8th March 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - Exodus 13:17-14:21, Hebrews 11:29 Message Alan Burke God’s people are in a bit of a pickle, ok it wasn’t a bit of a pickle they were up the creek without a paddle, they had the Egyptian army on their tail and the Red Sea before them, the Lord had let his people be cornered. Remember this wasn’t an accident, a lack of forward planning by the Lord God himself, no it was the Lord that had put his people here. Even if we were coming to this passage for the first time we’d have a fair incline already that Pharaoh was going to have changed his mind and that taking the longer route that left them cornered was going to be a bad idea. Even though God’s people had seen with their own eyes the signs and wonders that he had done in Egypt and how he had redeemed them from their slavery in the midst of the situation they find themselves the people long for their slavery once more. They ask Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” (4:10). In the midst of what they had faced they forgot the Lord who had revealed himself to them, the one whom they knew could be trusted, who was faithful to his word, they in the midst of their suffering longed for a better life, a life in slavery. Bear in mind that the Lord was visibly present among his people as this took place, in the cloud and the pillar of fire. In the midst of this we learn something, the Israelites well they had been brought out of Egypt by the Lord himself, but the fear of what was before them made them long for the difficulties of yesterday. Slavery in Egypt was favourable to what they now faced. The fear that gripped them had erased any sense of the presence of God, visibly manifest to them in the cloud and the pillar of fire, they could only see their fear. The doubts and fears of this rebellious people against God are one of those themes that pervades the book of Exodus (5:21; 15:24; 16:3; 17:2; 32:1). And although God knew what he was doing the people most of the time just didn’t get it, they didn’t believe it. With their doubting, their looking back to their slavery which to them seemed a better option than what they now faced, Moses answers them and suffice to say Moses is saying “trust me”. I don’t know about you but I have trust issues, just make me a passenger in a car and you’ll see them clearly displayed. What Moses is telling them to do is trust them with their lives. Here in the midst of pharaoh and his army behind them, the Red Sea before them, God’s people were learning that salvation is entirely the work of God. For there was nothing that they could do to save themselves, likewise there is nothing that we can do to save ourselves for salvation from beginning to end is the work of God and in it He gains the glory. The Lord told Moses what to do, he stretched out his arms as the Lord had told him, and that night the Lord drove the sea back with an east wind so that the ground was dry and the people crossed, the Egyptians were destroyed. God doesn’t leave or forsake His people, we may face trials, the grass may seem greener on the other side, but the Lord is at work in the midst of it all. For us over time as our faith grows we will more and more learn to rely on the Lord and His word. In what lies ahead imperfect as you are, imperfect as I am know that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6), you may face many obstacles along the way but we must trust the Lord in it all, salvation is his work and he will bring it to completion no matter what trials or temptations we face. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q95 To whom is baptism to be administered? Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; (Acts 8:36–38, Acts 2:38) but the infants of such as are members of the visible church are to be baptized. (Acts 2:38–39, Gen. 17:10, Col. 2:11–12, 1 Cor. 7:14)
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7th March 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Matthew 10v34-42) Message (Scott Woodburn) In some circles the Lord Jesus is seen a great, kind, accepting and always loving teacher. His followers are horrible intolerant individuals but Jesus only ever said nice things and He has been misrepresented by the church. There is a problem with such thinking - it is entirely false. One of the most startling statements from Christ was "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." (v34) Did you hear that? Gentle Jesus, meek and mild actually came to bring a sword and not peace. I suspect this is not a verse that has been stuck on your fridge or posted to your Facebook page. What did Jesus mean? If you read the Gospels you will see that Christ faced constant opposition from both demons and man. Crowds flocked to hear Jesus but often His opponents sought to silence Him or humiliate Him or even find an opportune moment to kill Him. Eventually He was dragged before Pilate on trumped up charges, was lied about and eventually murdered upon a cross. Yes the Lord gives His followers a peace that passes all understanding but we would be fools to think that the world loves Christ and His cause. As I write this devotion a lady by the name of Kate Forbes is standing to become the new leader of the Scottish National Party. I have no idea what policies she would promote and I have no strong opinion on her suitability one way or the other. But if you have been paying attention, the media are making much out of the fact that Kate Forbes is a Christian and a member of the Free Church of Scotland. In modern life this suggests that you walk the same road as Hitler and are obviously unsuitable for public office. I hope she is successful but I suspect she won't be the new leader of the SNP. The Gospel of Christ is offensive and it divides. It looks the sinner in the eye and declares that there is nothing good within them and they must come to Jesus in order to be saved. Sons and fathers, daughters and mothers, daughter-in-laws and mother-in-laws are all divided by the Gospel (v35). The Christian will know opposition and often it will come from within their own family (v36). Christ brings a sword not peace. I don't want to be at war with my loved ones. I don't want to be hated because I stand for Christ. I'd much rather have peace, love and happiness but the Lord has brought a sword and I am not ashamed to be considered a follower of Christ. We are to love our family even if they hate us for the sake of Christ but we are to love Jesus supremely (v37). Indeed the Christian life is marked by a daily taking up of our cross and following Jesus (v38). What does it mean to pick up your cross? It means that on a day to day basis we die to self. In the Lord's day to pick up your cross was to make a one way trip to a place of execution. Therefore as we lift our own cross we are publicly declaring that our old self is dead and we now walk the way of Jesus. This path is rocky and many loved ones may forsake us, but regardless we continue on, for we understand that nothing compares to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. To find true life we must first lose our old life (v39a) and as we lose that old life we will find abundant life in Christ (v39b). A gospel which promises health, wealth and prosperity is no gospel at all. Christ came to bring a sword and if we belong to Jesus then we can expect war not peace. Nevertheless we are filled with hope for better days. Anyone who willingly received the Apostles also received Christ and the Father who sent Him (v40). Anyone who willingly received one of the Lord's prophets will receive a due reward (v41a). Anyone who willingly received a righteous person will receive a due reward (v41c). Anyone who gives even a cup of water to a little known follower of Christ will by no means lose their reward (v42). The world may hate us and our mother may disown us but we will not and cannot turn back. Christ is worthy and Christ is all and today we choose to follow Him come what may. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q94 What is Baptism? Baptism is a Sacrament, wherein the washing with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord’s. 6th March 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - Exodus 13:17-14:21, Hebrews 11:29 Message Alan Burke God by His grace had redeemed His people form Egypt, He had brought them out with signs and wonders, the people saw, they had witnessed the mighty deeds of God. Now they were in a bit of a pickle to say the least, from a human perspective that is. Behind them they had the might of a world superpower with all the technology available to them at the time, before them they had a bit of water, ok it was a big bit of water that there was no chance of being able to paddle across but the apostle tells us something wonderful, how ‘29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned’ (11:29). To help us to think about that lets turn to the book of Exodus that we turn. It makes the contrast between the faith of the Israelites who were God’s people, who had been redeemed from their slavery in Egypt and the Egyptians themselves who had no regard for God. In the midst of this God was using what was unfolding for His purposes. What we learn in Exodus 13 is that God purposely led them on this route towards the sea, God had put them in the predicament that they found themselves, this was God’s doing. If you don’t believe me look what Exodus 13:17-18, God was leading them to have the Egyptian army on their tail and the sea before them, the Lord had let his people be cornered. Of course we know what is going on, how the Lord God was once more at work in the midst of it all, it wasn’t that God had redeemed his people and then left them to work the rest of it out he had taken them this road for a purposes and He was with them in the midst of it all. Yet it ended up with the Israelites, led by God hemmed in, trapped, surrounded on all sides but this was no accident, it was by God’s will that they faced this. The Lord God was using this to gain glory of Himself through Pharaoh and his army, so that the Egyptians would know that he indeed is Lord and the Israelites too (14:4). God was putting his people in a situation that they would know his power and that the nation’s around would also know that He is God. You know something, and I know that it can be difficult for us to swallow, difficult for us to accept, but here in this passage as we think of the faith of the people, in the midst of it we are reminded of something. It challenges what I’ve heard some people say and what I’ve been told myself in difficult times in the past. It is this, “God Won’t Put On You More Than You Can Bear”. Although it sounds lovely, it is comforting, it is wrong, the idea that “God Won’t Put On You More Than You Can Bear”. The idea that God will some way protect you from the really hard stuff out there. I think the origins of this sentiment come from 1 Corinthians 10:13, but the focus there is on temptation, how “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” The Lord our God does not promise a ticket out of trials, our sufferings, here in Exodus God allowed his people to be placed in this situation, it was no accident. God had brought it about that His people the Israelites that they were hemmed in, trapped, surrounded on all sides for His purposes and His Glory. God uses even our suffering in this present time for His Glory and Paul tells us that they our sufferings in this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed towards us” (Rom 8:18). We might find that hard to get our heads round but ultimately God is at work and working things out for His purposes, for the good of those who love him. God knows exactly what He is doing. In the midst of you life falling apart, or if that what it fells like, while I do not know the reason, I do though know that God is at work. Brother, Sister, what ever you face God is there with you in the midst of it know that, don’t doubt it, trust in Him, look to that city whose foundations and builder is God (Heb 11:10). Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q93 Which are the sacraments of the New Testament? The sacraments of the New Testament are, Baptism, (Matt. 28:19) and the Lord’ s supper. (Matt. 26:26–28) 4th March 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Matthew 10v16-33) Message (Scott Woodburn) It would have been extraordinary to have lived in the days of the Apostles. Imagine seeing and hearing these men in person, they were real life eyewitnesses of Christ and His works. Yet before we get all misty eyed, we must remember that the Apostles faced constant persecution. They were not always greeted as they should have been. The Lord warned the twelve that they were like sheep in the midst of wolves (v16). The language is clear, the Apostles were like a tasty meal for their ravenous enemies. Therefore they were to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (v16b). This seems like a strange thing for the Lord to say, when we think of serpents we think of Satan. But Christ isn't calling His followers to be deceitful in order to survive in the world. Rather the Apostles were to be as shrewd as serpents whilst seeking to harm no one by their work. The Apostles could expect to be handed over to the Jewish authorities and be flogged in the synagogues as a result (v17). Furthermore they would be dragged before the governing authorities for Christ's sake and it would be there that the Apostles would be able to share the Gospel before Gentiles like the Romans (v18). In such moments the Lord promised His help. The Apostles were not to be anxious about what they would say to their opponents. Instead the Spirit would be at work and He would give to the Disciples the very words that they were to say (v19-20). The persecution would even arise within the family home. Here (v21) Matthew draws from Micah 7v6 which says "for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house." Can you imagine such family division? What causes it? Jesus is clear. His Apostles will be hated even by their own relatives for the sake of the name of Jesus (v22). We should never underestimate how offensive Christ is to even those we love. However the Apostles were not to be "punchbags" and offer themselves constantly to abuse and rejection. Instead if they met with severe persecution in one town they were to move quickly to the next (v23). Why did the Apostles need to move quickly? Jesus said "truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes." (v23). This is an incredibly difficult verse to interpret and a wide range of explanations are available. My view is that we need to understand this verse in its wider context. Jesus sends His Apostles on a preaching mission to the Jews and then tells them that they won't have completed that mission before "the Son of Man comes" Jesus is the Son of Man and usually when we think of His coming our minds turn to the end of human history. But in this instance the coming of the Son of Man refers to His crucifixion and resurrection. The Apostles would not have completed their mission to the Jews before the triumphant raising of Christ. Nevertheless, the Apostles were to get on with their work for the time was short. The hostility to the Apostles should not have been a surprise. The Lord reminded the twelve that the servant is not above his master (v24) but the servant should be like his master (v25). Therefore if the crowd said Jesus was in league with Satan then they would do much worse to Christ's followers (v25b). Satan is here called "Beelzebul" and this name probably comes from 2 Kings 1v2-3 where "Baal-zebub" was a false god. Brothers and sisters, we are not Apostles but we can certainly expect ongoing persecution in this world. What are we to do? Jesus says that we are to have no fear of those who oppose us. The Gospel will be revealed in the end and therefore we should be diligent in proclaiming it now (v26). What Christ has told us must be proclaimed from the rooftops (v27). This will certainly bring trouble to our door but we are not to fear those who can kill the body (v28). Instead we should fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell (v28). My friends we are so valuable to God that even the hairs of our head are all numbered (v30). The Lord knows when a single sparrow falls to the ground (v29) and we are worth far more than even many sparrows (v31). Therefore despite the clear warning of ongoing hostility to the message of the Gospel we are to seek to acknowledge God before all humanity (v32) knowing that He will not deny those who have not denied Him (v33). The race before us is long and surely it is hard "but the one who endures to the end will be saved." (v22). Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q92 What is a Sacrament? 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. 3rd March 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - Hebrews 11:24-28 and Exodus 2 Message Alan Burke The lie that is sold to us by advertisers is that buying their product will some how make us happy, fulfil some need that we have, that Oral-B iO series nine special edition tooth brush is a must have, the holiday in the sun will make things better, a new sofa from DFS of a new kitchen. The thing is that none of these things will give us lasting happiness, they may crave that itch but in this life we cannot have lasting happiness here, we can’t get it, we can’t buy it, we might think wealth, fame and power will help us but no matter what we do none of us can prevent death, for this life is only temporary, it is fleeting. Instead we are store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt 6:20). Moses was a man who saw that the reward of heaven was far greater than earthly treasure. For him, the reproach for the sake of Christ or the disgrace for the sake of Christ depending on the translation you as worth more than the treasures of Egypt. For he knew that this life is but fleeting, Moses knew that our days are like the grass, we return to dust, at the end of this life we may have wealth, fame, power, but it is all for naught unless we have known Christ, the eternal reward is far greater than anything temporary that we may again. Moses swapped comfort for reproach and disgrace, he swapped it all for Christ sake. If we are honest this is probably one of the biggest struggles that we have as individuals, as a church, we want the world to be like us and when its not we will be like the world to save us disgrace, to save us reproach for the sake of Christ. This is the reason why PCI has a press officer, why the word sin is by its absence striking from most of our publications, for we fear the reproach of the world more than we love Christ, we want to be friends with the world. What Moses desired more than anything this world had to offer when he died was the words “Well done, good and faithful servant!” We are to look to the promises of God, we are to look to the reward of Christ, the heavenly city that we will be our reward? We are to know reproach and disgrace for the sake of Christ are far better than anything this fleeting world has to offer. Sadly I have met many who choose the world and what it has to offer rather than that heavenly reward, I’ve met individuals who leave one fellowship because they have been confronted with their sin, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim 4:3) because they love their sin, they are hooked by it, because for them what God is calling them to do, to live for him in the way that he wants is too hard. Moses desired a heavenly reward over anything this world had to offer, he was willing to swap it, he trusted in the promises of God, he trusted in Jesus Christ. The message for all of us is to trust in the promises of God. To trust in Jesus Christ! Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q91 How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation? 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, (1 Pet. 3:21, Matt. 3:11, 1 Cor. 3:6–7) and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them. (1 Cor. 12:13) 2nd March 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Matthew 9v37-10v15) Message (Scott Woodburn) As Jesus gazed upon the people He understood their pitiful condition. They were like sheep without a shepherd or in other words they had no one to guide them or care for them or protect them. The Lord lamented this state of affairs and said “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” (v37-38) Christ used agricultural imagery to describe the Gospel reality. The harvest of souls to be brought into the Kingdom is plentiful but the number of those prepared to evangelise is few. This remains an issue for the modern church and therefore we must continually pray that the Lord would call and send out Gospel workers. The Lord's lament was answered by the calling of His twelve Disciples also called His twelve Apostles. Who were these men? Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen (v2a). James and John were the sons of a man called Zebedee and they also made their living as fishermen (v2b). Philip (v3a) was from Galilee and after Christ called him, he immediately brought his friend Nathanael to Jesus. Nathanael (v3b) is also called Bartholomew which means Nathanael the son of Tolmai. Thomas (v3c) was a twin but Scripture is silent about his twin brother or sister. Matthew is the author of the Gospel of Matthew and he is sometimes called Levi and was the son of a man called Alphaeus. Matthew was no fisherman, instead he was a hated tax collector (v3d). James' father was also called Alphaeus and James was referred to as James the younger or sometimes James the less (v3e). Thaddaeus is little known among the Disciples and he is sometimes referred to as Thaddaeus, Judas or Lebbeus (v3f). Simon was called the Zealot (v4a) and at one stage in life was active in the movement to remove Roman rule from Israel. Finally, Judas Iscariot (v4b) looked after the money and would go on to betray the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave these twelve "authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction" (v1) and with this authority He sent them out. This was more than appropriate as the word "apostle" means "one who has been sent". The Apostles were the envoys of Christ the King and they were sent with specific instructions. Their ministry was firstly to the unsaved Jews, called "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (v6). The time would come for the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles but the Apostles primary mission was to go the Jews. Their message was the same as both John the Baptist and Jesus had declared "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." (v7) It was a message of good news that the Messiah had come and it was a call to repent and believe the Gospel. To authenticate their message the Apostles were enabled to perform signs and wonders. They were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons (v8). The Apostles had received the Gospel freely and so they were not to seek to profit from their labours (v8b). Additionally the Apostles were to travel light. They were not to carry extra money (v9), they did not need a bag to carry food (v10a) and they didn't need extra clothes, sandals or even a staff for protection. The Apostolic mission sounds deeply unappealing for most of us - would you like to leave your comfortable home and take to the highways and byways barely prepared? Probably not! Nevertheless, just as Christ had nowhere to lay His head, so His Apostles were not to expect the comforts and delights of this world. However as representatives of Christ they deserved support (v10b). Jesus told His Apostles that if they entered a town or village where they were treated well they were to stay in that place in the home of someone "worthy" (v12). This person was someone who greeted the Apostles with joy and acceptance of their message. In turn the Apostles were to stay with that individual and pronounce a blessing of peace over the home (v12-13). However not every town or village would welcome the Lord's Apostles or receive their blessing. Jesus said that His Apostles were to shake off the dust from their feet as a sign of judgement in any place that they were not received or listened to (v14). Remarkably, the Lord counselled that it would be more bearable in the judgement for Sodom and Gomorrah then for the town that rejected the Lord's envoys (v15). In today's passage we are witnesses to the foundational ministry of the Apostles. These men who took the Gospel to Jews would later take it to the ends of the earth and the church of Jesus Christ is built on the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles with Christ Himself as the cornerstone. The Apostles are all gone and yet the challenge remains the same. The world is lost and in the grip of sin but the church is bored and obsessed with gimmicks. Who will heed the Lord's call to take the Gospel to the nations? Who will pray earnestly for the conversion of the lost? Who will be prepared to endure the scorn and the shame that will inevitably come to a follower of Christ? Jesus said “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q90 How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation? 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. 1st March 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - Hebrews 11:24-28 Message Alan Burke What do Carry Grant (North by Northwest), Peter Ostrum (Charlie from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) and my personal favourite who invited ‘The Truffle Shuffle’ from one of the best movies ever, Jeff Cohen (The Goonies) have in common? You may be scratching your head but it is an easy one, they all gave up acting to do something else. Carry Grant at the age of 62 just stoped acting and became member of the board of many companies, Peter Ostrum got a golden ticket but wasn’t interested in acting and became a Vet, then Jeff Cohen swapped fame to become a lawyer, setting up his own law firm. Those are all useless pieces of information that you can file away in your head and hope they come up in a table quiz some day. Many people look to those like those aforementioned and dream of becoming like them, having wealth, fame, power. Today we are focusing on a man that rejected the wealth, fame, power that were his, all for the sake of Christ. Moses was one of the most powerful men in all of Egypt but regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as greater reward than the treasures of Egypt. The reason here we are told in Hebrews 11 is a simple one, for Moses was looking forward to his reward (26). Some of us might find it hard to get our heads round that, having everything at our fingertips, more wealth than we could imagine, having every whim or desire attended to, rejecting it all, but as we unpack that we see a man who ‘By faith’ was sure of what he hoped for and certain of what he did not see. He had hope in the Christ, the Messiah of God, the promised one of Genesis 3:15, and while we may want to avoid the reality of it, he knew that everything in this life is but fleeting, our days are like the grass, for “26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt 16:26). In doing this as Hebrews tells us verse 25, that Moses, choose to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. For Moses had everything at his fingertips, as prince of Egypt he had it all, he had what most people want, the wealth, fame, power that many people long for, that they live for, that they desire with all their heart, but if Moses had went after these things it would have meant that he would have had to reject the Lord God and the people of God. Moses was willing to give these things up, wealth, fame, power but these things aren’t inherently wrong, the issue is when these things cause us to reject God. There is an interaction that takes place in the New Testament, between Jesus and a man, it’s often known as the story of the rich young man. The interaction of course sees the man leave after speaking to Jesus saddened because what Jesus was asking of him was too costly, he had great wealth and did not want to give it up (Matt 19:16-30). The problem is when those things that the world has to offer means that we reject God. We are free to the good things of God as long as we do so without sinning, the choice is always between obedience to our Lord and saviour, or sin. The rich young man rejected Christ because the cost of following was too much, Moses on the other hand rejected wealth, fame, power, he regarded disgrace for the disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward (Heb 11:26). That is what Hebrews makes clear. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q89 How is the Word made effectual to salvation? 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. (Neh. 8:8, 1 Cor. 14:24–25, Acts 26:18, Ps. 19:8, Acts 20:32, Rom. 15:4, 2 Tim. 3:15–17, Rom. 10:13–17, Rom. 1:16) |
Alan
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