20th December 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 11v33-38) This is the fifteenth devotion I have written on Hebrews 11 and I suspect I could write dozens more. The chapter is a wonderful read and one that never stops encouraging me whenever I get the chance to delve into it. As the "hall of faith" closes all the names have been mentioned and we have taken a tour through the Old Testament. But the Apostle is not quite finished and although he doesn't mention anyone else specifically, he still has a few more things to say before moving on. It was by faith that the Israelites conquered kingdoms (v33). It was by faith that the Judges enforced justice (v33b). It was by faith that the people of God say the fulfilment of God's promises (v33c). It was by faith that Daniel, Samson and David stopped the mouths of lions (v33d). It was by faith that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego quenched the power of fire (v34). It was by faith that Elijah escaped the edge of Jezebel's sword (v34b). It was by faith that men like Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthath, David and Samuel were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war and put foreign armies to flight (v34c). It was by faith that the widow's son was raised by Elijah (v35). It was by faith that Jeremiah, Zechariah, Isaiah and other prophets faced torture (v35b), imprisonment (v35c & 36), mocking (v36), flogging (v36b), stoning (v37), being sawn in two (v37b) and death by the sword (v37c). It was by faith that Elijah wore a garment of hair (v37d) and it was by faith that Obadiah and others hid from Jezebel in dens and caves of the earth (v38). The Old Testament is not a story about men and women saving themselves by works, instead it a record of the birth and growth of the church of Jesus Christ. Everyone mentioned in this chapter was saved under the terms of the Covenant of Grace. They looked to the promises of God by faith and they looked forward to the day of Christ by that same Spirit worked faith. They had the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen despite the fact that in their own lifetime they did not receive what was promised (v39). Christ was coming and bringing something better by far (v40). Gone would be the types and shadows of the old covenant and they would be replaced by the substance and fulfilment of Christ. In Him we have been made perfect and the dividing wall of hostility between the old covenant believer and the new has been abolished (Ephesians 2). My brothers and sisters, Hebrews 11 is the history of the Gospel and the march of faith. If you are a Christian then as you read this chapter you are reading the story of the family of God - your family. In every generation God has been good, gracious and faithful to all that He has promised. From the beginning He has been calling sinners to repentance and faith and constantly adding to the number of those being saved. I trust that you will marvel at these things today. You might feel like an insignificant spot in the endless sweep of human history but that's simply not true. The Lord has set his love upon you from before the foundation of the world and He has redeemed you in Christ. How can these things be so? As Hebrews 11 constantly reminds us...it is all by faith. Message (Scott Woodburn) Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q28 Wherein consisteth Christ’s exaltation? Christ’s exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day.
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19th December
Pray (ACts) Read - 1 John 1:29 Message - Alan Burke This week were are going to have Christmas according to John’s gospel. At this stage you’ll have read the passage and have noticed if you already weren’t aware John doesn’t have any of the normal stuff we associate with the Christmas story. So then why Christmas according to John’s gospel? For the simple reason that the Christmas story begins in, well it begins in the beginning (1:1). Yet here we see how God meets Human need in the coming of the Christ. Here John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (29). For any Jew who heard this, their mind would have made connections, wonderful and varied, of what God had in the past done for His people. To understand the fullness of this God given revelation to John the Baptist we need to go back to the book of Genesis when Abraham was tested by God in Genesis 22. There we are told of how he took his son, Issac whom he loved, and went to offer him to the Lord as a burnt offering. Along the way Issac asked, where is the lamb for the offering, and Abraham said “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”(Gen 22:7-8). Both Isaac and Abraham knew that what was needed as they bring their offerings to God was the shedding of blood for the forgives of sin, Issac asked where was the lamb knowing that it was necessary, not knowing the test that his father had been given. In the moment of Issac’s need, God stoped Abraham who had proved faithful and provided for him a substitute. For when “Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” God was providing a substitute for Isaac, the first substitutionary sacrifice of one life for another in the bible, as the blood of the ram took the place of Isaac. In the Old Testament, time and time again the blood of lambs was spilled, it was to bear an offering for sin, it was as a substitute for another. Over and over again we have this pattern that is seen, of how the sin and separation between God and His people could only be removed by the shedding of blood. Leviticus describes how for the one who brings a lamb as a sin offering is to let their hand of the head of the sin offering and kill it, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven (Lev 4:32-35). The sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed to something greater that God would do. Until the fullness of time had come when God sent His Son to make a propitiation by his blood, to make a sacrifice of atonement, that is to be received by faith (Ro 3:25–26). The sacrificial system was inadequate to make amends, to atone for the sin of the people, for it was always pointing to one who would be able to make an adequate sacrifice once and for all, Hebrews 10 reminds us “it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near” Heb 10:1. John enabled by the revelation of God saw how God himself had provided a better lamb, one whose sacrifice would not need to be repeated time and time again, no his sacrifice would finally deal with sin, past present and future. For Jesus is the one, who provided a sacrifice that was once and for all, where Issac asked “where is the lamb” the entirety of the Old Testament had been pointing to the one who would come. Jesus was the Lamb of God who became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21), a once and for all sacrifice and he has met our greatest need, at Christmas we mark what God has done in Christ Jesus the lamb of God who came in the fullness of time, and He came with a purposes to take away sin. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q27 Wherein did Christ’ s humiliation consist? Christ’ s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, (Luke 2:7) made under the law, (Gal. 4:4) undergoing the miseries of this life, (Heb. 12:2–3, Isa. 53:2–3) the wrath of God, (Luke 22:44, Matt. 27:46) and the cursed death of the cross:; (Phil. 2:8) in being buried, (1 Cor. 15:3–4) and continuing under the power of death for a time. (Acts 2:24–27,31) 17th December 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 11v32) Message (Scott Woodburn) In the long list of men and women recorded for us in Hebrews 11 the last name given is Samuel who can only be described as a remarkable figure. His mother was a lady called Hannah who was incredibly thankful for the gift of her son, so much so that she gave him to the service of the Lord. As a boy Samuel ministered unto the Lord as a priest even though he was not a descendant of Levi (1 Samuel 2v18). Later he heard the voice of God and his work of prophecy was so blessed that the Lord did not allow any of his words to fall to the ground - his ministry was effective and powerful. Indeed all of Israel recognised him as a prophet (1 Samuel 3v19-20). Later in his life and before the era of the kings, Samuel acted as judge over the people urging them to return to the Lord (1 Samuel 7v3). He lived to see the days of Israel's kings, even though he had warned the people against them and he saw both the rise and fall of Saul and then the choosing of a young man called David. Eventually when his life came to an end the entire nation mourned for such a great servant of God. Years later the Lord Himself spoke of Samuel in high regard saying that if Moses and Samuel stood before Him even they couldn't cause Him to lift His judgement from Judah (Jeremiah 15v1). Later still Peter preached and was clear that the days of Christ had been proclaimed by the prophet Samuel (Acts 3v24). His name is the last one given in this long list and not much is said about him by the Apostle but any student of the Scriptures knows that Samuel was a towering figure in the history of salvation and the church of Jesus Christ. Even so we still don't call upon you to "dare to be a Samuel". Your life and mine will never reach the remarkable heights of this great prophet...but you know what? That's perfectly fine. You see it doesn't matter if we are Moses, Samuel, Elijah, David, Rahab or just Joe Bloggs from 3 Main Street, Ballynahinch...the Gospel is an incredible equaliser and it focuses the attention of God's people on the loveliness of Christ. Samuel is unquestionably a remarkable figure but Christ is superior by far. Christ is our prophet, priest and king and He fulfils all the roles introduced in the Old Testament. He is the true priest in the line of Melchizedek. He is the true king in the line of David and He is the true and last prophet and God's complete revelation to man. We all have our spiritual heroes, favourite preachers, go-to theologians and revered examples but we would do well to remember that none of them compare to Christ. Samuel would surely agree and many years later a famous Christian by the name of C.H. Spurgeon concurred. He said..."I am persuaded there are more delights in Christ, yea, more joy in one glimpse of His face than is to be found in all the praises of this harlot world, and in all the delights which it can yield to us in its sunniest and brightest days.” No one may know your name and the word "remarkable" may never be applied to your life...but that's okay. We are happy to decrease as Christ increases and we know that for every child of God there waits an unspeakable glory in the presence of the truly remarkable Jesus. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q26 How doth Christ execute the office of a king? Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. 16th December
Pray (ACts) Read - Revelation 22:1-6 Message - Alan Burke We have moved from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane and today we move to the Garden City. For it is in and through what Jesus Christ has done for us that we might know the Hope of the Garden City. Remember how when Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden and a flaming sword flashed back and forth to guard the was to the tree of life. It barred their way and our way to the tree of life. Man could not return to what was lost, but the beautiful climax of the word of God directs us to a glorious picture of what will be in heaven. One bookend of the bible tells us what we have lost because of sin, while the other bookend of the bible tells us what we receive through the redemption that has been bought by Christ Jesus. This is what as Romans 8 reminds us creation has been groaning for, waiting for the redemption of the sons of man (Rom 8:22). Jesus was the one who bore the wrath of God who faced the flaming swords that bard our way to the tree of life and in Revelation 22 we are given this glorious picture of the Tree of life of when this earthly toil is over, when Christ has made all things new the redeemed people of God will find eternal rest and refreshment with Him. This word picture in Revelation 22 gives us a glimpse of what we will inhabit and that has been accomplished by the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. A return to a paradise as that of Eden. Although the first Eden is no more the Eden the splendour and beauty that we look to is here where, the river of the water of life is there, the tree of life, once more we will have access to the Tree of life. What is more is that this tree of life, that is leaves are for the healing of the nations. Here there is a great reversal of sins curse and the consequences that came in Genesis. Not only that, there will also be a renewed intimacy with God for the throne of God and the Lamb speaking of Jesus Christ will be in the City. God’s people will see His face, His name will be on their foreheads and God shall be their light. What was lost by the first Adam we so clearly experience each day, sin effects us all, it impacts every decision, every relationship, it impacts our bodies that age and which to the dust they will return. But what is revealed to us in Revelation 22 is a reminder what is ours through faith in the second Adam, the one who unlike the first obeyed the will of the Father, who redid us by His blood and has sealed us by the Spirit. God has come to deal with what has happened, not to try and cover it up as Adam and Eve were trying to do. What we have in the gospel is how God incarnate, Immanuel comes with the offer of sins forgiven, of Hope of that paradise that was lost, restored. Adam brought sin and death into the world, but Christ has reversed the consequences of Adam’s sin and has given His own life and righteousness to secure their eternal glory. He did what the first Adam did not, Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience, He has won bruised the head of the serpent, satan is now a defeated foe and we wait for that wonderful day that we will dwell with out God though faith in the Garden City, where God will live with His people, the dwelling place of God will be with man and there will be no more sin and shame. Knowing that the Christmas story began in the Garden of Eden and ends in the Garden City via the Garden of Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb reminds us that God keeps His promises. The Christmas hope was announced in the Garden, of He who would come, Jesus Christ, who has come, He is Our Christmas Hope. Merry Christmas! Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q25 How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, (Heb. 9:14,28) and reconcile us to God; (Heb. 2:17) and in making continual intercession for us. (Heb. 7:24–25) 15th December 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 11v32) Message (Scott Woodburn) Having spoken about several men from the time of the judges, the Apostle now shifts his attention to a king. He doesn't rhyme off many kings, he mentions only one and records only his name - David. We could write endless devotions about David. His life is spelt out for us in great detail in God's Word but I'll not mention Saul, Jonathan, Goliath, Bathsheba or the Psalms and instead take you to the deathbed of Israel's great king. The last words of any great figure are often of great interest to us and we especially enjoy words which convey some final act of bravery or wisdom. Here are David's final words "The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure.For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand; but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire.” (2 Samuel 23v2-5) Perhaps these aren't the pithy memorable words you were expecting but nevertheless they are worth meditating upon. David was one of the very few figures in human history who God inspired by the Holy Spirit to physically write the Bible. David is described as "the sweet Psalmist of Israel" (Samuel 23v1) and he is correct when on his deathbed he declared "his word is on my tongue". What did God speak by the mouth of His servant David? When a king rules over a nation justly and in the fear of God, the Lord shines on that nation like the morning light on a cloudless new day. The Lord blesses a nation like rain which makes the grass grow. Sadly those who came after David did not heed his words. The story of the kings of Israel and Judah is largely one of disobedience and decline. Proverbs 14v34 declares "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. " and unfortunately future generations in Israel would learn this lesson the hard way. But David was a man of faith and despite making many sinful mistakes he finished his life resting on the covenant promises of God. David knew that the Lord had made with him an everlasting covenant. Hopefully you are familiar with that phrase but here is a wee reminder nevertheless. In eternity the Father chose a people for salvation, the Son promised to die for those people and the Spirit would come and lead those people to Christ - this is the covenant of redemption. In the beginning God promised to be the God of Adam and Eve and their descendants on the condition of Adam's perfect obedience - this is the covenant of works. After the fall God promised that He would send a child to crush the works of the devil - this is the covenant of grace. Under the banner of the covenant of grace David was promised that his throne would not end and one of his descendants would have an everlasting reign. Christ is the child promised and Christ is the descendent who would come in the line of His ancestor David. David had not yet seen the reality of Christ and he knew nothing of the events of our Lord's life but he still breathed his last thinking upon the majestic promises of God. As his life was ebbing away David commented that worthless men are like thorns - they are gathered only to be consumed in the fire. This is a startling image of the fate of the unrighteous man or woman. Isn't it interesting that these were the things on David's mind as he was finishing his earthly race? We will all die and some of us might have the time to call family and friends and share with them our gathered earthly wisdom. What will you say? "My pin code is 1690", "I was the one who shot JFK", "After you leave school you'll never have to work out the area of a circle", "Sean Connery was the best James Bond"? Who knows. But I hope when my day comes that my mind will be clear enough to speak about the necessity of saving faith in Christ and the glory of the covenant of grace whereby we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. My brothers and sisters, we are not perfect people and nor was David but by the grace of God may He transform us from thorns to wheat and may we be counted among the great harvest of saved souls when Christ comes. May we think on this today and especially when our last day arrives. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q24 How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. 14th December 2022
Pray (ACts) Read - Matthew 26:36-46 Message - Alan Burke This is a three parter, really one big devotion over three days. If you didn’t read Monday’s don’t worry although you may be left wondering why are we focusing on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26 but sure just go with it. On Monday we were focusing on the Garden of Eden, today the Garden of Gethsemane. The reason why is from the moment that Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit and Jesus took to himself a true body in the womb he had come to fulfil the promise that God had made in the Garden of Eden. No longer was the shadow of what lay ahead, how He had come to die for the sins of those who are His far off, instead the shadow lay heavenly upon Him. The Next day Jesus would go to the cross, take the cup that our sin deserved. The imagery of cup is that given in the Old Testament is of drinking the cup of the wrath of God (Jer 25:15-16; Isa 51:17, 22; Lam 4:21; Ezk 23:28-34; Hab 2:16). Jesus had come, to take the wrath of God, the punishment of the sin that came into the world at the fall. While Adam in the Garden just choose to disobey God’s clear command, Jesus the second Adam, that night in the Garden of Gethsemane with such anguish and turmoil, facing the burden of what lay ahead we are told fell to His knees with the weight of what was upon. He unlike Adam would not choose to disobey, instead He sought to obey the word of the Father. Falling to His knees the ground He prayed, verse 39, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Mt 26:39). Jesus unlike Adam was subjugating all His human desires to the Father's perfect will. He just like Adam had a choice to obey or disobey, to obey or disobey the will and the word of God. In the parallel account in Luke’s gospel we are told how he with the horror of what lay ahead, He sweat drops of blood, prayed, “not my will, but yours, be done”. The poignancy of what takes place here shouldn’t be lost on us. The anguish that Jesus faced in His humanity saw we are told in Luke, angels sent from heaven appearing to Him to strengthen Him as He prayed to the Father, this is a scene that depicts Jesus coming in desperation, with the weight of what lay ahead fully upon him, facing the wrath of God of all those who would repent and believe being placed upon Him, so that He requested that if it were possible some other way would be found. The prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane confronts us with the reality that God does not always take the hard things from us. While Adam did it His own way and choose disobedience, Jesus Christ the promised one of Genesis 3:15 in the Garden of Gethsemane willingly submitted himself to the wrath of God on our behalf. He would go to the cross, and lie in the Garden tomb, His heal was bruised but in it He crushed the head of the Serpent, Satan was a defeated foe. Today we can say that Satan may bark but he has been utterly defeated and his time is short. The outcome of the battle has never been in doubt. The ‘He’ of Genesis 3:15 is Jesus the Christ who has come in the flesh, to take the punishment for sin that Adam and Eve deserved, that we all deserve for our rebellion against a Holy God. This certainly does not downplay the horror of the cross, but just as a wounded heel would not be considered a fatal wound, so Christ is not defeated upon the cross. Satan however would be categorically defeated by Christ. His wound would be to the head. Jesus Christ as we are reminded in Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Ga 3:12–13). Jesus Christ became cursed for us, he is our only hope, the one who took the curse for us. He did what Adam did not, it was there in the Garden of Gethsemane that we see His willingness to do the will of the Father for our salvation and that we might know the Hope of the Garden City. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q23 What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer? Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. (Acts 3:21–22, Heb. 12:25, 2 Cor. 13:3, Heb. 5:5–7, Heb. 7:25, Ps. 2:6, Isa. 9:6–7, Matt. 21:5, Ps. 2:8–11) 13th December 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 11v32) Message (Scott Woodburn) Perhaps you have once been told "dare to be like Daniel"? What I think such a phrase means is dare to be a man or woman of prayer or maybe dare to stand up for your faith in a pagan world. The problem with such a phrase is that Daniel should never be our example. He was a mighty man of faith but he was still justified yet sinful. We see similar examples in Hebrews 11. The Apostle is running out of time and so he says "time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah" (v32). None of these men should be our focus either. Gideon was a tremendous leader who led just 300 men against the enemies of God's people. Tragically he then went on to make a golden ephod which led the people into idolatry. An ephod is usually an article of clothing worn by a priest but some argue that Gideon's ephod was some sort of golden image. Regardless his golden ephod became a snare for Gideon and the people. What about Barak? Barak like Gideon was a great military general who led the Israelite armies to victory over their Canaanite rivals. But if you know Barak's story he isn't exactly the hero. The prophetess Deborah was judging Israel at the time and she accurately told Barak that the Lord was sending him to victory over the Canaanites. Barak's reply was that he would only go to war if Deborah went with him. She did and the victory was won. Samson is famous for his great strength but if you read his story in the book of Judges you will also see that he had an eye for the ladies. Eventually this would lead to his downfall. A woman by the name of Deliah seduced Samson and he freely told her the secret of his great strength - if his head was shaved then his strength would disappear. Needless to say Samson fell into the trap, his head was shaved and he ended up blinded and a slave of the Philistines. Jephthah is perhaps the least known of the four. He was the son of a prostitute and a military man but one day he made a rash vow to the Lord. He said “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” What Jephthah didn't expect was his daughter was the one who came out of the doors of his house and she would lose her life as a result of her father's hasty words. What do we say? Dare to be a Gideon and lead people into idolatry? Dare to be a Barak and put conditions on the commands of God? Dare to be a Samson and foolishly fall into the hands of those who hate you? Dare to be Jephthah and speak rashly and quickly bringing trouble on those you love? I don't think any of us would want to dare to follow any of these paths. Yet this chapter is clear that each of these men was a man of faith. To describe them we could say that they were flawed yet faithful. We can be so thankful for the Gospel for by it Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah were saved. We can be so thankful for the Gospel for by it we have been saved. None of us can point the finger at anyone else. We too have hearts that churn out idols every single day. We are guilty of questioning the Lord. We are often led astray by the desires of our sinful hearts and who among has never spoken in sinful haste? My hands aren't clean and neither are yours but today we don't dare to be a Daniel or anyone else, instead we fall before Jesus in repentance and faith crying out "Lord have mercy on me a sinner!" He is sure to meet such a cry with His glorious grace. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q22 How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man? Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin. 12th December 2022
Pray (ACts) Read - Genesis 3 Message - Alan Burke This week we are going to do something a little different, maybe its not for everyone but I know for most people it will be. For what normally happens in the next couple of weeks is that ministers will be in their studies trying to figure out how they can preach one of the usual ‘Christmas’ passages in a way that hasn’t been heard before. I’ve just shelved that attempt and instead I want to this week take you to Three Gardens. Hopefully you will understand the why in all of it by the weeks out for what we celebrate isn’t an isolated message of a coming of baby in a manager it is something far greater In salvation history. So today we go to the ‘Garden of Eden'. Not the most typical Christmas message I know, but Christmas was announced in the Garden with the first announcement of the gospel in the book of Genesis. For a manger isn’t where the hope begins, the hope begins in the midst of the fall, where God preached the gospel to the Satan, the gospel was proclaimed and announced in the Garden of Eden. I’m going to be selective in what we focus on from this passage, we haven’t got time to work through it in its fullness. But bear in mind the context, how in the beginning God made all that is and it was good, God looked when he had finished his word of creation and said it was very good (1:31). God’s creation was very good. God’s people lived in God’s place under his rule and blessing. There was no death or mourning or crying or pain, these were not in the created order. Fast forwards to v6 we are told after the interaction between Satan and Eve, she saw took, ate, and then gave some to Adam. It wasn’t that Adam was off somewhere herding up the animals, trying to put a roof up for over their heads, he wasn’t working the ground, he wasn’t being the custodian that he was tasked with by God. No, Adam he was there, v6 and Eve also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Eve ate because she was tempted to do so, Adam just choose to disobey God’s clear command. There sin entered the world, God’s very good world, sin entered and death followed. The relationship between God and man was left in tatters. Tragic, sin changed everything, shame filled their minds as they looked upon the nakedness of each other, they are filled with shame for they know what they have done. And they hide from the presence of God, they had from Him who had shown them such goodness, they rejected the word of God and in an effort to cover their shame they sow fig leaves together to hide from their sin and from their God. While the man and women are engulfed with sin and shame, God does not abandon His creation or His creatures, nor does He simply bring the judgment that they deserve for rejecting His word. Instead, and this is wonderful, don’t miss it, the Lord, well, He comes, He seeks those out who had rejected His word. In they midst of their sin and shame the Lord God looks for them as they try to hide from His presence because they herd Him coming. Verse 15, for God promises a day of reckoning, a day when what has happened would be dealt with. God in His mercy does what only a good and gracious God, who is merciful and kind would do. For God announces the gospel, preaches it to Satan, the deceiver, He judges the serpent, it is a curse that is given, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Gen 3:15)” Also notice in this verse, that speaks of a day or reckoning of how “He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel”. The question then to be asked is who, who is he, for it is not they, it is not the children of Eve it is a child, a seed, a descendant, one that God has promised that would deal with the serpent, that would deal with Satan, who? From then on in Scripture the question is who? Of course we know it is Jesus, He is the one who came to deal with sin for God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (John 1:29, 2 Co 5:21). Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q21 Who is the Redeemer of God’ s elect? The only Redeemer of God’ s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Tim. 2:5–6) who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, (John 1:14, Gal. 4:4) and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for ever. (Rom. 9:5, Luke 1:35, Col. 2:9, Heb. 7:24–25) 10th December 2022
Pray (ACts) Read (Hebrews 11v31) Message (Scott Woodburn) If your granny was a prostitute I suspect you'd do everything in your power to avoid discussing her profession. The Apostle had no such concerns when it came to telling the story of Rahab. She too was a woman of faith and without beating about the bush, Paul calls her "Rahab the prostitute". What was the story behind this? Joshua had sent out spies to find out as much as they could about the land and especially the city of Jericho (Joshua 2). Unfortunately the king of Jericho heard about Joshua's spies and sought to find the men and kill them. The spies had been lodging with Rahab but instead of handing her lodgers over to be killed, Rahab hid the spies on her roof. She went further still by telling the king that the spies had already left and that he should pursue them quickly. Rahab saved the life of the spies and she bought them time so that they could escape back to Joshua. Rahab was not an Israelite, she had not escaped from Egypt, she hadn't followed Moses and she had not travelled with Joshua. Why would this woman act the way she did? Remarkably, she had heard about the Lord and had come to believe in God's promises. Rahab was a woman of faith. Here is the whole story from her own mouth “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” (Joshua 2v9-13) When Jericho was destroyed Rahab and her family were kept safe. The spies suggested she hung a scarlet cord from her window which acted as a sign that she and her family were not to be hurt. Later she lived among the people of Israel in the promised land (Joshua 6v25). But don't be mistaken - Rahab wasn't a stranger, she was a woman of faith. In Matthew's Gospel we are told that her husband was called Salmon and their son was called Boaz (Matthew 1v5). We meet Boaz in the book of Ruth and just as his own mother had once been a stranger, Boaz treats another stranger called Ruth with kindness. Boaz treats another stranger called Ruth with kindness. Years later this family appear in the genealogy of Christ and we surely remember that the one who trusts in Jesus will never be put to shame. Christ didn't die to make good people better - the Gospel is life saving medicine for terminally ill sinners. Your granny may not have been a prostitute but she was a sinner. You may be seen as a fine upstanding member of your community but you are still a sinner. Who can be saved? Any and all who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sinner, regardless of your past the door to salvation has not been barred against you. Cast down the scarlet cord of repentance and faith and you will be saved. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q20 Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. 9th December
Pray (ACts) Read - Romans 3:31 Message - Alan Burke Today I want to take us to this last verse of Romans 3. It is not that the previous verses don’t have much to say, of course they do, for Paul reminded us that we have no reason to boast because salvation is by faith (27-28), and there is but one God whether you are a Jew or Gentile (the word Gentile literally means nations so there is one God of all people whether we want to accept him or not). The reason why I want to spend a bit more time on verse 31 for there are implications and applications for us that are far reaching. Although we cannot earn salvation by keeping the law which leaves us with nothing to boast in for salvation from beginning to end is the work of God in Christ Jesus, here Paul seems to end with something that seems contradictory. Although we cannot keep the law we are to uphold the law! To explain this there is threefold use of the Law in the Scriptures. Look back to v21 for there the Law there speaks of the Pentateuch, the Torah, the first five books of the bible, the prophets speak of the rest of the Old Testament. But within the Torah there are three different types of law, we speak of the threefold use of the law, because there is ceremonial law, Civil Law and Moral law. The Ceremonial law, that is the law that pertains to the requirements of sacrificial worship in the tabernacle and the temple, it has to do with the various acts of worship and/or service for a particular reason. The ceremonial law has been fulfilled in Jesus, it means it doesn’t apply for us today, we don’t have to offer sacrifices for Jesus has fulfilled the ceremonial law in his sacrifice for us. When the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom Jesus fulfilled the law, the barrier between God and man was removed for Jesus is the new and perfect way into the Holy of Holies, into which any man could come by faith. Jesus brought all the other sacrifices to an end. Jesus has fulfilled the Ceremonial law. Then there is the civil law, that governed the relationship within the people of Israel, the Civil laws describe the judicial and civil duties of the citizens of Israel as God’s people. Such laws dealt with what punishment was to be carried out on one if he was guilty of violating the Law of Moses. Other aspects of the civil law dealt with land inheritances, the year of Jubilee which took place every seven years in which debts were forgiven, slaves freed. Basically, the civil law under the Mosaic Law was God governing His people under the government of the Law of Moses. Jesus inaugurated a new kingdom… Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world… But now my kingdom is from another place.” (Jn 18:36). As the gentiles are engrafted to the vine, as those from the nations are gathered in, God’s people the church are no longer identified as a nation, but as a people from all over the earth. So we follow the civil law, for it has to do with the obligation on has towards others due to belonging to a particular group of people. Like we do not follow the law of Cuba in Northern Ireland, we follow the laws of this land. But the moral law, describes the principles of behaviour for all people, this is how we are to live, all people, in ever land. This means that we can eat shrimp and bacon as Christians for we are freed from the ceremonial law and civil law though we as all people are bound by the moral law, summarised in the Ten Commandments and in the words of Jesus to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves. Our Lord Jesus says to us: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This means that when we seek to obey God’s commandments by faith in Christ, in dependence upon His grace, we glorify God, experience Christ’s joy (John 15:9-11), and fulfil our Creator’s purpose. As we receive the righteousness of God through faith we desire to live more and more for Him, ie we uphold the law and we seek to keep His law in the obedience of faith knowing that it is Christ alone through faith alone that saves us. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q19 What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, (Gen. 3:8,10,24) are under his wrath and curse, (Eph. 2:2–3, Gal. 3:10) and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. (Lam. 3:39, Rom. 6:23, Matt. 25:41,46) |
Alan
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