Where can you find peace while wandering through a spiritual desert? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 29 Q. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “Savior”? A. Because he saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere. Summary Near the end of the movie Thor: Ragnarok, Thor’s brother Loki is freed by a group of escaped slaves and expresses to them, “You do seem to be in desperate need of leadership”. Surprisingly enough, the newly escaped group followed Loki’s lead. Leadership is something that we desire. To see this in the world today, look no further than how countries are organized; typically there is an official head of the government known as the president, prime minister, or by some other title. The Old Testament book of 1 Samuel accounts how the Israelites wanted a king and asked the Prophet Samuel to appoint one over them. And in today’s passage we see this desire for leadership in the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. Moses had gone up the mountain to speak with God. After a delay in his return, the people began to worry. Without any confirmation that anything had happened to Moses, they began looking for new sources of leadership. It would be one thing if they were looking for a replacement for Moses, but the reality was far more troubling. At the behest of the people, Aaron fashioned a golden calf; an idol which the people declared as “your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Dig Deeper The errors of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai are plentiful. Believing that Moses may have perished on the mountain, they look towards not someone, but something to lead them. They were not looking to replace Moses so much as they were seeking out a replacement for God. Despite God having saved the Israelites from Pharaoh's army, feeding them manna when they needed food, and leading the Israelites through the wilderness as a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night; it is astounding how quickly they started searching for gods to lead them in the absence of Moses, who had acted as mediator between God and the Israelites. Where do you turn when God feels distant? A prolonged period of time where God feels distant is often referred to as a 'spiritual desert.' While many believers have experienced this at one time or another, experiencing a spiritual desert can be a sad and lonely place to be. When God feels distant, the actions of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai stand as a great example of what NOT to do. Having lost their connection with God via Moses’ absence, the people tried to seek out a replacement. The problem with this approach is that there is no replacement for God. While God may feel distant at times, this does not last forever. Remain faithful during the struggle. Spend time praying and reading scripture, even if it feels like a struggle to do so. Instead of seeking something to replace God, it will be far more rewarding spending that time in pursuit of God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Holy Father, unchanging and omnipresent, even when we can't see Him; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will keep you from wandering away, even as you experience spiritual drought. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 8

God's Word can be described many ways, but 'boring' isn't one of them. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 92 simply reproduces the Biblical text of the ten commandments Summary We're going to focus on the beginning and ending of our passage today, since we'll be learning lots about the commandments in the middle in the weeks to come. Notice how the passage begins: And God spoke We could turn multiple places in the Bible for a demonstration of God's awesome power at work in nature. Indeed, the Israelites had just witnessed it firsthand for themselves, having walked between two towering walls of ocean as the crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. But as amazing as God's command of nature is, the best demonstration of His power can be found when He speaks. Remember the opening words of the Bible, which record God creating all that is out of nothing by simply repeating the phrase "and God said..." Jesus Himself is called the Word, and His ministry begins with God's voice booming from heaven that Jesus is His son, whom He loves. The book of Romans begins with an announcement that the gospel - the proclamation of the good news of salvation - is "the power of God..." Imagine being there, hearing these words come out of the fire (Dt. 10:4), accompanied by thunder and lightning (v18). It would quickly become clear that the ten commandments are so much more than a historic document to hang in a courtroom or to doze off to as you hear them recited for the umpteenth time in church. These words, just like the gospel, are the power of God, and necessary for you to know well and follow as you live in Christ. Dig Deeper The Israelites didn't miss God's demonstration of verbal power: They "trembled with fear" and "stayed at a distance," convinced that if God were to utter another word to them they would instantly die. They knew they were not worthy to come face to face with God, so they sent a representative up them mountain in their place. As we begin our nearly three month study of these commandments, we're beginning with a much different attitude than these Israelites had. We're coming to them as people who have peace with God because we've been justified through faith in Jesus Christ. We come to them in gratitude because in Christ, we've fully met the conditions of God's law. As Moses reminds us, these commandments are given "so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning (v20)." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The Lord our God, who brought you out of slavery to sin; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for giving us the tools and instructions to live as the holy people He's declared us to be in Christ. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 15

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 3

Titus 3:3-7 (NIV) 3  At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds 14-17 - The Mighty Warrior Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - God Our Savior Isaiah 52.7 - Good News! Mightier Than Chaos ​ Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel John 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3: Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-

Titus 3:3-7 (NIV) 3  At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity

Titus 3:3-7 (NIV) 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds

Genesis 3 isn't just about man's fall, it's about God's grace. Picture: Unsplash Genesis 3 (NIV) 3  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the 2   The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, Genesis 3 doesn’t only recount humanity’s rebellion—it also introduces God’s grace. 

Photo: Unsplash Ephesians 1:3–10 (NIV) CONTEXT: For this final week in our year long study of the Canons reading some of the Bible's greatest doxologies - words of praise & glory given to our Sovereign God. 3   Season Preview Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3  Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity

Bible.com Philippians 3:7–14 (NIV) 7  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity