Year 3 Day 139
Pray (ACts) Read - Mark 1:10 and Isaiah 64:1 Message - Alan Burke “First posted Year 2 Day 23 - 14th April“ In these verse we are given three signs that confirm who Jesus is, the first is heaven being torn open. This is a picture of the sky opening, being ripped apart, darkened room, open the curtains and reveals so much more, this is a revelation of God. We need to go to the book of Isaiah here as those who were gathered from Judea and Jerusalem would have been familiar with how the prophet is moved to instruct God’s people on how to pray for demonstrations of God’s saving power and in this, with eloquence Isaiah pleads with God to make His presence unmistakably clear; he says "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down…”(Isa 64:1). Rend, tear, the same meaning. The heavens being torn open here is a revelation for all who had eyes to see, hearts to understands. This great tearing open of the heavens at the baptism of Jesus is the moment that they the people of God had been waiting for, the Messiah had indeed come and was being revealed to them, and to the world in an unparalleled manner. This is the announcement of God’s saving activity. This imagery of being torn is used in one other instance in Mark’s Gospel, one that no doubt that we are familiar with as the temple curtain (Mk 15:38) is torn in two from top to bottom. In both cases these are barriers being removed between God and man, barriers being torn open, torn apart, supernatural in their occurrences that reveal Jesus as the Son of God. A tear in the curtain at his death at the crucifixion signified that he accomplished his ministry and a tear in the heavens at his baptism signified the beginning of his ministry, this is the glory of the incarnation that God revealed himself to us. The barriers are torn down and torn open, and God is now in our midst. At that moment the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove which marks the beginning of a new creation, the coming of the Spirit signifies a news creation a turning point in the history of salvation, this was a new beginning. Before we go any further, I want to draw something to your attention, in Mark’s Gospel there are only six references from beginning to end about the Spirit. Yet three of them are here in chapter one at the beginning, verse eight which we thought about last week, verse ten that we have just thought about, and verse twelve that we will think about next week. Half of the references to the Spirit in this opening chapter. Why? Because Mark wants to make it clear to us, right from the beginning that the Spirit is essential in the ministry of Jesus, and that Jesus when his work here is done will give the Holy Spirit to those who are his. And there is something significant that happens here, this new beginning matters, this start of the ministry of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit matters, as Jesus at his ascension would give us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us (Acts 2). No longer do we need to go to the temple in Jerusalem which was signified was the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, instead the Spirit of God dwells in the believer, as we are baptised by the Spirit. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q20 Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, (Eph. 1:4) did enter into a (covenant of grace), to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. (Rom. 3:20–22, Gal. 3:21–22)
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Year 3 Day 137
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Matthew 11:25-30 Message - Scott Woodburn “First posted Year 1 Day 5 - 27 March” There is much to be discouraged about in these days. Everything is uncertain and people seem to acting in aggressive and uncaring ways. I suspect we are seeing the world as it truly is. God's sovereignty is once again a great comfort for us. He is God and it is His gracious will to reveal what He wants to who He wants when He wants (v25-26). We are incredibly blessed that the sovereign God has opened our eyes to see what is really important in this life and unsurprisingly it isn't found on a shelf in Poundland. The Gospel of Christ has been revealed to us not because we are wise or powerful or have all the answers but because our eyes have been opened by God Himself. We have received Christ like little children (v25) because we know that apart from Jesus we have nothing. We needed Him and He graciously drew us to Himself revealing truth to our souls. We need Him now and He graciously is in the midst of His people. These words may seem like idle nonsense to the self-sufficient man but to us they are more valuable than gold. Jesus alone has the authority to reveal the things of God to whosoever He chooses to reveal them (v27). Why would we look anywhere else today? Today He calls the tired, the sinful, the depressed, the worried, the fearful to Himself. "Come to me" says Jesus "and I will give you rest." (v28) What a promise in an exhausting world. Not a fortnight in Portrush but rest from sin, rest from guilt, resting in God knowing that His wrath no longer abides on us. True rest. Soul rest. Coming to gentle and humble Jesus (v29) will see us saved and joining His school to learn from Him. Fear not, come to Jesus, there's none greater. Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q19 What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. Year 3 Day 136
Pray (ACts) Read - Ezekiel 15 and John 15 Message - Alan Burke We now turn our attention to John’s Gospel for today at least. In Ezekiel’s day, God had rebuked His people for how they were how they were useless, they were a useless vine that did not bear fruit. From His people though God brought the true vine and in John’s Gospel Jesus tells us; “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (Jn 15:5). Jesus is the vine, but the vine has branches and all those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, who have repented and believed are the branches, we are part of the true Israel of God. We unlike the people in Ezekiel’s day should bear much fruit, our new life comes from the Lord Jesus, and the result of that walk with the Lord Jesus as we abide in Him is that there will be fruitfulness. We contribute nothing to the vine, nothing to our salvation, nothing to the kingdom but from the true vine Jesus Christ we have nourishment and we are fruitful. If we are fruitless, then we are not really abiding in Christ, even your salvation is in question. How do we show that we are abiding in Christ? Well we show that we are abiding in Christ by bearing fruit, the fruit of the Spirit as we are told in Galatians 5 (22-23) the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Those of us who belong to Christ should have these things, it should be seen in how we love one another, in the joy we have, peace among us, patients with one another, kindness that is seen, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. None of us here produce any fruit unless we abide in Christ, He is the source of our fruitfulness, He supplies the power to make us fruitful. Faithful Israelites loved God and kept His commandments, whereas unfaithful ones did neither, they did not love Him or keep His commands. Faithful Christians love God and keep His commandments and they bear the proper fruit (Gal. 5:22); unfaithful ones bear nothing useful. Notice though of what happens of the branches that do not bear fruit, if they do not bear fruit, if they do not then God the Father the one who is the Gardner, He will cut off every branch that bears no fruit. They will be pruned! In this pruning here it is with a purpose so that they would bear even more fruit. As we come we know that we are justified by faith alone, but faith that justifies is never alone. It should be seen in our lives, faith without works is dead, it should be seen in our home life, in our work life, in our recreation time in all areas of our life, public and private, those who are part of the true vine there is evidence of it in their lives. This does not mean that the branches that were cut off were not truly saved, for no one can snatch us from His hand (Jn 10:27-30). Are we showing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, at home, in how we love, the joy we have, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, or at work, school, public, private lives? We are not abiding in Jesus then we are being disobedient to His word, we are only abiding in Him when we are seeking to obey His revealed will, when we keep his commandments as Jesus himself says in verse 10; "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love”. This is what the Lord requires of his people, this is what was required of those in Ezekiel’s day and it is what is required of us, in Ezekiel day God’s people were unfaithful, unfruitful. While this isn’t the end of the book of Ezekiel it is the end of our series, and this should act as a warning to the church today, to us here, a warning to us as individuals and us as a people, if we are true branches we will grows stronger under pressure, we face trials and temptations we will continue on, there will be fruit in our lives, fruit of the spirit will be seen in and out of the view of others around us, let us be faithful, fruitful people, who abide in Christ Jesus, obeying is word, obeying his commands as the vine of Israel today. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q18 Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’ s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. (Rom. 5:12,19, Rom. 5:10–20, Eph. 2:1–3, James 1:14–15, Matt. 15:19) Year 3 Day 135
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Matthew 10:24-31 Message - Scott Woodburn “First posted Year 1 Day 3 - 25 March" As Christians in this part of the world we have grown accustomed to peace and prosperity. Persecution and trouble is for the church in other parts of the world, but certainly not us. The Lord however gives us a different perspective. Jesus tells His disciples that we can expect difficulty in this life. Staggeringly there were those who claimed that Jesus was in league with the devil (v25). If they believe this about Jesus then the members of His house can expect no different treatment. Elsewhere Jesus makes it clear that in this world we will have trouble (John 16.33). Today our trouble is called Covid19, tomorrow it may be something else but it will come. What is our response? To rest in Christ and to have no fear of those who seek to silence the witness of the church (v28). We are to take what Jesus tells us and to shout it from the rooftops (v27). All the while fearing only God (v28). Our enemies can trouble us today but only God controls eternity. God is sovereign, He is the King, and He alone can destroy both body and soul in hell. We fear God today (Proverbs 9.10) with a filial fear - a fear a child has for their parent. We know how powerful He is and we know He will one day pour out His anger upon those who stand against Him, but He loves His church. God is so amazing that He knows how many hairs are on your head (v30) and even when one little sparrow falls to the ground (v29). So fear not, this mighty, awesome God, is for you, He loves you and if He knows when a sparrow dies, imagine just how much He cares for you. Pray (ac-TS) Sing WSC Q17 Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Year 3 Day 134
Pray (ACts) Read - Ezekiel 15:6-8 Message - Alan Burke Incase you missed Monday’s devotion, the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and using parabolic language he speaks to people about a vine, a vine that is useless, a vine that does not bear fruit. Here this parable is explained as the Lord speaks to His people through the prophet He makes it clear the meaning that He was talking about and to them. Jerusalem is the vine, the wood that is useless. There were those in Jerusalem, in Isreal, those among the people of God in exile who though that the vine itself was sacred, that ie they were safe as houses, they were important because of who they were, their status but they were only important, they were only of use, they were only of value because of God’s choosing to make them so. God had chosen them to be His people, as Deuteronomy makes clear. He chose them out of all the people on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession, He did not set His affection on them and chose them because they were more numerous than the other people, for they were the fewest of all people, but it was because the Lord loved them and kept the oath that He swore to their forefathers so He brought them out with a mighty hand and redeemed them from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (paraphrased Deut 7:6–8). It was by God gracious purposes that had set His people apart for a purpose and that was to bring Glory to His name, He had made a covenant with them that had terms, blessing for obedience, curses for disobedience, it was so that the nations around would take notice of Isreal’s God, that they would seek Him for themselves. They were only important, they were only of use, they were only of value because of God’s choosing, but by their nature as all peoples they were sinful and rebellious. Their worth, their use was because of God’s election, his choosing them to be His people, His gracious purposes. They were to be a vine metaphorically, they were to produce fruit, that is why they were called a vine, they were chosen by God with a purpose. But they had failed to produce fruit, just as a vine that does not produce grapes is useless so the people of God were useless. God had planted Isreal among the nations, they were to be separate as God’s people as a holy nation, they were to bear fruit worthy of Him but they had turned from God, they were just like the other nations, they were so overflowing with sin that they were only fit to be destroyed in the fire of God’s judgment. Indeed the Babylonians came, they practiced a scorched earth policy, that is as they came they burned what ever they could in their way, houses, barns, fields with crops, villages, towns and cities were destroyed (2 Chr. 36:10). There were few among them who heard this word of the Lord from the lips of Ezekiel that would have missed the point that Jerusalem would face destruction. All of this comes because God’s people had been unfaithful to Him, God is responding to their failure to fulfil their created purpose, to bear fruit, to give Him the glory. Yet God in His gracious purposes maintained a remnant from them, He used them and from them one came who is the true vine (John 15:1). The alternative to wiping out Isreal the vine was to plant a good healthy vine from among them. God in his redemptive purposes was using this His rebellious people tor bring forth the true vine. In John’s Gospel Jesus said I am the true vine. Isreal was to be the vine but their existence was denoted by their unfaithfulness to the Lord God. They failed to do what they had been called to do, whereas Jesus the only begotten Son of God is the true vine, He was spiritually fruitful where the people failed to be fruitful. Jesus did not fail for He is the true Isreal, He is the fruitful servant who accomplished God’s purpose of Isreal, for He was an Israelite, born of the flesh and was and is the one whom works to save the world, He is the one in whom we must put our faith, the one that we trust the one we must abide in. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q16 Did all mankind fall in Adam’ s first transgression? The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him, in his first transgression. (Gen. 2:16–17, Rom. 5:12, 1 Cor. 15:21–22) Year 3 Day 133
Pray (AC-ts) Read — John 1:1-14 Message Scott Woodburn “First posted Year 1 Day 1 - 23 March 20” These are troubled days and all of us are without answers and often without comfort. Yet today God's people may have trouble but they are not without comfort. We trust in Christ. Who is this Christ? Some today say they like Jesus, He was a great teacher, if only His followers could be as good as He was. The same individuals however see Jesus as merely a good man, an example to be followed. Who is this Christ really? We are given the answer in the magnificent opening chapter of John's Gospel. He is God (v1-2), everything that has ever been made was made through Jesus (v3), in Christ there is life and light (v4) and Christ has not and will never be overcome by the darkness in this world (v5). His arrival was announced by John the Baptist (v6-8) because Christ is the King of kings and because God Himself was taking on flesh and dwelling among us (v14). Don't miss how important the coming of Christ was in human history. There has never been another moment like it. The Son of God came to that which He had created, He humbled Himself by taking on flesh and submitting Himself to our weakness and to the law of God (Galatians 4.4). This is extraordinary and amazingly He wasn't received by His own (v11). Yet today Christ remains our only hope and to all who receive Him, who believe in His name, He saves them and welcomes them into His family (v12-13). These are troubled days but Christ is still our only comfort in life and in death. Pray (ac-ST) Sing WSC Q15 What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. Year 3 Day 132
Pray (ACts) Read - Ezekiel 15:1-5 Message - Alan Burke This week we focus on the shortest chapter in the book of Ezekiel and it will be the last chapter we focus on for some time as we start a new series come September. The chapter itself may be short but it is one that packs some punch. From a cursory glance this is God telling His people that they are useless, worthless, good for nothing, only fit for the fire. Even if the people in exile along with Ezekiel had missed what God was going to do in the previous oracles that had been given, they weren’t going to miss it now. I want you to park the second half of the chapter v6-8 for a moment or two and imagine that you were hearing these words for the first time as the people in Ezekiel’s day would have. The reason why is that we know from the latter part that God is talking about Jerusalem in this oracle but the imagery of vine would have been for any Jew something they would have been familiar with even if we are not. The question asks is the wood of the vine better than a branch on any other tree? The answer is of course no! The wood of the vine is only good for one thing, one thing and that is bearing fruit. This is the only way in which the wood of the vine is better than the wood of any other tree. The wood isn’t any use other than that, it can’t be used for furniture because it is too pliable and weak, it can’t be carved into something as simple as a peg or a pin to hang something on because it is so weak that it bends, cracks and breaks far too easily, any other wood is better. The vines themselves as today would have been usually pruned twice annually, in late winter and again in summer, branches that bore no fruit were cut off, bundled for firewood but even then the wood of the vine only burns a part life, it wasn’t even good fuel for the fire. That’s what is signified about how it burns at both ends and chars in the middle, what happens is that the thick trunk doesn’t burn properly, you’d not use it in your wood-burning stove at home, any other type of wood would be better. So the wood of the vine was useless for anything other than bearing fruit when it was part of the vine, and it wasn’t great as a firewood. The question that is then asked in this word of the Lord is what happens a useless piece of wood when it has been burnt at both ends, charred in the middle is it good for anything then? Well the answer is obvious I hope, of course if it was no good for anything before hand it is going to be even less use now, and that is what we are told so clearly in v5. No-one there listening to Ezekiel speak the word of the Lord could have disagreed with the word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel and that he took to the people. They may not have understood at this stage but he was talking about them. A vine is of course is to produce grapes, that is its purpose, to be fruitful, the purpose of the people of God were to be fruitful, their purpose was to bear fruit. They were a chosen people, they were part of the vine, but they were not living as they were called to they had failed to live in His ways according to His purposes, they had not followed His decrees or kept His laws but had conformed to the standards of the nations around (11:12). How do we as God’s people today bear fruit in our lives, how we do that is simple, it is told to us in John’s gospel and it is by abiding in Christ. To abide in Christ is to enjoy fellowship with him, to pray to him, spend time in his word, to Worship him with God’s people, looking to him in all things. There is nothing too small or insignificant to come him with nor is there anything to big. Apart from him we can do nothing. Ezekiel said it in a slightly different way but it has the same meaning, for we can do nothing, we will be useless apart from Christ (Jn 15:1-17). Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q14 What is sin? Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4) |
Alan
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