31st October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 14v13-16) Message (Scott Woodburn) As the Roman Christians sought to figure our their Christian liberty, the Apostle was not without an opinion and as far as he was concerned judging a brother in Christ was out of bounds (v13). Let me be clear for a moment - if we see a fellow Christian falling into grievous sin or slowly turning to heretical belief, we have every right to judge and to strive to bring them back. Jude would speak to this situation by saying "save others by snatching them out of the fire" (Jude 1v23) and so we have a responsibility to the church to be both watchful and proactive. Even so, the issues in Rome were relatively trivial. One man ate everything while another took only vegetables. One woman observed certain "special" days while another treated all days the same. These were differences of opinion and an exercise in Christian liberty, but they should certainly not have fired a judgemental spirit within the church. In such matters Paul allowed no room for division and petty judgements, instead calling for Christian maturity. What does this look like in practice? If I know that my brother only eats vegetables, I should not seek to cause him difficulty by inviting him round to watch me devour pork chops. We are not to put stumbling blocks in the path of our fellow Christians (v13b). Paul was persuaded that all food was clean and that Old Testament dietary laws no longer applied. Jesus once said "'Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?' (Thus he declared all foods clean.)" (Mark 7v18-19) What you put into your mouth does not make you unclean and therefore the Christian is free to eat as he/she pleases. Nevertheless, there will always be Christians who struggle with such freedom and Paul stated if such a man considers food to be unclean, then for him it is unclean (v14b). As I have written previously, so I repeat - you are only bound by Holy Scripture and not any man-made rules. This is your Christian liberty and you should exercise it wisely in a Christ honouring fashion. However, if your fellow Christian desperately struggles with your choices, you are to be gracious enough to put your liberty aside in order not to destroy your brother (v15). Equally, the "weaker" brother should not become a tyrant by dictating how others should live and act. We must be careful as stronger and weaker brothers to always walk in love (v15a) and to ensure that the things we believe to be good aren't spoken of as evil (v16). As a young man I was often asked "will you ever grow up?" and although I never liked hearing the question, it was and remains an important one. There isn't a Christian alive who is the finished article and all of us could do with growing up. I think this is key when it comes to our Christian liberty. Brothers and sisters, we are free in Christ but that freedom should always be exercised with maturity. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q84 What doth every sin deserve? Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come.
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30th October 2023
Pray (AC-ts) Read — Romans 1:1 Message - Alan Burke First Posted 29th August 2022 This week we are starting a new series and will be focusing on the opening verse of Romans. I’m trying to avoid the temptation to do a Martyn Lloyd Jones and if you are wondering who he is or what that is check out the Wikipedia entry concerning him and read under the heading ‘Later life’. Today you’re getting the opening verse, or rather a bit of the opening verse, actually you’re getting one word and we will spend the rest of the week working through this one verse, well some of it anyway. The book of Romans opens with the same word in the Hebrew as is in our English translations or rather an anglicised version of the word in our English translations which is Paul. We all know who Paul was, we are familiar with him because of what we are told in the book of Acts. Hiram over the past few weeks in Lissara has been taking us through some of his background and the transformation that there was in him, but suffice to say for now the same Paul who wrote this letter once instilled fear in believers. Paul was a man who hated christians, who went from house to house dragging men and women and putting them in prison. But one day while on the way to destroy the church in Damascus, the resurrected Jesus Christ spoke to him. In short Paul turned from his sin and trusted in Christ, Paul was once an enemy of Christ was now a follower of Christ. After his conversion we learn of the fear that the church had of him coming, yet the Lord had transformed his heart. It is here we start the study of Romans, because God used Paul, led him to write this letter to the church in Rome carried along but the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). This man who was once the enemy of God, became a man whose life and experiences were used by God for his glory and became one of the greatest missionaries that there has every been. This letter as it begins Paul introduces himself to the church and tells of the message of God, the gospel of God that he had preached throughout his travels. This letter is filled with such rich theology, such wonderful theology that comes from God, teaches us about God and leads us to God. Before we dive into it we are introduced first to Paul a sinner who was saved by grace! The conversion of Paul was a dramatic one, and people love to hear of the dramatic, the life that has been transformed dramatically by the gospel, who have been saved from a life of scandalous sin. More often than not though how the Lord called us to himself is not like that, we haven’t had a Damascus road experience, instead we have experienced God’s covenant promise like Timothy (2 Tim 1:1-5) who always knew the scriptures. For our children our hope and desire, our prayer should be that they will never know a day that they did not know and love the Lord our God and that they will be spared from a life of such flagrant sin, that even if they do not know the day and hour that they were saved that they would know Christ and what He has done for them. When God calls us to himself, no matter what age it is a testimony to God’s loving and compassion, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us, that we who are His enemies by nature, would be His children. Paul, this one die hard fanatical Jew, well educated, who once thought Jesus deserved to be crucified for such blatant blasphemy against the Lord God, who desired to see his followers wiped out, happy to torture and kill them died calling himself a servant! He was changed by the power of the Gospel and so should we be, each one of us it should be evident in our lives as we live for the risen Jesus Christ. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q83 Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. (Ezek. 8:6,13,15, 1 John 5:16, Ps. 78:17,32,56) 28th October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 14v10-12) Message (Scott Woodburn) If you received a letter from the Apostle Paul asking you the two questions in verse ten, how would you respond? If you don’t have your Bible handy the questions in question are these…Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? Let’s try and make a good defence of our position… “Dear Paul, thanks for your questions and giving me the opportunity to explain my judgemental attitude and hatred. If you knew Rupert the way I do, then you would be angry too. He lives in a way that I don’t agree with. I’m not saying he is sinning but he refuses to live up to my standards. He disagrees with me on numerous secondary issues and it has forced me to conclude that he isn’t even saved. I’m not sure I hate him but I don’t want anything to do with him and if I see him coming then I make sure to walk the other way. I hope this answers your concerns. Yours sincerely. Me.” Do you think Paul would accept such a response? Mmmmmm. I’m not so sure. I think a more accurate reply would be to say that we pass judgement and despise our brother because we sinfully want to be the King of the Castle. No one is as good as us, no one is as holy as us and no one behaves as impeccably as us. Therefore, we get to judge and we get to hate. Brothers and sisters, if any of us this remotely describes our position, then we are in desperate need of sanctification. Although we want to be the “top dog” the Bible reminds us that the judgement seat doesn’t belong to us. All will stand before the judgement seat of Christ (v10) and this is the clear and repeated testimony of Scripture. Paul underlines this by reminding us of Isaiah 45v23 which states “By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’” Each one will give an account to God and it is this interaction which should shape our behaviour. There is something wonderfully liberating about this. I don’t need to spend my life in ceaseless judgement of others. I don’t need to waste my time by demanding others conform to my image. I don’t need to fill my ears with gossip and my lips don’t need to speak slanderously. If I am a Christian then I live in the gaze of my Master Jesus. He knows those who belong to Him and the behaviour of His children is the business of Christ alone. Brothers and sisters, take an extended break from judgement and a prolonged holiday from hatred. Live for Jesus and leave the judgement of others to Him. 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, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed. 27th October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (focus 8-13) Message Alan Burke We are all quick to make judgements by the outward appearances of a person but Samuel had been rebuked by challenged by the Lord about this, for the Lord looks at the heart. What matters for all of us are our hearts the Lord’s through Jesus Christ. Here Samuel goes though Jesse’s sons one one one, saying nope not you, nope not you, and after working his way though all the sons of Jesse Samuel after finding that there is not one of them who is the Lord’s chosen king none had gained the approval of the LORD he discovers that there is one of Jesse’s sons who is keeping the sheep, in instructing him to fetch him. While Eliab looked the part and if it had have been us we would have thought he was a good choice, the Lord had not chosen him nor the other six brothers that passed before Samuel, the Lord had chosen another one who was after his own heart to be king. In the midst of this we may think to ourselves why on earth did the LORD make Samuel go through all this palaver instead of just telling Samuel that the one after his own heart was David or at least when he was brought before Jesse that it was not one of these sons and then go and anoint him? Remember that in the beginning that Samuel was still mourning over Saul, that when he arrived he was took one look at Eliab and thought this is the one just like the people. Through this the Lord was helping Samuel to take his focus of the externals, for the new king was not going to be the most likely candidate from a human worldly point of view but the least likely. The least of the sons of Jesse was going to be the king, he was the one that Samuel would have picked, he’s not the one the people would have picked nor is he one that we would have picked. Our God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong, he choose a nobody in David, a simple shepherd boy the last of eight brothers but God used him in his plans and purposes. As David is brought, and when he arrived he would have been a sight. There is nothing remarkable about a young shepherd from Bethlehem, the youngest son of his father, yet the LORD had chosen him. He was the least of the sons of Jesse, a humble shepherd who would never have achieved greatness if it were not for the Lord’s plans and purposes. While we are told he was ruddy with a fine appearance and handsome features, in a sense it seems neither here nor there, what does his appearance matter when the Lord was looking at the importance of his heart. Nonetheless the Lord tells Samuel that he is the one and he anoints him straight away according to the will of God and the Holy Spirit came upon him and prepared him for leadership, strengthening him for what would lie ahead as he served the Lord and reigned over God’s people. In all that took place, the LORD was at work, he was preparing the young David for what lay ahead, he was a shepherd, watching over the sheep he cared for, yet in future he would be still a shepherd but a shepherd of God’s people, watching over them. He was the least likely of all the sons of Jesse to be the king over God’s people but what mattered above all was that he was a man after God’s own heart. David was chosen by the Lord was anointed by Samuel in front of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, he had been chosen by the LORD, and given the Spirit of the Lord to help him in what lay ahead. Years later another shepherd would come as King, the true shepherd of his people, anointed as David came to be the saviour of the world, God’s promised Messiah, his own Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ came to take upon himself our sin. The hope that should be stirred in us is that in the midst of the failure of God’s people and of their King the Lord was working our his purposes for a king that would be greater than David to come, the king that we need, the king who is saviour Jesus Christ. It is him that we must give our hearts to, our entire lives, for he Is Working Out His Purposes, he Looks At Our Heart and Desires Leaders After HIs Heart. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q81 What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, (1 Kings 21:4, Esther 5:13, 1 Cor. 10:10) envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour, (Gal. 5:26, James 3:14,16) and all inordinate motions and affections to any thing that is his. (Rom. 7:7–8, Rom. 13:9, Deut. 5:21) 26th October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 14v4-9) Message (Scott Woodburn) Passing judgement is something that we do from time to time. It is an incredibly seductive thing to watch someone’s life and then quietly judge their actions or choices. Nevertheless, Paul would not have us confused about this act and so he asked the blunt question “who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another?” (v4) There are obviously times that passing judgement is required. For example, if a new preacher comes to town and proclaims “another gospel” then wise and sober judgement is essential, but in these verses the argument is about Christian liberty and conscience. In such a scenario there can be no room for harsh judgement and division. We have already seen in chapter fourteen that there was a difference of opinion between the Christians in Rome. Some had no qualms about eating whatever was in front of them while others (probably Christians coming from a Jewish background) ate only vegetables. Paul’s counsel was that neither group should pass judgement on the other - both should concern themselves with the Master’s approval. The Lord is our Master and as we exercise our Christian liberty it is before the Lord that we will stand or fall (v4). Encouragingly, we can be confident that both the weak and strong will be enabled to stand by the Lord (v4b). Although there were differences of opinion in Rome, there was still an underlying unity. One man believed that one day was more important than another. His fellow Christian believed all days were the same. Another individual ate everything on his plate whilst his friend abstained from certain foods. Where was the unity? In the fact that all of these people were exercising their Christian liberty to the glory of God. They were convinced in their own minds (v5b) and behaved in a manner that they believed brought honour and glory to God. You and I might have different opinions on a range of issues and my Christian walk might differ from yours. Nevertheless, we are united by faith and a desire to live to God’s glory alone. Do you know the famous poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley? It ends with the line “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” I fully understand that this is a rousing note of bravado, but it is nonsense. None of us are islands, none of us are the master of our fate, none of us live without account. The Christian understands this and knows that he/she neither lives nor dies to self (v7). The Christian lives to the glory of God and the Christian dies to the glory of God (v8). In both life and death we belong to Jesus (v8) and in this regard Jesus is the Lord of both the living and the dead, just as He lived and also tasted death (v9). Jesus is the master of our fate and the captain of our soul. There were bigger issues in Rome than the eating of meat or the observing of days and the Christians in that great city were not to be spending their days at each other’s throats over differences of opinion. Brothers and sisters, we would do well to heed this passage. How often have we divided over issues that should be left to the conscience of the individual Christian? Each one should be convinced Biblically about their position and live to the glory of God alone. No room should be left for pettiness, gossip or the judgement of other Christians. All of us have the same Master and His name is Christ, therefore all of us have the same cry and it is “Soli Deo Gloria” Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q80 What is required in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbor, and all that is his. 25th October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (focus 6-7) Message Alan Burke It is a long time since I read Shakespeare Macbeth and the only reason why I read it was as part of my English Literature GCSE which I failed so my memory of it might not be all that it should be. In Macbeth there is a huge difference between the reality and appearances, we all know that appearances can be deceptive and Shakespeare does a good job of highlighting that throughout his tale. The play blurs the lines between what the reality is and look like. In life we are all faced with situations that can look one way on the outside and very different when we start to peal the veneer away that so often covers it and when it comes to people we can all be good at putting our best foot forward, putting on the brave face when there is something very different hidden beneath. Here as Samuel arrives in Bethlehem and the irony is in all of it is that even though he had been fearful to go his arrival brings fear to the elders of the City and the house of Jesse. They were more frightened of the man of God that he was of them, the queried his intentions, why he had come, Samuel put them at was, explaining he had come for a pastoral visit and give the Lord’s blessing to the people there. Samuel did what Saul had not, he had obeyed the LORD, he had responded to the Lord in faith. As he arrives he claps his eyes on Eliab, and he thought to himself that this is the one, surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the Lord. Samuel had in a sense done exactly what the people of God had done when they back in chapter 10 clapped their eyes on Saul and saw that he was a head taller than any of the people they shouted “long live the king”. In Eliab the externals may have been right, he might have been perfectly proportioned, a great hulk of a man but this was not the one. The Lord to Samuel’s assumption says that “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sa 16:7). We are just as guilty as Samuel was that day in his assumption, we are all too easily impressed by what we see with our eyes, like the glitz and glamour of the red carpet may be something that we look at and it attracts us but we can’t see the carnage that lies behind the suits and the frocks, the clothes and makeup that someone wears, the car that they drive, the home that they live in, the things that they have, the person that they make the world believe with their special media posts do not reveal the truth of what really matters. Sadly this world is more about the external appearances than it is about the character of the person, or the spiritual depth, as people and the church we can be too focused on things that don’t matter rather than what really does. The outward only tells so much and often it is only what others want us to see because they are afraid of letting people see what is within. While we cannot judge the hearts of others perfectly there are things that are telling of the reality within, their character when their backs against the wall, when things are tough, at the end of a hard day, whether or not they are quick to repent of their failures or happy that people just ignore them? What do we see in ourselves, is there love, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, are these things manifest in our character? (Gal 5:22-23) Or is there an area that is lacking, where we instead of love have hate, where instead of peace there is animosity with those around us, instead of patience we are quick to anger, instead of goodness there is a nasty streak that we try to hide, instead of faithfulness we are faithless, instead of gentleness there is harshness, instead of self control there self indulgence? If you belong to Christ Jesus this day then you should be seeking to mortify the sinful nature, putting it to death, with its passions and desires. When we fail we should be those who are quick to seek forgiveness, attempting to make right where we have wronged and to become more and more like Christ our Saviour. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q79 Which is the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’ s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’ s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’ s. (Exod. 20:17) 24th October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 14v1-3) Message (Scott Woodburn) When we consider the condition of the modern church we can be tempted to look back to days of the Apostles with rose tinted spectacles. We like to believe that the church in those days never knew any division or difficulty and it was something of a golden age for the church of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, this is simply not true. In chapter fourteen of Romans, Paul addressed a source of division within the Roman church. What was the problem? Some Christians believed that they could eat anything, whilst other Christians ate only vegetables (v2). This seems like an incredibly trivial issue but it is important to remember the context of the church in the days after Christ's Ascension. The Lord has broken down the dividing wall of hostility and brought both Jew and Gentile together in His church (Ephesians 2v14). How are these groups saved? By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone - there is only one way of salvation regardless of your gender or cultural background (Galatians 3v28). Even so, as the church grew and the Gospel advanced there was friction between Christians from Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. This is a common theme in the New Testament and almost certainly what Paul was speaking to in this passage. Imagine a Jewish Christian in Rome who was recently converted to Christ and joined the church. He had believed the Gospel and turned to Jesus but was still wrestling with how the Old Testament laws applied to his life. This man met a Gentile Christian who had no concerns over such things. Initially these men received each other as brothers but slowly each other's behaviour caused frustration to damage their relationship. The Gentile convert feasted on whatever was in front of him, whilst the Jewish convert was mindful of Old Testament dietary laws and so had sincere concerns about his food. What was to be done? Paul commanded that the individual who was "weak" in faith should be welcomed and every effort made to avoid quarrelling over opinions (v1). No side was blameless in the situation in Rome. The one who was able to eat all things was not to be filled with arrogance which would lead to hatred of the one who struggled (v3a). In the same manner, the one who could not in good conscience eat anything except vegetables was not to judge the one who ate all things (v3b). God has welcomed the strong and the weak Christian alike and neither should destroy one another over opinions. To accurately describe this topic allow me to speak of something called Christian liberty. What does this mean? In Christ we are free. We are not free to sin but we are joyously free to glorify God and enjoy Him forever bound only by Holy Scripture. In practice this means that an individual has no right to impose any unbiblical man made rules upon our faith and conversely, we have no right to destroy our brother's faith with our exercise of liberty. In our example above, the meat eating Christian had no business devouring a steak in front of his more sensitive brother. He was not sinning by eating steak but he was certainly not loving. In the same way the vegetarian Christian had no business condemning his brother's love of meat. The second man was not sinning by restricting his diet but he was certainly not loving to those who disagreed. I have no idea how you do or don't practice your Christian liberty but either way it is none of my business. The Lord is your master and it is to Him that you will give account. But as we consider these issues may we listen to Martin Luther who long ago said “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.” 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 neighbor’s good name. 23rd October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read -1 Samuel 16:1-13 (focus 1-5) Message Alan Burke I wonder when was the last time that we were grieved and I mean more than just momentarily upset by the sin of someone close to us or someone we know? It may have happened when you have witnessed something or something maybe has been said to you or you hear on the grape vine and your heart stings are pulled and you are left upset, grieving because of what has happened. Here we learn that Samuel is grieving for Saul, it is how chapter 15 finished and how chapter 16 continues. It’s not that Saul is just slightly annoyed or has just been inconvenienced, rather he was grieving and the reason is because that Saul had rejected the Lord. Saul’s rejection of the Lord had left Samuel as a broken man and was left grieving over Saul and his failure. In truth it none of this was Samuel’s fault, yet he was still burdened with it and while Saul may have looked the part in the beginning especially to the people, being everything that they wanted in a king, his reign had already showed that it was going to be train wreck. The Lord gave the people what they wanted, but none of them, Samuel, nor Saul nor the people could have imagined how it would all end yet the Lord knew and was working in it. The issue is that no matter how it looked on the outside, no matter how Saul was a handsome man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else (9:2), was that Saul lacked what really mattered he did not have a heart for God. While he had been given by God everything he needed to be a good king, to rule over the people, for God had called him, anointed him, equipped him, given him spiritual council in Samuel at his side, being set up for success with everything he needed, and while the early signs were promising Saul in all of it was never going to be the right man to lead Israel for he lacked a heard after God. The thing is that Samuel knew all of this, he knew, yet as we begin chapter 16, where the focus is changing from the rejected king to the king after the Lord’s own heart and still he is mourning over Saul. Notice what happens as the LORD speaks, he rebukes Samuel for his mourning, on one hand Samuel’s grieving is justified but he has failed to trust in the purposes of God. While there was much to mourn about, Samuel should have known that the LORD God was still providently in control of all that was taking place. As the Lord speaks this is what is conveyed to Samuel and while he is rebuked for his mourning in what the Lord says to him it is an assurance that he is still at work in it all, for he had provided for at work and he assures him in it all, for the good news that He chosen one to be king. This wasn’t a king of the peoples choosing, this wasn’t a king that would be like the king of the nations around this would be the LORD’s king. This is as far as we are going today as such, for there is something I want to draw out of this for us. Firstly, do we mourn the sin of those around us, do we mourn it, is it something that prompts us to bring them before the Lord in prayer, or are we those who mourn or are grieved more when the sports team that we follow are struggling in the league, when the weather is dire, when our pay hasn’t risen in line with inflation? Because if that’s a case it is flagging up an issue that there is something wrong with your heart. Secondly even in the midst of our grief at sin we also need to know that the Lord is sovereignly working out his purposes in the midst of God and we need to trust those purposes. Like Samuel there comes a point that if our grief distracts us from the reality of the sovereignty of our God who is working out his purposes in all things then we likewise have an issue. Our God by his providence was at work. God’s providence is his continual care and direction over all that he has created, just as we continue to care for our homes the Lord God continues to be. I’ll leave you with the words of Jesus, for he said; “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. When he said this he was speaking about people who grieved from a heavenly perspective, (Mt 5:4). Grief is the necessary and correct response but it shouldn’t lead us to despair, doubting in the LORD fearful of people, for the LORD is in control. 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, (Zech. 8:16) and of our own and our neighbour’ s good name, (3 John 12) especially in witness-bearing. (Prov. 14:5,25) 21st October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read (Romans 13v14) Message (Scott Woodburn) Did you know that the Christian is "simul justus et peccator"? Perhaps Latin is not your forte but you certainly see the truth of this statement every single day. To be "simul justus et peccator" is to be at the same time righteous and sinful. It accurately describes the nature of the Christian life in that whilst a dramatic change has occurred by faith in Christ, at the same time the old sinful nature remains. Paul knew this all too well and in Romans 7 offered this lament "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing...Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7v19&24) I'm convinced you know the truth of these verses in your own life. You know that gossip is corrosive and sinful but you just can't help yourself. You know that you struggle to control your drinking but all too often you fall into drunkenness. You understand that the love of money has captured your heart but still you seek more. What is wrong with us? We are simul justus et peccator, at the same time righteous and sinful. In response we must dress appropriately each day or as Paul would say, "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (v14). To "put on" Christ is to be mindful that the Christian on this side of glory engages in a spiritual battle every single day, not least with our own sin. John Murray explains the putting on of Christ in this way "To put on Christ is to be identified with Him not only in His death but also in His resurrection. It is to be united to Him in the likeness of His resurrection life." Elsewhere, Paul would say "you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6v11) This is what we mean by putting on Christ. We are to make no provision for sinful desires in our lives (v14b) but instead we are to seek to put sin to death. This is the work of "mortification" whereby we know our sin, we hate our sin and we repent of our sin. This work is not optional but vital and although it will not be completed on this side of heaven, we are to earnestly seek holiness and Christlikeness. Is mortification a solitary pursuit? Thankfully no. The Lord has graciously given us the ordinary means of grace and God the Holy Spirit dwells within. The Christian has every necessary tool to wage war against our sinful desires and the Christian has every reason to hope that the Lord will sanctify us and get us to the finish line. A Christian by the name of John Owen once wrote a book entitled "The Mortification of Sin" and it was there that he offered this sincere hope "I hope…that mortification and holiness may be promoted in my heart and in the hearts and lives of others, to the glory of God; and that in this way the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be adorned in all things." I pray that you and I will hope for the same - mortification and holiness resulting in the glory of God and advancement of the Gospel. May it be so, for Christ's sake. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q76 Which is the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 20th October 2023
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 Samuel 15:24-35 (focus v30-35) Message Alan Burke Outward appearances mean very little, they may mean lots to how people perceive you but not to the Lord unless that is the outward appearances are a outworking of the reality within for the Lord sees the heart. When Saul arrived on the scene he was a full head and shoulders above everyone else, he was a big lad and the people wanted him as their king, the chosen one who was more afraid of the people than God. For Saul he ticked all the boxes for outward appearances but he lacked the most important think. Time and time again we have seen that Saul did not have a heart for God. Saul had just confessed his sin, justifying his sin for he was afraid of the people and then he concerned for his own honour, grasping at Samuel when he was rejected. Once more Saul confesses his sin, this time it is a much shorter confession, he instead of playing the blame game he confesses his sin and asks Samuel to honour him before the elders and to return to him to worship the Lord. His words though deceive him, he as confessed again his sin but he is still unrepentant. While he acknowledges his sin he is only doing it for the sake of his own glory. Look to the words that Saul uses as he confesses his sin as he asks to be honoured, notice the word ‘my’ people (v30), and his request for Samuel to return is the clearest sign of the reality within Saul’s heart, notice the word that Saul uses that I may worship or bow before the Lord ‘your’ God (v30). These two words tell us all that we need to know, Saul while he confessed his sin was not truly repentant, he hadn’t understood the gravity of his sin, of what he had done. This time Samuel goes back with Saul, I’ll explain the reason why in a moment to two but for now Samuel went back with Saul to worship the Lord. It was likely that this was a time for the people of Israel to gather in order to give thanks and acknowledge that Lord had delivered them from the hands of their enemy, giving them the viceroy over the Amalekites. Then Samuel instructs that the king of the Amalekites is brought to him. Saul had spared him when they defeated the Amalekites. While we are not specifically told of the reason why Saul spared him it was likely out of his own self interest. By sparing the king of his enemies it would have made any future adversary look leniently upon Saul as the king of Israel. Saul had not followed the Lord’s instructions, and in the years to come his failure was shown because although he was supposed to wipe out the Amalekites he did not, they continue to rear their head in the history of God’s people (1 Sam 27:8, 30:1, 2 Sam 8:12). In what follows Samuel brings judgement on Agag. What comes in verse 34 is the end for Saul, he was still king but the prophet of the Lord was distancing himself from him, while their paths would cross in the future everything had changed. Saul’s reign had been a disaster that ultimately showed his own sinfulness, Samuel is left with sadness because of Saul and his failure to truly repent for his heart was far from God and he knew that the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel. While the king was rejected, In his grace the immutable God was working out his purposes, using the actions of sinful men, he did not abandon the monarchy but uses it in spite of Saul’s failure to bring forth the true King Jesus Christ, the one whom the Father spoke form heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17). Jesus had nothing to repent of for he lived perfectly for us, dying in our behalf so that we might be forgiven. 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 neighbour’ s wealth or outward estate. (Prov. 21:17, Prov. 23:20–21, Prov. 28:19, Eph. 4:28) |
Alan
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