Articles 1-10 Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship Deuteronomy 28:15 -20 - Not A Tame Lion Genesis 2:15-17 - Or Else Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation Psalm 143 - Aggressive 15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept Psalm 33 - God's Control, Today: Hebrews 8

Both death & life come through a man. Which one of these men represents you? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 16 Q. Why must he [our Savior] be truly human and truly righteous? A. God’s justice demands that human nature, which has sinned, must pay for its sin; but a sinner could never pay for others. Summary The Apostle Paul describes Jesus’ resurrection as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. This imagery aligns with the requirement from Leviticus 23:10 for the Israelites to bring the firstfruits, or first part of their crop, as an offering. The offering of the firstfruits of the harvest symbolized how the entirety of the harvest belonged to God. Likewise, Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection, signifying that although he is the first to be raised, he will not be the last. Through the initial act of disobedience in the Garden, sin entered the world, and through that one action, all of creation suffers. This is what we call original sin, meaning that even as infants we inherit the sinful nature brought forth through the first human Adam. Since death, which is the end result of sin, entered the world via the actions of Adam, it makes sense that the resurrection of the dead comes in a similar way; although this new life comes through the second Adam, that is, Jesus Christ. Dig Deeper In Q&A 16 the catechism raises an important question… why? Why was Jesus born into the world? Why did Jesus through the incarnation take on a human nature? Why is Jesus the only one who can pay the penalty of our sin? It all comes back to the origination of our sin. It is our human nature that stands at odds with God because of our sin, so that means that the one to be the recipient of God’s justice must also be fully human. Furthermore, a sinful person can't pay the sin of another. One cannot take on the penalty for another that they already owe themselves. This is why we need grace. As humans, we find ourselves in a place of sinfulness and deserving of God’s wrath against unrighteousness. Since the penalty must be paid by a human - one without sin at that - there is no worldly means to escape God’s wrath. So thank God for the grace given through Jesus: that although God would have been perfectly justified to let humanity face the consequences of our sin, instead Jesus came as the only one who could redeem a fallen humanity. For the only one who could be our mediator and deliverer is He who is both human and, as we will cover tomorrow, divine. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has the power to give everlasting life and also to take it away; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: May my thoughts, words and deeds reflect my position in Jesus Christ, who has brought me from death to life ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 10

You can't produce fruit if you're disconnected from Christ. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 64 Q. But doesn’t this teaching (that our works do not contribute to our salvation) make people indifferent and wicked? A. No. It is impossible for those grafted into Christ by true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude. Summary There are two words the Bible uses to describe how to live a fruitful life. The word used most often to describe successful Christians is the word Jesus uses in the example of a grape plant which bears fruit. This word has a passive feel to it. Jesus explains that as long as a branch remains connected to the vine, it will bear fruit. In other words, the fruit is going to come as long as the connection is maintained, just like a grape branch, when given the proper inputs, can't help but bear fruit. Sadly this isn't the case for every branch. Some grow off as long, wild shoots with lots of stem but no leaves or flowers. Others bury themselves under other branches, hidden from the sunlight. Still others seem to be in just the right condition, getting plenty of water, nutrients and sunlight, but for whatever reason nothing comes out of them. In each of these cases the unfruitful branches are cut of and thrown into the burn pile. In the second half of this passage, Jesus puts 'flesh' on this metaphor so to speak. He is the vine, and you and I are the branches. As long as we remain connected to Him - that is, as long as His Word and Spirit are flowing into our lives - He assures us that we will bear fruit. But some people are not content with this relationship, and shoot off on their own. Many bury themselves in the busyness of life, and although connected to the nutrients, do not absorb them. Apart from me, Jesus says, these people can do nothing, and their unfruitful lives will be cut off and thrown away. Dig Deeper Our instinct is to prefer the other word the Bible uses in regards to fruitfulness. We want to be people who produce fruit in our lives. Produce is a much more active word, and conjures up images of hard work, resourcefulness, and downright determination. Those are all good things, but most of the time the Bible uses the word produce, it does so in a negative way. Pharisees are quite often the people the Bible speaks of in connection with trying to produce fruit. They work super hard to impress their neighbors and appease their own consciences, but their reliance is totally on themselves, disconnected from the nutrients of the the true vine. The result is often like a Red Delicious apple: it looks really good and shiny on the outside, but not very appealing when the skin is peeled back. You've been created to be fruitful - to do and make things that reflect and glorify the image of God that you've been created in. Most of this world, separated from the vine by sin, is either desperately expending energy trying to produce fruit on their own, or they've given up trying and consequentially have very little meaning in their lives. So stay connected to the Vine - Jesus Christ. As you immerse yourself in the nutrients that flow from His Word, your life will naturally bear fruit. NOTE: The English Bible translations often use 'bear' and 'produce' interchangeably (even the Catechism uses the word produce). The contrast is much more noticeable in the Greek. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the gardner, who cuts away unfruitful branches; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you remain connected to the vine so that your life bears the fruit it was designed for. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Philippians 2

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

You don't need to wait until heaven to experience authentic joy & peace, you can have that right now. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 58 Q. How does the article concerning “life everlasting” comfort you? A. Even as I already now experience in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, so after this life I will have perfect blessedness such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart has ever imagined: a blessedness in which to praise God eternally. Summary We don't often focus on just one verse at a time, but today's passage packs the punch of an entire chapter into one sentence. This verse is often used as a benediction, which is a blessing given to God's people upon the completion of their gathered worship. This benediction is actually a prayer, and like so many prayers in the Bible, it is short and it follows the Triple-A prayer pattern: 1) It begins by Acknowledging who God is: The God of hope: Keep in mind here that the Bible uses the word 'hope' differently than what we're used to using it. We say that we hope the Twins do well or that we hope the weather will be nice next week, but in saying those things we understand that there's a big chance that what we hope for won't actually transpire. Biblical hope is much more than just a wish, it's a certainty that God will fulfill all that He has promised. 2) It Asks God for what we need: Granted, we often make this our third 'A', not our second, but it doesn't always need to be that way. This prayer asks that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will be filled with so much joy and peace, that it causes you to overflow with hope. Can you think of anything better to ask God for? 3) It Aligns you with God's will: You will be filled with this joy and peace only as you trust in Him - the God of hope. This ought to be obvious, that the more we trust the world to fill us, the less joy, peace and hope we'll actually have. Trusting in the God of hope is the heart of what it means to live in a way that's aligned with God's will. Dig Deeper It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you will not fully experience true joy and peace until the moment God calls you home, and you instantly step into the paradise that Jesus promised to the thief on the cross. While it's certainly true that you'll never be fully freed from the effects of sin until that day, be reminded that you can experience authentic joy and peace here and now. The way to do this, as this benediction demonstrates, is to put all of your trust into the God of hope, and the way that you trust in God is to do even more of what you're doing right now: immersing yourself in God's Word. As we've seen before, this is a very logical concept: God fills you with joy and peace so that you overflow with hope as you trust in Him; Your trust in Him increases by filling yourself with His Word; Therefore, the more you fill yourself with God's Word the more joy, peace and hope you will have. So take advantage of every opportunity you have: continue reading the Bible each week day, as you look forward to meeting with God's people every morning and evening on the Lord's Day. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The God of hope; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask that God will increase your trust in Him as you fill yourself with His Word; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Ask that you will experience true joy and peace that results in overflowing hope as you trust in Him Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 12

All People Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship Deuteronomy 28:15-20 - Not A Tame Lion Genesis 2:15-17 - Or Else Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation Psalm 143 - Aggressive Prayer Pattern ​ Article 2: The 15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept Psalm 33 - God's Control, Today: Hebrews 2

It might not seem like it all the time, but the Spirit is with you forever. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 53 Q. What do you believe concerning “the Holy Spirit”? A. First, he, as well as the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, he has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever. Summary This is the second time we've come to this passage in John 14 this year. The first time came as we noted the tri-une (three in one) nature of God, and that the third member of the Trinity is the Advocate, whom we more commonly refer to as the Holy Spirit. This week we've been diving in a bit deeper into who the Holy Spirit is, what He does and how this brings us comfort. Today we're focusing in on the fact that the Advocate (also known as the Comforter or the Counselor will be with you forever! But the context that this amazing promise comes in is critical to understand. The Holy Spirit has not been given to you forever as if He were some kind of Tinkerbell who sprinkles fairy dust on all your problems so that they go away. No, the Holy Spirit has been given to you so that you can fulfill the condition necessary to demonstrate your love for Christ: keeping His commands (v15). The Holy Spirit helps you do this by guiding you into the truth. This is actually going to make life more difficult for you, because you live in a world of lies that seeks to pull you away from the truth. More and more, people will belittle you and insult you as being closed minded, old fashioned, intolerant, and even unloving as you follow the Spirit of truth. Don't let this bother you; the world will never accept the Spirit because they can't see Him and don't know Him. Dig Deeper What a promise that Jesus makes to you - twice in this short passage - that the Holy Spirit will be not just with you (v16), but in you (v17). Furthermore, this isn't just a temporary condition that you experience every now and then, rather it's a relationship that will endure forever! But this doesn't mean that you will feel His presence every moment. In fact, there will be vast stretches where you don't feel Him at all, and you may even wonder if He's up and moved out. There are times when everybody in our household is so busy going in different directions that we'll go days without really seeing one another. We seem just like ships passing in the night. Yet I don't need to wonder if the other family members are still with me even though I haven't seen them, because I see all sorts of evidence on the counter and lying around the living room that assures me they're still there. The fact that Jesus has commanded you to keep His commands ought to be reason enough for you to do so. But living this counter cultural lifestyle brings with it an extra benefit: it assures you the Holy Spirit is still living in you even during those times you don't really feel Him. There's no way you can follow Christ's commands on your own, so as you see yourself doing so, you're seeing evidence that the Holy Spirit is with you. So keep those Spiritual Disciplines strong. You may not think you need them when you can clearly see the Spirit's leading in your life, but it is through those strong habits you've developed that the Spirit will keep you close to Him during those dark stretches when He seems far away. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father in heaven, who has given you the Spirit of truth; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the assurance the Spirit will be with you forever, and ask Him for the strength to show your love for Christ by keeping His commands. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 4

In other words, we go 150 miles per hour Monday through Saturday, not only doing all of our labor, but

All People Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship Deuteronomy 28:15-20 - Not A Tame Lion Genesis 2:15-17 - Or Else Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation Psalm 143 - Aggressive Prayer Pattern ​ Article 2: The 15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept Psalm 33 - God's Control, Today: Hebrews 1

Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Articles 1-9 Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship Deuteronomy 28:15-20 - Not A Tame Lion Genesis 2:15-17 - Or Else Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation Psalm 143 - Aggressive Prayer Pattern ​ Article 2: The 15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept Psalm 33 - God's Control,