God is the one solid rock in the sea of ignorance surrounding you. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 95 Q. What is idolatry? A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in his Word. Summary God sounds appropriately intimidating as He booms out the claims He makes in the first commandment, to not have any gods before Him, and here in Isaiah where mockingly calls out anyone or anything that could possibly dare to challenge His supremacy. God defines Himself as the first and last, different than anything else, and the one who has existed for all of eternity past, but yet knows what the future holds just as clearly. God is often referred to as 'holy,' a familiar word that most people misunderstand. 'Holy' means much more than 'perfectly righteousness.' Passages like this one in Isaiah that portray God as being entirely 'other,' and entirely above all things, do a good job of explaining the concept of holiness. The first thing many people associate 'idols' with are artistically formed statues, both large and small. Certainly that was the prevailing idea that God was referring to as He addressed this ancient near eastern culture, calling out those 'who make idols.' But the concept of idolatry is much deeper, and is just as convicting to us as modern people who would think it quite strange to bow down to an image. Whereas God Almighty refers to Himself here as the 'Rock (v8),' the very foundation of knowledge, wisdom and power, idols represent 'blindness, ignorance and shame' that 'can profit nothing (v9-10). So although God sounds intimidating in this passage, notice that He makes this pronouncements to bring you peace! He says to you, "Do no tremble, do not be afraid (v8)." Life does not need to be a chaotic balancing act filled with uncertainty. God is calling you to firmly plant your feet on Him, the one true "Rock," who is "Israel's King and Redeemer (v6)." Dig Deeper Our catechism defines an idol as anything "in which one trusts in place of or alongside the one true God." Since God has revealed Himself in His Word, anytime people change, add or subtract from what His Word says, they are breaking the first commandment and placing their own truth before God's. They are committing idolatry. Most of us would never dare do such a thing. But ignoring God's Word is every bit as idolatrous as changing, adding or subtracting from it, and most people, including those who identify themselves as Christians, have become completely ignorant of what the Bible says about a whole host of issues, not the least of which is who and what God is. Make sure that you are not part of the idolatrous crowd who "will be put to shame." Know your Bible. Keep reading it everyday as you are right now. Join the Lord's people every time His call to worship rings out in your church. Eagerly anticipate what God will teach you on the Lord's Day, and then spend the entire week reflecting on what you heard. This is how it is God keeps your feet fastened to Him, the solid Rock. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is the first and the last; apart from Him there is no God; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will not succumb to idolatry by not knowing what God has revealed about Himself and His creation in His Word. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 3

The final promise Jesus made before dying is the most comforting of all. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 57 Q. How does “the resurrection of the body” comfort you? A. Not only my soul will be taken immediately after this life to Christ its head, but even my very flesh, raised by the power of Christ, will be reunited with my soul and made like Christ’s glorious body. Summary This is a story of two criminals, one hanging on either side of Jesus, but both looking at their present situation from vastly different perspectives. To call them 'criminals,' or even 'thieves' as the older translations put it, is an understatement. In modern parlance, these guys would be classified as terrorists or insurrectionists guilty of murdering multiple people and fomenting violence wherever they went. Regardless of how they're referred to, they represent two different types of people in this world. The one insults and belittles the Son of God hanging next to him, since God is not giving him exactly what he wants. The other better understands the reality of the situation: God is giving the both of them exactly what they deserve. It's this ability to look past the lies that come from within - an ability given by the Holy Spirit - that results in the proper attitude as he approaches his maker: This second, humbled criminal fears God. But notice this properly grounded fear of God doesn't result in terror and dread, rather it brings about one simple request to the Savior innocently suffering the same punishment as him: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus' reply, likely coming between gasps for air as he hung, forms the foundation for one of the most comforting doctrines in the Bible. He says to this sinner turned saint, "Today you shall be with me in paradise." Dig Deeper Although this criminal's theology was spot on in his dying moments, it certainly wasn't well developed or comprehensively applied to life. He'd likely never read the Bible, and the only thing he knew about God's law was how to break it. But he obviously wasn't saved because of his lifetime of faithful service or good deeds, nor because of what he knew about the man hanging in the middle. Rather, his salvation came because of what Christ remembered of him, that he was a child of the God he ultimately came to fear, chosen before the creation of the universe to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Today we're focusing on the immediacy of the criminal's salvation. Because of this short conversation between two dying men, you can have absolute certainty that those you've known who placed their faith in Jesus Christ instantly were welcomed into paradise upon drawing their final breath. In addition, you can live the life of gratitude that this criminal would have most certainly lived had he been given the chance, knowing that you're last day in this life will instantly give way to your first day in eternity. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who judges justly and calls all sinners to account. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live with the assurance of and gratitude for your sure salvation. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 10

Which books of the Bible are about Jesus? All of them! 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 These words of Jesus come as part of his response to those who were upset that he healed a man on the Sabbath. As Jesus pointed out to the crowd, they had been looking for salvation in the Old Testament scriptures. This was not a problem, as God’s plan of salvation can be seen throughout the Old Testament. The issue was with those who look to the words of the Old Testament for salvation while refusing to see the repeated foreshadowing of the coming of Christ. Those who search for salvation in the scriptures apart from Christ will not find it. The patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament foretold that Jesus would come, and so it was not Jesus accusing them, but the words of Moses. Jesus does not quote a specific passage but speaks of Moses writing about him. Even so, it is easy enough to find examples in the Old Testament of Moses writing about Jesus, particularly Deuteronomy 18:15: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen! Not only does Moses point forward to this new prophet, but also declares that the people shall listen to him. This again puts the critics in the crowd at odds not only with Jesus, but also with the words of Moses. Dig Deeper The five solas are thought of as a rallying cry of the Reformation. The first of these 5 key beliefs is sola scriptura which means 'scripture alone'. In a world that wants to turn everything into a 'gray area', sola scriptura is a reminder that the Bible alone is the source of authority for Christians. In the Bible we see God’s plan for redemption laid out. The Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Christ, the Gospels share the Good News of Jesus Christ, and the rest of the New Testament addresses how to live in light of the resurrection. The Bible is authoritative not because it teaches about Jesus, but because it is the inspired Word of God. People are imperfect, we are all prone to mistakes, including your pastor. But the Bible is the inspired Word of God, meaning that the Holy Spirit directed the writings of the authors of scripture. While the Bible has human authors, what differentiates the Word of God is the role of the Holy Spirit in the writing process. The authority we find in scripture comes not from those who wrote it, but from our God who inspired these writings. What that means for you as a believer is that you have a rule of faith to measure against. You do not need to have blind trust in what others teach because you can go to the source and read that which is true. The Bible is a wonderful gift from God; do not rely solely on the word of others when God’s Word is close at hand. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father, you sent your Son in your name, which we read about so clearly in your Word, which is inspired by your Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the words of Scripture would continue to come to Christ to have life. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 13

things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 certainly one (une), as one of the Old Testament's most foundational statements makes clear (Deut. 6:4) God - which is the primary theme of the entire New Testament (Matthew 25:34, James 2:5, 1 Peter 1:3-4, Galatians 4:7, Titus 3:7).

whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 Verse 4 speaks of finding refuge under his wings, instilling the imagery of a baby bird being protected In Matthew 4, Satan brought Jesus to the top of the temple and challenged him to throw Himself off.

faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 strange reason only gets sung as a Christmas carol even though it's actually a rendition of Psalm 98:4- Psalm 98:4-9 Joy to the World 4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy

4   But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5  I wait for the LORD Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 Flee for refuge to Christ crucified: 4   But with you there is forgiveness... 5   I wait for the LORD my cry for mercy. 5  I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits and by holy exercises of godliness 4 

Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4  Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 Dig Deeper   Ephesians 1:4 is one of the Bible's most amazing and profound statements, and it forms the very basis for these doctrines of grace we've learned together this year: 4  For God chose us in Christ

spirit is no deceit. 3  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4   Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 these strophes progress: STROPHE THEME 1 (v1-2) The key to happiness is having sins forgiven. 2 (v3-4) strength sapped) 3 (v5) Acknowledging / confessing sin leads to immediate forgiveness of sin & guilt 4

The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4  Then David in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home. 1 4  Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 4: The Danger of True Believers’ Falling powerful promise like that to give a stark warning, but that's exactly what the Canons do here in Article 4.