30th September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 13v1)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Although Paul's death isn't recorded in the Bible, it has long been believed that the Apostle lost his life in the city of Rome in the year 64/65AD. There are various stories about Paul's final moments including one which says he was beheaded with his head bouncing three times causing a spring of water to gush from the ground with each bounce. None of this can be proved and ultimately isn't terribly important but we can be reasonably certain that Paul was martyred in the city of Rome under the rule and reign of the Emperor Nero.


Before his death the Apostle would certainly not have called Christians to riot or attempt to assassinate Nero. Instead Paul taught something very specific about the Christian and the State, namely that we are to be subject to the governing authorities (v1a). To be a subject is to understand one's position within society or an organisation, you are subject to your office manager and she is subject to the board of directors. Roman Christians were subjects to the Emperor as we today are subjects to His Majesty's government. We are to be willing subjects to these authorities and well prepared to give our leaders honour when it is due.


Does this mean we are to always obey the authorities? No. Paul would not have worshipped at Nero's feet even if commanded to do so and so we should not obey any request from the authorities which would cause us to sin against God. However, when possible, we freely subject ourselves to the governing authorities.


Why should we do this? Because any and all authority finds God as its source (v1b). Rishi Sunak has no power except the power instituted and given to him by the Lord. Joe Biden may be considered the most powerful man alive but he has no power except the power instituted and given to him by the Lord. Therefore, all rulers would do well to remember that they will one day give an account for how they used their God given authority. Wicked leaders will be judged and wicked decisions will come under the holy gaze of the Lord. All leaders should stand in fear!


Nevertheless, the Christian is called to be the finest citizen in the land and a willing subject of the ruling authorities. As we honour the authorities, by extension Christ is honoured, for He is the One who rules over the affairs of men. You may not like your local councillor and you may wretch when you new MP is announced on election night but even so your willing submission to such individuals is sure evidence of your love for Christ. May all "know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men." (Daniel 4v17)   


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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.
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29th September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - 2 Peter 3:15-16


Message Alan Burke 


Peter had been encouraging those to whom he wrote about the certainty of scripture, reminding us how the word of God that we have before us is Ian inspired book (2 Peter 1:21) God used human authors and worked in them by the Holy Spirit, God used them to communicate his revelation they spoke as they were carried along but the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). While each book of scripture is distinctive, those who wrote them were carried by the Holy Spirit and their individual personality and writing styles were used by God to communicate to us his revealed will, both authoritative and unified in its teaching.


Some argue that what we are being taught here by Peter and likewise in 2 Timothy by Paul speaks of the Old Testament. That the scriptures of the Old Testament alone are God breathed, the authors were carried by the Holy Spirit. If this is the case it would mean that the cannon of scripture is limited from Genesis to Malachi, but look to what Peter then goes on to say in chapter 3:15-16; 


Peter here clearly considers that Paul’s writings, ie the epistles were written with the wisdom of God and included under the category of all of all scripture. In v15 Peter asserts that it was according to the wisdom given to Paul, it was God given wisdom, not wisdom he had learnt, but given to him by God. Then in verse 16, “as they do the other scriptures”. Also one of the things that we miss in translation is that the word here used to speak of scriptures is used 51 times in the New Testament, bar this and one other instance speaking of the apostles writing it speaks of the canonical Old Testament, but in each instance it shows forth that the writings of the apostles were seen and understood to be the very word of God by the apostles. The other instance is in 1 Timothy 5:18 where both the gospel of Luke and the book of Deuteronomy are quoted and identified as both equally scripture. 


What we have before us is the word of God, all of it, as the book of Revelation closes in Revelation 22:18-21 we are told; 


18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” 
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. 


The word of God that we have in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament is one unified work, they are the word of God to which we cannot add or take away from. What does it matter that the Old and New Testament are the word of God?


First that it is inerrant, what that means is that whatever it asserts to be true is true. Secondly it is the plain revelation of God, while it is not all equally clear the things that are necessary for us to know, believe and to obey are, are so so that we may life to the Glory of our God accordingly. When it is not clear we can deduce by good and necessary consequences. For example there are no Bible verses that say we shouldn’t speed but we know that it against the law of the land and we are to obey those who rule over us so we don’t speed. Thirdly that God by his providence has kept his word throughout the ages for us, so that in all controversies in the church it should be the place that we look to for guidance, it should be the place that we turn to to be our rule of faith and obedience. Fourthly, scripture should be used to interpret scripture, not the world, not how we feel or think because scripture helps us to understand all of scripture, we should not take one part in isolation from the rest. Fifthly, the Old and New Testament as the word of God in all its sixty-six books focus on Jesus, the one Lord who is the terminal point of God’s promises. It is the story of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, reign, and return which is the Bible’s big theme. There is unity between them as they point us to Christ and our need for him. 


Pray (acTS)


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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. (Gen. 2:2–3, 1 Cor. 16:1–2, Acts 20:7)
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28th September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 12v17-21)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


In 1941 the American novelist Fannie Hurst spoke about the Second World War and said “We may not be interested in this war, but it is interested in us. I’m not trying to sell it to you, but no one can evade the fact that we are in the path of the storm." Hurst was right and just a few weeks later the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour brought the war directly to the United States.


I suspect most of us don't start the day looking for a good fight, but what if a fight is brought to us? Paul was the frequent victim of evil men and their evil deeds but he still was clear that we are not to meet evil with evil (v17). If someone seeks your harm, you have no Biblical authority to fight fire with fire. Instead we meet evil with actions which are honourable in the sight of all (v17b). This is extraordinarily difficult when we find ourselves under attack. We are conditioned to stick up for ourselves and not to let anyone push us around and sadly when trouble breaks out in a local church the tactics on both sides closely resemble those of the world around us.


The Apostle counsels us to "give thought" to an honourable response rather than letting our rage fly. Does this mean the Christian should be helpless in the face of any and all hostility? No. We are to always seek to live peaceably with everyone (v18) but sometimes it will be necessary to defend ourselves and our family. We should never be the aggressor but as far as it depends on us, we are to seek peace with all.


Furthermore, the Christian isn't to be driven by a hunger for revenge. Did Joe Bloggs wrong you back in 2004? Let it go. We have no Biblical mandate to seek revenge but we are to leave such issues with the righteous anger of God (v19). The Lord is aware of every situation and He knows about the wicked, unfair treatment you have suffered. Vengeance belongs to Him and He will surely defend His people (Deuteronomy 32v35).


So do we keep our enemy at arm's length and hope for the best? By no means. We listen to the wisdom of Solomon who once stated "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you." (Proverbs 25v21-22) This is our radically different response to the hostility we meet in this world. Evil is not overcome by evil but by good (v21). By the grace of God, our enemy will consider their actions and feel only the burning coals of shame leading to the gift of repentance (v20).


There is more than a little satisfaction when we have an opportunity to strike back at someone who hates us, but that satisfaction is both sinful and fleeting. Brothers and sisters, give thought to those who hate you and instead of seeking vengeance, seek their good. This is God's call upon our lives, it is indeed a heavy one but it is our only acceptable response when trouble comes our way. 


Pray (acTS)


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Q56 What is the reason annexed to the third commandment? The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.
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27th September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - 2 Peter 2:12-21


Message Alan Burke 


11th September 2001, can you remember what you were doing or what you were doing? Or 15 August 1998, maybe the 31st of August 1997 or the 9th November 1989? I can remember where I was and what I was doing on each of those dates I doubt I will ever forget. The day the Twin Towers were attacked, the day of the Omagh bomb, the day Diana died and the fall of the Berlin Wall are engrained into my memory there may be many more that you have engrained into yours even before I was born, while they are engrained into my memory it is fair to say that in each instance my memory is fuzzy, there are bits I can remember and there are bits I can’t, our memories are like that. If we could go back to witness as Peter the transfiguration it would be something that we imagine we’d never forget but Peter saw the Old Testament the prophetic word of Scripture is a more certain proof than even the spectacular experience of witnessing the Transfiguration.


He then goes on to say in v20-21 ’20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.’


This is one of the key passages in helping us understand how the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the word of God. If we were to compose a poem, a narrative or a historical account, what ever it would be it is our minds that would be at work, as we compose that piece but what we are being told here is that God is the source and ultimate Author of Scripture. Though written by human authors, did not come about by the prophets own interpretation, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself understood this when speaking of Psalm 110, where he said “David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit”. David well that is stating the obvious but the addition of speaking by the Holy Spirit teaches us not only about this psalm but of all of Scripture, it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. 


The word of God, the scriptures that we have before us is an inspired book, it is inspired by God, Timothy puts it as breathed out by him (2 Tim 3:14-17). God used human authors and worked in them by the Holy Spirit, God used them to communicate his revelation they spoke as they were carried along but the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). While each book of scripture is distinctive, those who wrote them were carried by the Holy Spirit and their individual personality and writing styles were used by God to communicate to us his revealed will, both authoritative and unified in its teaching.


The origin of all of scripture is God not man, as God carried along, as God breathed his word though those who wrote. How we do not know but we can be assured that what we have is not “cleverly invented stories” by man as Peter has already asserted. (2 Pe 1:16). God’s word is truth, it is the infallible word of God. This matters, how we live in response to it matters because we live in an age that is going to find truth harder and harder to know. Yet for us our final authority as believers is the word of God, his truth that he has given us, in that we have a purpose for why were created, we know that life is not void of meaning, we know the value of life and the necessity of caring for the widow and the orphan, the elderly and the vulnerable. God has given us his word as a lens in which we can live for in order to live a life as God intended we must look at life through the lens of his word and it is his word that we should want more and more off, we who’ll want worship to be filled with it, to be saturate with it as well as our every day lives for it is our only rule in faith and obedience to our God.


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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. (Exod. 20:8–11)
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26th September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 12v14-16)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Solitary pursuits are necessary in anyone's life - there are times that we need to head off alone for an afternoon of fishing and there are moments that we need some "alone time" for an hour in a coffee shop. However, while the Christian life has it's solitary moments, it is mostly to be lived in community with our fellow Christians and this isn't always straight forward.


In every walk of life there are those with whom we share a strained relationship and this can sometimes develop into outright hostility. How do you respond to the girl who endlessly slanders you? What do you say in response to lies that have been whispered about you? What is your reaction to the aggression from a former friend? Paul says we are to bless those who persecute us. The Apostle gives us no room to meet slander with slander or lie with lie or punch with punch. We are to bless and not curse those who persecute us. We are to pray for our slanderer, we are to see the good of the liar and we are to seek the wellbeing of the one who threatens.


Thankfully, life in any community isn't always confrontational. Paul reminds us to "rejoice with those who rejoice" and we shouldn't shun those wonderful moments of celebration that often pepper life. There is great delight in celebrating with a newly married couple and embracing those who are filled with joy over answered prayer. The Christian life is not humourless and dour but we can and should rejoice in due season.


Nevertheless, we understand that life isn't always going to be filled with sunshine and rainbows. Just as there will be days of rejoicing, so too there will be days of sadness. Once more Paul counsels us that we should be prepared to weep alongside those who weep. I've heard many famous preachers sharing something called the "prosperity gospel" but tragically it is no gospel at all. The "prosperity gospel" says that the Christian will never know days of trouble but only God given prosperity but this message is false, dangerous and not the reality in any true church. The true picture is that we will certainly rejoice but we will also experience our fair share of weeping.


As we endure the highs and lows of life we are to strive to live in harmony with one another (v16). This is an incredible challenge as every Christian church will be a diverse body of radically different people. In every fellowship there are various likes and dislikes alongside personality types which won't always mesh together. Yet this is no excuse for division but we are to do our utmost to dwell together in unity. This effort is only helped when we adopt a humble attitude which doesn't believe that we alone have all wisdom. Instead we must be prepared to associate with those who we might previously have seen as unimportant.


The local church can be compared to traversing a busy airport. If you are on your own then it is a relatively straightforward task to get yourself through passport control and eventually onto a plane. But imagine the effort required to make sure that several hundred people have their passports ready and no one gets left behind in duty free. Membership of the local church is not a solitary pursuit but a community endeavour where there is no room for a "me first" mentality. That's certainly a challenge but one which has been given to us by Christ Himself - He loves His Bride and we should too. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q54 What is required in the third commandment? The third commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works.
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25th September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - 2 Peter 2:12-21


Message Alan Burke 


This week you’re getting something a little different for the devotions. The reason is we have Hiram coming on Sunday in the morning as I was supposed to be having a week off but that didn’t work out. This week we are thinking ‘What is the Word of God?’. The answer of course is given to us in the Larger Catechism that; ‘The holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience’ but we’re going to look to the scriptures to see what they teach us, this week on 2 Peter 1:12-21. Peter was writing to a church refuting the false claims, teaching the necessity of godly living, saying ”I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have”. Why if they already were firmly established in the truth does he say that he will always remind them?


The answer is a simple one, because they like we are not very good at remembering, we easily forget, we are easily influenced by the world around us. The simplest way for us to be able to withstand the world around us, false teaching, nonsense spouted by false teachers is to know the ABC’s of the faith, basic biblical doctrine will help us. The better the foundation of the house the less likely it is to fall, and the same with the believer, the better the foundation of our faith the less likely we will fall away. The historic creeds and confessions of the church help us to be able to know and assert the truth that are a defence against error for us, of course they are not the word of God and are subservient to it.


In verse 16 Peter uses the term ‘we’ when speaking. For this isn’t just Peter’s message and he adds to that this they did not follow cleverly invented stories as the NIV puts it. He is defending the message that he has brought them. The word translated as stories in the NIV is the greek word myth which is a story without basis in fact. But the gospel is not myth, he along with the other apostles were ‘eyewitness of his majesty’. The eyewitness of his majesty refers to not all that took place as Peter was a disciple of Jesus Christ but rather it is specifically referring to the transfiguration of Jesus. While there is much that we could pull out of this not only of the historical basis for Jesus coming but also for the Second coming which Peter addresses in chapter 3 that is for another time, rather what is important to note is that Peter along with the others was an eyewitness, he saw the majestic Glory, speaking of the transcendence of the glorious presence of the Father. 


Look though what Peter says, in v17 that even though he was an eyewitness, even though he saw the transfiguration of Jesus, the Majestic Glory of the Father, even though he heard the Father speak audibly saying “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (2 Pet 1:17, Matt 3:17) Peter says that we have something more certain, what is this? Well we are told in 19, we have the word of the prophets made more certain. Now the word of the prophets is in effect saying the Old Testament, that was pointing forward to the coming of Jesus. Peter here is not saying that his testimony is unreliable or that his word is more reliable than the words of the prophets, rather he is speaking of the surety of the Old Testament that points forward to the coming of Jesus, the complete reliability of what we have in the scriptures shouldn’t be lost on us as the church. As the people of God, we will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place. I’ve heard many believers disregard the Old Testament, who aren’t willing to take the time to understand it, who think of the Old Testament as one dispensation and the New as another but Peter didn’t think that, he saw that the Old Testament was the prophetic word of Scripture is a more certain proof than even the spectacular experience of witnessing the Transfiguration.


Pray (acTS)


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Q55 What is forbidden in the third commandment?
The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning and abusing of any thing whereby God maketh himself known. (Mal. 1:6–7,12, Mal. 2:2, Mal. 3:14)
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23rd September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 12v11-13)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Romans 12 moves rapidly as the Apostle unpacks our response to the Gospel as he breathlessly exhorts us to wholehearted discipleship. What does this wholeheartedness look like? Firstly, "Do not be slothful in zeal" Zeal is defined as "enthusiastic devotion to a cause" and so the Christian is not to be lazy when it comes to his/her devotion to Christ. The Christian is to be marked by their zeal for the Gospel.


Additionally we are to "be fervent in spirit" (v11). What does this mean? Have you ever experienced the unbridled joy of singing your favourite song at a concert? Have you ever roared when your team scored a goal? In the same manner, the Christian's heart should be ablaze for the Kingdom of God. Paul is clear, we are to "serve the Lord" and this service shouldn't be forced, half-hearted or begrudging. Zealous fervency for the things of God should be the hallmark of every Christian.


But how should we respond when things go wrong? Regardless of the circumstances we face, the Christian has a wonderful hope that one day we will be with Jesus. We are to rejoice in this hope (v12) working hard to cultivate joy in our lives. The Christian is not guaranteed an easy existence but when trouble and tribulation comes we are to meet it with patience and constancy in prayer (v12b). Furthermore, our focus isn't to always be inward but we are to contribute to the needs of our fellow Christians (v13a).


I think it is a sure sign of the Spirit's sanctifying work when we gladly open our wallets to help support a struggling saint. Indeed, our wallet isn't the only thing that should be open. Paul reminds us that we should actively seek to show hospitality (v13b). When was the last time you opened your home to your fellow Christians? When was the last time you joyously welcomed new church members to your family table?


Brothers and sisters, as I write these words I realise how far short I often fall. I am so thankful for God's grace which is poured out upon me regardless of my works. I'm glad that I am saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. If salvation was dependent upon my zeal, fervency, hope, patience, generosity or welcome then I would never see glory. Praise God that salvation belongs to Him and it is all of grace!


Even so, may we meditate on these three simple but challenging verses. May the Spirit move mightily transforming our fellowships and may our Christian walk be markedly different than it has been for so long. No longer half-hearted, no longer lukewarm, no longer slothful....may it be so as we say "Not to us, not to us but to Christ be the glory."
  
Pray (acTS)


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Q52 What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment? The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he hath to his own worship.
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22nd September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - 1 Samuel 14:1-23


Message Alan Burke 


My life would be so much easier if there were big neon signs in the sky that told me what to do. You know fine well what I mean by that, life is complicated, there are times that we are left with choices before us and we fret over them, it becomes a dilemma. Like it’s Friday night and maybe you’re getting a wee treat for your tea, well is it going to be a Chinese or a Kebab, and if its a kebab which kebab shop, if its the Chinese then which option out of the multiple combinations that are there should we choose, unless you’re like me who has the same thing every time and I’m happy with it so why make the choice difficult after all what if I’m disappointed. Making some choices are easier than others aren’t they? In our lives my hope is that we are trying to honour the Lord our God in those choices that we make and in how we live bringing glory to him but there are some times we are faced with a right dilemma of what to do. Today as we once more come to this passage we are going to focus on Jonathan, he seeks the Lord for a sign and we might think that that is a good idea to help us when we are presented with a dilemma in our lives but lets hold our horses a minute and look to what happens and to look to what the scriptures teach.  


Now remember he and his armour bearer had left Saul and the rest of the fighting force to go and scout out the assembled Philistines at Micmash. They were as numerous as the sand on the sea shore whereas Saul had 600 and Jonathan had 1. Jonathan had went to scout out the assembled Philistines. They went towards Micmash and the details stick out as we are told the name of the cliffs. Translated literally, cliff means tooth of rock in Hebrew, then the names Bozez and Seneh while they mean nothing to us they mean slippery and thorny. What is being portrayed to us here is the challenge and the peril that there was for Jonathan and his armour bearer even attempting this assent to the Philistine camp and no wonder the Philistines choose this location because it was nigh on impossible for someone to ascend and attack you from this flank. In the midst of this Jonathan continues on saying v6. ‘Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf’ Jonathan believed that if it was the Lord’s desire they would have victory. 


The armour bearer sees the faith of Jonathan and is willing to follow even what looks like certain death, from the cliff like a tooth of rock with its slippery and thorny assent. The perhaps is now added to by Jonathan as he seeks a sign, it comes in v8-10 Jonathan is going to show himself to the Philistines and if they say wait to we come to you it is a sign that it was not the Lord’s way but if they told Jonathan and his armour bearer to come to them it was a sign that the Lord willed they had the victory. We may be tempted to think well that is what we should do, seek dreams, visions, put out fleeces, open doors, pick random bible verses, cast lots? Well scripture elsewhere clearly warns against asking for such signs. The Old Testament law itself prohibited putting God to the test (Deut 6:16) and we are in a very different position than Jonathan, we have the complete revelation of God to us in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, we have all that we need to make decisions, God has given us his word, he has given us his son. Instead of looking for a sign at each and every fork in the road we should look to his word, his revealed work, his plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like. Which takeout should I have, is neither here nor there, yet in whatever we do we should do all for the glory of God. 


Finally just so we don’t miss it in this passage, in the end God gives Jonathan the victory, it wasn’t Jonathan and how great he was it was the Lord, the Lord rescued Isreal that day and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven (v23). In all of this God used Jonathan, it wasn’t Jonathan who had the victory, who brought salvation for the people it was God who brought salvation, salvation is the Lord’s. The message of the word of God is that he is the one who brings salvation for his people and ultimately he brings the salvation that his people so need, not from the Philistines but from their sin, that salvation just like the salvation that the Israelites experienced that day is all of God through Jesus Christ.


Pray (acTS)


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Q53 Which is the third commandment?
The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exod. 20:7)
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21st September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 12v9-10)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The Christian has been loved abundantly by the Lord and we are to love abundantly in response. We are happy when called to love the Lord, we are altogether a little bit less comfortable when we realise we are to love each other as well. Even so, as Paul unpacks our response to the Gospel, he stresses that our love is to be genuine (v9). In this age of "fake news" there can be no room for "fake love" in the Christian church. How can we recognise such fake love? This kind of love is a means to an end and it always seeks personal advantage.


Imagine John who shows favouritism to Sam as often as he possibly can. John couldn't care less about Sam, he merely strives to "keep him sweet" because Sam is an excellent plumber. Then there is Carla who maintains a "friendship" with Steph. Carla finds Steph quite dull but goes through the motions regardless because every August Steph allows Carla to use her Portstewart caravan free of charge for two weeks.


Would you like to be "loved" like this? I suspect not. The Apostle says that our love must be genuine. This kind of love is true and pure. It does not seek an advantage and it does not play games. We love our brothers and sisters truthfully as we have been loved by Christ.


In a similar fashion, we are to "abhor what is evil" and "hold fast to what is good." (v9b). Paul's teaching requires little in the way of explanation but allow me to offer a practical example. You meet a friend every fortnight for a Blue Cedar coffee and in an hour or so you put the world right. Gossip is shared, slanderous comments are made and time is spent assigning the worst possible motives to those you dislike. How would you describe such a coffee date? A bit of harmless fun or sinful and evil?


Brothers and sisters, we are to hate what is evil. That certainly means the evil found in this world but also the sinful evil we find in ourselves. Instead of excusing sin, we are to abhor it and strive by the ordinary means of grace to put it to death. In its place we deliberately place that which is good. Instead of division we strive for unity, instead of slander we offer prayer and instead of gossip we bathe in the Gospel. Flee from the rotten and run to the beautiful!


David was once inspired by the Holy Spirit to write "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133v1) We would do well to meditate on such a verse and our own role in the unity of our local fellowship. Paul exhorts us to "love one another with brotherly affection" (v10a) with such a call being entirely radical in our selfish age. Those around us aren't pawns to be manoeuvred but fellow saints to be cherished. When they honour us with words and actions then we respond by outdoing them in honour (v10b). This doesn't mean we try to belittle our fellow Christians by making their efforts look small - quite the opposite. As we are loved and honoured, we seek to love and honour abundantly more in return. Love grows love and honour magnifies honour.


In a world where every "truth" is valid yet nothing can be trusted, the Gospel stands like a colossus. Christ is THE truth and He loved His people before they loved Him. Dear brothers and sisters, in response, may our love and actions be genuine.


Pray (acTS)


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Q50 What is required in the second commandment? The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his Word.
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20th September 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - 1 Samuel 14:1-23 (focus v2-3)


Message Alan Burke 


On Monday we focused on Jonathan, today we focus on his father Saul. As we do that remember how Jonathan wasn’t a man that was presuming that the Lord would act on his behalf, nor was he willing to go ahead without the Lord rather his words when he went saying ‘perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf’ v6 are a display of faith. What had come before it though gives a different picture of his father. It is v2-3 that gives us a very different picture of Saul than his son Jonathan. As we are given details of Saul either depending on the translation you have either under a pomegranate tree or in a pomegranate cave, either way he’s not doing very much, he’s either hiding from the heat of the day or he’s hiding in a cave from the Philistines. But it’s what we are told of who was with him that sticks out, yes 600 men that of course sticks out when the force that they faced was as numerous as the sand on the seashore, rather it is Ahijah. 


Firstly the ephod. The Ephod tells us that Ahijah was the high priest, this is what the high priest wore. We might be tempted to think that this is a turn up for the books, while Saul who hadn’t waited for Samuel to come, he had got his act together, he had sought the council of high priest and brought him amongst the men with him and with the Urim and Thummim Saul could seek the Lord’s guidance as he needed it. Let’s not be hasty though because look what else we are told about Ahijah in v3, ‘He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh’. It almost seems totally unnecessary for us to be given this detail, sure Ahijah was the priest and isn’t that all that matters? 


Well no it isn’t, while it is some time since we last looked at 1 Samuel when we focused Eli and learnt about Ichabod and how his name literally means the “The glory of the Lord has departed”, if we had been going through the book continuously it would have been fresh in our mind how Eli was a faithless priest. Long and short of it is he allowed his sons to make the worship of the Lord God a mockery, and the Lord brought judgement on his house and rejected his line because of it (Ch2). We then learn of the judgement of God that came about because of Eli and his sons which all came to a climax because the people took the Ark of the Covenant into battle in effect as a good luck chapter and when it is captured, Eli’s sons are killed in the battle, Eli heard news of all that had happened fell back off his chair breaks his neck and we are told he was old and was heavy. Following that we hear of the birth of Ichabod. Ichabod’s mother also died in child birth so Ahitub is either the older brother of Ichabod or a half brother. What we have is a rejected king seeking the council of a rejected priest, we learn how Saul even though he has heard the judgement of God by Samuel the prophet isn’t happy with it and instead of accepting it, instead of seeking the Lord through his appointed prophet Saul seeks advice of one who has also been rejected by God.


What we see in Saul is what we can see in our own sinful nature, when we don’t like what the word of God teaches, we can be tempted when we don’t like what we hear we either reject it or we turn to someone who will tell us what we want to hear. Human nature is such that when we are confronts us with our sin we have a choice to make, submit to God and his word or rebel, to try to do it our own way and ultimately Saul was trying to do it his own way no matter what God said. When the preacher tells you something you don’t like the question is do you not like it because it is what the scripture teaches and because of your sinful nature, or is it that you don’t like it or is it that the preacher is preaching lies, may I suggest that most of the time the issue is our own not, rather our unwillingness to submit to the Lordship of Christ.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q51 What is forbidden in the second commandment?
The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images, (Deut. 4:15–19, Exod. 32:5,8) or any other way not appointed in his Word. (Deut. 12:31–32)
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