Sacraments are simply signs and seals symbolizing salvation. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 66 Q. What are sacraments? A. Sacraments are holy signs and seals for us to see. They were instituted by God so that by our use of them he might make us understand more clearly the promise of the gospel, and might put his seal on that promise. And this is God’s gospel promise: to forgive our sins and give us eternal life by grace alone because of Christ’s one sacrifice finished on the cross. Summary Jesus uses very interesting terminology when instituting the Lord’s Supper. He says to his disciples when they are eating the communion bread, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then when he gives them the wine to drink, he says, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant.” Why would Jesus use those terms? This builds on what we started to look at yesterday when we studied how the sacraments confirm our faith in Jesus Christ. When we eat the bread of the Lord’s Supper, we are not eating the physical body of Christ. When we drink from the cup of the Lord’s Supper, we are not drinking the physical blood of Christ. While Jesus is present spiritually in the Lord’s Supper through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are not eating his body or drinking his blood. Jesus uses these terms because the sacraments are signs and seals of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. Dig Deeper When we baptize an infant or a new convert, we know that baptism does not save them. We are only saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, baptism is a sign and seal of God’s gospel promise. As surely as water washes away dirt from our bodies, the blood of Christ, shed on the cross, washes away our sins. Baptism is a sign and seal because it points to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, and shows us how we are saved through faith. It is why we can sing a song like Nothing But the Blood of Jesus so fervently. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. When we eat of the bread and drink of the cup of the Lord’s Supper, it too is a sign and seal of God’s gospel promise. Communion points to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus’ body was broken and his blood shed for our salvation. Not only that, just as bread and juice physically nourish us, Jesus nourishes us spiritually through his presence. The sacraments are a physical way for God to confirm a spiritual reality. We celebrate them to confirm our faith in Jesus and be nourished by him. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Amazing God, who shows us, as well as teaches us of your power and grace; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would contemplate the meaning of the sacraments as you are celebrating them; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Colossians 1

Matthew 23:1–12 (NASB95) 1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes As for the ministers of the Word, they all have the same power and authority, no matter where they may Tim. 5:17, Heb. 13:17), but at the same time, as our Confession summarizes what Jesus teaches here in Matthew 23, we understand that ministers all have the same power and authority, no matter where they may be,

Gospels: Week 9 — Christ’s authority and coming judgment Photo: Jack Sharp via Unsplash Matthew 18:15 Dig Deeper This passage is simply known as the 'Matthew 18 Principle'.

Matthew 24:1–14 (NASB95) 1 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came It's important to remember that Matthew 24 has fifty-one verses, and that we only read the first fourteen

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Gospels: Week 7 - The cost of discipleship Matthew 19:16–30 (NASB95) 16 And someone came to Jesus and 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when

Matthew 26:36–47 (NASB95) 36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His As He speaks to them, Matthew writes nothing of Jesus' exhaustion, but only because His other problems Matthew notes that Jesus began to be grieved and distressed - quite literally, Jesus was racked with Jesus Himself confirms and expounds upon Matthew's observations, telling the three that He wasn't just

Matthew 14:22–33 (NASB95) 22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Matthew notes that Jesus' response was immediate. He stretched out His hand and took hold of him. But it wasn't Peter that Matthew, or any of the other disciples huddled in that boat, wants you to focus

Matthew 3:1–12 (NASB95) 1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea Notice how Matthew introduces John. But John's oddities aren't the first thing Matthew mentions. Matthew then quotes the prophet Isaiah to introduce John as the one who made ready the way of the LORD

Matthew 14:13–21 (NASB95) 13 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded