The Bible isn't a buffet where you can pick and choose only what you like (Photo credit: Unsplash) John Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God Today: Acts 1

Apologies to Vikings fans for this picture from the Lions John 3:16-18 (NIV) 16  For God so loved the Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Grace 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows John is known for his simple eloquence, and this passage is a great example of why. And memorizing John 3:16-18 is a great way to do that!

John 6:37-40 (NIV) 37  "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God

BibleHub.com John 6:60–66 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has just told those following Him the shocking statement Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity John writes that Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray

The message of the Bible is complex, but it's not complicated. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 2 Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort? A. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Summary The Bible certainly has implications for every facet of life, and over the millenia, tens of thousands of pages of deep and complicated theology have been written unpacking the rich truth contained in scripture. But the primary message of the Bible is elegant in its simplicity. You only need to know three things. Paul explains this to young Pastor Timothy in today's passage. First, know that God has saved you... not because of anything you have done, but because of his own purpose and grace (v9a). The fact that you need salvation in the first place presupposes that you have something that you need salvation from. This is why the Bible goes to such great lengths to show you 'how great [massive] your sin & misery are.' Second, having recognized your need for salvation, you can trust in Christ alone, who who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (v10). Finally, knowing that you have been saved from your overwhelming sin problem must result in gratitude that changes the way you live. Not only did Jesus save you, but He called you to a holy life (v9a). Dig Deeper Notice the aggressive language Paul exhorts you with in this passage: fan into flame the gift of God (v6) Christians aren't timid, rather they're full of power, love & self discipline (v7) Don't be ashamed... suffer for the gospel by the power of God (v8) Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you (v14) As you begin a new year, pray that you will understand these three basic facts: that you'll come to recognize the depth of your sin (your Guilt), the magnitude of what Christ did to save you (Grace), and that in response you'll aggressively demonstrate your Gratitude by living a holy life. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who by His power saved you and called you to a holy life (v9) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Repent of your sin, thank God for His salvation through Christ, and ask for strength to live a holy life. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 5

God's depending on you to change the world by using your gift to build Christ's Church. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 55 Q. What do you understand by “the communion of saints”? A. First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. Summary We just read the first half of chapter 12 two weeks ago as we were reminded that as Jesus rules all things as head of His Church, He does so by pouring out gifts on us His members through the Holy Spirit. Although these are truly gifts in that we've not earned them and they come with absolutely no cost, the Spiritual Gifts you've been given do come with strings attached. Because you've been gifted, you're now obligated. The gift you've been given as an individual is not meant to be used alone. In fact, Paul here reminds you that your overall purpose in life isn't just taking care of yourself and meeting your own needs, or even your family's needs. Rather, your primary purpose is building up the body of Christ. Follow the logic that the catechism is reflecting these last few weeks: God rules all things through Christ; Christ is the head of His Church; Therefore, God rules all things through the Church (this does not mean that the Church is called to have authority over every sphere of life, but rather that the Church must point everyone and all things to the truth revealed in God's Word). And... The Church is the body of Christ and is made up of a diverse membership; The Church depends on you using the gift you've been given to function properly (v14, 18, 27); Therefore, Christ depends on you using your gift to build the Church through which God rules all things. Dig Deeper You likely have a whole list of things you wish that were different in this world, and you've likely wondered why God doesn't just change this or that. Certainly God does have the power to miraculously change circumstances, and He does do that from time to time, but ordinarily God brings true blessing and shalom to the world by equipping His saints (that's you) to build His Church. So if you want things to get better, know and use your gifts. The Apostles' Creed refers to the Church as a communion. You can see the similarity there with the word community. As our passage points out today, every saint plays a different role, but each part of the body is critically important. There's a tension in today's text. On one hand, be content with the gifts you've been given and do not be jealous of what appears to you to be a more glamorous gift. But on the other hand, "eagerly desire the greater gifts (v31)" - literally seek them out. Work just as hard in your own life and especially the lives of our kids to develop their gifts as what we do to develop their academic and athletic gifts. One of the biggest needs we have moving forward as we bring reformation to our Reformed denominations is for solid men to step up into the roles of elder and minister. How is God calling you to either support of fulfill this need in Christ's Church? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be (v18) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the gifts He's given you, and pray that you'll know what they are, how to use them and that you'll be content with your gift even as you eagerly desire greater gifts. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 6

John 3:16–17 (ESV) 16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 4 Article at the start of its article on The Mandate to Proclaim the Gospel to All takes up this language from John On the playlist she was listening to, there was a song where someone put these words from John 3 to music

BibleStudyTools.com John 8:30-44 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has been talking to a somewhat hostile group of Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Summary Once again John torpedoes the pervasive idyllic image so many people have regarding what Jesus course no matter His demeanor He never acted sinfully, but notice how often in the gospels (especially John's

John 4:7–26 (NASB95) 7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. But John, as he reports this encounter to us, doesn't seem very fixated upon these ancillary details. open to interact with people far outside of your comfort zone, but that's not really the impetus that John John, as he recounts what Jesus said, wants you to first notice her ignorance. What Jesus wanted this Samaritan woman to know, and what the Holy Spirit - through the Apostle John -

that "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves" (John John 6:60–69 (NASB95) 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult