Summary The focus of 2 Corinthians 5 is reconciliation.

The transition from lying to perjury in verses 11 and 12 demonstrates how one sin can lead into more

Church discipline always works. Sometimes it also results in restoration. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 85 Q. How is the kingdom of heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline? A. According to the command of Christ: Those who, though called Christians, profess unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives, and after repeated and loving counsel refuse to abandon their errors and wickedness, and after being reported to the church, that is, to its officers, fail to respond also to their admonition— such persons the officers exclude from the Christian fellowship by withholding the sacraments from them, and God himself excludes them from the kingdom of Christ. Such persons, when promising and demonstrating genuine reform, are received again as members of Christ and of his church. Summary Yesterday we read about the ugly account in which a man who had been proudly sinning in a way that made the pagans blush. Paul took the Corinthian church to task for tolerating such an ugly sin and instructed them to "expel the wicked man from among you (1 Cor. 5.13)." Church discipline, while necessary, can often seem cold and callous. But when done faithfully, it always works. Sometimes it works by simply ridding the church of a cancerous sin which might infect others. But in this particular case, and many others since then, church discipline achieves its primary goal: bringing the wayward sinner into repentance. The man we read about yesterday is quite likely the same man we read about today, only this time he's characterized by overwhelming sorrow rather than sinful pride. Being put out from the church had the exact intended effect upon him, which the Holy Spirit used to open the man's eyes to see his sin and come to repentance. Paul's instructions regarding this man are quite different than what we read yesterday. Instead of "handing him over to Satan," the church must comfort him. Rather than expulsion, he must be forgiven. Dig Deeper The Belgic Confession is part of the Three Forms of Unity, which, along with the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dordt, gives expression to what Reformed churches believe the Bible says. It gives the Church three key tasks that it must perform in order to be considered a true church: Preach the pure gospel; Maintain the pure administration of the sacraments; Exercise church discipline to punish sin. In general, we're pretty good at these first two marks. But faithfully exercising church discipline is never easy. It's awkward, embarrassing, and can easily and quickly go off the rails. Besides, as upper midwesterners, we abhor confrontation, so it's way easier to just pretend we don't see the obvious. Maybe if we just work harder at the first two marks, we think to ourselves, the need for the third will vanish. But yet we've been commanded to keep the church pure. We're not interested in chasing out repentant sinners; in fact, we need to attract more of them! But those who willfully, continually, and unrepentantly put their own wants and desires ahead of the Kingdom have no business being in it. For our own good, and possibly even theirs, we must - after repeated brotherly counsel and pleading for them to repent - show them the door. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who demands perfect obedience, but welcomes all those who repent of their sin; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your church would be welcoming to repentant sinners, but hostile to those who unrepentantly cling to sin. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 4

you to be; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Timothy 5

It's not until you realize what Christ gave up that you truly realize how amazing His grace is. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 24 Q. How are the three articles of the Apostle's Creed divided? A. Into three parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification. Summary In demonstrating what it means to have the same mindset of Christ, this passage is one of the Bible's clearest christologies; meaning it's a fantastic resource to understand who and what Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, is: He's by nature God, but He then also assumed the nature of man. Having successfully completed His mission, God exalted Christ above all things. Paul writes that atheism is a temporary condition in v11 - every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - even the atheists will need confess this truth! But in order to gain the everlasting benefits that come from confessing Jesus as Lord, you need to confess it here and now. Imagine one of your best life long friends, who gained success in every area of life, only to give up all they had to take all of the guilt and blame and consequences for all of the wrongs you had committed in your life. That's the picture that this passage paints of who Jesus is and what He did. Dig Deeper For many people, the fact that people sing in public at our worship services seems weird. After all, there are few places in our society where people sing together out loud! But it's quite likely that this passage was one of the church's first hymns. Even though singing seems weird in our society, God's people have always sung God's Word back to Him. Singing helps cement the words into your memory. This is why as we worship, after God's Word is read, the congregation often responds by singing God's Word like an echo. You may or may not be a good singer. It really doesn't matter. As you join your congregation in corporate worship, pay attention to the words that you're singing and notice how it reflects the scripture that's been read. Then belt it out, because as you do you'll become more and more certain of who your Triune God is and what He's done for you. What are some of your favorite songs to sing at church? Use the comment box below to share! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The one who is above all things and to whom all glory is due (v9 & 11) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will vave the same love and purpose that Jesus did because you are united to Him. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 23

God grants us grace; we need to extend it to others as well. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 13 Q. Can we pay this debt ourselves? A. Certainly not. Actually, we increase our guilt every day. Summary When I was a kid, many stores offered a service known as layaway. A customer would bring an item to the layaway department, and make a small payment on that item. The store associate would mark down the customer's information and how much was owed and hold on to the item. Over a period of time, the customer could continue to make payments on the item until they paid for it in full, and then they would take it home. What would it be like to go to the layaway department to make your final payment on the item, only to find that it was now going to cost you more to pay for that item? Each time you would come back expecting to pay off the item, and each time the cost of the item increased. With our sin, not only can we not make the payment to appease God’s wrath, but the debt increases more every day! Dig Deeper When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he included a short prayer of confession in the Lord’s Prayer: And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (v12). We offer prayers of confession because of the constant increase in our sin. No matter how often we try to keep ourselves from sin, we cannot completely live a sin free life. It simply is not possible, no matter how righteous a person may appear. All it takes is an unkind word, a seemingly small lie, or an impure thought. They are all sins. Just because you sin, and your sin increases every day, does not mean that you should stop asking for forgiveness or give up on walking God’s righteous path. In teaching His followers how to pray, Jesus commands you to continue to ask for forgiveness from God. Not only that, but you must grant others forgiveness too. When Jesus is teaching the Lord’s Prayer, He takes the act of forgiveness one step further. Not only must you ask God for forgiveness, you need to pass along what you've been given to others. You cannot live with bitter and angry hearts, holding on to the sin that others have committed against you. You are to live with grace. God grants us his grace, so we need to give it to others as well. Who do you need to forgive? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is in heaven, your name is holy. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Grant me forgiveness for my sin, and help me to forgive others. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 6

Jesus looks at two extremes when it comes to keeping God's law and says 'Nope.' Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 62 Q. Why can’t the good we do make us right with God, or at least help make us right with him? A. Because the righteousness which can pass God’s scrutiny must be entirely perfect and must in every way measure up to the divine law. Even the very best we do in this life is imperfect and stained with sin. Summary The Sermon on the Mount comes near the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry, and right out of the gate He seeks to squelch the two biggest misunderstandings that people would have about Him. He begins by stating that He in no way, shape or form will be an excuse for sinners who seek to abolish God's Law. The latest incarnation of this in our own society comes from those who seek to pit Jesus' love against God's law by claiming that it's unloving, and therefore un-Christlike, to uphold Biblical standards that come into conflict with people's personal choices. Jesus lays out a stern warning to those who set aside even the least of God's commands, stating that they will be "called least in the Kingdom of Heaven." Next Jesus calls out those on the opposite end of the spectrum: those who think they're so high and mighty and righteous that they can ride their own awesome law keeping efforts right into the Kingdom of Heaven. Not so fast, warns Jesus. If this is your plan, your righteousness better far exceed the pseudo-righteousness of the Pharisees. But these super-duper rule followers were so hung up in dotting the i's and crossing the t's that Jesus mentioned in v18 that they missed the righteousness of God standing right in front of them. Trying to make yourself right with God on your own is hopeless. If this were the extent of Jesus' ministry, the gospel would be hopeless! Thank God it's not! Dig Deeper Last week we focused on one of the pillars of Reformed theology known as Sola Fide, a Latin phrase that simply means Faith Alone. By this we mean that you are made right with God solely because your faith in Christ and not because of works or rule keeping. But this understanding, while good, needs to be nuanced a bit. You actually are saved by works. God will not set aside His holy, righteous and perfect standards. The nuance comes in that you are not saved by your own works, rather you are saved by Christ's perfect obedience which has been credited to you. God's law must be kept - down to the smallest letter and the least stroke of a pen. Nobody born in Adam had the ability to keep this law since we were all conceived and born in sin, but Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, could and did. We'll spend most of the second half of 2023 looking at how you, as one who "can pass God's scrutiny" because you've been included in Christ, now relate to God's law. But suffice it to say for now, that although you are certainly saved by faith alone, you are not saved by a faith that is alone. As we'll see on Friday, true faith and trust in Christ produces a strong desire to live according to all of God's good and perfect law. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who defines goodness, holiness and righteousness and communicates them in His law; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as your faith in Christ alone increases, that so will your desire to live according to God's law; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Ephesians 4

Christianity doesn't just offer you warm fuzzies, it promises you confident knowledge of your salvation and a Father that hears you. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 117 Q. How does God want us to pray so that he will listen to us? A. First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, who has revealed himself in his Word, asking for everything he has commanded us to ask for. Second, we must acknowledge our need and misery, hiding nothing, and humble ourselves in his majestic presence. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what he promised us in his Word. Summary As John begins to close his letter, he makes clear his intention in writing it: so that those who read it might know that through faith in Christ, they have eternal life. Not only is this the theme of John's first letter, it's the theme of the entire Bible: that you might know and have certainty. God performed miracle after miracle so that the world might know that He is God; right before He went to His death on the cross, Jesus prayed that His people would know His Father, and thus know eternal life. Contrast the confidence Christians have compared to those lost in the dark world. Society cannot tell you how life began or what happens after it ends. Nobody, this world tells us, can confidently delineate between right and wrong for anybody but themselves, or even know the difference between something as basic as male and female. And you certainly can't bow your head and talk to a God you can't see and truly know He hears you. This is the wonderful Good News the Bible proclaims: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God [whom we know with certainty!]: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." Ah, but there was a caveat there! God only hears and grants those things which are according to His will. This is why most of the prayers we read in the Bible focus on the first two A's: Acknowledging who God is, which reminds you of God's awesome power, grace, mercy, and peace, and that He receives our prayers because of His Son, and Aligning our lives with His will. When you follow this pattern and make acknowledging and aligning the bulk of your prayers, you can be confident that God hears that which you Ask for. Dig Deeper Certainly it can often seem like the prayers you pray simply float up into the ether and never reach listening ears. Maybe you've been praying for something good and godly for years on end, but haven't experienced any sort of result or even an indication that God even hears or cares about what you've prayed so earnestly about. Let passages like this one here in 1 John build your confidence that "God will surely listen to your prayer because of Christ your Lord." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whom we can confidently approach in Christ; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the confidence to know God is listening to your prayer, and that you will ask Him for things according to His will; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 19

When he asked them, I pulled up the gospel of John, and we read through John 1:1-5.

God wields His double-edged sword with surgical precision. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 84 Q. How does preaching the gospel open and close the kingdom of heaven? A. According to the command of Christ: The kingdom of heaven is opened by proclaiming and publicly declaring to all believers, each and every one, that, as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith, God, because of what Christ has done, truly forgives all their sins. The kingdom of heaven is closed, however, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites that, as long as they do not repent, the anger of God and eternal condemnation rest on them. God’s judgment, both in this life and in the life to come, is based on this gospel testimony. Summary Words don't get the credit they deserve in our hyper-pragmatic society. Most people prefer hands on instruction rather than a long manual full of words or a movie or video rather than an expansive novel. But our ability to form and utilize words is one of the key features that set us as human beings apart from the rest of God's created order, and it's precisely because we're created in His image that we have this unique ability. God's first recorded action was Him speaking words of creation into the nothingness. The Israelites met God as they cowered under His words of commandment that boomed down from the mountain, and their descendents would go on to harass, persecute, and generally ignore the word God sent via His prophets calling His wayward children back. John introduces our Savior as the Logos, which is often translated as word, but which refers to much more than just basic vocabulary (Logos also forms the basis for logic, and serves as the foundation for knowledge - biology, geology, theology, etc.). God's Word is so much more than ancient stories, prophecies and testimonies printed on dusty old pages. His Word is alive and active, able to penetrate the heart of man like nothing else. Furthermore, Isaiah adds that God's Word never fails; it always achieves the purpose for which He sent it. Dig Deeper But it sorta seems like God's Word has failed. Churches - even (maybe even especially) churches that have faithfully proclaimed God's Word - are emptier now than they've been in decades. Has our society finally achieved Adam's goal of separating ourselves so far from God that we're out of reach of the powerful sword His Word represents? Absolutely not. God's Word always achieves God's purposes. Praise God that through the proclamation of His Word you have come to clearly understand His grace. But it also clearly communicates God's anger and eternal condemnation for those who do not repent of sin. Unbelievers have heard and understood this Word, but they have failed to respond to it. Praise God that His Word goes out from your church, and know that whether your pews are full of those who've gladly accepted the gospel message, or empty because so many heard it and rejected it, that God is achieving His purposes through the preached Word. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father faithfully sends us His Word, just as He sends us rain from heaven; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God, by means of His double edged sword, will continue to penetrate the sin that always seeks to envelope your heart; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 2