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

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

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

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 21 Q.

God built you a house through Jesus, the Son of God and the son of David. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 35 Q. What does it mean that he “was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary”? A. That the eternal Son of God, who is and remains true and eternal God, took to himself, through the working of the Holy Spirit, from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, a truly human nature so that he might become David’s true descendant, like his brothers in every way except for sin. Summary After David had fully established his kingdom in Israel, he expressed his desire to build a house for God, since God's presence still was within the tabernacle, a tent designed to move as Israel moved. David approached the prophet Nathan to be sure his idea of building a permanent temple was consistent with God's will. Nathan initially gave David the green light, telling David that the Lord was with him. But that night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, revealing that David would not be the one to build Him a house, rather God would be the one who built a House - a never ending dynasty - for David. This passage is significant as it establishes the concept of the Davidic Covenant, which promises a lasting dynasty and kingdom for David's descendants, ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ as the eternal king from the line of David. Dig Deeper Yesterday we were reminded of the importance of Jesus' miraculous virgin birth. The importance of this doctrine isn't necessarily the biological uniqueness of Jesus not having an earthly father, but as we'll focus on tomorrow, the point is that Jesus is a new Adam rather than a descendent of the first Adam. But at the same time, Jesus is fully human and through his mother Mary, He does have a biological heritage, and it's one that's very important: the fact that Jesus is a descendent of David fulfills the promise that David's throne will be established forever. It's often easy to just pray that Jesus will be with us in our horizontal relationships: our jobs, families and other immediate concerns. Of course Jesus will be with us in these things, and it is important to pray for them, but passages like this one remind us that God's concerns for us are much bigger than the particular challenges we struggle with on a day to day basis. God fulfilled this amazing promise to King David years about 1,000 later on Christmas morning, and what's more, He's included you in these promises! You have been chosen by God to be included in Christ, and so to reign with Him in a kingdom that will never end. God didn't need David to build a house for Him, rather God built a house for us through David! So whatever it is that's weighing you down today, take it to the Lord in prayer for sure, but even more so, be reminded that you're included in the Kingdom of God. Know that God will "plant you so that you can have a home of your own and no longer be disturbed (v10)." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who rules over all things with His Son, who sits on David's throne forever. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to continually remind you of your kingdom citizenship in the midst of worldly struggles. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - James 4

Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 2 Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort? A.

Since sex causes so many problems, wouldn't it be better for Christians to avoid it altogether? Nope. CONTEXT: If you've not yet read yesterday's post, read it first to understand why today's passage makes what seem to be very unpopular claims. Remember, you are not your own but belong in body and soul to your faithful Savior. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 108 Q. What is God’s will for us in the seventh commandment? A. God condemns all unchastity. We should therefore thoroughly detest it and, married or single, live decent and chaste lives. Summary This difficult, awkward passage comes as a response to a particular question the Corinthian church had posed to Paul. Since human sexuality is so easily abused and has so much potential to drag people into sin, wondered the Corinthians, wouldn't it be better for Christians to just completely stay away from sexual activity altogether? Paul's answer - inspired by the Holy Spirit - is a definitive 'no.' Human sexuality is a physical, psychological, and emotional need that God wove into the fabric of humanity, so people who live within the proper context - a formally recognized, monogamous relationship between a man and woman - must continue to give expression to that which God has designed for them. Just as this passage must be read in the very particular context it was written to address, you must also keep in mind that this is not the Bible's - or even Paul's - only definition of what marriage ought to look like. Verse 9 makes marriage seem like it's merely an institution for those who lack sexual self control, as if total abstinence is the ideal and marriage is a compromise for those who can't resist, while the super-spiritual among us remain celibate. Yet the instruction for both husbands and wives to yield control of their own bodies to the other only makes sense in the context of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians, where he recognizes that marriage is an analogy for Christ's relationship to His bride, the Church. When wives submit to their husbands as the Church submits to Christ, and husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church, then the loving, mutual physical submission Paul instructs here is possible. Dig Deeper Most people in our society - including many Christians - have a deeply flawed understanding of what marriage is and ought to be. Some selfishly see it as a mechanism to make themselves happy, so it's easy to see how such a person could abuse the other with demands to give over their body. But the flip side of that doesn't work any better: in which the purpose of marriage is to make they other person happy. Though this certainly seems more altruistic, this goal is also doomed to failure, since what it takes to continually please other people is a moving target that's very hard to hit. This attitude can lead to sexual abuse when one partner continually gives up more bodily autonomy than the other in order to make the other partner happy. But when both partners share the Biblical goal for marriage to glorify God by living according to His design, they will not only be able to fully enjoy their sexuality as God intends, but they will also come to know their Savior in a much deeper way as they love and submit to one another. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who created all things good, including human sexuality; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that whether you're married or single, that your goal will be to glorify God by living according to His design for the context He's placed you in; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Peter 4

The one thing separating your sin from God's wrath is the Man in the middle. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 18 Q. And who is this mediator— true God and at the same time truly human and truly righteous? A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given us to set us completely free and to make us right with God. Summary Paul’s reminder that there is one God echoes the words spoken to the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness. This is expressed in the Shema, which comes from Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the Lord is one.” For the Israelites these words would have been a reminder that they serve the one true living God, not the idols worshiped by surrounding nations. Likewise, Paul expresses that there is one God and continues that there is also one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ. As we know, Jesus is more than our mediator, he is also our redeemer. Jesus gave himself as a ransom, paying a price to secure our freedom from our bondage to sin. A price had to be paid as God’s punishment on sin, and Jesus paid that price on our behalf. Dig Deeper A mediator is the “middle-man” in a dispute. It is the role of the mediator to go between the various sides in a dispute and work towards reconciliation. In this case, it is humanity and God who are “in dispute” with one another. As a result of our fallen nature, humanity is at odds with God via our rebellion and refusal to obey God's law. Despite the deposition of human hearts against God, we have peace with God because of Jesus’ work of reconciliation. Jesus is not the first mediator between God and his people. Moses, for example, served as mediator between God and his people. And while there have been other mediators, Christ is superior to them all. Not only is Jesus our deliverer, but he also continues to mediate on our behalf. Jesus is the one mediator Paul refers to in 1st Timothy. You need no other mediator, no saints to pray on your behalf, or priests to hear your confession, because Jesus is already your perfect mediator, continuing to speak on your behalf even now. Take great comfort in knowing the one speaking on your behalf is the same who was willing to take the penalty that you deserved. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would fully trust in Christ as your mediator, and that you would submit all things to His Lordship (v8-15) ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 12