scott Woodburn Jude has told us that he is the brother of James and a servant of Christ and now he tells us who it is that he is writing to. Jude speaks “to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:” This 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, may mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q75 What is forbidden in the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbor’s, wealth, or outward estate. Year 2 Day 317 Pray (ACts) Read - Romans 6:23, 1 Samuel 2:12-36 and John 19:9 Message - Alan Burke Did you read Monday’s devotion? Just incase you missed it I called you a thief and a liar. Alight, I didn’t call you out by name but I asked the questions “Have you ever taken a pen that didn’t belong to you whether by intent or by accident? Yes or no? Have you ever told a lie about another, to save face, to help another, or embellished a story? Yes or no?” and since well the only answer we can give if we are truthful is yes then I said, "Thieves and Liars, all of you!”. Some might say “BUT it was ONLY a pen, and sure it was ONLY a white lie, what’s the big deal!" I totally get that, after all, sure look at your man at Number 10, think of all those things he was getting up to when we were all trying to do the right thing! Surely the fella at Number 10 telling us he didn’t know he was breaking the rules was a worse lie that we were told when we were kids about the 20p under our pillow. Well, yes! We know that some sins are worse than others, we look at what we do and compare it to what others have done and think we aren’t too bad. Just as we see some sins are worse than others so does God. I’ll give you two examples, 1 Samuel 2 (v12-36). We are told there of the sons of Eli and how the “ sin of the young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt”. We are told how Eli challenged his sons (22-25), there we learn more of what they were up to, they slept with the women who served at the Tent of meeting (22). But then as the Prophecy comes against the house of Eli, nothing is said about the matter of Eli’s sons lying with the women at the tent of meeting. Not because it doesn’t matter, these things do, they matter to God, it mattered how Eli’s sons conducted their personal life. Their moral corruption had shown that they were not fit for service but what mattered more than what they did is what they did to the worship of God. Just as we view some aggravations are more heinous than others, God himself sees some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in his sight than others. Eli understood this, that is why he had said to his sons in v25 “if a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord’s sight. In judgement these two sons Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day. One more example, New Testament this time, John 19 which forms the account of Jesus’ arrest, trials, death and burial. In chapter 19, while facing the Roman trial before Pilate Jesus responds to the questioning of Pilate in this way; “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (Jn 19:11 NIV). The words of Jesus make clear that their sin, ie that of the Religious leaders who handed Him over is greater than that of Pilates. We might look to others and thing my sin is not as great as theirs, and you may be right but remember what the Lord through Paul teaches in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death”. That means the result of sin, no matter how great or small results in death (Rom 6:23), wages being something that we have earned and deserve, every sin is equally damning to me and it is equally damming to you. The free gift is opposite to what we have earned or deserve in our wages, the free gift is salvation. For although we deserve death we escape it by his grace. We know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 1:1), and we know that nothing, not even our own sin, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 1:38). Our desire as believers should be to mortify our sin, to die to it. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC 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. Year 2 Day 316
Pray (ACts) Read - Jude 1v1 Message - Scott Woodburn The book of Jude is short and sandwiched between John’s letters and his Revelation. It is no wonder that Jude is often missed by Christians who rush to get into the colours, numbers, beasts and mysteries of the Apocalypse of John. The Reformer Martin Luther didn’t think much about the book of Jude saying that it contained nothing special and yet we must confess Jude to be the Word of God and therefore worthy of study. We’ll be focusing on Jude over the next few weeks and while we will be dealing with a few verses at a time I’d encourage you to read the entirety of the letter each day - it is only 25 verses long. Jude begins with the simple statement “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James” (v1) Who was Jude? He was the brother of James. But which James? Scripture interprets Scripture and in Mark 6 we read about the brothers and sisters of Christ. The Lord’s sisters are not named in Mark 6 but we are told that His brothers are called James, Joses, Judas and Simon (Mark 6v3) Jude is another name for Judas and so when Jude tells us he is the brother of James we are led to believe that Jude is none other than the half-brother of Christ one of Joseph and Mary’s other children. It’s surprising then that Jude doesn’t mention this fact at the beginning of his letter. Instead he describes himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. It would appear that despite being part of Christ’s earthly family Jude sees no reason to boast. He doesn’t write with arrogance declaring his close family link to Christ. Instead he humbly declares himself to be the servant of his older brother Jesus. It wasn’t always this way for Jude. John tells us that there was a time that Christ’s brothers didn’t believe (John 7v5) and on one occasion Christ’s family sought to seize Him because they thought he had gone out of His mind (Mark 3v21). However what Jude once rejected he soon came to accept and after Christ’s Ascension we are told that Mary and her sons were with the Apostles and all were devoted to prayer (Acts 1v14). 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 declaring 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. He grew up with Christ and loved Him as a brother before he received Christ as Lord. Yet Jude doesn’t look down upon you or I. 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. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q73 Which is the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal. |
Alan
|