19th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 12v7-8) Message (Scott Woodburn) Would you confidently say that your life is marked by generosity, zeal and cheerfulness? If I'm being honest, these nouns can't always be applied to my own Christian walk. Even so, as the Apostle Paul's list of gifts comes to a close, he is sure that our gifts should be marked by each of the descriptors above. In what way? If your gift is contributing to others, then you are to be generous in exercising this talent. Some argue that this means when you are distributing the resources of your local church you are to be generous in this work. More likely, Paul is arguing that some will be blessed with the gift of contribution whereby they happily and freely support their fellow Christians using their own resources. I know some incredibly generous Christians who have reached into their pockets with no hesitation in their support of the Gospel. They have the gift of contribution and if you do too, then you are to contribute generously. In other words don't begrudge your gift in three months time and don't demand it back when you're feeling grumpy. Others will be called to be leaders in their local fellowship and if so, leaders are to lead with zeal. Zeal isn't a word that we use much anymore. What does it mean? Zeal is defined as "great enthusiasm or eagerness" and so leaders are to be marked by their zealous passion for their task. Leaders will lead from the front and they will set the example for the rest of the flock. Such individuals are a blessing to the local church and they inspire us when perhaps we cannot recognise the way ahead. Finally, the one whose gift is "acts of mercy" should be cheerful in that work. What is an act of mercy? It is when you give up your time to visit your fellow Christian in hospital, it is when you babysit someone's children during a family bereavement or it is a twenty pound note when we know someone's bills are mounting up. In all of these situations we are in danger of falling into pride as we pat ourselves on the back for our goodness. Additionally we can grow hard towards the one in need of our mercy - we are not thanked for our good deed and the person we helped seems unappreciative of our efforts. Regardless of the response we receive, if we do acts of mercy then we must always be cheerful in our work. The church is a diverse place and all of us have different gifts that we are called to use in thankful service of Jesus. So brothers and sisters, how has the Lord gifted you? How are you currently using these talents in your local fellowship? Is your heart cheerful in service or begrudgingly hard? Hear God's Word which declares "whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3v17) Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q48 What are we specially taught by these words, before me,” in the first commandment? These words, before me,” in the first commandment teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God.
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18th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 14:1-23 (focus v1-15) Message Alan Burke It’s Monday morning, now I know you may be reading this later in the day or the week but it doesn’t really matter so much, it’s Monday the second day of the week and how are you doing? Have you fallen out with the shadow yet, looked in the mirror and felt dissatisfied, looked at the house and the state of it and got cross with the wains, got annoyed because of something stupid, thought about what you’d do if you could get your hands on… it could be any number of things but I’m sure that no matter what face you try to put on today that there is one thing for certain you have already sinned in so many ways, known and unknown to you. The good news is that salvation is not about you, from beginning to end salvation is the Lord’s just as it was that day for Jonathan in our passage that we look at this week. As we pick up in chapter 14 we know that the people have a new king, Saul who was a full head taller than everyone else, the one that the people of Israel longed for to lead them, but he was a man who had ultimately rejected God’s ways and followed his own, whereas his son Jonathan relied on the Lord and would never reign as King because because of his fathers failure and the Lord had rejected his line. The Philistines had assembled at Micmash, and as we are introduced to the events that now take place. Chapter 13 finished with us being told that a detachment of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash. The location of where the Philistines are camped is important, for it is in the centre of many Israelite population centres, the invading army are in this strategic position with numbers as numerous as the sand on the sea shore, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers (1 Sa 13:5) things are not looking good. This detachment of the Philistines leaves and Jonathan decides that it would be a good idea to go on a scouting trip. What we learn of Jonathan is that he was a man of great faith, a man after God’s own heart unlike his father, he was one who was willing to act while others were filled with inaction, as the narrative goes on it is clear that Jonathan is a man who is nothing like his father. Jonathan goes and notice what we are told about his father Saul, depending on the translation you have it will either read that Saul was 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. This is a great picture that is being given to us of the King of God’s people, the people wanted a king who would fight their battles but instead Saul is miles off, at an outpost with his men not far from his home turf. We’ll come back to Saul later in the week but I want to focus on Jonathan for today. For it’s what comes in v6. ‘Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf’ Jonathan says, he isn’t presuming that the Lord will act, nor is he isn’t willing to go on ahead without the Lord, but his words are conveying his faith and it is displayed in what comes next, nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few. The Philistines were as numerous as the sand on the sea shore and Jonathan was there with only had his armour bearer. Jonathan had confidence that his Lord could defeat the Philistines, even though the challenge that he faced is like going against the whole might of US army, him and his mate. Jonathan believed that if it was the Lord’s desire they would have the victory, Jonathan while the rest of Isreal was afraid took confidence in the very character of the Lord knowing that Salvation is the Lord’s. For us, often in the situations we face it is not that our God is too big but that we have made him to small, we have made the situation that we find ourselves in too difficult for the Lord to help in. If it is the Lord’s will he will do amazing things in our day, he calls us to faith but how often is our natural disposition that it is too hard for the Lord, it can’t be done, but Jonathan knew better, for nothing is too difficult for the Lord (Jer 32:17). Throughout the scripture we see this truth, time and time again what seems impossible for man is possible with God, but do we get that? Do we understand that God is omnipotent, all powerful, because we are often in situations in this life where we are inadequate but God can use and work though inadequate people like us. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q49 Which is the second commandment? The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thy self to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exod. 20:4–6) 16th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 12v7-8) Message (Scott Woodburn) I remember standing at the bottom of the Bloomfield Road waiting for the number seventeen bus to take me to work. There was some sort of commotion in the church beside the bus stop and as I watched I realised that Ian Paisley had arrived to cast his vote on election day. He left the church hall with his wife by his side and stood for a few moments to have his picture taken. Politicians still do this sort of thing - it is important to be seen on election day. It is quite the opposite when it comes to our Christian service. Even if our gifts are "up front" and visible, we should always seek to exercise them without the need for personal glory or having our picture on the front cover of the Presbyterian Herald. Paul states that the prophet is to engage in prophecy or in our day, the preacher is to preach. Additionally the one whose gift is service, is to get on with serving (v7a). Service doesn't sound like a very glamorous gift but it is bestowed upon us by the grace of God and therefore we are to serve happily. What does it look like? Those gifted in service will gently minister to and serve their fellow Christians. They will do the unseen work of praying with the lady suffering from dementia in the nursing home, they will ensure the chairs are put out and put away for the Bible study and they will bring a pot of stew to the man who has just lost his wife. Nothing glamorous but gracious and substantial nevertheless. In the same way, the one who teaches is to get on with his teaching (v7b). This is fairly self-explanatory. There are individuals in every church with the ability to open up the Scriptures and explain correctly what they mean. Once more this isn't an excuse for arrogance but with humility the teacher draws alongside his fellow Christian and says "Let me help you understand justification." or "Here's what was going on at Pentecost." Finally, the exhorter is to exhort (v8). What is exhortation? One of the finest men I have ever known was Rev Noel Agnew and he was a master exhorter. I would meet him for coffee and he would urge me to keep going, he would correct my sinful attitudes and he would encourage me to lift my eyes to Christ. Exhortation is when we speak to our fellow Christians and we encourage, incite or advise them. I would leave my meetings with Noel feeling ten-foot tall, well encouraged and exhorted. On the day that Ian Paisley voted, there was such a fuss that a photographer was accidentally pushed over and broke his leg. Paisley didn't mean for that to happen but the need for public recognition and a photo for the paper ended with a call for an ambulance. Within the church we don't strive for such publicity. We are to serve and draw alongside those who are struggling in the dead of winter, we are to have coffee with a weaker brother and gently explain for the fifth time the nature of sanctification and we are to send the private text which says "Florence, I'm thinking about you today. Keep going! Look to Jesus!" Let the server serve, the teacher teach and the exhorter exhort, for the sake of Christ and His church. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q46 What is required in the first commandment? The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly. 15th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 13:13-23 Message Alan Burke It started so well for Saul, while God had given him everything he needed to be a good king, to rule over the people, for God had called him, anointed him, equipped him, while he had everything he needed, as he was set up for success, and the early signs were promising it didn’t continue that way. We pick up just after Saul had failed to wait for Samuel. He had shown his disobedience, his failure to live according to God’s ways, he wasn’t serving the Lord with all his heart (12:20), the did not fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all his heart (24). As Samuel rebukes Saul and tells him because of his foolishness in how he did not keep the commands of the Lord and as a result his kingdom would not endure we get to the crux of the problem, the heart of Saul. We may want to defend Saul, after all if it was someone we knew a family member, we’d be saying but you don’t know the stress they were under, you don’t know what they had to deal with in that situation, which of course is true but ultimately in those times we see where our hope lies, where our heart is, is it in the Lord trusting in him or is it in ourselves because the temptation that we often face is to trust in ourselves, to trust in things, or our own strength but not in God. And this is as much true of us as individuals as it is for us as a church, as the people of God, we must be those who look to God and trust in his way. Ultimately Saul was showing that he was when his back was against the wall that he failed to trust in God and he sinned against God as a result. God would replace Saul with a man after his own heart. We know that man was David, David made plenty of down right stupid decisions but he was a man after God’s own heart because when confronted with his sin he repented of it. Saul took things into his own hands, he was left with six hundred men, he would loose the kingdom he was entrusted with by the Lord. He should have looked to the Lord, every Israelite king was to look to the Lord, beside each one of those kings that followed Saul there was a prophet of the Lord speaking God’s word into the situation, but Saul rejected God’s ways and followed his own. On this we must never think to ourselves that ignoring God’s word will not have consequences, for what we do when we ignore it while we may try to pretend that it is not the case we are actually disobeying his word, Saul disobeyed and lost a great deal. For the believer, if you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ you can be certain that you will not loose your salvation but you can loose many earthly blessing, you may spend years living with the consequences of your sin that may be painful and a constant reminder of your failure to have a heart for God and to trust him in your past but in the present know that you have been forgiven, forgiven because of Christ Jesus. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q47 What is forbidden in the first commandment? The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, (Ps. 14:1) or not worshipping and glorifying the true God as God, (Rom. 1:21) and our God; (Ps. 81:10–11) and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone. (Rom. 1:25–26) 14th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 12v6) Message (Scott Woodburn) Have you ever heard of the "80/20" rule? It states that in any organisation 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. Sadly many churches are "80/20" with a heavy burden carried by a small minority of the membership. Needless to say, it should never have been this way. Paul declares that every Christian has been graciously gifted by God with abilities and talents that they are to use in the local church (v6). Some of these abilities will be "up front" gifts that the church and wider community will witness regularly. Other abilities will be "behind the scenes" that no one will ever pay any attention to. Regardless of their nature, our talents come as a gracious gift from God and give us no room for boasting or arrogance. Instead we are to use our talents in the service of Christ. In the following verses we are not given an exhaustive list of gifts that Christians can expect to be blessed with, but seven gifts are listed with the first being prophecy. What is prophecy? John Murray answers "Prophecy refers to the function of communicating revelations of truth from God." and so in the church in the days after Pentecost there were men who received "revelations of truth from God." and subsequently passed them to the church. These messages were to be "in proportion to our faith" or in other words the prophet was not to go beyond that which was believed to be the orthodox Christian faith. If a prophet proclaimed anything contrary to Apostolic teaching, he proved himself to be a false prophet. The office of prophet is no more and Paul's office of Apostle is gone too. Why? Because these were foundational offices and the foundation has been long laid. Today we are blessed with the complete canon of Scripture and if we want to hear God's voice then all we have to do is turn to His Word. But you might be surprised to hear that prophecy is a weekly part of worship in both Edengrove and Lissara. How? When the Word is read and especially preached it is made "prophetic" by the work of the Holy Spirit. Your minister does not tell you brand new things which he heard from God during the week, instead he exercises a prophetic ministry as he faithfully preaches the Word of God. Paul would not recognise an "80/20" church. His call continues to be found in the pages of Romans and it is a call to Christian service. To the preacher, preach! To the Christian, serve! As God has gifted us, so we use those gifts to His glory. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q44 What doth the preface to the ten commandments teach us? The preface to the ten commandments teacheth us, that because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments. 13th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 13:8-15 Message Alan Burke We have friends and we know when we make arrangements with them that you don’t hold them to their time keeping. We’ve experienced the same issue for years, in their house all the clocks are set about 15 minutes fast so when it’s 8am in reality they look at their clock and it’s 8:15am. Even with this they are always late, actually if they only showed up 15 minutes late I’d be in shock. The general rule is if you say come round for 11am you expect them for lunch, anywhere between 12:30-2pm and if they say come round for 2pm we’re having a family get together you know that there is no point of showing up to at least 3pm, maybe 4pm but we still love them. If they were always on time we would expect them on time and if they then for once showed up late we would wait, probably worrying about them wanting to know if they were ok. Saul was told to wait for seven days at Gilgal, while he wanted we are also told that Samuel did not come to Gilgal. It seems that that Samuel did come on the seventh day it is just Saul couldn’t wait until the end of the seventh day. It’s like day seven at day brake, with the troops quaking with fear and Saul seeing troops scattering, under immense pressure, the fear the worry of what was happening with the Philistines gathering such a large force Saul takes things into his own hand. He offers the sacrifices that Samuel would have offered on Saul’s behalf, but Saul couldn’t wait. Well, it wasn’t that Saul couldn’t wait, he could have waited but he didn’t want to or rather he grew impatient out of his desperation, he was making a deliberate choice here don’t miss that, he was taking things into his own hands, he knew that it was Samuel who was to offer the sacrifices but he none the lest went ahead. His desperation is clear, and in a sense if he had led as he should have in the beginning then he wouldn’t have found himself in this situation. What I mean by that is if his son Jonathan had not attacked, if Saul had sought the Lord, if he had have looked to the Lord in it all as he and all of Isreal were warned to do by Samuel then this entire station would have been avoided, but Saul went ahead and did it his way. Now Saul was facing the consequences of his failure to look to the Lord, was outnumbered, powerless, panicking, and before him all that he could see was the need to act, to take things into his own hands. In the midst of it all with the Philistine threat growing Saul should have been all the more eager for the Lord to speak and act. With all said and done, and the arrival of Samuel with Saul going out the blame game starts. Saul puts the blame squarely at Samuel’s feet, in effect he is saying, you were late, it’s not my fault. This is one of those passages of scripture that if we are honest we will likely see so much of ourselves in and it should sadden us, for the picture that it portrays to us of someone who is unrepentant for their sin. Saul should have known better, but instead of waiting and listening to the council of Samuel, Saul instead points the finger away from himself. There is nothing new in this, think back to the garden of Eden, Adam blamed Eve for eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the women you put me with, she gave me some and I ate, he passed the buck instead and showing no repentance. What about us, I ask that because Saul saw a situation that he felt the means was justified in-spite of how God’s will and God’s ways, then when confronted with his sin instead of holding his hands up and admitting what he had done he blamed another. Let’s not play the blame game, instead knowing that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9). Our Saviour Jesus Christ has dealt with it, to maintain fellowship with God and with one another we must continue to confess it, repenting from our sin. Is there unconfessed sin in your life or someone that you have blamed in the wrong, it’s time to do something about it. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q45 Which is the first commandment? The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exod. 20:3) 12th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 12v3-5) Message (Scott Woodburn) It is a humbling thought that we have done absolutely nothing to merit salvation. We are not saved by works, we are not saved because we're better than the guy down the street and we are not saved because God owed us something. Salvation belongs to God and we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. In response to this truth Paul exhorts us to have a sober judgment of ourselves. What does he mean? Brothers and sisters, we are not as awesome as we think. Sometimes our sinfulness abounds and we convince ourselves that we are never wrong, we are never to blame and we are the finest Christian the church has ever seen. I'm sorry to say none of this is true. When we are tempted to boast in ourselves Paul directs us to a true and sober picture of what we are really like. Truly we are sinners saved by grace and in daily need of God's mercy, forgiveness and sanctification. Therefore when we sinfully believe ourselves to be a "big deal" we are to be humbled by the Gospel and the common faith which we share with all true Christians. This is what Paul means when he calls on us to judge ourselves "according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (v3b). Are you better than the Christian who doesn't pray as zealously as you? Are you more highly esteemed by the Lord because you went on a mission trip last summer? Are you more valuable to the local church than your brothers and sisters because of your giftedness? No. When we start believing in our own greatness we forget that every Christian is united by a simple truth - we are all sinners saved by grace. The church isn't a collection of superstars who rule over the poor peasants. Instead Christ is the head of the church and the church is like a body which is made up of many parts. Some Christians will be called to preach, some to evangelise and some to open their homes in gracious hospitality but the church isn't like George Orwell's "Animal Farm" where "all animals are equal (but some are more equal than others)" Christians are united to Christ by faith and therefore as they belong to Jesus, they also belong to one another (v5). Your brothers and sisters are not there to bow before your greatness or to act as a ladder upon which you climb. There can be no room for arrogance or pride in the Christian life. Christ is God's gift to the church - not you or me. It is His blood which cleanses us from sin and His sacrifice is the only grounds for our boasting. As Charles Spurgeon once said "The feeble saints cost Christ as much suffering as the strong ones." Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not boast in yourself but think soberly of your true condition. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q42 What is the sum of the ten commandments? The sum of the ten commandments is, to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves. 11th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 13:1-7 Message Alan Burke The account of Saul is one that I find tragic yet at the same time I know that his failure as king was not because of the Lord, rather it was was because of his own heart. It’s one of those things that we often fail to appreciate just how deceitful our hearts are, just how desperately sick our hearts are (Jer 17:9). For the believer we are given a new mind and heart but it is a constant battle every day against the old man or woman that lives within and that sinful nature that once controlled us. In this chapter although we won’t get through all of it today we learn that it was ultimately Saul’s heart was not what it should have been, Samuel pronounced that in the place of Saul there would be a new king one who was after his own heart (14). In these opening verses it sets the scene of Saul’s failure, he was king, the one whom the people desired, the one who would make them like the nations around them and lead them into battle but we soon discover that while he started well and everything looked good on the outside, Saul’s heart was not truly God’s. He was not a man after God’s own heart. Look at what we are told, Saul had v1 three thousand experienced men, two thousand with Saul, one thousand with Jonathan. There is a massive difference in the fighting force in comparison to the numbers we are given in chapter 11 with the defeat of the Ammonites, there three hundred thousand men of Isreal and thirty thousand men of Judah (11:8). Some difference, this force is less than 1% of the fighting force that were previously gathered, but then before it was the Lord that brought Isreal out as one man. While Saul was King, while he was to be the one that who was to deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines, it was his son Jonathan who was doing the fighting and here in v3-4 as Israel celebrates the first defeat of the Philistines seeing their king victorious it is not Saul at all who has won them the victory. It seems curious that it is Jonathan and not Saul who we are told of having the victory that is unless all was not as it should be for Saul and his reign and this isn’t the first indication that things were not going to go well was when Saul was found hiding in the baggage before he was anointed (10:23) Jonathan not Saul had initiated the battle with the Philistines, as the Philistines muster Saul has the trumped blown throughout the land, he claims responsibility and as he does he is seeking to muster all of Isreal as before with the battle against the Ammonites, but do we see what is missing there, there is no report in this account of any of Isreal gathering at Gilgal to seek the Lord before any of this takes place, in contrast the Philistines gather together a fighting force that has three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as sand on the seashore. While it is God’s enemies that are as numerous as the sand on the seashore coming before God’s people and their king. In all of this the sheer gravity of the situation is being underlined to us Saul should have remembered the one that he served is the Lord the maker of Heaven and earth and he could be trusted. Saul failed here because what he lacked, he lacked a heart, a heart for God and it was his own undoing. His failure as king though was not because he failed to defeat the enemies of Isreal and free them from the fear and oppression that they faced but it was his failure to serve the Lord with all his heart to trust his Lord (12:20) as the people were warned by Samuel, failure here and his ultimate defeat in battle later in the book (Ch31) are merely a consequence of his failure to serve the Lord with all his heart. Let us put our hope and trust in what ever lies ahead in our Lord, in the salvation he has brought us through Christ the Son, who died to address our heart issue so that we might be forgiven and become a child of God. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q43 What is the preface to the ten commandments? The preface to the ten commandments is in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (Exod. 20:2) 9th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 12v2) Message (Scott Woodburn) Did your grandmother ever ask "if he told you to stick your hand in the fire, would you do it?" Your granny's question was about how much you were prepared to conform to the whims of another. I suspect most of us like to think we are strong minded and determined individuals who are never pushed, prodded or easily led but realistically we are bombarded by all kinds of pressure every single day and all too often we resemble the world around us. Don't believe me? Have you ever bought an item because the reviews on Amazon encouraged you to do so? Have you ever started a diet because someone in work said that they had lost three stone in six days? Have you ever voted for someone because your dad told you to? More often than not we conform to the whims of the world. Every single day you are influenced by media giants like YouTube, Tiktok and Facebook. Advertisements on TV and the billboards in town have more sway over you than you can imagine. Even conversations with Sammy next door and that girl in the other office can conform your thoughts, words and attitudes to the agenda of the kingdom of man and that's not a good thing. Paul spoke of this "present evil age" (Galatians 1v4) and understood that this world is passing away (1 Corinthians 7v31). However as the Christian responds to the Gospel they are not to be conformed but instead transformed by the renewal of their minds (v2a). How does the renewal of our minds take place? By Word and Spirit. The child of God is be rooted and grounded in the Scriptures. Paul would remind Timothy of this when he stated "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3v16-17) Elsewhere Paul would say "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4v12) We cannot underestimate the necessity of a regular diet of the Word in a Christian's life. The Christian should be active in reading God's Word personally, active in hearing the Word read and especially active in hearing the Word preached. It is by this means that the Lord grows us up in the faith and as we read or listen, God the Holy Spirit enlightens us and guides us into all truth (John 16v13). As our minds are transformed the outcome is a growth in discernment. What is discernment? Discernment is defined as "keenness of insight and judgment" and so the Christian bathed in God's Word is enabled to discern what God's will is on any given subject. The Lord's will is good and acceptable and perfect and as we are bombarded each day by the wisdom of the world, it is essential that we exercise our discernment to ensure we live rightly before the Lord. I'm reminded of an old song I used to sing in Sunday School which taught "be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear." It was a simple song full of truth. The world seeks to shape the Christian into it's own sinful image. We must resist and instead be transformed by the renewal of our minds. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q40 What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law. 8th September 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 12:20-25 Message Alan Burke What happens when we know we have done something or something that has been done to us that has caused hurt? It could be with a friend, colleges, neighbour, family member? I would suggest that depending on what has happened that relationship changes, once bitten twice shy is the saying goes meaning that when you’re hurt you are wary of doing it again in the fear of being hurt again. In our relationships where there is hurt depending on what it is there can be distance, things are not the way they once were. Well Samuel had just recalled to their minds their faithlessness in the past and now he seeks to comfort the people and us to “not be afraid”. But I want you to notice in the midst of this what Samuel has Said and what he now says and what he goes on to say. Look back to verse 14, were the people are told; “If you fear the Lord” and now he says in verse 20 “Do not be afraid” then verse 24 “But be sure to fear the Lord” you are to fear the Lord, while not being afraid and still you are to fear the Lord. Fear the Lord but do not be afraid. What is going on? Well they are to fear the Lord as the Proverbs says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, fearing the Lord is right and appropriate for he is the creator God who is far greater than we can even begin to imagine. Fear here though speaks not of terror but of filial fear, that of a child to their parent, they fear offending, fear rejection, fear causing hurt or pain by their actions. We are to fear the Lord our of love for him, it should not fill us with terror but instead deliver us from it for we have been redeemed by him recognising the truth of the LORD and all that he has done, knowing and honouring him. They need not be afraid for God has called them to himself as his people, even though they have done evil God is still their God and they are to serve him. Even though they have done evil notice what Samuel says, do not turn aside from following him, don’t look to worthless things; how he will not forsake his people v22, he wold not forsake them because of his grace, his sovereignty, they had been faithless and had done it time and time again but even so the Lord would remain faithful, they could have confidence in his great unchangeable promises, his character, his faithfulness, he would not allow his purposes to bring salvation to the nations though their own failure, for he was using them as his chosen people to bring salvation though the true king the Lord Jesus Christ. For all of us it reminds us the way of life in the Kingdom of God that we should be motivated because what the Lord has done for us, how he has brought salvation to us, it should stir us to remain faithful to him with all our hearts, trusting him, serving him, obeying his commandments, not relying on our own reason or the ways of man. We are to submit to the LORD just as Israel was reminded to do for the kingdom of God has now come into this world in a much more powerful way than in the days of Samuel, Jesus Christ is the Lord’s anointed, the kingdom of God has been revealed with a fulness and clarity not known to Samuel’s hearers. we now wait for the day that the kingdom will come with power and glory. we may find ourselves drawn and attracted to the ways of human reason, the way our culture has gone but whenever human power or reason replaces the Lord as either or moral guide or Him as the object of our trust and obedience we need to hear this call to faithfulness and to serve him with all our heart! When we mess up, when our relationship suffers with our Lord because of our own sin know his grace is sufficient, that’s not an excuse to keep on sinning but a comfort when we are confronted with our sin. In the midst of failure, God graciously calls is people to be faithful, let’s hear the call to our faithful God. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q39 What is the duty which God requireth of man? The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will. (Mic. 6:8, 1 Sam. 15:22) |
Alan
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