30th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Hebrews 13v8)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The week of our 250th anniversary has finally arrived but I trust that we won't succumb to the temptation of telling each other what a good job we have done. If Edengrove (Lissara too) started 250 years ago and still exists then it is only be the grace of our God. This week may our constant cry be "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" (Psalm 115v1)


Although much has changed in the years since our congregation's birth, we can say without fear of contradiction that the Lord Jesus remains the same. This is what the Apostle once told us in Hebrews 13v8 where he wrote that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. I suspect that when we consider Jesus we very much tie Him to that time and place in the Middle East some two thousand years ago.


But to think that Jesus is merely thousands of years old is entirely unbiblical. Christ's "yesterday" stretches back into eternity and He has been the same throughout that unimaginable period. John once told us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1v1) Here we understand that Christ was not created but in the beginning was God and with God. Furthermore, all things were made in the beginning by Jesus and for Jesus (Colossians 1v16). As we rejoice this week may we remember that our Saviour is timeless, He is eternal and just as He once spoke the planets into existence, so too He once birthed the congregation that we call home.


The Christ who Abraham fell before (Genesis 18v2) is the Christ who Joshua met (Joshua 5v14) and the Christ who did not burn in the flames (Daniel 3v25). The Jesus who we proclaim is the same Christ who in the fullness of time took on flesh (Galatians 4v4-5) and who willingly and obediently died upon a cross for our sake.


The world has moved in extraordinary ways since our forebears first gathered as a church called 2nd Ballynahinch. If those first worshippers could see modern technology they would be awestruck. Nevertheless, we are linked to those men and women by faith in the unchanging Christ. Jesus always has been and always will be. He has not changed at any moment throughout eternity because He cannot change. He is immutable and if Jesus was faithful 250 years ago then He remains exactly the same today.


Brothers and sisters, take time to consider Jesus this week. He is greater than we can possibly imagine. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and so we sing "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" (Psalm 115v1).


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Q26 How doth Christ execute the office of a king? Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.
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29th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 12:1-13 focus v1-2)


Message (Alan Burke) 


A new house, a new job, heading to university, returning to study, traveling the world, taking a year out. These are but some of the different things that can happen in our lives where it seems that we are having a new beginning, a fresh start, leaving behind what was before and starting something new. When you’re little making the transition from preschool to primary one seems almost overwhelming to some, even the transition from primary seven to year eight where it seems like everything you’ve known can change within the space of a few months. There are events in all of our lives that have begun something new. 


Here the Lord God was giving his people a new beginning but he was giving them a new calendar to live by, he was giving them a new month, that was to be the first month in their calendar, a month in which they were to be redeemed from their slavery in Egypt was to be the first month of their year. 


Think though to a moment of the plight that the people of God were in, they were in slavery, we are told that it was a bitter slavery. Their lives were filled with hard service, they weren’t stopping to mark the holidays of the Egyptians, they were slaves who were treated ruthlessly. Now for most people today it comes to Friday and the weekend begins, two glorious days for many to do what they want where they do not have to work, they can choose what they do. Monday to Friday is for most the routine of work. But for these Israelites they weren’t living for the weekend, every day was the same, get up in the morning and they laboured, harsh bitter labour, go to bed and get up in the morning and they laboured, harsh bitter labour, go to bed, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days of the year. 

From the very beginning, God had given us a pattern to follow; “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Ex 20:9–11).


For the Israelites there would have been no rest from their slavery, no wee day off to head to the Port or a wee day out in Newcastle for a poke, no bank holiday Monday’s. In all likelihood they would have been unaware of the passing of time more than from one day to the other such was their hard, bitter slavery. Each day would have just been a repetition of the last, the toil that seemed to last forever, children as soon as they were able to walk working along side their parents, no pre school, or school for the wains. 


But God was giving them a new beginning, this month was to be the first month. For the years to come this month, the month of Abib would remind the people how the Lord had redeemed them from their slavery, how they were brought out by the work of God. How from the land where they experienced oppression to the land flowing with milk and honey. God was giving a new beginning to his people. This was a turning point in redemptive history, such that as we move forward in scripture God is seen as the one who redeems is people from slavery. (Ex 20:2, Josh 24:17, Ps 81:10 among others).


God was about to give his people a new beginning through the blood of the lamb, a substitute would be made in their place. For those of us who are in Christ Jesus we have been given a new beginning, we are born again, brought from death to life, saved from our slavery to sin, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. That doesn’t mean that we escape the consequences of our sin, the skeletons in our closet, but what now defines you is your relationship with Jesus, you have a new identity in him and you are though the blood saved for eternity in Christ, the Lamb of God whose blood was shed for you. 


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Q. 25. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us.
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27th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ecclesiastes 12v13-14)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


There are various little signposts throughout Ecclesiastes that direct us to the book's grand conclusion. One such signpost is Solomon's focus on vanity, another is his call for us to enjoy life's simple things and yet another is his understanding of the fear of God.


What is the fear of God? I've written about this before but it bears repeating. There is a difference between servile and filial fear. Servile fear is the kind that a servant has for a wicked master. The servant is constantly living on edge and does his best to stay in his master's good books hoping to avoid punishment. God is not a wicked master and servile fear is not the fear of God.


On the other hand, filial fear is the kind that a child has for a beloved parent. The child longs to please and honour and glorify their parent. It is driven by deep love and respect and it certainly does not cause the child to run and hide from an evil overlord. The Lord God is our heavenly Father and He is completely good. The true fear of God is a filial fear and the one who fears the Lord is very wise indeed (Proverbs 1v7).


Throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon stresses the importance of the fear of the Lord. Here is a wee reminder...God's deeds last forever and so everyone should fear Him (3v14). Endless words are vanity, God is the one we should fear (5v7). The one who fears God will persevere (7v18). The God fearer will do well because he fears the Lord (8v12) but the wicked will perish due to their lack of fear (8v13).


As the book comes to a close, Solomon's conclusion is that our entire duty as humans is to fear God and keep His commandments (v13). If you are ever asked about life's meaning, Solomon gives it here. As Presbyterians we have paraphrased Solomon by saying that our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. In summary, we are on earth to fear our Maker and to do what He says. If you think you can avoid such a conclusion then you are a fool for the Lord will surely bring every human deed into judgement at the last day (v14) - so fear God!


Brothers and sisters, I trust you have been blessed by this journey through Ecclesiastes. It is a challenging book but it is full of gold. We've read it, heard it preached and come to the end of the road. What should we take away from it? Vanity all is vanity but your job is to fear God each day under the sun. We don't receive this as mere good advice but the life giving word and wisdom of God. How do we put this into practice? To do the work of God is to believe in the one whom He has sent (John 6v29). To God alone the glory. Amen.


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Q24 How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation.
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25th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 11:1-10 focus v9-10)


Message (Alan Burke)


In the narrative of all that takes place in the book of Exodus there are 19 references to the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Three time the Lord declares that he will harden Pharaoh’s heart (Ex 4:21, 7:3, 14:4), six times the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart (Ex 9:12, 10:1, 20, 27, 11:10, 14:8), seven times it is implied that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened by the Lord (Ex 7:13, 14, 22, 8:19, 9:7, 35, 14:5) and three times that we are told that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex 8:15, 32, 9:34). 


The Lord God is sovereign over the heart of Pharaoh and at the same time Pharaoh hardened his own heart. The Lord was working in Pharaoh and doing exactly what Pharaoh wanted, he was responsible in all of this. While the Lord hardened his heart Pharaoh continued to do what he wanted to do. The Lord hardened his heart but it was also self induced. 


Ultimately in this all the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was to show who the Lord was. The Lord didn’t need to enact the Ten plagues, he could have done it with the first one and the people would have been free but the Lord bought all Ten Plagues and hardened pharaohs’ heart for his own glory. He was visiting upon the people of Egypt judgement for what they had done to his people for the four hundred years that they were in slavery, for what they had faced at their hands.


Also note that the judgment that was brought upon the first born of Egypt is something that that will come to us all. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that God has appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.  Where those who are not the Lord’s who have not turned to him for his mercy they will face everlasting separation from the comfortable presence of God, and most grievous torments in soul and body, without intermission, in hell-fire for ever.


We will all die, we might feel that it was unjust that God brought this judgment upon the Egyptians but death comes to all, sin has brought death to all for the wages of sin is death. Romans 5 reminds us how sin entered the world through one man, 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Rom 5:12), the choice before Pharaoh was to listen to the word of the Lord that came to him through Moses but he did not. 


What Pharaoh, what the Egyptians as a people needed to do, what we need to do to escape the judgment is to cry out to the Lord God and ask that he would show us his mercy. A mercy that we receive because the judgement that we deserve was placed upon another. The judgement that we deserve was placed on Jesus Christ. He experienced the wrath of a holy God against sin. For in his sovereignty, over The, Past Present And Future. For the Lord in eternity past knowing what was going to unfold, the sin that man fell into brought about his eternal plan of salvation, all for his own glory. 


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Q23. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?
A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation
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25th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ecclesiastes 12v9-12)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Solomon's life was not perfect but we cannot deny his contribution to the Scriptures. Not only did the Lord bless Solomon with unparalleled wisdom but He was moved to write by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1v21) and we find the result in Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and the Song of Solomon. The wise king taught knowledge to countless generations (v9) and I hope you have seen that this ancient book of Ecclesiastes remains incredibly relevant. We can be thankful that the Lord God moved and inspired Solomon to engage in the process of "weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care." (v9b).


We not only have three books of Solomon's wisdom but we see that the Preacher sought out words of delight and truth (v10). What does this mean? Solomon's words are memorable - there is a beauty to them allied with their truthfulness. So much of Scripture has found its way into modern language and Solomon's writing is no exception. People with no regard for the Lord find themselves quoting Solomon. His wisdom has stood the test of time and it resonates with us because of Solomon's skill as an author.


Wisdom is sweet indeed. It can prod us in the right direction like a goad and it can establish us on a firm foundation like a nail firmly fixed (v11). There is much wisdom in this world and an endless amount of books (v12a). To try and study everything is an impossible task and a life spent in books brings weariness to our bodies (v12b). But we absolutely should do all we can to read Scripture and to read it deeply. Is this because of Solomon's work and the beauty of his words? No. If Solomon's word is still relevant in 2024 it is because his words were given by one Shepherd (v11b).


Long before Paul told us that all of Scripture was God breathed (2 Timothy 3v16-17), Solomon said exactly the same thing. Despite his work of gathering proverbs with great care (v9) and his attempt to write truth beautifully (v10), he understood that true wisdom comes from God alone (v11b). I suspect most of us believe this to be true and yet we still take Scripture for granted.


Brothers and sisters, may our love for the Word of God only grow. Regardless of the human author - Moses, Solomon, David, Matthew or Paul - all of Scripture is God breathed. Pastor John Piper was right "When all your favourite preachers are gone, and all their books forgotten, you will have your Bible. Master it. MASTER IT."     


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Q22 How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man? Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.
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24th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 11:1-10 focus v4-8)


Message (Alan Burke)


In the book of Job we hear the words “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). It comes just after Job hears of the loss of everything, his family and his possessions. They are words that I say all too often at grave sides but here we are reminded in what the Lord foretold Pharaoh what would befall on Egypt through Moses we are reminded that the Lord is sovereign over our lives. 


Now Moses tells Pharaoh what the Lord had said, about midnight the Lord would go throughout Egypt and take the life of all the firstborn. There is no distinction between rich or poor, power and influence, how many good works the Egyptians had done and how little others had done, or how much they had given to charity compared to those who hadn’t. No, none of these things are taken into account, there is only one reason for the distinction and that is between those who are the Lord and those who are not. 


This was a day of judgement that came upon the Egyptians, not even a dog would bark the Lord himself would muzzle their mouths, the God in all of this was making it clear that he treats his people differently than those who are not. While Egypt did not know the Lord they now would, they had attacked his people, they had subjected them to life long slavery, they had thrown the firstborn sons of the Israelites in the Nile and now the Lord was bringing his judgment on them and they would know who the God of the Israelites is.  


What the Lord was about to do is show that the gods of the Egyptians were powerless over life and death and the one who was suppose to rule Egypt as a god the son of pharaoh himself would be struck down. In all of this Pharaoh was unmoved, he had just heard how his own son would die and there is nothing from Pharaoh other than his obstinance. This is what caused Moses to be filled with anger in v8 as left Pharaoh. The Lord through Moses had gave Pharaoh the warning or what was to come. 


You would think that after all that pharaoh had seen and heard, how he had heard the warnings, saw the reality of how the prayers of Moses worked, been told by his magicians that this was the work of god, had been given opportunity after opportunity, how his own officials had urged him to listen and act and how the Lord had distinguished between his people and the Egyptians, you would think that he would have been moved at least a little by this warning but there was nothing. 


Pharaoh still refused to hear the word of the Lord. Back in chapter one we learn of a different Pharaoh  who decreed that the first born of the Israelite were to be thrown into the nile he did not realise what he was doing. Those who attack the people of God are not just attacking his people, and it doesn’t matter if they are only attacking one of his people or many they are through their actions attacking God himself. God holds those who persecute his people, who attack them, kill them accountable for what they have done, he will have recompense whether in this life or the next. The Lord is sovereign over all of life. 


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Q21. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?
A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for ever.
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23rd April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ecclesiastes 12v8)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The common refrain that runs throughout Ecclesiastes is "vanity of vanities...all is vanity." (v8). Solomon uses this turn of phrase or something like it twenty-seven times throughout his book with the last occurrence coming in Ecclesiastes 12v8. We can't do business with Ecclesiastes without wrestling with the concept of "vanity".


Are we to understand "vanity" by seeing life as utterly pointless? By no means. Nihilism is the belief that all of life is meaningless and we must stress that Christianity is not nihilistic. Instead we remember that the Hebrew word translated as vanity is "hebel" which means all is like a mist or vapour or breath.


Solomon isn't a nihilist but he is a realist. Life is incredibly short and trying to hold on to it is like trying to catch the wind. We can't stop the clock and we would do well to remember life's fleetingness. Money, fame, power, looks, sex, career, knowledge and a host of other things cannot save or fulfil or be taken to the grave. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.


As Christians we understand the concept of vanity and we respond appropriately. The vanity of life doesn't cause us to despair because if we know that life is fleeting then we equally acknowledge that Christ is our firm foundation. To build your life on the rock that is Christ is an incredibly wise decision indeed. You can't hold the wind but by faith in Christ, He holds you.


Brothers and sisters, may you never be seduced by the vanities of this dying world. In Christ your inheritance is a lasting one which is kept in heaven for you and can never perish, spoil or fade (1 Peter 1v3-4). The old hymn was right..."On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." 


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Q20 Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.
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22nd April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 11:1-10 focus v1-3)


Message (Alan Burke) 


No matter how much you may think it, want it to be true, try to live as if it is the case you are not sovereign over your life. Yes you may think the world revolves around you, it doesn’t! You may want the world to revolve around you and it doesn’t and you might live like it should revolve around you and all you do is rub people up the wrong way because it doesn’t revolve around you. I meet many people who are trying to be sovereign over their life they haven’t quite twigged on yet that they are not, they might even claim to know the Lord as their God but the truth is the Lord is sovereign over all of our lives, completely in every way. That means the hardship we face, the joys, the highs and lows and everything in-between and you should know that  “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (Jam 4:15). The Lord has ordained already every day that is laid out before us, they were written in his book before one of them came to be (Ps 139:16). In the midst of all of those he uses our sinful actions, our choices, the sinful actions and choices of others for his glory. 


Today and the rest of this week as we look at this passage in Exodus we are confronted with how the Lord is sovereign over the nations, over all of life and over our very hearts. Here in v1-3 it is over the nations as Pharaoh who had been so obstinate, who had refused to let the Israelites go is now going to cast them out, banish them, drive them out of the Land of Egypt. Once more the Israelites would plunder the Egyptians as they went. We are told that the Israelites are to ask their neighbours for articles of silver and gold because the Lord made the Egyptians favourably disposed towards his people. Even after the previous nine plagues, even after the plague that was to come that would bring and end to this whole affair the Egyptians are going to freely offer, make a freewill offering if you like of their silver and gold to the Israelites. 


In all that was going on, the Lord was making himself known. The Egyptians were polytheists had come to know that all their gods were as useful as a chocolate teapot, their gods were nothing but wood and stone, the imaginations of men like all other gods except the Lord God of the Israelites. What was happening is that the Egyptians hearts were being transformed by the work of God, they were beginning to understand their foolishness in worshiping false gods who could do nothing for them and the Lord God was bringing some of the Egyptians to worship him and to serve him. 


In chapter 12:31 Pharaoh has finally had enough and in 12:37-38 we read: “37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.  38 Many other people went up with them…”


“Many other people went up with them”. 


There were Egyptians who left with the Israelites. While of course we do not know how many went with the Israelites, who left Egypt with them there were those who did, many of them. The Egyptians while the Lord made them favourable disposed towards his people, they had learnt that there is only one God and some of them were let to go and worship him, serve him with his people. They learnt that he alone is the Sovereign God of all. Those who gave freely to the Israelites, their silver and gold had begun to believe that the God of the Israelite was the one true God. And were acknowledging his power, were honouring him with their wealth. In all of this the Lord was showing his sovereignty, over Egypt and over its people, he was sovereign over the Egyptians and his people the Israelites just as he is sovereign over all the nations today, and the Lord is;


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Q19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell?
A. All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever.
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20th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ecclesiastes 12v1-7)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


There are studies which suggest a child's habits are formed before the age of nine and these are unlikely to change as the years go on. That means if your teenage daughter struggles to keep her room tidy, it's probably pointless shouting at her every time you need a JCB digger to lift her dirty washing.


Solomon had no access to modern studies but he was convinced that a good habit for the young was to daily remember the Lord God (v1). This remembrance isn't a five second fleeting thought but a daily act of mediation on the goodness of our God. It is a remembrance which leads to thankfulness which leads to an appropriate response.


Why was Solomon so keen for the young to remember the Lord? Because he knew all too well that time brings change. The carefree days of youth are quickly replaced by days to which you say "I have no pleasure in them" (v1b). What follows in chapter twelve is a vivid and uncomplimentary picture of growing old. The light of day is replaced by darkness (v2), fear abounds and those who were once strong are now bent over (v3). The teeth called "grinders" are few (v3b) and your once sharp eyesight grows dim (v3c).


Often with old age comes poor hearing which Solomon compares to shut doors on a street (v4). The sound of grinding teeth is low because appetites shrink and nothing too difficult to chew is enjoyed.  With old age comes restless sleep and early starts - the old man is up at the sound of the lark (v4b) and more than that his voice has grown weak and he no longer sings like he once did (v4c).


No one of any age wants to suffer a fall but the elderly especially fear what is high (v5). The old person no longer eagerly takes the Christmas tree up to the loft and when he walks down the road he is all too aware of the "terrors" in the way (v5b). What are these "terrors"? Perhaps an uneven pavement, a pothole or an ungritted winter path.


The hair grows white like almond blossom (v5c), the once proud walk is replaced by slow deliberate steps and desire for food or physical intimacy disappears. All of these changes are little signposts that time is bringing change. Death is certainly coming and life is incredibly fragile. Solomon compared human existence to a broken lamp or a shattered pitcher (v6). Imagine an oil lamp hanging from your ceiling by a silver cord. The bowl is filled with oil and the lamp burns brightly but when the cord snaps the bowl is broken and the light is snuffed out.


In a similar fashion imagine a well in your garden. A wheel is turned to bring up a bucket full of fresh water which then fills a pitcher. But if the pitcher is smashed or the wheel broken, no life giving water can be enjoyed. Solomon provides us with these images to show us once more that life will end and then we will go to our eternal home (v5c). The dust will return to the dust (v7a) and our spirit will return to the Lord who gave it (v7b).


Everyone's experience of ageing will be different. Some work well past retirement age while others know physical limitations from a relatively young age. Some spend more time in the garden than they ever do in the hospital but ultimately the ageing process cannot be stopped and one day every one of us dies.


What should we do? To the young - remember your creator before the dark days come. Make the most of your youth learning quickly that nothing compares to the surpassing worth of the Lord. To all others - you will surely die, make sure you live for Jesus before you do.


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Q18 Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.
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19th April 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 10:21- 29)


Message (Alan Burke)


Maybe my memory is wrong but back in the 80’s and 90’s it felt like there were a lot more power cuts than there are today. I use to like a power cut as a wain. It was like camping in the house with a big fire on and having to get camping stove out to cook something and candles that you had a hard time finding to give you some light. These days things are very different, our houses have hundreds of candles about that are decorative and you dare not light them. Anyway I digress about candles, we are so use to electric light and even the candles that are just for show that we don’t really know what darkness is like. In this the ninth plague the Lord was turning the lights off and the darkness would become very dark. 


Egypt was complete, in a land where the sun shines to loose it likely as with the rest of the plagues early in the morning, not knowing what was going to happen, when the sun would rise again would have been terrifying. It was we are told a darkness that could be felt. God was in each of these plagues showing that there was no God but him in all the earth. Pharaoh was believed to be the son of Amon-Re the sun god and that the sun could go out, that darkness came showed that all the gods of Egypt were powerless before the God of Israel. The Israelites though were spared this darkness (23). 


Again Pharaoh summoned Moses, telling him to Go, worship the Lord. It seems Pharaoh has relented, but he was wanting to make a deal with God, he had no footing to negotiate but still tries to cut a deal, they could worship but they must leave the flocks and herds behind. Pharaoh hadn’t understood who the Lord is and what he requires. The Lord cannot be bargained with. That is important for us to understand, the Lord is not in the business of having only part of us as his people, he doesn’t want us just on the Lord’s day for an hour he wants our entire lives, public lives, private lives, at home at work, money, time the lot. 


In the end Pharaoh reneged just as before but this time he sends Moses’ out of his sight and warning him if he appeared again he would die. Pharaoh had every chance to turn from his sin, he had heard the words of life, he had seen how the Lord makes a distinction between his people and those who are not and yet there was nothing. Pharaoh chose to walk in his spiritual darkness and face the eternal consequences of that. 


The Lord still makes a distinction, between those who are his people and those who are not, Jesus came and said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12). Jesus is the light of life for us, he guides us through darkness for he experienced the darkness of the cross for our sin that we might know the light, he calls us to leave behind the darkness, give our all and follow him. 


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Q17 Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?
The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. (Rom. 5:12)
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