Year 2 Day 58
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 2:13-17 Message - Alan Burke ‘A man is known by the company he keeps’, isn’t that right, that’s what we’ve been taught. ‘Birds of a feather flock together’ and all that. Keep that in your mind as we think of what Jesus does here. He had just called Levi who, if there was an award for scumbag of the year a strong contender. After all Levi was a tax collector, they were seen as no better than murders, they were seen as collaborators with the enemy, and as the account of the calling of Levi continues we are now told of Jesus having dinner in Levi’s house and there were many tax collectors and sinners eating with him. There Jesus was hanging out with the social pariahs. It’s like today saying Jesus was eating with loansharks, people traffickers, paramilitaries, drug dealers, money launders, fraudsters, abusers, prostitutes, sinners. These were the despised of the day, the outcasts of society and Jesus was eating with. He did more than preach repentance to sinners; he befriend sinners. Those that he ate with were the people that the religious leaders had no time for and Jesus reclines at the table with them, eating and drinking, having conversation with them, and the religious leaders were outside looking in indignant. We’ve heard this before haven’t we, Jesus eating with sinners, but take the time to think just how scandalous this was, how shocking, how outrageous. None of what Jesus was doing and how he associated himself with people like this was lost on the religious leaders, the teachers of the law, these were the scribes, and we see in verse 16 that shock when they saw him eating with the ““sinners”, and tax collectors, they asked his disciples “why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” To them Jesus was compromised. They couldn’t believe it, to them it was unforgivable, it was a disgrace. Notice here that Jesus does not make any demand on those who he eats with, he is not there with a list of conditions of how they should behave in his presence, that they transform their behaviour. If it was could expect the scribes to have applauded him. Instead here we have something scandalous, Jesus is meeting people where they are, he’s not coming with demands, he is instead initiating fellowship, friendship, were not told if any of them repented and reformed instead he meets them where they are at. Jesus could have talked to them in the street, made demands on them but he didn’t. ‘A man is known by the company he keeps’, ’Birds of a feather flock together’ and Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. I’m going to ask some questions and it might touch a few nerves. Have we so isolated ourselves from the world around us that we have diminished our witness? Do we make ‘church’ the things that we do as the people of God and in the busyness avoid contact with the world around us, in effect are we a middle class social club? Do we prefer to use christian doctors, christian dentists, christian plumbers, christian vets, christian window cleaners, etc etc, that we end up not being in the company of those who believe other than when we have to? Has our desire to live a life that brings glory to God in Christ Jesus, that we actually living in a way means we are not living like Jesus Christ, that we are not being what we are call to be and that is imitators of Jesus Christ our Saviour (1 Cor 11:1)? I’m not suggesting for a second that we live recklessly, that we put ourselves in places of risk, after all we are “not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2). Yet Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC 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. (Deut. 5:16, Eph. 6:2–3)
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Year 2 Day 57
Pray (ACts) Read - Acts 18v18-23 Message - Scott Woodburn Todays passage is easily skipped when we read through Acts 18. We read names and places and travel places and can quite rapidly move to the next "good" part of the story. Yet as we slow down we can't help but notice something strange. Paul arrives at Cenchreae and cuts his hair "for he was under a vow." (v18). Mmmmmmm...interesting...what is going on with Paul and his hair? If you've ever read the book of Numbers then perhaps you remember the vow of the Nazirite in chapter six. The one making such a vow would stay away from wine and strong drink. He would let his hair grow and not touch it with a razor. He would stay away from the dead and essentially devote himself to the Lord before ending the vow by shaving the hair from his body. So did Paul make a Nazirite vow? I don't think so. If this had been such a vow then Paul would have been bound to take his shaved hair to Jerusalem and offer a sacrifice there. Paul doesn't do this so I suspect we shouldn't take this cryptic verse to mean that Paul had taken the vow of the Nazirite. So what then? I believe that what we see here is Paul cutting his hair to signify the end of a personal vow that he had made to the Lord. In the reformed faith we speak of oaths and vows. An oath involves both men and God, usually when a person makes a promise to another and takes God as a witness. A vow on the other hand is a promise made directly to God. The Lord Jesus warns us against taking empty and foolish oaths and vows (Matthew 5v33-37) but it is appropriate on certain occasions to vow seriously unto the Lord. Perhaps Paul took this vow as an act of thanksgiving for the Lord's protection? We can't be sure but we can be confident that the Apostle took such an act incredibly seriously. Is it appropriate for us to take such a vow? On certain occasions, yes but firstly be aware of what a vow is not. We do not use vows as a way to "butter up" God. For example "Lord if you answer my prayers I promise I'll go back to church." Such a vow should not leave your lips. The Lord is not a toy to be played with or manipulated. Instead a vow comes from a thankful and contrite heart. For example "Lord God I have come to realise that I have grown lazy in prayer. I promise for the next month that I will pray each day before breakfast." or "Father you have moved powerfully in my life. I vow that for the next week I will fast each day until dinner and spend the saved time in praise." Such vows are not to be heralded. They are not reason for you to boast to your friends. You have promised to the Lord, so take your vows seriously and perform what you have promised. Do not act under the gaze of man but instead carry out your promises before the gaze of God alone. "When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?" (Ecclesiastes 5v4-6) Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q65 What is forbidden in the fifth commandment? 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. Year 2 Day 56
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 2:13-17 Message - Alan Burke We all pay taxes, none of us like to pay them, we don’t think to ourselves, great a tax increase, I’ll vote for the guy who promises to increase taxes. Yet taxes are an important fact of national life and without them many of the things we take for granted wouldn’t be there. We might think it would be great to have taxes abolished but imagine the implications, the NHS would disappear, roads would crumble, we’d have to go back to homeschooling, the street lights would go out. The Romans may not have had street lights or an NHS but they still needed taxes to run their economy. Taxes that were raised by tax farmers called publicans in each part of the empire. Once more Jesus is on the move, large crowds had come to him, he was teaching them, and off in the distance he spots a man sitting at the tax booth called Levi and he was a tax collector. Jesus calls this man to follow him and Levi got up and followed him. It can be easy for us to miss but this call confronts us with how scandalous, how shocking, how outrageous, how undeserving grace is that should cause us all to sit up and marvel. Because if there was an award for scumbag of the year Levi would have been a strong contender. As Levi and all tax collectors were seen as so dishonest and were so hated that even the Pharisees taught that “It is righteous to lie and deceive a tax collector.”. They taught that lying to a tax collector was morally good. Tax collectors couldn’t be witness in court, they were lumped together with murders, they couldn’t go to synagogue, their family would have been seen as dirt, even the second cousin twice removed. They were collaborators, those who worked for the enemy, they were hated as much as informants in Nazi and Communist regimes, they were loathed. Yet Jesus calls Levi to follow him, this is scandalous. Luke tells us that “Levi got up, left everything and followed him” (Lk 5:28) this was a decisive act. He gave up his business, livelihood, everything, and there was no going back. You weren’t going to be re employed by the Romans and he was unemployable anywhere else. This is such an unexpected call, to an unexpected person that it shouldn’t be lost on us. This call of Levi is not the exception to the mission of Jesus but rather typical of it. This call confronts us with how scandalous, how shocking, how outrageous, how undeserving grace is that should cause us all to sit up and marvel because at the heart of it Jesus called sinners, Levi was a sinner yet Jesus called him. It is not the righteous that Jesus came to call but sinners! Jesus came for sinners, and indeed that is good news. For even though we may not see ourselves, we are all sinners, we have nothing to plead before God, we can’t say surely I have done enough, for all have sinned and fall short of his glory (Rom 3:23). Jesus comes for those who have no righteousness, those who have nothing to offer, sinners like you and me. The grace of God is scandalous, shocking, outrageous, undeserved and it should cause us all to sit up and marvel, be filled with praise to our Great God! Pray (acTS) Sing WSC 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, (Eph. 5:21) inferiors, (1 Pet. 2:17) or equals. (Rom. 12:10) Year 2 Day 54
Pray (ACts) Read - Acts 18v1-17 Message - Scott Woodburn Paul arrives in Corinth and comes into the company of a husband and wife called Aquila and Priscilla. They had been put out of Rome by the Emperor Claudius who had expelled the Jews from the city in 49AD (v2). They become a blessing to Paul allowing him to stay with them and to engage in some manual work, for Paul and his new friends shared tent making as their trade (v3). Paul would need all the friends he could get. He preached in the synagogue each week (v4) but was soon opposed and reviled (v6). Later the Jews would unite against him and drag him before the Roman tribunal Gallio (v12). Thankfully Gallio wanted nothing to do with the accusations and urged the Jews to sort the matter out themselves (v15). In fact Gallio was so disinterested that when Sosthenes was beaten up in front of him, he did nothing to stop it (v17). We can't be sure about the identity of Sosthenes. He is described as a ruler of the synagogue (v17) and later in 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks of our brother Sosthenes. Perhaps they're one and the same? We can't be sure but we do know that even in the midst of opposition, Paul's preaching was met with success. We meet Titius Justus, a worshiper of God (v7). Then there is Crispus a ruler of the synagogue who also came to believe (v8). Indeed many Corinthians received Paul's message and were baptised as a result (v8b). In many ways Paul's experience in Corinth is similar to the experience of the church today. There will be encouragement mixed with opposition. There will be conversions met with the fury of the enemy. How can we stand in such days? Together and without fear. Paul stood shoulder to shoulder with his brothers and sisters in the church. They encouraged him, they supported him, they prayed with and for him. In the ministry of the Gospel he did not stand alone. Indeed the Lord tells Paul in a vision that He has many people in the city of Corinth (v10). Brothers and sisters, me must stand together. The Christian walk is tough enough without Christian cliques and divisions. Talk together, fellowship together, pray together, stand together and do it all without fear. Paul knew opposition everywhere he went. He was seen as a traitor to many and was always just a mob away from a beating or worse. Yet the Lord tells him not to be afraid (v9). He is to speak up and not be silent for the Lord will protect him. This is certainly easier read than believed but it remains true. So brothers and sisters, stand together in the work without fear, for the One who is at work in you is greater than the one in the world (1 John 4v4). Jesus said "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12v4-7) Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q63 Which is the fifth commandment? The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Year 2 Day 53
Pray (ACts) Read - Romans 3:21-26, Galatians 4:4-6 Message - Alan Burke On Wednesday we thought about that glorious exchange that takes place, as our sin is imputed to Christ Jesus. It means we can come before God the Father, as God the Son became the most vile sinner that ever was, as he atoned for our sin he became cursed so we could escape that curse. This saving work is applied to us by the work of God the Spirit. As a result of what God has done, Father, Son and Spirit we are justified, adopted and sanctified. These words sum up the benefits that are applied to us that moment that the Spirit calls us and we are united with Christ. The first of which we think about is ‘justification’, as we are made right by God (Rom 3:24-25). As God pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, as the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. The basis of our justification is the work of Jesus Christ. That moment the Spirit calls us we are justified, we receive God’s unmerited favour through the work of Christ. When our faith is weak we remain justified because it is Christ himself who is the basis for God’s righteous verdict. We are also adopted as sons (Gal 4:4-5). This means our status changes, we move from being enemies of God to the people of God to being a child. For that is what happens, as the Spirit works in us our status changes, we are no longer “strangers and aliens” to the people of God but “members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). To be adopted is to be able to stand where Jesus always stood, looking at God and calling Him “Abba.” Jesus, who always addressed God as “My Father,” teaches His people to call God, “Our Father.” (Gal 4:6). God will never cast us out of His family. He is not waiting for us to cross the finish line before He signs the adoption papers and makes us His children forever. We are His children in Christ, and just as He will never cast out Christ, He will never cast us out (John 6:37). Finally sanctification. As we are set apart for God, for his for His use to be made Holy. Sanctification is immediate as we are made holy but also an ongoing and progressive work in our lives. Although every believer is brought out once and for all, from bondage to sin, we are not immediately made perfect. We will not be completely freed from sin until we receive our resurrection bodies at the last day. In Romans chapter 8:29 we are told how God works in those who are his own to conform them into the image of his Son. As the Spirit works us, God graciously helps us to grow more and more into the likeness of Christ our Saviour. As we become increasingly Christlike, as the “fruit of the Spirit” is progressively formed in us (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 4:19; 5:22–25). All this means is that right now, if you call on Christ by faith, you are justified! You are, right now, adopted as sons and daughters into the family of God! You are, even now in the middle of your battle against indwelling sin, in your battle against the old nature, being sanctified made holy! Believer, this is your reality right here and right now, while we will see this fully consummated at the second coming of Christ when all things are made new do not miss the fact that this is our present reality. Let this grand and glorious truth strengthen you daily, minister to your soul, and lead you to praise our great God, who is indeed mighty to save. 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, (Exod. 20:9) his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the sabbath-day. (Exod. 20:11) Year 2 Day 52
Pray (ACts) Read - Acts 17v16-34 Message - Scott Woodburn Paul's address begins exactly at the level of his audience. Athens was filled with idols to false gods and they even had an altar "to the unknown god" (v23). They were so "religious" that they took care not to annoy any god that they hadn't yet identified. Paul was more than happy to fill in the blank. The unknown god was now proclaimed by the Apostle. The Lord God almighty made the world and everything in it (v24a) and He doesn't need temples made by man (v24b) nor does He require anything from human hands (v25a). Indeed the Lord gives to humanity everything they need, not the other way around (v25b). He made every nation on earth from on man called Adam (v26) and He rules over every nation setting times and boundaries for each one. If the nations sought God they might find Him (v27a) but actually He is quite near. To prove his point Paul quotes from the Greeks themselves. Epimenides said "In him we live and move and have our being" and Aratus wrote "For we are indeed his offspring." (v28). Both men did not know the one true God but they spoke truth. Without the Lord the universe would collapse, in him we live and move and have our being. Without the Lord we would not exist, he made us, we are his offspring. Therefore, says Paul, we shouldn't think God can be imagined or formed by man or shaped into gold or silver or stone (v29). We do not keep God in a box or in a temple. We do not rub a magic lamp and get three wishes. The Lord is a great God and King and He has fixed a day that He will judge the world in righteousness (v31). Jesus will be the judge on that day and we are assured of this by Christ's resurrection (v31b). The response was mixed. Some mocked the notion that the dead would be raised to life (v32) but others wanted to hear more from Paul (v32b). Still others came to trust Christ (v34). We should never doubt that our message will sound strange in the ears of many. The Christian faith is an extraordinary one with multiple supernatural claims. God Himself took on flesh. God Himself died upon a cross. God Himself stood again from death. Brothers and sisters, do not be embarrassed by your faith or the claims it makes. Let God be true though every one were a liar (Romans 3v4) Instead, as Paul once did, we present the claims of the Gospel faithfully. The message may be mocked and we may face the scorn of the crowd but we continue to speak the truth of the Gospel. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" (Romans 1v16-17) Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q61 What is forbidden in the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations. Year 2 Day 51
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 1:40-54 Message - Alan Burke Do you remember the days that people that weren’t in your bubble use to give you hugs or at least try anyway? Some of us are huggers, some of us aren’t, and for some of us those days can’t return quickly enough, while for others the longer social distancing remains the better. One of my dear friends isn’t a hugger, in fact before the pandemic hit if you got within 2 meters of him, he’d slowly back off just incase you were about to hug him. But since the pandemic, we have all experienced that, we have approached people only to see them back away, while others have approached us and we’ve backed away. People don't get to close and wont touch other people, they have been scared of the covid and then there is that moment when someone coughs and everyone scatters. In a limited way we have seen others as being unclean. This man with leprosy was unclean. In effect what that meant was that everyone would have kept their distance, people would have saw him approaching and turned on their heals, crossed the street, avoid him. Actually they normally wouldn’t have had to, because if you had leprosy you had to live outside populated areas either with other leapers or alone. You were excluded in every way from society, this was like permanent quarantine but not in your own home, instead in a shack somewhere well removed from civilisation. You were excluded from every part of normal life and you were excluded from the worship of God, as lepers could not come to the temple (Lev. 13:45–46). This man though comes to Jesus, begs him to make him clean. The fella goes against every social distancing regulation at the time, all to come to Jesus because he is in no doubt of Jesus’ ability to heal him. What we are told is that Jesus has compassion, and immediately he was healed. But look at the warning, first he is to tell no one, and then he is present himself to the priest to offer sacrifices. This was so the man could re enter the general population. We are not told if the man went to the priest, and he didn’t keep quiet, as a result news spread and Jesus was forced to the outside lonely places. Jesus and the man with leprosy exchanged places, the leprous man was once more able to re enter the general populous and Jesus was forced out. Sin means that we cannot approach a holy God, we cannot come into his presence, but there is a great exchange that was made on our behalf. Our sin was placed on Jesus, his righteousness on us, our uncleanness for his cleanness. It means we can come before God the Father, as God the Son became the most vile sinner that ever was as he atoned for our sin, he became cursed so we could escape that curse, and his saving work is applied to us by the work of God the Spirit. Don’t loose sight of what our God has done for us who are unclean, wretched sinners, the exchange that has taken place. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q60 How is the Sabbath to be sanctified? The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, (Exod. 20:8,10, Exod. 16:25–28) even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; (Neh. 13:15–19) and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’ s worship, (Luke 4:16, Acts 20:7, Ps. 92, Isa. 66:23) except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. (Matt. 12:1–31) Year 2 Day 50
Pray (ACts) Read - Acts 17v16-34 Message - Scott Woodburn The culture and heritage of the ancient Greeks is revered to this day and yet when Paul walked through Athens "his spirit was provoked within him". What caused such anguish? Everywhere Paul went he was surrounded by idols. The Greeks honoured a wide range of false gods and archaeology has shown that the Athenian marketplace was littered with statues to Themis the god of justice, Eueteria the god of prosperity, Apollo the god of music, Hekate the goddess of magic, Hermes the messenger of the gods, Zeus the god of the sky and Athena the goddess of wisdom. No wonder Paul's spirit was so grieved! Humans are so inventive when it comes to idol worship. We imagine gods in our own image and pour out our love and attention upon them. Yet the one true God is clear, He does not tolerate rivals. In His moral law written on tablets of stone He says "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20v3-6) Idolatry is a grave sin and the idolator walks a path that leads to hell. Paul knew the danger that the Athenians were in and so he began to reason in the synagogues and the marketplace (v17). Soon Paul's message began to filter throughout the city and he was approached by Epicureans and Stoics who wished to converse. The Epicureans saw nothing to fear in the gods while the Stoics were pantheists - god in all things. Some thought Paul was a babbler (v18) while others thought he was preaching foreign gods. Regardless they took him to the Areopagus to present his "new" teaching. At that place there were people who spent their lives telling and hearing new things (v21). We can often scoff at the ancient world. They thought themselves so enlightened and yet they seem so primitive to us. Really though, not much has changed. Humanity is still obsessed with the "new". Humanity still excels at building false idols. Humanity still pretends to be wise in the midst of foolishness. Today Christ is not a lifestyle choice or just another option among many so called gods. He is the way, the truth and the life. Many still reject Him and count Christianity as foolish "but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1v24) If we would be truly wise then we cannot avoid Jesus. He is not like Zeus or the other gods of stone who cannot hear or speak. Jesus is wisdom. Jesus is the word. Jesus is Lord. "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1v1-3) Listen to Him! Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q59 Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath? From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week, ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath. Year 2 Day 49
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 1:35-39 Message - Alan Burke We can all get to the stage where we just want some peace and quiet from the world, we’ve been busy, the phone hasn’t stopped, we’ve been running after the kids, sorting out the house or the garden, trying to do too many things at once and getting no where near what we would want to achieve, achieved. Or maybe that’s just me. It would have been late in the evening before the crowds had dissipated, well into the night, it had been a busy day, he had taught, cast out evil spirits, healed the sick and now we are told very early in the morning Jesus goes off to pray, he needs solitude. Then the disciples all in a tizzy come out to him and they in effect say “Jesus what are you at, there are more important things to be doing that what your doing, lets return”. These disciples saw the crowds coming, the momentum building and likely their preconceived ideas of the coming of the Kingdom of God was making them think “this is it, let’s ride this wave”. Look though to the response of Jesus, verse 38, as Jesus makes it clear he wasn’t interested in the fleeting adulation of the crowd and tells them “let’s go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come” Were not told of any further discussion, no doubt they would have been gobsmacked, what on earth. But Jesus came to preach to all of Israel, to preach of how the kingdom of God is near, to preach “repent and believe the good news” (14). His mission was not to heal the sick or preform signs and wonders, they were secondary to the message he preached and what he came to do. In his moving on from there he takes another step closer to his ultimate purpose to die on the cross to save sinners. Jesus was both the messenger and the message, there is no good news without him. More often than not were like those disciples who ran to Jesus eager to do something than spending time looking to our heavenly Father in prayer, we are more keen to ‘do’ than to ‘pray’, but we need to be dependant on God, our need for his help, I need to remember this in all I do and so do we all. We are also the importance of the proclaimed word, the preached word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). Jesus priority was declaring the kingdom of God the importance of repentance and faith, as soon as this isn’t our priority then we have erred grievously, this is our primary task as the church. To preach the good news, the gospel should not be secondary, the stuff we do doesn’t matter unless the priority is what we proclaim. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q58 What is required in the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself. (Deut. 5:12–14) Year 2 Day 47
Pray (ACts) Read - Acts 17v10-15 Message - Scott Woodburn How do you listen to a sermon? Do you make sure that you've enough sweets? Do you keep an eye on your watch throughout? Do you take notes? Are you teachable? Again, how do you listen to a sermon? Let's be honest we don't always appreciate a sermon. Perhaps it's too long so we tune out. Perhaps we are smarter than the preacher and we can only be taught by the really good online preachers. Perhaps we just think sermons are a little bit old fashioned. Isn't there a better way to do things? Let me raise the flag for preaching. Why do we preach? Because preaching is the means appointed by God to convert sinners and build His church. Paul writes "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1v21) Preaching seems foolish in the eyes of the world but it is the means that God promises to bless. The Word preached and the Spirit's work sees even the hardest hearted sinner saved. So preaching converts sinners and additionally preaching builds the Christian. Again Paul is clear, he writes "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3v16-17) If you want to grow as a Christian, that growth comes as you sit under the word preached. It may not be glamorous and it certainly takes discipline and work, but Christian growth only comes under the sound of the Word preached. We don't always enjoy preaching but even in a few brief paragraphs we see that the Lord takes its seriously and therefore so should we. So back to the opening question - how do you listen to a sermon? Paul and Silas arrive in Berea which was a town in northern Greece. As was their custom they went immediately to the synagogue (v10) and began to preach. The Berean Jews are described as more noble than the troublemakers in Thessalonica. In Berea these individuals received the word with all eagerness and they searched the Scriptures daily to see if Paul's teaching was true (v11). Here is how we are to listen. We understand that the Word preached is a blessing from God to our souls. We may not like the preacher. We might be tired on Sunday morning. We might think we have better things to do, but brothers and sisters, if you have faithful preaching regularly offered...receive it eagerly. The days are coming when no one will endure sound teaching...don't be one of those people. Prepare yourself to receive the Word. Pray before church that the Lord will help you listen. Pray before the sermon that all distractions would flee. Listen well to what is preached with your Bible open and when you get home continue in the word to see if what has been said is true. It all sounds like too much hard work but how many hours of Netflix do you rack up each week? How often are you on Facebook? How many photos of your dinner do you put on Instagram? Brothers and sisters we can expect no growth in ourselves or our church until we take seriously the means by which God has promised to bless us. "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10v17) Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q57 Which is the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it. |
Alan
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