19th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read Romans 1:24-31 Message Alan Burke I want to start by paraphrasing verses 18-23 of Romans in this way as what we turn to today is connected to in, this is what we have learnt… ‘a sinful people reject the truth of God even though it’s clear to them and they are without excuse’. That is what we do, that is what we have been thinking of over the past number of weeks, that by our nature we reject the truth of God even though it’s clear and all are without excuse. Now as we bear that in mind here in these verses there is a clear teaching of scripture, it is not popular today but it is unmistakeable and it is God’s revealed truth. The word of contained in the Scriptures principally teach what we are to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of us. What I want to do is to help you see the consequences of sin, the manifestations of that sin are seen in the society around us but the passage we look at today tell us of a consequence of it. Look to how v24, connects what is now being said to what has come before as this passage starts with a ‘Therefore’. If you have a KJV before you you’ll read wherefore. Wherefore and therefore have the same meaning. Therefore as a result of what Paul has just said, in how a “sinful people reject the truth of God even though it’s clear to them and they are without excuse” we read ‘Therefore God gave them over’! The ESV puts it as ‘God gave them up’ the KJV says ‘God also gave them up’, the literarily meaning of the greek word is ‘to hand over’. This is what God does to ‘a sinful people reject the truth of God even though it's clear to them and they are without excuse’, He literally hands them over to their sin. Three times in these verses we are told of God handing over human beings because of their rejection of Him (24, 26, 28), people are given over to the sin that they so desire. When we think of the wrath of God we often think of the end times, when Christ will return, we think of that final day of the Lord when the Lord almighty will judge the living and the dead, when He will come with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it (Isa 13:9). But look back to verse 18, for here and this is the context of God handing them over to their sin, God is revealing His wrath. The Lord is handing sinners over to their sin, the desires of their heart as we are told in v24, to shameful lusts v26, a depraved mind in v28, is all a result of His wrath. The Lord is handing people over to these things because this is what they long for, this is what they want, God is giving those who want sin over to their sin precisely what they want and allowing them to store up greater wrath for the day of the Lord the day when all will be judged. But this is also revealing the wrath of God on them and this world in this way, God is withdrawing His restraining grace on sinful man. The more people reject God’s rule in their lives and in this society, as we reject what thirty years ago were moral absolutes, God will lift His restraining grace and abandon man to himself and to his sin and the result is what we see being played out more and more today. God gives people over to what they want. You and I can fall into grievous sin, we must not think that we are above that danger, but we know that there is forgiveness for sin even that which is detailed in this passage for “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:8). We know that we will fall short of what is required of us but we must not disregard the teaching of scripture, if we want to please God we keep His moral law, Jesus said “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. (Jn 14:23–24). We show that we are Christs by living according to the word of God. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q82 Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, (Eccles. 7:20, 1 John 1:8,10, Gal. 5:17) but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed. (Gen. 6:5, Gen. 8:21, Rom. 3:9–21, James 3:2–13)
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18th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 7v1-4) Message (Scott Woodburn) The Apostle has already mentioned Melchizedek in Hebrews but as chapter seven begins he starts to explain fully the nature of this mysterious Old Testament figure. Paul reminds us of the story in Genesis 14 "After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!' And Abram gave him a tenth of everything." (Genesis 14v17-20) Who was Melchizedek? His name means "king of righteousness" (v2) and because he was also king of Salem he could rightly be called "king of peace" So far, so good but then the Apostle mentions that Melchizedek is without father, mother, family tree, birth or death (v3). Wow. What are we to do with such information? Was Melchizedek an angel or an appearance of Christ? No. Let's be clear - Melchizedek had a father, mother, a family tree, a birthday and a day that he died but none of this is recorded in the book of Genesis. If you know Genesis then you will understand that it is a book full of family history - fathers and mothers and children are recorded. Yet Melchizedek appears suddenly without any mention of where he came from or who he belonged to. Years later the eternal Christ would miraculously be born to a young virgin and would be raised again to life even after death. Therefore we can say that Christ is without beginning of days nor end of life and therefore in Melchizedek we catch a little glimpse of Jesus. We'll see why this is so important later in the week but we'll finish today by marvelling at the greatness of Melchizedek (v5). Paul notes that he was so great that Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils of war. There was another king in Genesis 14 who went by the name Bera king of Sodom and he offered Abraham great riches as a gesture of thankfulness for his help. Abraham refused this offer. Sodom was a place of wickedness and instead of having anything to do with Bera, Abraham honoured Melchizedek with a tenth. It's clear from this gesture that Abraham knew his place. The inferior always honours the superior and the superior always blesses the inferior. On that day Melchizedek brought out bread and wine (where else do we see these elements?) and he blessed Abraham saying 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!' In the King's Valley, Abraham came into contact with a type of the Christ to come. Just as Paul saw Adam as a type of Christ (Romans 5v14) so too did he see Melchizedek as a type of Christ. If we are to understand the Old Testament and see the whole glory of Christ, then we are to do business with passages like this. Scripture interprets Scripture and the message is always Jesus. Christ is the greater Melchizedek. He is the King to whom every valley belongs. He is the King of righteousness and the king of peace. He gives us a remembrance meal full of bread and wine and He blesses us by His grace and mercy. How should we respond? Fall before your king and honour Him! Soli Deo Gloria. Amen. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q81 What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his. 17th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read - Romans 1:24-32 (and if you have time 2 Tim 3:16, Eph 2:20, 1 Jn 1:3–4, 2 Tim 1:13, 2 Tim 3:16, Rev 22:18-20). Message Alan Burke Today we are going to focus not on the next passage in Romans although we will get to that on Wednesday, we are going to think on the doctrine of Scripture. The reason why is because there are many claim to be churches of Jesus Christ who have sought to get around certain teachings of scripture and have sought to interpret many passages it in ways that cannot be substantiated. This is how we will also begin on this coming Lord’s day, for it is important that we know and understand two things, the first is summarised in WSC2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, (2 Tim. 3:16, Eph. 2:20) is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. (1 John 1:3–4). The second thing leads on from the first and it is summarised, yes you guessed it in WSC3, What do the scriptures principally teach? The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. (2 Tim. 1:13, 2 Tim. 3:16). These are two truths, the Word of God, all of it, contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule to direct us how to glorify and enjoy him and they principally teach what we are to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of us. These are not new truths, yet sadly in every generation because of the sinfulness of the human heart we try to as the psalmist puts it, we try to… “burst their bonds apart and cast away their chords from us” (Ps 2:3), meaning we are trying to overthrow the rule of God in sinful rebellion, to have lordship over our own lives. The Bible is sufficient by itself (Rev 22:18-20). Those who truly know and love the Lord know that the bible itself is sufficient (2 Tim 3:16-17). Sadly there are those that claim to be churches of Jesus Christ that don’t hold to the bibles sufficiency, others who rejected the authority of the word, others who have bit by bit chipped confidence in it away and as a result they have rejected God and have nothing to offer a broken world as a result. It breaks my heart, it should break all our hearts. Some say it is the bible plus, the Bible plus tradition, there are others that hold the view and some of them well meaning that the bible contains the word of God but is not the word of God, they believe that they can decided for themselves which parts are true and which parts are false. While there are others that hold the view and it’s a common held view today, who say that the bible is the fallible word of man but when people read it God uses these fallible words by His Spirit so the somehow they may receive in their own minds the true word of God, One man finds one part “inspired,” while another finds that another portion “speaks.”. We need to understand and know that these views are not only dangerous but they are deadly. There are many have the view that ‘Bible has to fit the current culture’, it’s sad, because those who say such things are actually are living the Bible in a sense, for as 2 Timothy 4 warns, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine, Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” This is happening in our day and age, people are choosing to go after their own desires and rejecting God and his revealed truth. It is necessary for us to have an objective standard by which we may pattern our lives on. That is the Word of God, it is the rule that God has given us, it must be the supreme authority in our lives. God has given us His word, which He is the source and ultimate Author of Scripture. Though written by human authors, Scripture nevertheless has the full weight of His authority. He is the author of the Bible, and has given it to direct the belief and behaviour of His people. Our ideas about God and our conduct should be measured, tested, and where necessary corrected and enlarged, by His word contained in the scriptures. It was through the recognition that the Bible cannot be subject to any person or group, however exalted. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q80 What is required in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, (Heb. 13:5, 1 Tim. 6:6) with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his. (Job 31:29, Rom. 12:15, 1 Tim. 1:5, 1 Cor. 13:4–7) 15th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 6v13-20) Message (Scott Woodburn) Do you know the difference between an oath and a vow? A vow is a promise made directly to God, for example "Lord I vow that for the next thirty days I will pray each morning". An oath on the other hand is a promise made to another person with God called as a witness, for example "Joe, I promise that I have told you the truth as God is my witness". In both cases we are to act with all seriousness. If you make a vow to God then be sure to carry it out and if you call upon God as your witness make sure you deal truthfully. But what about the Lord? If He makes a promise how does He prove His faithfulness? Paul's answer is that God swears by Himself. When the Lord reiterated the Covenant of Grace to Abraham he promised that He would both bless and multiply Father Abraham. To underline His commitment, the Lord swore by Himself. People often swear by something or someone greater than themselves and they give an oath as a confirmation (v16). In the same manner the Lord wished to show us convincingly that His promise and purposes would come to pass, therefore He guaranteed it with an oath (v17). We see a little glimpse of this in Genesis 15. The Lord promised Abram that his descendants would inherit the land. Abram was to take various animals and cut them in half. The Lord then appeared as a fire pot and a flaming torch and passed between the pieces of the animals. Essentially the Lord was swearing by Himself and telling Abram "If I break my promise, let me be cut in half like these animals." Needless to say, the Lord was never cut in half for He kept His word fully to Abram. If we are struggling to believe that the Lord will keep His promises then we need to remember two unchangeable things (v17). There is none greater than the Lord (v13) and His promise is certainly true. We sometimes tell children that God can do all things but there are things which he cannot do. One of them is that God cannot lie (v18). Therefore we have a strong encouragement to cling tightly to the promises of God (v18). He will certainly fulfil His Word and not one of His promises will fail. But how can we cling tightly if this world causes us trouble? How can we stay the course in the midst of the storm? As every Boys Brigade member will tell you, we have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast and sure as the billows roll (v19). Like the high priests of old who went behind the temple curtain to the holy of holies, Christ is our anchor and He has gone on our behalf to the most holy place (v19-20). He is a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (v19). Who was Melchizedek? He was an Old Testament figure who was both the king and priest of Salem. He wasn't Jesus but he gave us a little glimpse of Christ long before the arrival of the Lord. Jesus is the true priest-king. His sacrifice was enough and today He is at the right hand of the Father where He rules and reigns. In Jesus we have an anchor who keeps our soul, not least when the storms of life threaten to blow us away. My brothers and sisters the Gospel is no fraud and our God is no snake-oil salesman. What He has promised is true and what He has promised He will do. Every promise is yes and amen in Christ Jesus our Lord. How can we be sure? Because God has sworn by Himself and cannot lie. Trust Him! Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q79 Which is the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. 14th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read Psalm 117 Message Alan Burke Today we are going to focus on one word, and it is a word that translators have struggled to capture the depth and wonder of its meaning as they have translated the Hebrew to English. The word is used over 250 times in the Old Testament and used 127 in the Psalms, translators often have translated this as ‘merciful kindness’ as the KJV puts it, the NIV in Psalm 117 it is simply translated as ‘love’, but neither the KJV or the NIV consistently translate the word. Some of the many different ways in which it is translated, are mercy, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, loyalty, some times phrases are used. The ESV does the best at constantly translating this word in the same way and and the term it uses is “steadfast love”, so when you read the ESV and see the phrase ‘steadfast love’ you will always know that the Hebrew word חֶסֶד in English ‘hesed’ is used there. You might be thinking ‘seriously Alan, what does it matter’ but it does, for this word has such depths that to ignore it would rob us of the wonder of the Love of God. This word hesed is used in Exodus 34, where we are told, the Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed, and I’m taking this from the ESV because it is consistent… “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” Don’t forget that the Lord said these words to Moses just after His people had made a golden calf and worshiped it, and yet here the Lord assures Moses of his ‘hesed’ love, His steadfast love. Hesed is a word that reminds us that the Lord’s love for His people is not like how we love, how I love or you love, that is changeable, that goes in and out of fashion, that is here today and gone the next, or is conditional, and whether we want to accept it our not our love is conditional. God’s love towards His people, toward us through the Lord Jesus Christ is not like our love, it is not conditional, it is not changeable, it doesn’t change from one day to the next, it is a hesed love, a steadfast love, a love that continues steadfastly, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. I want to take you to the book of Lamentations, again I’m using the ESV and we are told in chapter 3, 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Just as with what the Lord said to Moses in the book of Exodus, here in Lamentations we read this in the context of the people of God’s sinful rebellion, time and time again God’s people know the hesed Love of God. But not only that God in His hesed love gave us the heavens, their starry host, the sun that gives light to the day and the moon for the night, (Ps 136), by His hesed love we have a harvest to celebrate, for He has provided once more. What is more is that Christ Jesus who went to the cross because of His hesed love towards us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8). Jesus Christ went to the cross to die in our stead so that we who are gentiles by birth might know the surpassing riches of God in Him, even though we are sinful rebels, God’s hesed love is shown to us so that we could be clothed with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ as if were our very own, as if we had lived this perfect righteousness ourselves. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q78 What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’ s good name. (1 Sam. 17:28, Lev. 19:16, Ps. 15:3) 13th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 6v9-12) Message (Scott Woodburn) The opening verses of Hebrews 6 deal with the issue of apostasy. What is apostasy? Apostasy takes place when someone who professes Christ as their Saviour then proceeds to turn their back on the Lord. They have apostatised. They are apostate. Paul's warning is serious and we should read it paying full attention. Some of the Hebrews seemed to be turning from Christ and looking back to their past life. Paul's response? "Don't do it! Don't even think about it! Flee from apostasy!" Thankfully Paul felt sure that the Hebrews were going to heed his warning. He was confident that they would enjoy better things - "things that belong to salvation" (v9). What a relief this must have been to the Hebrews! They certainly had their issues and the temptation to go backwards was real but nevertheless the Apostle was confident that they would stay the course. Why was he so confident? Because Paul knew that the Hebrews loved the name of the Lord, so much so that they served the saints in response (v10). We are not saved by our works but having been saved then works are sure to follow. The faith of the Hebrews was evident in how they loved the wider church. Therefore, Paul's desire was for the Hebrews to keep on going. Just as they were earnest in their service of the church, so too were they to be earnest in having the full of assurance of hope until the end (v11). In other words they were keep marching forward. They weren't to be sluggish in their Christian walk but they were to imitate those who by faith and patience had inherited the glorious promises of God (v12). We can learn from both the apostate and the one who continues in the faith. The apostate causes us to be ever alert and watchful over the condition of our soul. We daily look unto Christ and strive to walk closely with Him. Equally we consider those who remained faithful to the end. We think about our wee granny who was a mighty woman of prayer and we imitate her zeal. We consider the man who devoted his life to preaching the Gospel and we imitate his passion. We learn from the Christian who knew great suffering and yet remained faithful. This imitation isn't like when we used to pretend to be a teacher or a policeman as a child. The imitation we are called to is one that learns from others and puts those lessons into practice. The direction of apostasy is back but only great loss lies in that direction. The direction of the Christian is forward. The road ahead is narrow and at times it is incredibly tough but the child of God knows no other way. My brothers and sisters, keep going. March on with earnestness and full assurance of hope and surely one day you will inherit all the promises of God. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q77 What is required in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing. 12th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read Psalm 117 Message Alan Burke You may before you have one of those bibles with columns down the side or a footer, which little letters beside words in the text refer to. I have one of those bibles before me, sometimes these things are a distraction but in this instance it is useful and there is a little letter ‘c’ in mine before v1. Of course you, if the bible before you makes reference to this likely have something else. The reason why I mention this is because these are what are known as cross-references, they refer to where else that a verse is used in scripture. These cross-references do the hard work and they tell us that With Psalm 117:1 is used by Paul in the book of Romans in 15:11. There Paul uses this verse to speak of the inclusion of the Gentiles, of how Christ is both the hope of the Jews and the gentiles (Rom 15:8-9). He says this… [8] For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, [9] and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, … “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.” (Ro 15:11). For Paul understood how these words of God in the Psalter, written centuries before, spoke of how the covenant of grace would be extended to the Gentiles. That covenant of grace that was first given to Adam and Eve in the midst of the fall when God preached the gospel to the Devil, but then was reaffirmed to Abraham in the promises that were given to him. In Genesis 12, before Abraham had an heir, God promised to Abraham that he would make him into a great nation, that the Lord would bless him, that He would curse those who curse him, and that He would make him a blessing to all the families of the earth. (Gen 12:2-3.) Then in Genesis 15, God reiterated this promise that he had made, he said “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Abram remonstrated that he was still without an heir, and the Lord told him not to fear, taking him outside to look up at the heavens and count the stars, so would his offspring be, and God covenanted Himself to Abraham. Then in Genesis 17, God reassures Abram of his promise, the Lord gives him a new name, no longer is he called Abram but Abraham, telling him that the covenant would be made with not only him but his descendants, that as he was Abrahams God he would be the God of his descendants and fulfil His promises to him. It was in the coming of Jesus Christ that those promises to bless all the nations of the earth, to give him as numerous descendants as the stars in the sky, through faith all those who are in Christ Jesus to praise the Lord are Abraham’s descendants, we are heirs of the covenant of grace the promise that was given to Abraham. We see it time and time again, the promises of God to Abraham that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour, this is why Jesus himself declared that Abraham rejoiced to see His day (Jn 8:56) for in Jesus the promises to Abraham were fulfilled and that salvation was brought to the Gentiles so that we might be redeemed. After millennia, God’s promises to Abraham are still being fulfilled, the promises of God given to Abraham have come not only to the Jews but all who believe in Jesus Christ, we are recipients of the promises that God made to Abraham, of the everlasting covenant, the work of Christ has brought about the fulfilment of the promises that God had made. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q76 Which is the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exod. 20:16) 11th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 6v1-8) Message (Scott Woodburn) On our last visit to Hebrews we heard the Apostle lament the fact that the Hebrews were still in spiritual infancy and not maturity. They were still on milk when they should have moved to solid food. The Christians addressed by Paul were still failing to grasp the elementary things of Christ (v1). These are the foundational truths of the Christian faith which always form the basis of our growth and maturity. What are the elementary doctrines of Christ? Firstly, we are told of repentance and faith. When a sinner is converted to Christ they understand the depravity of their sin and they run to Lord seeking His forgiveness. This is repentance. Faith is a receiving and a resting in Christ as He is offered in the Gospel. Secondly, the Apostle speaks of "washings, the laying on of hands" (v2). In Judaism regular ceremonial washings were common and repeated. But in the days after the cross, the church has been given the gift of baptism which is a sacrament carried out only once. Additionally we continue to observe the laying on of hands when we welcome new elders or perhaps when we pray for others. Baptism should only happen once and so the Apostle's point is that when we receive Christ by faith we enter the church of Jesus Christ. We don't repeat this process, instead we rest in Jesus. He sets us free from repeated works which cannot save. Thirdly, foundational doctrine is the teaching about the resurrection of the dead and the judgement to come (v2b). Christians know and believe that everyone will be raised to life and will stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Some will then go to everlasting glory while others will see everlasting punishment. These elementary doctrines should not be forgotten but instead they should be built upon. The Gospel is our foundation and from the Gospel flows our maturity. As Paul challenges these Christians to strive for maturity, he also warns them against apostasy. What is apostasy? Apostasy takes place when someone who professes Christ as their Saviour then proceeds to turn their back on the Lord. They have apostatised. They are apostate. The Apostle doesn't throw this word around lightly like some do in the modern church. Instead he warns that if a supposed Christian commits apostasy, it is impossible for that individual to be restored again to repentance. Let us be clear, a true Christian cannot fall away. A true Christian cannot commit apostasy. Hear what Jesus said "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out...and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day." (John 6v37, 39) Jesus will save all of those for whom He died and not one of them will be lost. But apostasy is real and we must be mindful of it. So in addition to stating that a true Christian cannot fall away, we also stress that there are many who profess Christ who do fall away. Do you remember your best friend in youth group who seemed to love the Lord but now openly mocks him? Or what about the famous preacher who once spoke at conferences but then left his wife and the faith behind? The Apostle describes these individuals as those who have been enlightened (they have heard the Gospel) and tasted the heavenly gift (they have sat at the Lord's table) and shared in the Holy Spirit (they have witnessed the miraculous work of the Spirit in a local fellowship) and tasted the goodness of God's Word (they have sat under the Word read and preached) and the powers of the age to come (they know of Christ's resurrection and have seen the spiritual resurrection of sinners). If a so called Christian who has shared all of these blessings proceeds to turn their back on Christ then they have proved their original profession to be false. In the case of the Hebrews, anyone who was to turn back to Judaism from Jesus would prove their profession to be false. Apostasy makes a mockery of Christ and holds him up to contempt (v6). It says "I've tried Christ but I've decided he's not worth my time." Apostasy is like a field that after the rain only produces thorns and thistles (v8). It is worthless and in the end will know only flames. What should we do with such a passage? Brothers and sisters pray for Christians who, like the prodigal son, have grown cold and wander. Such individuals may not be apostate. Ask that the Lord will one day graciously call them back to Himself and restore their love for Him. But for others who once professed faith and have departed from that profession...may their example cause you to tremble and to be watchful over your own soul. Stay close to the Lord. Seek the ordinary means of grace. Strive for spiritual maturity and be thankful that the One who has saved you will certainly keep you to the end. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q75 What is forbidden in the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbor’s, wealth, or outward estate. 10th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read Psalm 117 Message Alan Burke We can already see the leaves begin to change, there is a definite chill in the air and as result the winter coats are starting to make an appearance and my wee woolly hats too, the autumn is here and the days are changing. It is the time of year that we pause to give thanks to God for His provision in the harvest. For many of us though the harvest is something that goes unnoticed, and with each successive generation it seems that there are less and less working on the land and more and more children who think Tesco/Asda or the Supervalu or Costcutter or Eurospar is where the milk comes from. As we see the days change and realise another year is coming to a close mindful of God’s provision in the harvest we turn our attention to the shortest Psalm in the Psalter, it is the shortest chapter in all of scripture, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that this Psalm hasn’t got that much to say or teach us. For as we come this Lord’s day to worship we will give thanks to the Lord as we do every Lord’s day, but we will remember how He has once more provided the harvest, of how He has given us our daily bread and in what He has provided, but most of all, we thank Him for, the calling of the nations and the inclusion of the Gentiles. Notice the focus of the psalmist as this psalm begins, for the focus is not at this stage at least on the reason we should praise the Lord, rather the imperative is given to us simply, that we should praise Him. All people every where this psalm calls to Praise the Lord, each and ever person to praise him, no mater what nation they are from whether that be the United Kingdom or Ireland, South Korea or North Korea, the United States of America or the Russian Federation and no matter what ethnicity they may be, British, Irish, Northern Irish, White, Black, Asian, it universally calls all people to praise the LORD, to 'Praise the LORD’. To Praise the LORD, that is what we are called to do, and notice as we read it and see it here but it is throughout the scriptures that before us that the ‘LORD’ is capitalised. What that denotes that the word used here in the Hebrew is Yahweh. Yahweh is the personal name for God, He is the creator of the entire universe and each and every one us, the one that Hiram reminded us a few weeks ago who is revealed from heaven, the one whose invisible qualities, whose eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen in all that surrounds us (Rom 1:18-20). He is the the one who makes the rain fall and the sun to shine on the just and unjust (Mat 5:45), the one who visits the earth as the Psalmist puts it to water it, providing the grain that he has prepared, who crows the year with bounty, who gives pastures and wilderness, who crowns the meadows with flocks and the valleys with grain (Ps 136), all of it shouting and singing together for their creator. (Ps 65:9-13) Yes we praise Him for the harvest, but we have many, many other reasons to give thanks and to praise the Lord our God, we praise him for who He is and all that He has done and the salvation that He has brought to us though the Lord Jesus Christ. So let us as God’s people extol Him with praise for indeed He is a good God. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q74 What is required in the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others. (Gen. 30:30, 1 Tim. 5:8, Lev. 25:35, Deut. 22:1–5, Exod. 23:4–5, Gen. 47:14,20) 8th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 5v11-14) Message (Scott Woodburn) We have touched briefly upon the subject of Christ’s priesthood and His relationship to Melchizedek but we’ll have to wait for Paul to continue his thinking. He admits that he has much to say about the topic (v11a) but that it is hard to explain (v11b). This isn’t the Apostle struggling with the complexity of the subject. Instead it’s “hard to explain” because the Hebrews have become “dull of hearing” (v1c). This is a damning indictment of this particular church. We think that Paul was probably writing to a church based in Rome and he stresses that by this stage of their Christian walk they should be teachers (v12). In other words they should have grown to such an extent that they should be well grounded in the faith and able to pass that faith on to others. Unfortunately this isn’t the case. Instead of teaching, these men and women need someone to put them over the basics once more (v12b). Like a young child not yet ready for meat, the Hebrews need milk and not solid food (v12c). Let’s be clear - milk is good for you and the milk of Christian teaching that you received when young in the faith is really, really good. But in life and in faith we are not to remain on a diet of milk. Paul explains that the one who lives on milk alone is like a child “unskilled in the word of righteousness” (v13). There’s the problem. It is wonderful to know that Jesus died for sin, this is a true and glorious statement. But with that truth well established in our souls, we should seek to know more. Who was Jesus? Was He there in the beginning? What role did He have in creation? Was Jesus a good man who became God? Did Jesus sin? Was Jesus God and did He put aside His divinity for 30 odd years on earth? What do we mean when we say Jesus was passively obedient? What is the hypostatic union? Where is Jesus now? Does He still have a body? By God’s grace you’ll be able to answer all of those questions and many more. The purpose of this isn’t to boast and draw attention to our great knowledge. Instead we are to desire the things of God and we are to be hungry for His Word. The Christian at any stage of their walk with Christ should seek maturity in the faith and the Christian should always be humble enough to know that we all still have room to grow. The benefit is great indeed. As we grow into spiritual maturity we will be able to distinguish between good and evil (v14). We call this discernment and perhaps discernment is one of the least evident attributes of the modern church. As long as something looks and sounds vaguely Christian then we assume that it is. But brothers and sisters we would do well to realise that much of what we see and hear in the modern church is false. One of the biggest churches in the USA caused controversy recently when a speaker proclaimed that "When you come to church, when you worship him, you're not doing it for God, really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy.” What do you think of that statement? Is Sunday all about you? How would you respond to your friend that takes such a statement to heart and starts to live it out? Respond to this devotion by asking yourself “have I become dull of hearing?” And if you discern that you have indeed switched off from a regular, healthy, meaty diet of God’s Word then please repent. May the Lord unblock our ears and soften our hearts to receive the solid food of His Word. May He sanctify us by His truth and may we be wise and discerning in this crooked generation. For Christ’s sake. Amen. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q73 Which is the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal. |
Alan
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