30th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:7-8)


Message (Alan Burke)


There are words that we use all the time that we use without a second thought and there is one that I think especially in the church we use without really grasping the wonder of what it means, it flows off the tongue and we hear it week after week, we sing songs about it but it has led to semantic saturation. Semantic saturation is a psychological phenomenon which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds. The word that I’m referring to is the word ‘Grace’. It has become nothing more than a platitude to many, others it goes in one ear and out the other, for others it is something they do not need for they are good people but the scriptures teaching of who we are in Adam, that we are sinners and the grace that God has shown to us is so profound that we need reminded again and again and again and again and again so that we may never loose its wonder. 


Grace is exactly the opposite of what we deserve. Q84 in the Shorter Catechism asks; What does every sin deserve? The answer is; Every sin deserves God’ s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come. God gives to you his grace, his undeserved and unmerited favour towards you a sinner. By his death and resurrection Jesus secured for you exactly what you don’t deserve, what I don’t deserve, that none of us do, what we deserve is God’s wrath and curse in this life and in that which is to come what we receive is not what we have merited, it is unmerited, the unmerited favour of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 


Paul speaks here about how the church in Philippi that whether he is in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, they all share in God’s grace with him. He often spoke and defended the faith, defended the truth of the gospel and confirming the gospel means to affirm the truth of the gospel, how this happens is by holding to its truth and showing it in our lives. Paul whether he spoke the gospel, defending it, or confirmed the gospel, affirmed the truth of the gospel which was seen in how he was willing to be imprisoned for its truth. For the church in Philippi he speaks of them sharing in God’s grace whether he was in chains or defending and confirming the gospel because the grace that they had come to know through Jesus Christ had led them to share in his suffering. It was evidence to Paul in their continued to support him in the work of Christ that they had come to know this grace. 


He was confident in the change in the lives of the believers, that they shared in the grace of God because it was seen in them. It was evident to Paul that there was spiritual health in church in Philippi, he could see it in them and he was more concerned about the work of God within them than he was in his own circumstances languishing in prison. He seen how they too share in the grace of God, they were sharing, another word that is used is partakers, like that of partnership, the trust of what is being said here is how they were part even though they were separate, they were sharing Grace in Christ. The work of God should be evident in us, in our private and public lives. Evidence that we are God’s children is shown in how we live, if we share in the grace of God, that is seen is in how we are commitment to worship, prayer, sacrificial giving, loving our neighbours, and sharing the gospel. Because without a genuine spiritual commitment then we do not share in Grace in Christ and are of no more use than a chocolate tea pot in this world. Is the work of the grace of God evident in us?


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q71 What is required in the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behaviour.
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29th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ecclesiastes 7v20)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The time has come for us to complete our study of the Ten Commandments but before we move to pastures new there is one more question asked by the Larger Catechism. It is a question which speaks right to our spiritual need for it addresses our complete inability to keep God’s law perfectly. The catechism asks “Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?” 


I have met many people who would answer “Yes. Me. I have kept God’s commandments.” Such individuals are well meaning but they are sadly deluded. The catechism answers “No man is able, either of himself, or by any grace received in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God; but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.”


That is an incredibly bleak but true summary of the human condition. There is no one alive who is able to keep God’s commands by his own strength. To clarify, it wasn’t always this way. Adam was the first man and he was able to keep the commandments of God fully. If he had done so then he and those after him would have enjoyed everlasting life. As we know, Adam did not obey and the rest is utterly tragic history.


Even so, it is essential that we understand that our obedience will never be perfect and it cannot save us. In the past I’ve referred to us as “unprofitable servants” who even on our best day fall far short of what is required. Brothers and sisters, I find this strangely refreshing because I know just how disobedient I often am. I couldn’t imagine a life filled with a daily quest to keep God’s law perfectly. We wouldn’t last a day on such a quest, in fact we wouldn’t last a minute.


I am so thankful for the Gospel which points us away from ourselves and onto Jesus. Christ’s obedience was actively and passively perfect. He is the true Adam who kept the law fully and therefore all who are in Christ by faith are counted as obedient by Almighty God. This is our only hope and good news for disobedient sinners. It frees us to obey not to achieve salvation but because we have been saved and now respond in gratitude.


To those reading these words still thinking that they will be proved good enough before God by their own imperfect works…it is time to turn to Christ. No one can keep God’s law perfectly and all who try will not stand in the judgement. Christ calls you to trust in Him and His finished work for in Jesus there is fullness of joy.  


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q70 What is the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
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28th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:7-8)


Message (Alan Burke) 


I’ve seen the gospel bring transformation in peoples lives, some of whom when I have met years later I’m left with my mouth open, stunned by what the Lord has done. It is easy to read these verses and forget the transformation that had taken place in Paul. He was once called Saul and was a Pharisee and known for his hatred of Christian’s, he persecuted the church, people lived in fear of him. But it was by the grace of God that he was transformed. He was called by Jesus while he was on the way to Damascus to be an apostle (Acts 9:3-19), and the Lord had used him as  his instrument to take to the gospel to the gentiles (Acts 9:15) which included the church in Philippi to whom he writes.


This was a transformation that came because of the work of Grace in his life it was obvious, a visible 180 degree turn in the direction he was heading, the man once with a personal mission to destroy the church became a man planting and building up the church of Christ. He was one once filled with hate for Christian’s but transformed into one so filled with love for them that they are held in his heart. For us it confronts us with likewise how there should be a transformation within us, a transformation that should be seen in how we live and love, how we feel about and how we treat those around us, we should hold our brothers and sisters in our heart. 


In 1 John 4 we are told; If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother (1 Jn 4:20–21). Our love of Christ, our union with him leads to a response in our lives in how we live and love. If we have saving faith we know the love that has been shown to us by the Lord our God, that even though we were unlovable, his committed enemies, we were sinners who did not love the Lord our God. What happens that enables us to love is that the Lord changes our hearts and enables us to love him. It changes us inwardly from being naturally opposed to the Lord and his people to being enabled to love him and his people. That was the change that took place in Paul and for us as believers here in this place we are to share a love for one another in Christ Jesus. 


Think of the words of Jesus to his disciples in John 13, when he said; 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jn 13:34–35. For us can we say that we have those around us in our heart as Paul said to the church in Philippi? Do we pray for our brothers and sisters in the pews around us, do we seek to encourage them in their faith, to cheer them on as they race to the finish line? I would say if we are honest to that question we know that there is much work for the Lord still to do in us and there are times that all we want to do is hi five their face but for us we should always remember the wonder of what Christ has done. How he gave his life willingly for we who are his enemies, that love that will never let us down, that will never cast us aside, that does not grow or wain, ebb or flow, grow stronger or weaker it is intrinsic to the very nature of God and he loves you child of God. What love has been shown to us and that love should be our motivation in how we love.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q69 What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.
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26th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20v17)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


If you can remember as far back as Thursday then you perhaps recall that the Larger Catechism’s  description of the tenth commandment’s duties was relatively short. In similar fashion the discussion about what is forbidden by the commandment is just one sentence long. “What are the sins forbidden in the tenth commandment? The sins forbidden in the tenth commandment are, discontentment with our own estate; envying, and grieving at the good of our neighbor, together with all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.”


Now you’d think that we could handle one sentence but truth be told discontentment is an all too familiar feeling. Perhaps our work has been a chore for several years, maybe a relationship isn’t all we hoped for or we’re maybe just sick of sitting in Ballynahinch traffic. Can we say that contentment abounds in our soul? I’m not suggesting for a moment that just because you’re grumpy in traffic that you have left the tenth commandment behind but do you display a persistent attitude of poor-me-ism? Nothing is ever your fault, nothing is ever right and nothing ever pleases you. Is this how you’ve been for longer than you can remember? Equally if you are grieved by your neighbour’s prosperity and find yourself resentful of his/her estate isn’t it perhaps time to do business with the Lord?


Brothers and sisters, I’m not writing this to bash you. As I’ve formed these words I’ve had to consider my own soul. I have much to be thankful for and yet I’m often frustrated, disappointed and begrudging. I regularly find my mind wondering “if only” and “what if” and “why me.” May God forgive me and may the Spirit cultivate in me an attitude of gratitude and contentment. Indeed, even if my plans fall whilst my neighbour soars, may I have the grace to be thankful.


In the Gospel we have received the greatest treasure imaginable. Delight your soul in Jesus and never forget that He is more than enough. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q68 What is required in the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavours to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
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25th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:3-6)


Message (Alan Burke)


I was sharing at our evening service a few weeks ago how I was learning the harmonica. What happened was that not long after I was installed and ordained in Lissara some years ago my mum brought me up some of my many boxes of junk that I’ve gathered over the years and in that was some of my dads stuff which she didn’t know what to do with so they came to me and then a couple of weeks after they arrived something happened that meant that I wasn’t allowed to leave the house. It all seems a bit surreal looking back on it but at the beginning of my house arrest I took out the harmonica and decided before this was over I was going to learn how to play that harmonica. It hasn’t happened, they are sitting in my study making me feel guilty because when I say I was learning the harmonica I still haven’t learnt it and doubt I ever will no matter how good my intentions are. If you’re wondering what on earth does this have to do with this passage before us it is because of those words that come in v6, how he who has began a good work in you will bring it to completion. If salvation was dependant on me, on my works or endeavours I can guarantee it would just be like that harmonica in my study that confronts me every day with just how much I have failed to do what I set out to do, if salvation was about me and dependant on me I would have fallen by the wayside years ago. 


There is a wonderful comfort in what Paul says here, a great encouragement for all of us who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether you feel that you have failed as a Christian, whether you are filled with doubts and fears or you have confident assurance that you are his, God who has begun a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. You might be filled with fear that you will fail to reach the finish line, that when this life is done we will not be destined for Glory but instead hell, because you’ve not done enough or you’ll fail along the way. It is easy to always be second guessing ourselves, can I do enough, will I keep going. But it is not about us, our works, endeavours, it is about what God has done for us, because of that Paul can clearly rejoice. 


Say you fell into six year ago, it cannot separate you from the love of God, or that sin that you can’t seem to get shot off, it cannot can separate you from the love of God, nothing can. This should be a wonderful comfort to us as believers, for nothing can, nothing can separate us from the love of God, we will persevere, because God will preserve us, nothing will be able to snatch you from the hand of the saviour. This is the teaching of scripture known as perseverance of the saints and it means that our confidence, our assurance comes not because of us, it doesn’t rest on who we are or what we have done or can do it rests on the Lord Jesus, what the triune God has done for us. As we are reminded in the Westminster Confession of Faith when it says, “They, whom God has accepted in his Beloved (the beloved being Jesus Christ, His only Son), effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally, fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved” (WCF 17.1). Those who truly believe will preserver, they will be preserved by the Lord, none that has been given to Jesus can be snatched from his hand no matter the sin, no matter the denial like Peter. This should be such a comfort for you brothers and sisters, that he who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion, that the Lord Jesus shall loose none of all that he was given by the Father, none of his sheep will be able to be snatched from his hand, we will be sustained to the end so we will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6, Jn 6:39, Jn 10:28, 1 Cor 1:8). 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q67 Which is the sixth commandment? 
A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.
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24th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20v17)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


By this stage I’m sure you are not surprised when the Westminster Larger Catechism takes a commandment and outlines it in a fulsome manner. But as our look at the commandments comes to an end, the Larger Catechism is uncharacteristically brief in it’s treatment of the tenth commandment.


What is required of us in the tenth commandment? The Catechism answers “The duties required in the tenth commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him, tend unto, and further all that good which is his.”


This straightforward reply points us in two directions. Firstly, the tenth commandment requires us to be content with our own estate. This isn’t something that any of us finds easy, we often daydream about all sorts of life improvements. How better would things be if your wage doubled? Wouldn’t it be great if you had a new wife/husband? How improved would your mood be if you finally bought that “forever home”? Let me stress that while you shouldn’t be daydreaming about another man/woman, there is nothing sinful about a promotion, bigger wage or even moving house. The problem comes when we are utterly captured by the temporary shiny lights of this world. They become idols which capture our hearts and rob our contentment.


Secondly, we aren’t to gaze longingly at all our neighbour owns but we are to be charitable towards him. Indeed, our charity should seek his good. There is a begrudging spirit in the modern world which loves nothing more than to see people fall flat on their faces. Often it is those who we see as successful who are the target of our bitterness. Elon Musk is one of the richest men alive and because of his support of Donald Trump he has gone from hero to villain in just a few short years. You might believe that Musk deserves all he gets but is that attitude in keeping with the demands of the tenth commandment?


If you neighbour has just added a whopping great extension to his home or his wife is just back from Turkey with bright white shiny teeth, don’t you worry your wee head. Pray for your neighbour, bless him with kindness and work to further all that good which is his. It is in this manner that you protect your heart from covetousness and bring glory to the Gospel of Christ. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q66 What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment? The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God’s glory, and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment.
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23rd April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:3-6)


Message (Alan Burke)


There seems to be a great deal of confusion in places today even in the church in regard what we are about, what the mission of the church is which is sometimes referred to as ‘Missio Dei’ the mission of God. Let’s say you get a builder in and you ask him to put an extension on the house and instead he spends his time focusing on landscaping your garden and while he adds an extension it is just a place to put your new fancy lawnmower that cuts the grass for you. You might appreciate the work that he’s done in the garden but at the same time it’s not what he was there for, if you want the garden done you get a landscape gardener. Or how about you eventually get an appointment with the Dr and she spends the whole time focused on your hair and makeup when you’ve got a discharge coming out of your knee? You might need the hair and makeup sorted just like I do but you’d have gone to the hairdresser and the beautician but not the Dr. Well here Paul is thankful for the church in Philippi because of their partnership in the gospel and it reminds us what we are about as the church, for it is first and foremost about the gospel. The partnership that Paul and the church in Philippi was focused on the gospel. 


Paul and the Church in Philippi shared a common bond and had a common purpose in the gospel. Gospel literarily meaning good news. The gospel is good news, it’s good news not like what you hear on the BBC or on social media or you hear from the neighbour about the grandchildren it is the good news that Jesus is the Christ, he is the Messiah the Son of God the saviour of sinners he has come and taken our place and the wrath that was due to us so that we might be forgiven. This is what the church is about, this is our bread and butter, we’re not trying to redeem society, fix world hunger it is about the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. This means in those whom we have partnership with as was the case for Paul it is this that should be first and foremost what we share with whoever we partner with. That we as the church as the people of God are focused on the good news of Jesus Christ so that others may come to know him as their saviour. 


The partnership that the church in Philippi had with Paul was holistic, what I mean by that is that it kept the main thing the main thing ie the gospel but it also saw the church minister to Paul in practical ways, materially and personally. For the church in Philippi had sent help financially to Paul but they had also sent Epaphroditus to Paul with a gift, to minister to him, to give him personal care and attention when he was in prison. Think to how much that would have meant to Paul in his present lying in a dungeon that makes Maghaberry look like a six star hotel. This partnership also worked both ways for Paul was going to send Timothy to them to help the church in Philippi in what they faced because he was concerned for them (2:19-25), so their partnership went both ways and it was an ongoing partnership in the gospel. For us we should never forget what the church is about, it is about the gospel and of course as we live according to the truth of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ it will impact on how we live and the society around us but primarily it is about Christ Jesus. There are many people and organisations that want to fix the world but in all we do, in who we partner with we want to see peoples relationship with God fixed before it is too late. In doing this we pray, we give, we live according to what Christ has done for us.  


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q65 What is forbidden in the fifth commandment? 
A. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing anything against, the honor and duty which belongeth to every one in their several places and relations.
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22nd April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20v17)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Do you know what an “influencer” is? The world is increasingly full of such people and they make a fortune pushing their influence online. You may have heard of “van living” which sums up the life of many of these so called influencers. Van life sees people living in a van and travelling the world earning money through their internet content. Imagine waking up in the back of your custom built van at the side of some beach in South America before having freshly picked avocados for breakfast - that certainly beats the freezing winter rain at 6:30am when you head to work on a dark November morning.


It shouldn’t surprise us that the influence of the influencers goes far and wide particularly among a new generation who are utterly dissatisfied with their lot. Is there something wrong with making plans? By no means but I think much of modern life is bathed in covetousness. Thomas Watson was a Christian from another age and he described coveting as “the insatiable desire of getting the world.” Why settle for less when you can have it all?


The Lord is not silent and as His commandments come to a close He declares "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s." Your neighbour may currently be on a six month world cruise but your life shouldn’t be spent looking over the garden fence and wishing you could join him.


Interestingly there are seven parts to the final commandment. We are not to desire our neighbour’s house, wife, male servant, female servant, ox, donkey or anything that belongs to him. Seven is the perfect number in Scripture and therefore the Lord leaves us no room to covet anything big or small. We should completely and totally shun all kinds of covetousness.


What’s the problem? To covet is to shun our nose at the blessings of the Lord and to demand something more. Do you remember the rich fool (Luke 12v16-21)? He was blessed with an abundant crop but didn’t pause to be thankful. He immediately set about building bigger barns. The man’s life was later taken from him and he didn’t get to kick back and enjoy his abundant possessions. There is nothing in this life which is permanent, all of it fades and we cannot hold on to anything.


Yet Samuel Rutherford was right when he said “Those who gain Christ lose nothing.” There is much more to life than our possessions - faith in Christ is more precious than gold.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q64 What is required in the fifth commandment? The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.
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21st April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 1:3-6)


Message (Alan Burke) 


You’ve got a face on you like a Lurgan spade! Ok you may not have and it just may be the sleep in your eyes as you lift that the little pocket dictator up (mobile phone) and read this devotion or you may not even know what I’m referring to and if you don’t to have ‘a face like a Lurgan spade’ means that you look miserable or long faced, got that scowl on you. If you have a face on you like a Lurgan spade there may be good reason, it may be that you’ve looked in the mirror and realised you’re not 16 anymore, or you’ve looked over at the empty space beside you, maybe it’s because you know what awaits you the rest of the day as you head to hospital for tests and you already know what is coming it could be any number of things. I do not mean to belittle what is going on in your life at the moment, why you have a face on you like a Lurgan spade nor am I going say you know that “there are many people worse off than you”. For while that may be true and people often say it to me there is something much deeper I want to take you to and that is the joy that we can have even in the midst of what we face. 


We come here to these verses remember that Paul is languishing in prison. His experience would make Maghaberry prison look like a six star hotel so then the question that we should ask is how is he able to thank God in his remembrance of the church in Philippi making his prayer with joy? We might think to ourselves that Paul is off his trolley that he should be in Holywell Hospital maybe that’s why he was languishing in prison but it’s not. He is able to say these things, because he has a genuine affection for them even in the midst of what he faced, he was able to pray with joy and be thankful for them even though I’m sure there would have been a few numpties and old trouts among them. He was able to pray with joy because he had joy. The thing is we often confuse joy with feelings of great pleasure and happiness, joy does not come naturally to people, nor does it comes with the pleasures that people take as substitutes for joy and the reason is that they are only ever substitutes for joy, true joy is because joy only comes by the work of the Holy Spirit within us, it is the fruit of the Spirit within us. The reason why Paul had joy was because of the Holy Spirits work within him. 


Joy is something that doesn’t come naturally, it isn’t just a feeling of great pleasure and happiness as many people confuse it with, joy is the work of God and it is something that we need to cultivate, it’s not just something that happens it is something that we are to look for in our walk with God. The letter of James helps us to understand that a little more where in chapter 1 we are told us 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds… (Jam 1:2). There James makes the point that when trouble comes to us, and it does we face the miseries of this life because of the fall, because of sin, so when troubles come we can gain from them. We can either allow those things to define us or we can experience the joy that is in Christ, the hope that we have. Hebrews 12 tells us how to do this, where it says; Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:1–2. 


Jesus was able to endure much because he knew of the joy that lay ahead. Our joy is not in temporal circumstances but in the eternal reality that we have, that was how Paul was able to write while languishing in prison praying with joy in the midst of his circumstances. While some look to pleasures as substitutes, they think that joy is a feeling of great pleasure and great happiness, looking to their circumstances in life, things like money, fame, pleasure, family, none of those things give joy. True joy is only found in the Lord and the hope of what lies ahead. For Paul and for us the source of our joy is in the Lord himself and what he has done.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q63 Which is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
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19th April 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20v16)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


It often strikes me as odd but nevertheless a moment 36 years ago still frustrates me. I was in P7 and one day after lunch a girl from my class was crying uncontrollably. The teacher calmed her down and when she composed herself she told the whole class that I punched her and pushed her face into a wall during lunch. I can admit that I was no angel in school but on that day I can truthfully say I was nowhere near this girl. I pleaded my innocence but the teacher could see no reason for the girl to lie and so I spent the next few days isolated in a room in the old part of the school. I was warned that I was on my last chance, I wasn’t to talk to my accuser and I was a thoroughly nasty piece of work.


Even writing these words causes some bitterness and I have never understood the girl’s motives. Did she mix me up with someone else or did she know full well what she was doing? I once upon a time saw her name on Facebook and I briefly thought about contacting her, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed.


What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? “The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence; suborning false witnesses; wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause; out-facing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence; calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery; concealing the truth; undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calleth for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful and equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice; speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, tale-bearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; flattering, vain-glorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others; denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults; hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession; unnecessary discovering of infirmities; raising false rumours, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defence; evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any, endeavouring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy; scornful contempt; fond admiration; breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report; and practicing or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name.”


Did you get all of that? Read it again and let the challenge sink in. We are so quick to break the ninth commandment that it makes a mockery of anyone who believes they have kept God’s moral law fully. We are forbidden from giving false evidence, forbidden from promoting evil, forbidden from staying silent when we should speak, forbidden from misconstruing the words of others, forbidden from using truth in a sinful manner, forbidden from lying, forbidden from backbiting, forbidden from gossip, forbidden from twisting the intentions or others and forbidden from a whole raft of breaches of God’s ninth commandment.


My P7 accuser was wrong but I have no grounds to play the victim. How many times have I aggravated the smaller faults of others and ignored the massive log in my own eye? How often have I opened my ears to slander instead of closing them? How frequently do I deny the gifts and graces of my neighbour?


I was thoroughly humiliated and rebuked back in P7 but I am often worse than my accuser’s sharpest barbs. It was CH Spurgeon who once said “If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him. For you are worse than he thinks you to be.” How true! May God have mercy on us for we are sinners worse than anyone bar Him could ever know! 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q62 What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment? The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, God’s allowing us six days of the week for our own employments, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the Sabbath day.