30th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - Mark 12:1-12


Message Alan Burke 


Imagine owing a house or a pice of land and you have it let out, but the tenant abuses it. That is what we have here in Mark 12, we’ve already established how this parable is directed towards the chief priests, the scribes and the elders who are there and no one is in any doubt of that fact. The tenants beat some of the servants, others they killed and as we get to v6 with no-one left to send that the owner sends his son, whom he loved. The owner believes that they will respect him. What we have here is the owner sending his son who has legal claim on the vineyard, the vineyard is the sons, it is not the tenants. While the servants were sent as messengers the son is being sent as the heir of the vineyard, he goes as one with authority for it is his. 


But then the tenants conspire together to kill the son, and when they have killed him they threw him out of the the vineyard. The last piece of information there is insightful for those who were not buried and to a Jew it would have been understood that this man, the son, was as a result cursed by God. The tenants mistreated and killed many of the servants that were sent and finally kill the son that was sent. 


In essence this parable that Jesus tells to them is an account of the history of Israel. Jesus was speaking to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders and they would have heard his words and it would have brought back to their own minds what they indeed intended to do. If you look back just a few verses, to the events that happened the day before in verse 18, where we are told; “The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching (11:18). 


Jesus here was prophetically speaking of what indeed would come about. But notice the parable doesn’t stop with the death of the son, for the owner of the vineyard unlike the prophecy that the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah where the owner came and destroyed the vineyard, this time the owner would come and kill the tenants and give the vineyard to others. What here is being alluded to is the destruction of the temple (AD 70), the sacrificial system, all that the chief priests, the scribes and the elders held dear would become worthless and the vineyard would be given to the Gentles, tenants who will seek to give the Lord fruit. 


Throughout the history of his people, God gave opportunities, many more than many of us would have given them if we are honest about it. What we have is the repeating cycle of opportunity given and opportunity rejected. Instead of taking the opportunities they were given more often than not they ignored them, they continued to carry on regardless. Notice that God’s patients here in this parable doesn’t go on forever with his people, there comes a time when the opportunities are gone and what comes is judgment. The world is slightly different, they are not just apathetic they are hostile to the gospel, they have rejected the rule of God and every time they hear it or they see it lived in his people they hate it and they desire to silence his word and his people. They live with no regard for the Lord or his judgement, yet their defiance just like that of the tenants in the vineyard will only lead to judgement. Our entire lives are the vineyard itself, that is, that our lives everything we have we should be treating it like we’re the tenants, what we have been given is the vineyard, everything we have is God’s, that breath in your lungs, God’s, that strength in your hands, that roofs over our heads, that money in the bank or under the mattress, all of it has been given to you by God and the question is how are you using it, how are you honouring the Lord with those things, or are you trying to keep what is yours from the Lord who has given you everything?  


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Q86 What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, (Heb. 10:39) whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel. (John 1:12, Isa. 26:3–4, Phil. 3:9, Gal. 2:16)
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29th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 25v1-13)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Have you ever heard the phrase "fail to prepare, prepare to fail"? It has been attributed to the American founding father Benjamin Franklin, although there is no evidence to suggest that Franklin ever said or wrote such a phrase. Regardless of where the wisdom came from, it has a certain amount of truth to it. Imagine you and yours are hoping to head off camping this weekend. You'll need a tent, food, water, sleeping bags and a host of other items to make your trip a success. What I suspect you wouldn't do is just jump into the car on Friday afternoon and start driving without any thought or consideration to the trip that lies ahead.


In the same fashion, Jesus taught a parable about five wise virgins and five foolish ones (v2). The ladies were all invited to a wedding but unfortunately the bridegroom was delayed well into the night causing the ladies to fall asleep (v5). For the wise virgins this really wasn't an issue as they had brought extra oil for their lamps (v4). They were prepared for the bridegroom's arrival regardless of the length of delay. The foolish virgins had given no thought to extra oil and so they were utterly unprepared for the bridegroom's arrival when midnight came (v6).


The foolish virgins asked to borrow some oil from the wise virgins, but there wasn't enough to go round (v8-9). Instead they hurried off to buy some oil from the local dealers. Tragically while the five virgins were oil shopping, the bridegroom arrived, the wedding feast started and the door was shut (v10). The five wise virgins were inside at the feast while the five foolish virgins were locked outside crying "Lord, lord open to us." (v11). The lord's answer should not be missed, he said "Truly, I say to you, I do not know you." (v12). The foolish virgins had been invited but they had failed to act upon that invitation.


This parable teaches us the need for being prepared for the arrival of Christ the bridegroom. The time to receive and rest in Christ is now, the Gospel is urgent now, the day of salvation is now. Christ's word is clear that He has died for sin, been raised for justification and is coming back in judgement. The response to this is repentance and faith. The one who believes in Christ is like the wise virgin who bought extra oil in preparation for the bridegroom's delayed arrival.


Not so the person who rejects Christ. They are like the foolish virgin who gave no consideration to the time of the bridegroom's arrival. They had failed to prepare and they were left outside in foolish disgrace. My friends the Gospel is a serious business and those who thumb their noses at Christ will find themselves left outside in the outer darkness of hell. There will be no second chance - the doors to heaven will be slammed shut.


Benjamin Franklin probably didn't say "fail to prepare, prepare to fail" but we heed its message regardless. Those who fail to prepare to meet the Lord are currently preparing themselves for a lost eternity. Don't be one of those fools! Behold the bridegroom is coming and coming soon, put preparations in place, repent and believe the Gospel.  


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Q85 What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin? To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.
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28th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - Mark 12:1-12


Message Alan Burke 


We are told of a man who planted a vineyard. A vineyard in Isreal in the first century was as common a sight as a dairy farm here, you go through the countryside you spot the dairy heard’s, while if you were going through the countryside of Isreal you’d spot the vineyards. The imagery of a vineyard would have been as familiar to those in Jesus day as a dairy farm is today.


This vineyard was planted by a man, who put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Notice the care and attention that is given here by the owner, what he does. To plant a vineyard there is lots of predatory work. His care was seen in how he put a wall around it, like a dry stone wall that we see out and about, there is a lot of time and effort here not only in the ground work, the planting but also in a wall that was built to keep primarily animals out but as well it would have been to keep people out. Building the winepress so that the fruit could be harvested and turned into wine and on top of all of that there he built a watchtower. 


The scale of what the man has done is vast, this isn’t just a back yard enterprise in someones garden in a bit of space they weren’t using. No, the watchtower makes it clear that this was on a commercial scale that clear. If you are building a watchtower it is so that someone can sit there and keep watch, this would have been for someone to be night and day to keep watch over the vineyard. Not just one person but likely two or three just employed to keep watch, that would have been their job to keep watch to make sure no animals are getting in or a thief doesn’t come in and steal the produce or seek to destroy the vineyard. All this detail is for a purpose, it is to say that the man has made all the preparation, done all the work, it should be ready to be fruitful and bear fruit in abundance, and at this stage we are told that the rented the vineyard to some farmers and went on a journey. The vineyard was leased, the owner still wants to keep an eye on his investment but his servants were rejected, beaten, killed and even his son was killed at their hands. 


If you take time to read Isaiah 5 you’ll read of a vineyard and the judgment that comes (Is 5:1-7). Jesus takes the imagery of Isaiah and uses it here. In Isaiah the vineyard is judged because of the fruit that it has borne, and the vineyard is representative of God’s people, in all it was worthless and a prophetic judgement on Isreal. But Jesus here in Mark’s gospel focuses not on the fruit producing vines, rather he focuses on the tenants of the vineyard. 


Jesus takes the imagery of Isaiah that would have been familiar to those whom he talked to and uses it to speak of the tenants because ultimately the vineyards failure is down to the failure of the leaders, they had for generations been in a place of trust but had failed to lead as they should. Now while I wont get into this on Sunday I will here. Our leaders have such a responsibility for the flock under their care, the vineyard that they are to look after, they should be diligent in their work and they need prayer, they need support, they need encouragement, you have a part to play. If you are reading this and you are in leadership in the church, are you watching over the vineyard, tending the vines, and this isn’t just the “ministers” job it’s the elders as well, and all of us have a part to play.


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Q84 What doth every sin deserve?
Every sin deserveth God’ s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come. (Eph. 5:6, Gal. 3:10, Lam. 3:39, Matt. 25:41)
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27th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 24v36-51)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


An American evangelist by the name of Harold Camping once promised that Jesus was coming back on the 21st May 2011. We're now twelve years past that date and, needless to say, Mr Camping was wrong. I've listened to Camping speak and he always struck me as a genuine man who truly loved Jesus but I can't for a moment fathom why he felt qualified to make a prediction about the return of Christ.


The Lord said “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (v36). It couldn't be much clearer. No one knows when Jesus is coming back and if anyone ever tells you that it is definitely next Wednesday, then you can politely tell them that they are talking nonsense.


Did you notice that Jesus said that not even the Son knows the time of His return? How can this be so? Our Christology says that Jesus is true God and true man and our Confession speaks of Christ's "two natures" saying "So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion." Therefore Christ could truly say that in His human nature He did not know the day or the hour of His return. He isn't a hybrid man nor is He a lesser God. Jesus is true God, true man, without sin and with two distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood. Jesus the man does not know the day or the hour. 


Nevertheless, although the time of Christ's return is known only by the Father, we can be certain that it will definitely happen. What will Christ's return be like? In a word - sudden. Jesus said that when the flood came in Noah's day, people were going about their business unaware that disaster was upon them (v37-39). Christ's return will be exactly the same. Two men will be at work in a field and one of them will be taken and the other left (v40). Two women will be grinding at a mill, one will be taken and one left (v40).


Where will these people be taken? Does the Bible teach a "secret rapture" with men and women simply disappearing and planes falling from the sky before life goes on? No. When Christ returns, His angels will gather the elect from every corner of the earth. It won't be secret but public, dramatic and extraordinary. If the owner of a house knew when his house would be broken into, he would stay awake and make sure the robbers were confronted (v43). In the same way we are to respond to the reality of Christ's return by staying alert and awake (v44). Jesus will return when the world least expects it, therefore Jesus says "you must be ready."


How can we be ready? Primarily by repenting of sin and putting our faith in Christ. Additionally we can busy ourselves with the work of the Lord (v45-46). Woe to the man who convinces himself that Jesus is not coming. Woe to the woman who rejects Christ because she thinks she has time on her side. Woe to the Presbyterian who stays at home instead of attending to the ordinary means of grace. The Christ denier will certainly be cast into hell where there is only weeping and gnashing of teeth (v51).


The temple was destroyed and remains in ruins to this day - here is our warning! Every word of Jesus has and will come to pass and none will fall to the ground empty. He is coming at an hour we do not expect and even now is at the gates! My friends...be ready.


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Q83 Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.
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26th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - Mark 12:1-12


Message Alan Burke 


Think through the parables in Mark’s gospel, the Parable of New Cloth and an Old Garment (2:21-22), The Divided Kingdom (3:23-27), The Sower (4:1-20), the Mustard Seed (4:30-34). Most of them are fair to say a little obtuse, what I mean by that is that they are not immediately clear and if you don’t believe me and you have a moment or two, go and have a look. Jesus even explained to his disciples why he told parables back in chapter 4, the reason why they were told in the way that they were, that they were obtuse it was so that those who were on the outside, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” Mk 4:11–12. 


But this parable that we come to today is different and it really doesn’t take much to figure out what Jesus is saying and who he is directing this parable towards, for it is directed at the chief priests, the scribes and the elders who are there. The end of this parable it also testifies to that truth because if you look down in v12 we are told, 12 Then they (the they being the chief priests, the scribes, the elders) looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them.


The vineyard is Isreal, the owner is the Lord, the tenants are the religious leaders, the servants who were went represent the prophets that were sent and often rejected, finally the son well it is Christ. Jesus was making it clear to them that God was displeased with them, he was displeased with their leadership. While they were to be those who cared and tended the vineyard on the behalf of the Lord God they had not done this, in fact they had used their position for their own gain and had not sought to honour the Lord God who had entrusted them with the vineyard, it’s an alogical parable about a vineyard which is all about them. 


We could be tempted to assume that as a result that there is nothing for us but  we would be wrong just to assume that. For here in this passage there is a challenge to us here as the church today. There are but two ways to respond to the messenger and the message, there is the wrong way to respond and there is the right way to respond, the right way is to becoming a servant of the Lord. But there is one thing I want to draw out for us today because we read the parable and think to ourselves that God seems like an absentee landlord, that he has just left us to it and has let people get away with what ever, they’re seems to be no consequences for their actions or their sins. 


One day though and it is something people forget, all will have to stand before him and all will have to give account. It can be easy for us to loose heart in this day and age but the Lord God has the victory, there is not one thing that has been hidden that will not be brought out into the open. While the tenants lived and acted in a way that showed they cared not about the landowner the landowner cared very much how they lived and acted. God cares how we live, how our neighbours live, and all of us will have to give account. For those of us who know Christ Jesus then he has taken the consequences for us, through his substitutionary death for us, those who do not know Christ then they will face the wrath of God.


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Q82 Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, (Eccles. 7:20, 1 John 1:8,10, Gal. 5:17) but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed. (Gen. 6:5, Gen. 8:21, Rom. 3:9–21, James 3:2–13)
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24th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 24v29-35)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in the year 70 was a momentous event foretold by the Lord Jesus. In a deeper fashion it also gave a little glimpse into what the rest of human history would be like. From Christ's first coming until His second, there will be great trouble and tribulation upon the earth and those who love Jesus will see the worst of it.


Nevertheless, the Christian is not left without hope. Jesus promised that after the tribulation of the last days there would be astounding natural events to mark the imminent return of Jesus. The sun will grow dark, the moon will not shine in the sky, some stars will fall from heaven and the heavens themselves will shake (v29). Christ's return isn't going to be a quiet affair noticed only by a few - when He comes, nature itself will herald His arrival. When Jesus returns He will be seen clearly by everyone as He comes upon the clouds. Jesus describes this as "the sign of the Son of Man" (v30). What is this sign? Jesus Himself is the sign. There will be a day that Jesus appears in the sky and when He does "the tribes of the earth will mourn" at the sight of Him (v30).


Why will the nations mourn? Because they have denied Christ and warred against Him and now He comes in judgement. Jesus won't be on His own but at a loud trumpet call He will send out His angels who will gather Christ's people from one end of the earth to the other (v31). The Christian has nothing to fear from the last day but should live in the shadow of it nevertheless.


To illustrate the seriousness of the present hour, Jesus used the image of a fig tree. When a fig tree's leaves appear it is a sure sign that summer is coming (v32). In the same way when we see the darkness of this present age, then we know that Christ is coming and coming soon (v33). Jesus told His disciples that they would not die before they witnessed great trouble, tribulation and the destruction of the temple (v34). Similar signs continue to this very day and they are a sure testimony that Jesus is "at the very gates" (v33).


We can only imagine how history will unfold before us. Will our lifetimes be marked by an increase in the tribulation promised by Christ? Or will we see a calm before the storm? None of us know what tomorrow brings but we know that Christ can be trusted. His Word will not pass away (v34) and we would do well to heed it. A great and terrible day is coming when the righteous will stand and the wicked will fall. How can we be so sure? Because Jesus said so. May we value His voice above all in these last days. 


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Q81 What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.
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23rd June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - Mark 11:20-33


Message Alan Burke 


Some time ago now I was sitting in someone’s house doing a pastoral call when there was a knock at the door. The person I was with got up, answered the door and it was someone saying that they had been sent by NI Water to check the mains pressure in the house as many people had called in the area to say that they were having problems with their water pressure. The man I was with invite them in told them where the kitchen was, they said they’d need to check the bathrooms as well and it would take some time. Now at this stage I’m sitting in the other room but alarm bells were ringing in my head and I simply went out, the man looked shocked, I asked to see his ID and apparently he left it in the van and said he’d go out to get it and he didn’t come back. 


A different day and I wouldn’t like to imagine what would have happened (for future reference NI Water check the water pressure outside your house, they do not need to come inside). That little ID card that he should have had would have told me an awful lot about him, more importantly it would have told me that he had indeed had the authority to represent NI water. 


As Jesus comes to the temple courts he is descended upon by the Chief priests, the teachers of the law also known as the scribes and then the elders. They are those who made up the Sanhedrin. Now the Sanhedrin had a responsibility to check credentials from any itinerant rabbi, they wanted to check that they who they say they are, makes sense, you don’t just want every Tom, Dick and Harry from every backwater place coming and arriving in and being treated as something their not. 


They ask two questions of Jesus, by what authority was he doing these things, and the second question was who gave him the authority. Jesus was in a no win situation. Option one if he had said his authority was from God then he would be arrested and he would have been charged with blasphemy. Option 2 if he claimed that his authority was secular, ie the people were with him, supporting him, then he would have been charged with insurrection. Option two would have been an easier one to deal with for the Sanhedrin because they could have simply passed him over to the Romans for execution. 


Jesus though counters their question with his own. This was a common debating method, and the emphasis was on those who were asked the counter question to answer first, the ball was in the court of the Chief priests, the scribes and the elders, but they couldn’t answer and as a result Jesus did not answer their question about his authority. 


We know as the reader that the authority of Jesus comes form God, the one who had in a voice form heaven declared “you are may Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11), he was one whose authority was clear to the people for as he taught the people were amazed as he taught as one who had authority (Mk 1:22), they asked “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him” (Mk 1:27), he had the authority to drive out demons (Mk 3:15) and in all the miracles he was showing that his authority came from God the Father. 


Those who confronted Jesus just didn’t want to accept the authority of Jesus for if they had then it would have meant that they needed to bow the knee to him. It’s something that is repeated to this day, many people who are happy to acknowledge the Jesus excited but dismiss his teaching, because what he demands of them and all is to trust in him, to our our knee, to place our lives into his hands because his authority is of the living and true God. ‘Jesus’ Authority Is Given By God’


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Q 80 What is required in the tenth commandment?
The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, (Heb. 13:5, 1 Tim. 6:6) with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his. (Job 31:29, Rom. 12:15, 1 Tim. 1:5, 1 Cor. 13:4–7)
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22nd June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 24v15-28)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Who or what is the abomination of desolation? Any ideas? Long ago Jesus urged His disciples to flee to the mountains once they saw the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (v15-16). But the Lord didn't leave us with a great mystery to uncover, He stated that the abomination of desolation was already spoken of by the prophet Daniel (v15). So what did Daniel say? In Daniel 8, the prophet spoke of one who would come and overthrow the sanctuary (Daniel 8v11). This individual was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a name which means "god manifest". Antiochus attacked Jerusalem, he turned the temple into a centre for worshipping the false god Zeus, he slaughtered almost 80,000 people and he stopped sacrifice to the Lord completely.


Antiochus was an abomination who caused desolation in 163BC but another more fearsome "desolator" was to come. In Daniel 9, the prophet spoke this way "on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” (Daniel 9v27). This "desolator" came at the end of the famous seventy week period and I believe him to be the Roman Emperor Titus. It was Titus (who wasn't yet Emperor) and his armies who surrounded Jerusalem in the year 70 and it was Titus who destroyed the temple (apparently accidentally) and made Jerusalem desolate.


The destruction of Jerusalem was so brutal and bloody that Jesus warned His followers to flee the city and flee quickly when Titus appeared. If they were on the rooftop resting they were not to return to the house (v17). If they were in the field working they were not to return to collect a cloak (v18). The flight from Jerusalem would have been extraordinarily difficult for pregnant women and nursing mothers (v19) and it would only have been made more difficult during the winter or on a Sabbath (v20).


Why did the Romans destroy Jerusalem in the year 70? It came in the midst of the "first Jewish-Roman war" which lasted from the year 66 until the year 73. The Jewish people had risen up against the Romans in the first of three distinct rebellions all of which would stamped out by the might of the Roman Empire.


The historian Josephus painted a desperate picture of the destruction of Jerusalem. Many lives were lost, almost one hundred thousand were taken as slaves, the temple was destroyed, the gold melted and ran down the street mixing with blood, famine fell and it is said that there were even incidents of cannibalism. No wonder Jesus said "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." (v21)


In the turmoil of those days there were also many false-Christs who rose. Jesus warned that many would appear performing great signs and wonders to even try and lead the elect astray (v24). Christ counselled that the disciples were not to believe the voices that said Christ was in the wilderness or in the inner rooms (v26). The Lord's return was not in the year 70 as some today suggest. We still await His glorious arrival and when He comes it will be like a bolt of lightning coming from the east and shining brightly across the west (v27). In other words, it will be sudden and unmissable. Just as vultures gather over a corpse (v28), so too will this dead and dying world be gathered together on the last day - no one will miss the return of Christ.


What are we to make of all this? It is merely historical narrative so that we can have some idea about the destruction of Jerusalem? No. Christ's warning to His disciples was to prepare them for the tumultuous events of the year 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. But it is also true to say that these verses have a double fulfilment. Before the return of Christ the church will know days of great trouble and distress. Another Titus will arise in the person of the final Antichrist who will wage war against God's people. Many will fall away from the faith, truth will be hated and the Gospel will be despised.


Nevertheless, I do not write these words to cause you to fear. Let me instead remind you that there is a truth that stood as the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and it still stands today. What is this truth? Christ is sovereign over the schemes of evil men and the days of trouble will be cut short for the sake of God's people (v22). It is Jesus who writes the pages of human history and it is Jesus who is the refuge for the faithful. Today we need not flee to the mountains, instead to the mountains we lift our eyes and remember where our help comes - Jesus is His name. 


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Q79 Which is the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
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21st June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - Mark 11:20-33


Message Alan Burke 


A surprised Peter exclaimed “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”(21) and to this Jesus said “Have faith in God.” What does faith have to do with the cursing of the fig tree, in a sense it has everything to do with the cursing of the fig tree because the faith is necessary for bearing fruit in the life of the believer, it is necessary in our lives to live a life that is pleasing to God. While the fact that the fig tree was now withered may have surprised Peter it shouldn’t have. And by telling the disciples to have faith Jesus is exhorting them, commanding them, telling them to have a faith that is not just some notion of the existence of God but to have a faith that impacts our thoughts, our actions and what we believe is possible. 


Their faith should have been grounded upon the very character of God as well as what they had seen and heard in the person and the work of Jesus Christ whom they had journeyed with for some three years. Our faith should be founded upon the revealed will of God, his word, how he has acted in history and that salvation that he has brought us. 


Then Jesus goes on to tell them about moving a mountain. We can take this literally and of course God can move mountains for he is the Lord the creator of all, or we can take it as a hyperbole. A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement to make a point. I think Jesus here is not giving a hyperbole, rather he was directing the disciples as well as us to something else.


Here’s why. 


The route they would have taken from Bethphage came through the mount of olives. From where they were and the vantage point that they would have had, they would have been able to see the fortress of Herodiaon that had been built by Herod the Great which was just over seven miles away. Herod the Great built it as a stronghold incase there was war or rebellion in Isreal, especially aware of how things in Isreal were often like a tinderbox. It was a safe place incase anything kicked off, a place of retreat, a place of safety.


If Jesus and the disciples had been standing there in that same spot a hundred years prior, the vista that they looked upon there would have bene very different. There was no fortress and in its place there would have been two small hills and not the fortress. What had happened was that when building the fortress Herod literally removed the adjacent hill and built this fortress on top of the other. The point Jesus was making to the disciples is that those who believe in God who have faith in him can expect to see God work, to see change, to see amazing things all through faith. 


For those who have faith, who believe in God they can expect God to move, Jesus goes on to clarify that if the person asking from God to move the mountain does not doubt in his heart but alive that what he says will happen it will be done for him. For what is impossible with man is possible with God. 


The thrust of what we are being taught here is not to start praying for the literal moving of mountains but it does teach us that mountains can be moved. Jesus is addressing is our attitude in faith as we come before the Lord God. What is that attitude, well we are to believe that God can certainly do these things, be in no doubt that the God who created the universe and all that is in it can move the Mourne’s if he so decreed it to be. Jesus was here teaching the disciples to believe, to believe in God and not to doubt that he can achieve what he will. While Herod moved a small mountain God can do even greater things. 


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Q 78 What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?
The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’ s good name. (1 Sam. 17:28, Lev. 19:16, Ps. 15:3)
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20th June 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 24v1-14)

Message (Scott Woodburn)
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There are few subjects in Christian theology that get people's pulses racing like eschatology. Escha-what? Eschatology. It is the study of the words about the end times. What will happen before Christ's return? Will it involve Russia? Does Scripture predict Donald Trump? These are questions that I've heard discussed in the Christian world over the past few years and they never fail to raise heated debate.


Christ did not leave us in the dark about these things. Matthew 24 is the beginning of what is known as the Olivet Discourse where Jesus spoke eschatological truth to His disciples. What did Jesus say? The first topic that Matthew records for us is the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The disciples were pointing out the great beautiful buildings in the temple complex (v1) and in reply Jesus said “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (v2). This would have been an astonishing claim for Christ to make but we know from history that the Romans tore down the temple in the year 70 and it remains in ruins today. Jerusalem and Israel were left desolate.


Later on the Mount of Olives the Lord's followers asked Him privately “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (v3). Before we jump into the Lord's answer, it is important to note that the "signs" of which He speaks relate to the years leading up to the year 70 AND of the days we currently live. Christ's predications have come true and they are coming true. They have been fulfilled and they are being fulfilled.


So what did the disciples see and what can we expect as we await Christ's return? Six things. Firstly, Jesus said that we can expect many false Christs to rise and attempt to lead many astray (v4-5). The so called "early church" experienced a great many "antichrists" of in simple terms, individuals who sought to take the place of Jesus. There are antichrists in the world today and we can expect more in the future. Secondly, the world will be marked by war and violence (v6) with nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom (v7a). Thirdly, we will witness days of difficulty upon the earth. There will be famines and natural disasters in various places (v7b). These are "birth pains" says Jesus (v8). Just as a mother experiences ever increasing pain before she gives birth, so too will the world know increasing trouble before the return of Christ.


Fourthly, the church of Christ will know persecution upon the earth (v9). The Apostles would experience a life of trouble and strife and the majority would have their lives taken from them for the sake of Jesus. Their experience remains the experience of many Christians today. Believers are hated for Christ's sake (v9b) and tragically when persecution comes, many leave the cause of Christ and even betray one another (v10). False prophets have always been a problem in the faith, the Apostles witnessed this and we do too. These individuals seek to lead many away from the Lord (v11).


Fifthly, this age will be marked by a growing love of evil and a growing decrease in love of God and of neighbour (v12). How often have we lamented this very issue in the modern world? Evil is called good and good is called evil. Sixthly, the Gospel must be proclaimed throughout the entire world before the end will come (v14). This is a work started by the Apostles which continues to this very day. The Gospel must go to the ends of the earth.


What are we to make of this teaching? I offer two words - alertness & assurance. We are to marked by alertness because these days are wicked. We are to grow in knowledge of the things of God and be wise to Satan's schemes. We are to stay awake for we are living in the last days which can be defined as the time between Christ's first and second advents. But to be alert does not mean that we can't rest. The Christian understands Christ's eschatological teaching and finds in it great assurance. Jesus writes the pages of history, He remains sovereign over all and Christ will surely have the victory.


The Olivet Discourse is worth our time and attention for it maps out the experience of both the Apostles and the Church of Christ ever since. Brothers and sisters, read these verses, take them to heart, believe them and stand firm in Christ. For "the one who endures to the end will be saved." (v13).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q77 What is required in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.