Gospels: Week 2 - Jesus' Preparation & Beginning of Ministry We're visiting a different book each day Mark 1:9–15 (NASB95) 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in 14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15

Can you spot the truth in a sea of lies? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 21 Q. What is true faith? A. True faith is not only a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in his Word is true; it is also a deep-rooted assurance, created in me by the Holy Spirit through the gospel, that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others, but I too, have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted salvation. Summary In our text today we see Jehoash, an evil king of Israel, speaking in fear to Elisha, God’s prophet of Truth. Jehoash is afraid that when prophet dies, God’s truth will die with him. But Elisha speaks the truth using visual examples, illustrating to the king that God’s truth lives on no matter who dies . Elisha teaches this truth in three ways: First, Elisha puts his hands over the king's hands, symbolizing that God’s sovereignty is over all people. Second, the arrow shot from the window declares that God’s truth goes forward into the future. And third, the strange and surprising account of the dead man who instantly comes to life after being unceremoniously dumped in a grave, in which he touches Elisha's bones. In the same way, God’s truth will always live on. But being told about God's truth is one thing; accepting it is another. Jehoash was lukewarm to the idea of God’s truth in this text (he half-heartedly tapped the arrows instead of pounding them - v18-19). Are you lukewarm to God’s truth? Do you prize God’s truth as you once did? The fact is that we often don’t prize truth until all we hear is lies masquerading as the truth. Dig Deeper True faith is knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in his Word is true. We call this concept Sola Scriptura in Latin. Scripture alone provides all that we need to be eternally saved in the grip of God’s grace, which was provided by our Savior's sacrifice and made alive in us by the Holy Spirit. It is this conviction - that scripture is the ultimate source of truth - that the world, the devil and our own flesh attack everyday. This is often a battle you are not prepared for. It is often a battle you fret over. Today let a prophet who died thousands of years ago remind you that God's truth and victory will never cease. God's truth and victory are made evident on every page of scripture, and have been guaranteed in the death & resurrection of His Son. Continue to stand your ground on this absolute truth, even as you wait for the final movement of God’s sovereignty to come. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Almighty Father you give the gift of faith into the hearts of your children. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Teach my heart to accept your gift of faith by opening its truth in my daily life to follow your will. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 16

to Condemn All People Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship Deuteronomy 28:15-20 - Not A Tame Lion Genesis 2:15-17 - Or Else Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation Psalm 143 - Aggressive Prayer Pattern ​ Article God’s Eternal Decree Isaiah 45:21-25 - Irrevocable Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15 Genesis and Exodus are full of narrative adventures that make the reading fun, but Leviticus trails off 2 ).

As someone who grew up in the Reformed tradition, I have heard Ephesians 2:8 preached on many times. Through the preaching of the Old Testament, we see how God was at work all the way back in Genesis, and

Articles 1-8 Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship Deuteronomy 28:15 -20 - Not A Tame Lion Genesis 2:15-17 - Or Else Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation Psalm 143 - Aggressive Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - God Our Savior Isaiah 52.7 - Good News! God’s Eternal Decree Isaiah 45:21-25 - Irrevocable Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15 -21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship

Gospels: Week 9 — Christ’s authority and coming judgment Photo: Jack Sharp via Unsplash Matthew 18:15 –20 (NASB95) 15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you

Articles 1-7 Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship Deuteronomy 28:15 -20 - Not A Tame Lion Genesis 2:15-17 - Or Else Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation Psalm 143 - Aggressive Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - God Our Savior Isaiah 52.7 - Good News! God’s Eternal Decree Isaiah 45:21-25 - Irrevocable Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15 -21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship

To fully enjoy the comfort & assurance of your fully accomplished salvation, you must make every effort! Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Summary Maybe you've heard the trite little Christian saying that "Jesus + nothing = everything." Peter would have loved it! It nicely summarizes the opening statement of his second letter: Christ's power: has given us everything we need; through our knowledge of Him; since: He called us by His own glory and goodness and He has given us His promises. It's truths like this that provide you with the 'assurance of eternal life' that the Catechism mentions. Your certainty comes from the fact that Christ has fully accomplished your salvation, and there's nothing you need to add to it. Yet Peter prescribes more addition! In v5 he writes, make every effort to add... not to your salvation, because that's complete in Christ, but add to your faith. He repeats this command to make every effort again in v10, and this time he explains why: to confirm your calling and election. So certainly be assured of your salvation, but at the same time make every effort to live a godly life. The good works that result from these efforts will bolster the assurance and confidence you've already been given. Dig Deeper This famous first question and answer of the Catechism is like a warm blanket in a cold world, reminding you that your future is fully secured in Christ. But notice that even these words of comfort end with a call to action to 'wholeheartedly live for Him.' This is one of the great tensions of Christianity. Certainly rest in the thought that Christ is 'your only comfort in life and in death,' but in order to fully enjoy this rest you must continually make every effort to gratefully respond to the gift you've been given. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who has set His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ over His eternal kingdom (v11); ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to make every effort to live wholeheartedly for Christ. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 4

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

John 15:26–16:15 (NIV) 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit have been with me from the beginning. 16 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2  come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 and the Son, but remember that every word you read in the Bible was breathed out by the Holy Spirit (2