Being excited about God is good... but make sure your zeal is based on knowledge! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 19 Q. How do you come to know this? A. The holy gospel tells me. God himself began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later, he proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets, and portrayed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; finally, he fulfilled it through his own dear Son. Summary With these words Paul expresses his desire that his fellow Jews would be saved. What Paul sees in many of his brethren is a zeal for keeping to the laws of the Old Testament, but a lack of understanding that adherence to the law does not equate righteousness. No matter how you might try, even your best efforts to establish your own righteousness cannot stand up to God’s perfect standard. It's still important for us to strive to live out the teachings of Jesus, as this is the appropriate response of gratitude to the grace of Jesus. Just as Paul’s concern for the Jews was not their zeal for upholding the law, the real concern is a mindset of upholding adherence to the law as a replacement for the righteousness of Christ. Attempts to be “good enough”, instead of depending upon the grace of Jesus, are nothing more than a flawed attempt to circumvent God’s plan of redemption. As Paul writes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes”. Christ being the “end of the law” carries with it multiple, non-mutually exclusive meanings. First, this points to Jesus as the purpose or end goal the law was working towards. Secondly, Jesus marks for believers an end to our attempts to pursue righteousness via the law. Dig Deeper Every good story has a climax. If Belle had never gone looking for her father none of us would have heard about Beauty and the Beast. Without that action forward, the story would have remained at a standstill and never reached its exciting climax. While the Bible consists of 66 books written by various authors, it is also the ongoing story of God’s interaction with his creation. God’s handiwork can be seen throughout all of human history, culminating with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is undoubtedly the climax of human history. There are many reasons to open up your Bible, and chief among them is that you might come to know your faithful savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is what pushes history forward. Without Jesus, the story of humanity would be a standstill as we would still be waiting for our redeemer. Praise God that he has saved you from your misery, that a redeemer has come, just as God had planned from the beginning. Trust not in yourself for righteousness, but in Jesus. As a dear saint would often remind me, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and HE will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father, you set the standard for righteousness, and you sent your Son that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will give you a zeal for Him based on knowledge of His Word. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 14

The sacraments are a participation in Christ. How much participation would you like? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 65 Q. It is by faith alone that we share in Christ and all his blessings: where then does that faith come from? A. The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts by the preaching of the holy gospel, and confirms it through our use of the holy sacraments. Summary Our faith is brought about by hearing the gospel preached. The Holy Spirit works through God’s holy Word to bring about faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit confirms this faith by our use of the holy sacraments. Jesus tells us in the Great Commission (Matthews 28:19-20) to go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says that by eating the bread and drinking from the cup of the Lord’s Supper we are participating in the body and blood of Christ. When celebrating the Lord’s Supper and baptisms, the Holy Spirit works through these two holy sacraments to confirm your faith in Jesus Christ. That is why the sacraments are referred to, along with the preaching of God's Word, as means of grace. By celebrating these two sacraments, you receive God’s grace through the work of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), point us to Jesus and His saving work and deepen your relationship with Him. Dig Deeper When I was a kid, my mother would only use her good plates on special occasions like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They were ornately decorated, and were only for important events. Otherwise, they would sit in a hutch. Is that how the Christian Church views the Lord’s Supper? Is it something that is so special, it can only be brought out occasionally? We think, “we cannot celebrate communion too much, otherwise it is no longer special.” How often does your church celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Is it quarterly? More frequently? The Lord’s Supper and baptism are a blessing given by Jesus to confirm our faith in him. While we can only celebrate baptisms when there are children or new unbaptized converts to baptize, we can celebrate the Lord’s Supper more frequently. If the Holy Spirit confirms our faith through the sacraments, shouldn’t we want to celebrate them more often? As followers of Christ, Jesus places the Great Commission before us. We are to go and make disciples. By making disciples we will get to celebrate baptisms, and there will be rejoicing in heaven! The Lord’s Supper is given to us by Jesus to celebrate and confirm our faith in him. Your elders and pastor oversee the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, so if you wonder why you celebrate it when you do, be sure to ask them. We will spend more time on Wednesday and Thursday digging into what it means to receive grace from the sacraments. For now, know that the Holy Spirit works through the Lord’s Supper and baptism to confirm our faith in Jesus. While both are holy, we can celebrate them often to help confirm our faith. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God of grace, who sends us, His people, out with the good news; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Draw me closer to you through celebrating baptism and the Lord’s Supper; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Philippians 4

for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.10 Notice how Matthew introduces John. But John's oddities aren't the first thing Matthew mentions. Rather, the first thing he reports is that John came preaching. John, like any good preacher, pointed away from himself to the mightier One: Jesus Christ.

people of the world revere him. 9  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 Authority 10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 15

3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology Psalm 16 - In God We Trust ​ Article Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10

punishment of the wicked. 9  If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10

3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology Psalm 16 - In God We Trust ​ Article Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10

3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology Psalm 16 - In God We Trust ​ Article Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10

We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10  Under what circumstances 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10

3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology Psalm 16 - In God We Trust ​ Article Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10 81 - Call To Worship ​ Article 7: Election Epehesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10