ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 10

The sacraments are a participation in Christ. How much participation would you like? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 65 Q. It is by faith alone that we share in Christ and all his blessings: where then does that faith come from? A. The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts by the preaching of the holy gospel, and confirms it through our use of the holy sacraments. Summary Our faith is brought about by hearing the gospel preached. The Holy Spirit works through God’s holy Word to bring about faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit confirms this faith by our use of the holy sacraments. Jesus tells us in the Great Commission (Matthews 28:19-20) to go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says that by eating the bread and drinking from the cup of the Lord’s Supper we are participating in the body and blood of Christ. When celebrating the Lord’s Supper and baptisms, the Holy Spirit works through these two holy sacraments to confirm your faith in Jesus Christ. That is why the sacraments are referred to, along with the preaching of God's Word, as means of grace. By celebrating these two sacraments, you receive God’s grace through the work of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), point us to Jesus and His saving work and deepen your relationship with Him. Dig Deeper When I was a kid, my mother would only use her good plates on special occasions like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They were ornately decorated, and were only for important events. Otherwise, they would sit in a hutch. Is that how the Christian Church views the Lord’s Supper? Is it something that is so special, it can only be brought out occasionally? We think, “we cannot celebrate communion too much, otherwise it is no longer special.” How often does your church celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Is it quarterly? More frequently? The Lord’s Supper and baptism are a blessing given by Jesus to confirm our faith in him. While we can only celebrate baptisms when there are children or new unbaptized converts to baptize, we can celebrate the Lord’s Supper more frequently. If the Holy Spirit confirms our faith through the sacraments, shouldn’t we want to celebrate them more often? As followers of Christ, Jesus places the Great Commission before us. We are to go and make disciples. By making disciples we will get to celebrate baptisms, and there will be rejoicing in heaven! The Lord’s Supper is given to us by Jesus to celebrate and confirm our faith in him. Your elders and pastor oversee the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, so if you wonder why you celebrate it when you do, be sure to ask them. We will spend more time on Wednesday and Thursday digging into what it means to receive grace from the sacraments. For now, know that the Holy Spirit works through the Lord’s Supper and baptism to confirm our faith in Jesus. While both are holy, we can celebrate them often to help confirm our faith. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God of grace, who sends us, His people, out with the good news; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Draw me closer to you through celebrating baptism and the Lord’s Supper; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Philippians 4

Jesus' sheep listen to His voice, so make sure your ears are directed to Him! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 45 Q. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us? A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death, so that he might make us share in the righteousness he won for us by his death. Second, by his power we too are already now resurrected to a new life. Third, Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection. Summary The 'Feast of Dedication' is better known to us as Hanukkah, and Jerusalem would have been decked out for this winter festival in the same way our communities are for Christmas. But not everyone was in a festive mood; Jesus had shown up, and the Jewish establishment had had just about enough from Him. Their request sounds so pure and noble: tell us plainly if you're the Messiah, Jesus! But it's really a trap, and in their eyes Jesus falls right into it. But Jesus is much more coy than they think He is. He knows right off that He's dealing with wolves, not sheep. He knows the wolves will never listen to Him. Jesus' concern is only for His sheep. Jesus knows His sheep, which have been given to Him by His Father, and His sheep have two primary characteristics that can be easily seen: They listen to Jesus' voice; They follow Him. But the big idea we want to focus on today are the massive guarantees Jesus gives His sheep: He gives them eternal life; They shall never perish / be destroyed; No one will ever snatch them, because they are held forever not just in Jesus' hands, but in His Father's as well. Since Jesus is talking with wolves, they don't listen to His voice, rather they hear only what they want to hear, and all they hear is Jesus claim that God is His Father, so once again, they pick up stones and are ready to kill Him. Dig Deeper This week we've been focused on the benefits we gain because of Jesus' resurrection. Since He has overcome death, you have overcome death. Since accomplished perfect righteousness, you have perfect righteousness. Since He is already resurrected, so you too already are resurrected to a new life. All of these resurrection benefits are guaranteed for Jesus' sheep. Your only comfort in life and in death is knowing that you're a sheep belonging to Jesus. Consequently, make every effort to know for sure that you belong to Him! Do you hear His voice? To hear it, you must be listening. You're listening to God's Word right now, so that's a great start. Plan on joining the flock as they gather on the Lord's Day to listen to Him as His Word is proclaimed. Surround yourself with good Christian teaching all week long (our Christian podcast site, Drive.Faith, is a great place to start). Then follow the commands you hear from Him. Repent & believe. Know the Father's expectations and do all that you can to meet them. Live with the peace of comfort of the resurrection that's been guaranteed to you. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has you securely grasped in His hand; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will take comfort in the guarantees of new life you've been given as you listen to Jesus and follow Him. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 15

to folly. 9  Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews

Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews

Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! Psalm 91 - The Shelter of the Most High Article 10: Election Based on God’s Good Pleasure Luke 2:13- Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews

Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews

Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! Psalm 91 - The Shelter of the Most High Article 10: Election Based on God’s Good Pleasure Luke 2:13- Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews

Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews

Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! Psalm 91 - The Shelter of the Most High Article 10: Election Based on God’s Good Pleasure Luke 2:13- Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews