7rd October
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Romans 1:21-23 Message Alan Burke To summarise where we are, people are without excuse before God because He has revealed Himself, creation declares the glory of God. The thing is, even though people are without excuse, it is clear for all, they do not seek to glorify Him with their lives or give thanks. Today we pick up half way through Romans 1:21 because we learn the consequences of sinful rebellion is that ‘their thinking became futile their foolish hearts become darkened’. When we think of futile it is something of course, that is incapable of producing useful results, pointless. Well here the word when referring to futile thinking means that ones mind is given over to deceptive and meaningless thinking, a mind that has become worthless or foolish, a mind that is unable to think clearly or correctly. That is what has happened when people reject what God has made plain, for they have rejected Him, they have rejected the very truth. The knock on effect of that is then given to us, that their foolish hearts become darkened. In scripture the fool is one who is not only stupid, they are also wicked because they deny what they know to be true. It is not that they fail to know God and then this is the result, it is that they know God but do not seek to live under his rule. When someone rejects God it is not only that their thinking is futile but that their whole life is shaped by it as a result and they become darkened. When we reject the wisdom of God and fail to understand the universe and all that is in it correctly, the human race has become unbearably connected and terribly ignorant. In a search for truth, the truth of God has been cast aside, the wisdom of man is foolishness in God’s sight, it is not the lack of intelligence but lack of moral understanding. Think of the change of the accepted morality in the culture that surrounds us. Once things that were moral absolutes, that were almost universally agreed have gone, for some of us here the change is a stark one. We will think about this more next week, yet we in our wisdom have became fools for we thought that we could do it without God who preserves the morality of this world. The result has always been the same throughout the ages, it is demonstrated in individuals lives as well as societies, when we reject the truth of God, when we cast off what has been made know, we cannot live in a consistent way because no longer are there moral absolutes. When we reject God, God withdraws and the effects of sin in the lives of the individuals and a society increases. Because there is no such thing as neutrality within our hearts and it results in exchanging the Glory of God (23). We are mistaken today if we believe that the human race is making progress, that it is improving itself morally speaking, instead since the beginning we have been on a downward spiral, we are refusing to acknowledge the true God, and instead we have degenerated to the stupidity and depravity that lead from the rejection of of the Lord God. We are by our nature made to Glorify the living God, when we throw off what we know about God, not seeking to Glorify him or give thanks to him then the result is that we turn to something else. Yet by the grace of God He calls sinners to repentance through Jesus Christ, and as we turn from our sin then we seek to glorify God, we seek to give Him thanks, and we as God’s people cannot but worship God, and we cannot but want to be with God’s people if we are His people. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q72 What is forbidden in the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions. (Matt. 15:19, Matt. 5:28, Eph. 5:3–4)
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6th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 5v5-10) Message (Scott Woodburn) One of the most divisive figures of recent years was President Donald Trump. I remember speaking to a P7 class in Ballynahinch Primary in the days before the American Presidential election and the children were obsessed with Trump. They did impressions of him and shouted “build the wall”. I’d never seen any class pay any attention to politics before or since. Like him or not, Trump was a master of self promotion and for a brief moment in history the world paid attention to the man who told us that everything he ever did was simply the best. However when it comes to the Lord Jesus, He was no master manipulator or shameless self-promoter. Jesus did not exalt Himself to become our great high priest but instead He was appointed by God (v5). God the Father said to God the Son “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” and “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (v6). These are direct quotes from Psalm 2v7 and Psalm 110v4 and they speak of the legitimacy of Jesus. He didn’t grease palms and He didn’t work His way up the ladder. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. What does begotten mean? Jesus is not a wee bit like God, He is the same substance as the Father. In the beginning Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. Additionally Christ is the eternal priest after the order of Melchizedek. Who was Melchizedek? We’ll speak about him more fully in future devotions but we can say that his name means “my king is righteous” and he was king of Salem which is later called Jerusalem. Melchizedek is described in Genesis as the “priest of God most high” and so in Melchizedek we see the combination of the roles of priest and king. Melchizedek blessed Abram by declaring “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 in response Abram gave him a tenth (a tithe) of the spoils of war. In Melchizedek we catch a little glimpse of Christ in type and in shadow. And what do we see? A priest-king and one worthy of our attention. Jesus did not seize these titles but they were bestowed upon Him by God the Father. Yet Jesus isn’t just our priest-king because of His relationship with the Father. When He took on flesh, Jesus was a man of prayer and not least in the garden of Gethsemane. It was there that He called upon His father “with loud cries and tears” and “He was heard because of His reverence.” (v7). Here is our high priest - the One who even in the midst of suffering approached the Father with full reverence. Jesus was also fully obedient to the demands of God’s law. Even as He suffered, He did not stumble or sin (v8). Here is our high priest - the One who learned what it was to obey even when the nails were driven into His body. At any moment Christ could have ended it all but instead He walked the path of obedience in the face of anguish. Finally, Christ is the perfect One who is the source of salvation for all who believe (v9). Paul speaks of Christ “being made perfect” (v9). This doesn’t mean that He was ever imperfect, instead the Apostle means that Jesus grew from childhood to manhood to death and was sinlessly obedient at every turn. He was made perfect or in other words He fulfilled all righteousness. Here is our high priest - He is not full of boastful bravado but He did everything well. He is not full of arrogance or pride but He was obedient even unto death. We have a high priest over the household of God who is perfect for the role. It was given to Him by the Father and He was the perfectly obedient Son. Remind yourself of this today. No matter what trouble comes your way, Christ is for you and Christ is great indeed. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q71 What is required in the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behaviour. 5rd October
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Romans 1:21 Message Alan Burke Once upon a time I came across a lady who was always filled with gratitude but it was in a way that was lived out like no one else I have ever come across before or since and I honestly struggled to get my head around at the time. In the years since meeting her she has gone to be with her Lord and Saviour but the more and more I am about the more I get why she was filled with gratitude and as a result why she tried to live it out. Her gratitude of course sprang from her knowledge of what the Lord had done for her, how she was a sinner saved by His grace. One of the ways she tried to live that gratitude out is to thank others and to show her thanks and always when people asked she would say it was because of what the Lord had done for her that she was this way. I mean like she knew the birthdays of the bin men although I think now you have to call them ‘refuse collectors’ and there would be a cake baked and they’d be invited in for a cuppa, then there were sweets in December, thank you cards at random times, the post man and I’m not kidding (sorry post person) came for his lunch, there were boxes of sweets for the guy who serviced her car and a wee voucher, she said thank you to people who weren’t even doing anything for her, she was just thankful. Sadly we know that a person like that doesn’t come around very often. The heart attitude though of sinful man leads not only to an attitude that wont glorify God, but also one that wont give Him thanks. Sin is such that it means although it is clear that there is a God, that we by our nature do not seek to glorify Him or give the thanks to Him. And although these verses are speaking of those who do not know God, we can even see this in our lives as God’s people. Ask yourselves how thankful am I? It isn’t that we don’t give God thanks, rather we don’t give God the thanks that we should and as often as we should, we don’t live in a way that shows forth our gratitude. What about mealtimes, maybe on a Sunday for the big Sunday lunch we give God thanks, but for the toast when it’s burnt, and you eat it because you don’t want it to go to waste, do you thank God? God still provided for you and did you give Him thanks? Or when it comes to the beauty of and the wonder of, the sunrise and sunset, the wind and the rain, are we thankful? Are we thankful for how God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Mt 5:45). That God in all of creation shows God’s common grace to all, in how He lavishes all people with His kindness, even those who ignore, belittle, or are hostile toward Him. Often we who have most reasons to be thankful, who have been redeemed by the sacrificial death of our saviour Jesus Christ can often be thankless, or we fail to give thanks to God for His provision, we fail to thank Him for the wonder of the salvation He has wrought for us and all that which He has done for us. So how much less do we suppose those who do not live seeking the Glory of God give him the thanks? While there are many people who spend their entire lives, giving absolutely no thought to giving thanks to the creator who blesses in abundance in the ordinary everyday things, giving thanks for the wonders of friendship, family, health, strength, breath, sight, smell, we could go on, but they choose to ignore the Lord God. Although this is speaking of those who do not know God there is a challenge to us, are we thankful people, is it seen, and do we thank our God in Christ Jesus? Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q70 Which is the seventh commandment? The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exod. 20:14) 4th October 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 5v1-4) Message (Scott Woodburn) It has been said that we should be very careful when choosing our heroes because inevitably they’ll let us down. I once spoke to a lady who told me she would have followed a local politician anywhere such was her esteem for that particular individual. Unfortunately the same man had moved to a political position that she could never support and so with tears in her eyes she told me that she had been betrayed. Perhaps you know the feeling? Christians coming out of Judaism would have been very familiar with the high priest and his role in the sacrificial system of ancient Israel. He was chosen from his fellow men to act as an intermediary between them and God (v1). He would bring gifts to the Lord on their behalf and it was his responsibility to offer sacrifices for sins. The sacrificial system was only temporary until the arrival of Christ but what made the high priest so effective was that because he was a weak human he could deal gently with those he was called to serve (v2). The people knew that the high priest had been called to an important role by God Himself (v4) but nevertheless he was no better than them. He struggled with his own trials and temptations and therefore he was able to sympathise with their weakness. At the same time, the weakness of the high priest meant that something and someone greater was required. The high priest would offer sacrifices for the people but he also needed to offer sacrifice for his own sins (v3). Do you see the problem? A sinful high priest offered sacrifice for sinful people. The Lord was gracious in implementing such a system. The church before the arrival of Christ looked forward to His coming and they would catch glimpses of Him in the prophets, priests and kings. In the sacrificial system the Lord was slowly but surely revealing the mystery of Christ. Finally when Jesus came He brought substance to shadows of the Old Testament. He was called by God just like Aaron was (v4). He is the mediator between God and humanity (v1). He deals gently with His people (v2). BUT…unlike the old system, Christ our great high priest is not beset by weakness. He is the perfect high priest because he does not need to offer any sacrifice for His own sin. Be careful when you are choosing your heroes for inevitably they will let you down. Never place your hope or confidence in a sinful human for sooner or later they will fall or disappoint. But Jesus never has and He never will. We no longer move in the shadows for the mystery of the Gospel has been revealed in the person and work of Christ. Look to Him in full faith and assurance for the perfect has come and will never disappoint. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q69 What is forbidden in the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto. 3rd October
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Romans 1:21 Message Alan Burke The other night the sky was truly beautiful, breathtaking! As I was staring aimlessly at the sky I was stuck by the glory of God that was being displayed to me there standing looking out the window while trying to do the dishes. It doesn’t matter whether we have eyes to see it or now, day after day creation is revealing the glory of God, such beauty and wonder, that sings forth His praise, and that night as creation sang to the glory of its creation it will never pain such a picture again, but a new one each day that speaks more of the invisible attributes of God, his eternal power and divine nature (Rom 1:20). All of creation was made by God for His glory, it is beautiful and wonderful and scripture makes it clear that you and I and Joe Blogs who lives in some far of part of this planet are without excuse because all for what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them (Ro 1:19). The heavens themselves declare the glory of God, in General Revelation, which is creation God has manifested His glory, he has shown it to all people everywhere. Here today we are confronted with the heart attitude of those who are without excuse but fail to as we are told… “For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him… (Rom 1:21). The heart attitude of sinful man is such is that although God has made it clear to us of His existence they will not glorify Him. It is not that we have an excuse to say that we somehow didn’t know, it’s not that we can appeal to ignorance for all of creation, for from the yeast to a yak, from the cow to a piece of coal, from the sea to the sky and everything between, below and above testify to the truth that there is a God. Yet in spite of having the knowledge of God within and despite it being clearly displayed, the sinful heart attitude is such that we by our nature, that we do not give Him the glory to God. It isn’t that the reason why people refuse to believe in God is logical or rational or scientific, rather it is because of sin. We do not believe because we do not want God’s rule over us, and we do not give God the rightful place in our lives, and we do not want to give God the rightful places in our lives. Even though we were made for His glory, for the glory of God and to live for Him, our creator as His image, nonetheless, sinful man, sinful men women and children of every age because of our hearts do not by our nature give the glory to God. Instead of living for his glory, we live for our own glory. A life rightly orientated understands that when we have God in the central place, when we are seeking to glorify Him, when we do this then loving our neighbour flows from that. Unless we love the Lord our God, seeking His glory then we do not know what it means to love our neighbour, we are confused of what is true and right, even though natural law testifies to the truth for it relives an innate sense of right and wrong that demonstrates God’s existences, yet sadly we because of moral relativism say that there is no such thing as right or wrong. Yet it is by grace that we are saved that enables us to live for the glory of God. For the Christian Life, when God brings us to salvation is one where we are taught to put of what we once were, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph 4:22-24). As we do this, we move more and more to those who indeed glorify God as we were made for. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q68 What is required in the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, (Eph. 5:28–29) and the life of others. (1 Kings 18:4) 1st October
Pray (ACts) Read Hebrews 4v14-16 Message Scott Woodburn Every young boy in the 1980’s knew that if you had a problem and no one else could help and if you could find them, then maybe you could hire the A-Team. I had many problems in the 1980’s but I never did manage to find the A-Team. If only I’d paid more attention back then when I sat regularly in my local Gospel Hall. They knew what I refused to believe - that Jesus Christ was a Saviour and friend of sinners. As chapter four closes, the Apostle zeroes in on that exact truth. He describes Jesus as our “great high priest” and this description would immediately remind his original hearers of the Jewish high priest. He was a man who would enter behind the curtain into the holy of holies once a year. Christ is the true priest. He has passed not through a curtain but through the heavens (v14). He has ascended to glory and even now makes intercession for us. He is the Son of God, true man and without any sin, therefore we are to hold fast our confession. We are to hold fast to what we have believed. It’s not always easy to hold fast especially when life is giving us a hammering. We are called names, we are slandered, family life is a mess and we are fairly sure our marriage is falling apart. What is to be done in such circumstances? We are to draw near to the throne of grace (v16). That’s where Jesus is and He is ready, willing and able to help us in every way. Christ knows what it is to be human for he was tempted in every respect as we are (v15). That’s an extraordinary truth isn’t it? The Lord knew temptation. He understood the realities of the human condition and yet at no turn, not once, not for a single solitary second did He fall into sin (v15). Jesus sympathises with our weaknesses. He understands. He gets it. He knows and He is able to help. As we hold this truth in our hands we are to cling tightly to it. We know that Christ is for His people and so we can with confidence draw near to His throne (v16). I suspect you wouldn’t barge into the throne room of King Charles III nor would you shove your way into 10 Downing Street. But the Christian has been given extraordinary access and privilege. Because we belong to Jesus we have every right to draw near to Him and when we do we will receive mercy and grace in our time of need (v16b). How often do we forget things like this! How often do we find ourselves in trouble and we turn everywhere except heaven! My brothers and sisters, we have a great high priest who ever lives to help us. He doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t take breaks. He doesn’t have His phone set to silent. Christ offers help to His Bride. My friends if this day is too tough for you to face and you weep into your hands…then perhaps it is time for a new posture. Look up and draw near. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q67 Which is the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill. |
Alan
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