1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17:6-12 God’s Good Pleasure Luke 2:13-14 - Christmas in March Galatians 4:1-7 - From Slave to Son Isaiah 53:6 Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews 5:6 - Stay Hungry Psalm 65 - The Hearer of Prayers ​ Article 13/14: The Fruit of our assurance Isaiah

You've been set free by Jesus, but it's not a free for all. You must use your freedom to glorify God. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 34 Q. Why do you call Jesus “our Lord”? A. Because— not with gold or silver, but with his precious blood— he has set us free from sin and from the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be his very own. Summary In his first letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul is addressing many issues that the church is struggling with. As he works his way through these issues, he continues to point the people back to God, reminding the church what it means to be a follower of Christ. Our verses for today come at the end of a section where he is warning them of the dangers of sexual immorality. Paul reminds the Corinthians (and us) that we are not free to do whatever we want to do, because our lives have been bought at a price. Our freedom from sin and death cost Jesus his life. Dig Deeper Why do you think the Heidelberg Catechism keeps pointing you back to the idea of salvation in Jesus Christ? We have looked at this topic several times already this year, and we are only in the month of March. Why does the Catechism continue to focus on it? Because you need to hear it. If you were to read through the book of Acts, 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, or 2 Timothy, you would find topics that are just as relevant today as they were when those books of the Bible were first written. Even though Satan has been defeated by Jesus, the world is not fully rid of him yet. Satan has a way of manipulating people through lies and half-truths. One such lie is that your worth is defined by who you are or what you have done. That is why the Catechism reminds you that you cannot earn your salvation; you can't buy it. Your worth is not defined by who you are, nor what you have done. What matters is to whom you belong. If you have given your life to Jesus, you are a child of God. It really is that simple. The challenge comes in the day-to-day stuff that you deal with. For example, the world is constantly telling you that you are not enough, or that you should be make your personal desire for success and control your top priority in life. That's why the Heidelberg Catechism continues to come back to the topic of salvation in Jesus Christ. You need to hear over and over again that your salvation is found in Christ alone. That once you're forgiven, your sin is completely washed away. With the freedom you've been given in Jesus, you must honor God with your entire life. You're not live for just for yourself, but rather for the glory of God. You have been set free from your sin. Go and serve the Lord! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has given you His Holy Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the freedom you have in Christ, and pray that you will use this freedom to live fully for God's glory. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - James 2

This is expressed in the Shema, which comes from Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, (Deuteronomy 6:4) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would fully trust in Christ as your

1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 Ephesians 2:8 - The Gift of God Philippians 1:27-30 - Granted Psalm 95 - The LORD is OUR God ​ Article 6: Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17:6-12 2 Timothy 1:7-10 - Passive & Powered Titus 3:3-7 - Transformed Deuteronomy 9:4-6 - You're Not That Awesome

You'll never understand how clean you've been made till you understand how filthy you were! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 73 Q. Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins? A. God has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ wash away our sins just as water washes away dirt from our bodies. But more important, he wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign, that the washing away of our sins spiritually is as real as physical washing with water Summary Once again we're reminded as we read God's Word that sin is a serious problem. Far from being little indiscretions that the kindly 'Old Man in the sky' sort of snickers at, and much more impactful than just keeping us from living our best life now, we read that those who are unrighteous (wrongdoers) will not inherit the kingdom of God (v9)! Paul defines what it means to be unrighteous using what's often been called a 'vice list' - that is, a list of significant sins that often show up in Paul's letters. Understand that this isn't a comprehensive list, meaning that these nine sins are not the only nine sins possible. They're just a representation of the whole. Paul uses these vice lists to shine the light on the filth of humanity. But the primary purpose of this passage isn't to warn you of the massive danger of unrepentant sin (although it does), rather Paul's point here is no matter how filthy these sins have made you in the past, you've now been washed, sanctified and made righteous. (v11). Dig Deeper Most of us experience baptism in the context of a newborn baby being brought forward by her parents. The baby is soft & cuddly, beautifully dressed and in the arms of her proud parents. Often the grandparents look on with big smiles on their faces. It truly is a time of celebration as a new covenant child is welcomed into the congregation. We'll dig deeper into why it is that we baptize the children of believers in our Reformed churches later this week, but one of the big difficulties that we must work past in bringing babies to be baptized is that they don't look anything at all like the type of sinners Paul described at the beginning to today's passage. But even though they've not yet committed the gross sins in Paul's vice lists, they are completely covered in the filth of sin. When you fail to realize just how sinfully filthy you are from the moment of your conception, you fail to realize how dire your circumstances are apart from Christ, and how disgusting it is for your Father when you take what the Holy Spirit has washed clean and make yourself filthy all over again. If you've been baptized, thank God that He, through Christ, has washed you clean in the same way water removes filth. If you've not been baptized, what are you waiting for? Reach out to your elders or pastor so you can experience first hand the tangible reminder of how you've been washed in the blood of Christ (plus, God's commanded you to do so!). AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our holy and righteous Father, who will not bestow His Kingdom on those who remain in the filth of their sins; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that you've been washed clean by Christ, and pray that temptations are kept far from you so that you don't fall into the filth again. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 5

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6  whom he poured out on 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 Ephesians 2:8 - The Gift of God Philippians 1:27-30 - Granted Psalm 95 - The LORD is OUR God ​ Article 6: Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17:6-12

Your body is not your own, but has been bought with a price. This is good news! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 109 (We'll finish out QA 108 tomorrow) Q. Does God, in this commandment, forbid only such scandalous sins as adultery? A. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, body and soul, and God wants both to be kept clean and holy. That is why he forbids everything which incites unchastity, whether it be actions, looks, talk, thoughts, or desires. Summary We understand that a thing's purpose determines how it gets used. A fine flower vase with lots intricate details can certainly hold water, but it's not meant to be used like an ordinary bucket. In other words, just because something can be used a certain way, it doesn't mean that it ought to be used in that way. Such is the case with your body. The tired old argument that people ought to be able to do as they please with their bodies is nothing new; Paul begins this passage with sayings from Romans culture that make the same claim we hear so often today, that the only people who have a right to determine what I do physically are Me, Myself and I. Paul then drops a stunning claim - a claim that people know is true but which often gets suppressed down deep so as not to ruin the party: your body is not your own. You did not make your body; you did not breathe life into it; and you are not the one who has determined your body's ultimate purpose, and therefore you don't have the right to define its acceptable uses. Paul's makes his point obvious: "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord (v13)." Therefore, your body is not to be used sexually outside of God's prescribed norms, which we'll review tomorrow. Paul adds emphasis to his point. Not only must you not do sexually immoral things, but you must flee from all forms of sexual immorality. The primary purpose of your body determines how it must be used, the purpose which rises above all of your own ideas, opinions and beliefs, is that your body "is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God." Dig Deeper Our focus reading the Bible this year has been the comfort and peace possible by knowing that "you are not your own, but belong to your faithful Savior, Jesus Christ." These words have brought immense solace and reassurance to countless Christians for hundreds of years now. If you don't have this memorized already, you should. But this claim is not just true on Sundays, or when you really need to be reminded in a difficult time that God is in control, rather this fundamental fact is always in effect and is completely comprehensive in its nature: you are not your own but belong to Christ body and soul, in life and in death. In other words, your body belongs to Christ in all ways and in all times. This famous opening line of the Heidelberg Catechism is not just a cheesy, sentimental statement to hang on your wall. It helps define and clarify your purpose in life. You belong to Christ in every way possible. And since purpose determines usage, it gives you a solid rationale for living according to a Biblically faithful sexual ethic. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who knew you before creation and chose you to be His own, knit your body together in your mother's womb, and who has set you apart to be a temple for His Holy Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for the fortitude to live according to His sexual design for your body in a world that constantly tries to tear you away from it; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Peter 3

Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17:6-12 Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews 5:6 - Stay Hungry Psalm 65 - The Hearer of Prayers ​ Article 13/14: The Fruit of our assurance Isaiah

1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17:6-12 God’s Good Pleasure Luke 2:13-14 - Christmas in March Galatians 4:1-7 - From Slave to Son Isaiah 53:6 Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving Hebrews 5:6 - Stay Hungry Psalm 65 - The Hearer of Prayers ​ Article 13/14: The Fruit of our assurance Isaiah

3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 Ephesians 2:8 - The Gift of God Philippians 1:27-30 - Granted Psalm 95 - The LORD is OUR God ​ Article 6: Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17:6-12