It's certainly not wrong to say this, for the Bible often equates Jesus with forgiveness (Matt. 26:28 , Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:43, Acts 13:38, Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:13-14, 1 John 2:12, just to name a

You likely are in authority over some and in submission to others. Humble yourself before the Lord in both roles. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 104 Q. What is God’s will for you in the fifth commandment? A. That I honor, love, and be loyal to my father and mother and all those in authority over me; that I obey and submit to them, as is proper, when they correct and punish me; and also that I be patient with their failings— for through them God chooses to rule us. Summary This famous account of David being confronted with his sin makes for an excellent model for how parents ought to discipline as well as how children ought to submit themselves to that discipline. Remember what we were reminded of yesterday, that the fifth commandment obligates us to not only honor our parents, but all those in authority over us. King David is a powerful, rich and very well established monarch, and normally men in his position are above the law and able to do as they please. The fact that David humbled himself before Nathan is a tremendous example of how even people and institutions who have authority over some spheres of life must submit themselves in other spheres. Parents have authority over their children, but must submit to the government and the Church. The Church must submit itself to the Lord and, to a much lesser extent, the government. The government, in an ideal world at least, submits itself to the people and to a lesser degree, the Church. In this way, everybody who has authority must also simultaneously be in submission. Ultimately, like David, we must recognize that all authority is delegated by the Lord, so all submission is ultimately to Him. It's likely that David felt internal guilt for the sins he had committed, as he writes about it so poignantly in Psalm 51. Even so, the initial inclination of most of us when we're called out for something we instinctively knew was wrong is to deny we did it or make excuses for why we did it. Yet David does none of that. We're so used to seeing those with power squirm their way out of trouble when they've been caught red handed, but David instantly and genuinely confesses his sin against the Lord. Dig Deeper Nathan provides a beautiful example of how to discipline those you've been given authority over. He responds to God's call to insert himself in a very awkward and potentially dangerous situation to confront sin (this is a call we all have to one degree or another). He doesn't maliciously attack or impugn David's character, but instead he winsomely guides David into condemning himself. And he instantly communicates God's grace upon David's heartfelt repentance while at the same time holding David accountable for the awful consequences that come as a result of the sin. Keep both of these humble, godly men in mind as you exercise both authority and submission in your life. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who uses authority figures to call us out of our sinful ways; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the examples of David and Nathan and pray that you will fulfil the roles God has given you in a godly way; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Titus 3

As someone who grew up in the Reformed tradition, I have heard Ephesians 2:8 preached on many times. preaching of your word; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Philippians

God's expectations have been clear since day one: Obey Him and live. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 40 Q. Why did Christ have to go all the way to death? A. Because God’s justice and truth demand it: only the death of God’s Son could pay for our sin. Summary When Adam was placed into the Garden of Eden to work the land, God commanded him to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Of all the fruit of the trees in the garden, only the fruit of this one tree was forbidden. This was a choice God did not have to give Adam. God could have hidden the tree of the knowledge of good and evil away from Adam, or created Adam without an ability to choose. Yet God did neither of these. Instead, God gave this command and Adam was given a choice between obedience and rebellion. The cost of rebellion was steep, for Adam and all whom he represented, disobedience meant that he would surely die. This consequence would not be an immediate physical death for Adam, but that death would become a certainty. Dig Deeper In Genesis 3 we find the account of the fall, where Adam and Eve as the first humans “fell” from grace through the first act of human disobedience. Despite God’s clear command that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was off-limits and the warning of the consequences of rebellion, they chose to partake of it. With this act of disobedience death began its reign in mankind. The only remedy for the fallen state of mankind is the supervening grace of God. This is why Jesus was born into this world and suffered death, to intervene in the fate of a fallen humanity. With this first act of rebellion came the certainty of death. God’s justice and truth require payment for our debt of sin. And nothing else could pay for our sins except the death of the Son of God. Because of Jesus, the fall is more than the origin story of the misery of mankind and how we came to be in a state of rebellion against God. The fall is part of God’s larger plan of redemption. God certainly didn't want Adam to fail, yet He knew that Adam and Eve would disobey in the garden. This is why a means of grace was already part of God's plan of redemption. Jesus is God’s intervention for a fallen humanity. Only the Son of God could pay our debt of sin. Thank God that Jesus intervenes in humanity’s state of misery, rescuing us from the consequences of our rebellion of sin. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our covenant God, the creator of all that is who has called us to a life of righteousness. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that through Christ you've earned everlasting life, and pray for wisdom to fulfill your purpose of ensuring God's creation reflects His holiness. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 8

Luke 2:8–14 (NIV) 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their The Bible speaks of all sorts of things that angels do: praise God (Ps. 103:20), serve the inheritors see this many times throughout Scripture, but especially we see it at the birth of our Lord, in Luke 2:

Don't appear before God until you've lawyered-up. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 36 Q. How does the holy conception and birth of Christ benefit you? A. He is our mediator, and with his innocence and perfect holiness he removes from God’s sight my sin—mine since I was conceived. Summary As we noticed yesterday, we've been turning to the book of Hebrews often the last few weeks, and in fact, we're going to come right back to this same book again tomorrow. Whereas the gospel accounts focus on the things Jesus did historically, and Paul's epistles teach us about how the doctrines of grace Jesus made possible ought to shape our lives as we look forward to His return, the book of Hebrews explains how Jesus fulfilled the role of mediator that the Old Testament spends so much time introducing in books that are often hard to wrap our head around like Leviticus and Deuteronomy. A defense attorney is a good example of a mediator: a person who stands between the judge and the accused, making sure that the defendant's case is presented well and that all exculpatory evidence is made known. But there are some shortcomings with this analogy. The defense attorney can never perfectly represent the defendant because their experiences have been so different. The attorney is never as motivated to win as the defendant, because the attorney won't have to serve the sentence if convicted. Worst, the defense attorney has nearly zero chance of exonerating the defendant if the evidence is massively overwhelming, as it is in the case of our sin before God. But you can be confident that you have perfect representation before the throne of God in heaven, because Jesus is your 'merciful and faithful high priest (mediator).' He perfectly represents you before God in ways that no defense attorney ever could. In order for Jesus to be your perfect mediator, v17 indicates that 'He had to be made like his brothers in every way.' As amazing and powerful as what the angelic host is, there are no angels that are qualified to represent you before God, because ultimately, an angel will never know what it's like to be you. But Jesus does, because Jesus took on flesh and faced the same sort of trials you face: Because Jesus himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted (v18). Dig Deeper This is the third time now that the catechism has mentioned the word 'mediator' when referring to Jesus, emphasizing the importance of this concept. The problem is that most Christians are not very quick to think of Jesus first of all as their mediator. People often consider Him their friend they can count on, especially when times are tough. For many Jesus is primarily a guide and example for how to live. Unfortunately, most people - even Christians - don't really know much at all about Jesus. Knowing Jesus is your friend and example in life is certainly important, but be sure to first of all know Jesus can be your perfect mediator. He does this by being a: Prophet: representing God to you by teaching you God's will for your salvation; Priest: representing you to God, not just presenting testimony on your behalf, but by providing His own innocence and perfect holiness as if it were your own. Jesus is able to be this perfect mediator because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He always was and will be fully divine, so since He perfectly represents God, you ought to listen to Him. But Jesus was also born of the virgin Mary. He took on your humanity and experienced the same temptations you do, so He can perfectly represent you before God. Be reminded that He continues to do so every minute of every day. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, sitting on the throne, before whom all people must give an account. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for your mediator, Jesus Christ, and pray for the strength to listen to Him and fully trust Him in every regard. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 1

Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Open your prayer the same way Daniel did: pray the words in v19-23

Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against Romans 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be

Summary The focus of 2 Corinthians 5 is reconciliation.

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 25 Q. doing as he addresses this letter to the six unique regions of the Christian world mentioned in Acts 2. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 23