Jesus came to save His people from their sins. Bible.com Matthew 1:18-21 (NIV) 18  This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19  Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,  because he will save his people from their sins.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1-7 Article 8: The Saving Effectiveness of Christ’s Death For it was the entirely free plan and very gracious will and intention of God the Father  that the enlivening and saving effectiveness of his Son’s costly death  should work itself out in all the elect,  in order that God might grant justifying faith to them only  and thereby lead them without fail to salvation.  In other words, it was God’s will that Christ  through the blood of the cross  (by which he confirmed the new covenant)  should effectively redeem  from every people, tribe, nation, and language  all those and only those  who were chosen from eternity to salvation  and given to him by the Father;  that Christ should grant them faith (which, like the Holy Spirit’s other saving gifts, he acquired for them by his death).  It was also God’s will  that Christ should cleanse them by his blood from all their sins,  both original and actual,  whether committed before or after their coming to faith;  that he should faithfully preserve them to the very end;  and that he should finally present them to himself, a glorious people, without spot or wrinkle. Summary This isn't a Bible passage we read often in June, but one of the benefits of reading parts of the Christmas stories at other times of the year is that it can make some of the otherwise unnoticed elements a bit clearer. One of the most important aspects of Joseph's angelic dream is very evident no matter when this passage gets read: His Son would be no ordinary baby. The angel explained to him that what is conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit. We have the benefit of reading those words some two thousand years after that fateful night, and though the announcement doesn't hit us with the same level of shock it hit Joseph, we still can't wrap our heads around it - so imagine what it must have been like for Joseph to process it! All of us have a particular weakness the enemy targets from time to time, hoping to stir up doubt about the truth of Scripture. Maybe for you it’s the sense that the universe appears much older than Genesis suggests. Others wrestle with the account of the flood or God’s seemingly genocidal command to wipe out the Canaanites. Deep down, you know these objections don’t hold up — but they still succeed in clouding the mind now and then. But one of the steepest hills for people to climb is the idea that Jesus was born of a virgin, as the angel here describes, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit . Yet it's this very strange nature - fully God, yet fully a man born of a woman - that would be required to both pay the penalty for your sin and present on your behalf the perfect righteousness the covenant requires for you to be at peace with God.   Dig Deeper   It's the otherwise ordinary name the angel commands Joseph to give to his son that grabs our attention today. The name Yehô·šûaʿ (Joshua - transliterated into Greek as Iēsous and English as Jesus ) was every bit as common two millennia ago as the names Mike or Bob are today. So it must of really struck Joseph as odd that this one of a kind baby boy was to be given such an ordinary name! But it's the straightforward meaning of this name that has become the most familiar in all of history that made it the most appropriate name possible: He saves. Although this baby would grow up to say and do all sorts of wonderful things, His primary mission would be to accomplish salvation from sin. But there's one little pronoun in the angel's proclamation that brings us back to this morsel of the Christmas story in the first week of June. The angel of the Lord makes it clear from the very beginning that this boy who would save did not come to save everyone. He would save His people from their sins. We've been studying this doctrine of Limited Atonement for over a month now, and so far we've seen no aspect of limitation at all; quite the opposite, in fact! We've been reminded that Jesus' death is of infinite value and that it was more than sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world . Yet we refer to atonement as limited because it does not apply to all people. As we will see this week, the saving effectiveness of his Son’s costly death is limited to His people. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who by the power of the Holy Spirit, caused the divine to take the form a child in Mary's womb; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would have the faith Joseph demonstrated in accepting the angel's difficult to understand message; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 13

History is one of the ways God passes on faith from one generation to the next. Psalm 78:4 - We will not hide God's wonders from the our descendants; we will tell the next generation of the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD. Psalm 78:1–8 A maskil of Asaph. 1  My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2  I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— 3  things we have heard and known, things our fathers have told us. 4  We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5  He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach their children, 6  so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7  Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. 8  They would not be like their fathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 5 Article 6: Unbelief, a Human Responsibility However, that many who have been called through the gospel  do not repent or believe in Christ  but perish in unbelief  is not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross  is deficient or insufficient,  but because they themselves are at fault. Article 7: Faith God’s Gift But all who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved  by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction  receive this favor solely from God’s grace— which God owes to no one— given to them in Christ from eternity. Summary We only read the introduction to Psalm 78, as in total it is 72 verses long. It chronicles the history of the first few generations of Israelites who were freed from their slavery in Egypt, and brought by God through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. But, being a psalm, it does so in a poetic way that emphasizes themes more than details. Anybody who's been to Sunday School knows that this history isn't a glowing picture of Israel's faithfulness to God; as v8 summarizes it, these people were stubborn and rebellious... their hearts were not loyal to God and their spirits were not faithful to him. But such characteristics certainly are not limited to these particular people - those are traits that apart from God's grace we all share! What's striking about Psalm 78's introduction is that as ugly as this history was, subsequent generations were not to hide this history from their descendents; they must tell the next generation. As the psalmist Asaph wrote these words, Israel was at its zenith. The kingdom was strong and wealthy. It would have been easy and attractive to whitewash its history and only tell the stories that magnified their ancestors' courage and faith. But that's the opposite of what Asaph, inspired by the Holy Spirit, encourages the Israelites to do. As it's been said, those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.   Dig Deeper   Psalm 78 gives insight as to how we ought to learn from history. First of all, God is at the center of history, not us. Often, we view periods of history as being a good or bad time based on what things were like for those who lived through it. If they were prosperous, it was good, but not if they were poor. Faithfulness precipitated good times, while rebelliousness ushered in bad times. But our history lessons must be centered on telling the next generations the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD. How people reacted to or experienced the LORD's deeds is of secondary concern. Viewing history from this perspective results in a much steadier trajectory! Second, Psalm 78 magnifies the importance of fathers teaching their children about how God works in and through history. Fathers are to teach the children of the statutes God has decreed in addition to His power, and the wonders He has done. When our children are taught such truths they will ordinarily put their trust in God and will not forget His deeds but would keep His commands. Finally, not only must fathers teach their children such things, but they must live according to that which they are teaching. Mark Futato notes that the final verse of this introduction makes it "clear that the fathers told their children the right things but then failed to do the right things themselves. Thus while knowledge does not guarantee faithfulness, knowing the story is the foundation for faith and hope and life.” AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who has done praiseworthy deeds; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will actively be engaged to teach the next generations of the wonders the LORD has done and that your heart would be loyal to God and your spirit faithful to Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 12

Your faith is a gift, but building it up takes hard work! Bible.com Colossians 2:6-15 (NIV) 6  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7  rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10  and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11  In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12  having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14  having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 5 Article 6: Unbelief, a Human Responsibility However, that many who have been called through the gospel  do not repent or believe in Christ  but perish in unbelief  is not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross  is deficient or insufficient,  but because they themselves are at fault. Article 7: Faith God’s Gift But all who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved  by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction  receive this favor solely from God’s grace— which God owes to no one— given to them in Christ from eternity. Summary There are times where life outside of Christ and apart from His Church seem free and easy; you just do what you want to do when you want to do it. But as Paul explains to the Colossians, things aren't always as they seem. Look at how he describes those detached from Christ: they're captives of hollow and deceptive philosophy; they're ruled by the flesh (Sarx); ultimately, they're completely dead in their sins. In other words, life apart from Christ is anything but free. Contrast that ugliness with those who have received Christ Jesus as Lord: Our lives are described as rooted, built up, strengthened, and overflowing with thankfulness. We've been made alive with Christ, forgiven and have had our legal indebtedness - that insurmountable bill which stood against us and condemned us for breaching God's covenant - that charge has been cancelled by God since it was taken away by Christ and nailed to the cross. Christ's victory over sin and death was full and final. In His life, death, resurrection and ascension, He disarmed the very powers and authorities that seek to take you captive. He didn't just quietly defeat them, rather He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.   Dig Deeper   The two articles of the Canons of Dordt we've been working through this week once again showcase the tension present in our theology. On the one hand, those who do not repent or believe in Christ have nobody to blame but themselves. One of the key aspects of the doctrine of Limited Atonement is that people perish in their unbelief not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross is deficient or insufficient, but because they themselves are at fault. On the other hand, those of us who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved cannot take the credit for lifting ourselves out of the sin and misery we'd plunged ourselves into. Rather, we received this favor solely from God’s grace—which God owes to no one . Nobody is forced to reject Christ - it's they're own fault for doing so, yet those who've been delivered and saved by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction can take no credit. In other words, those who actively remain dead in their sins do so voluntarily, while those who have received Christ Jesus as Lord do so because we've passively been made alive by God with Christ. Yet even though you owe your life to God's gift of grace which you've passively received, Paul gives you some very active steps to follow each day: live your life in Christ, rooted, built up and strengthened in the faith you've been taught. Live in a way that overflows with thanksgiving. Finally, aggressively see to it that no one takes you captive and drags you back into the sin you've been rescued from. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, in whom all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will actively build yourself up in the faith that you've passively received; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 11

You've been reconciled with the One in whose image you've been created! Bible.com 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV) 17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 5 Article 6: Unbelief, a Human Responsibility However, that many who have been called through the gospel  do not repent or believe in Christ  but perish in unbelief  is not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross  is deficient or insufficient,  but because they themselves are at fault. Article 7: Faith God’s Gift But all who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved  by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction  receive this favor solely from God’s grace— which God owes to no one— given to them in Christ from eternity. Summary Becoming a Christian involves so much more than just an emotional epiphany or even a living a completely different lifestyle. Since you are in Christ - Paul's favorite designation for what it means to be a Christian - you are an entirely new creation. The old (literally: archaic ) you has gone away and the new you has come (literally: been generated ). Paul's statement here is profound; you have already become the perfect person you will be for all of eternity! It certainly doesn't always seem that way, does it. Especially physically. Your body is racked with aches and pains, won't perform simple athletic skills the way it used to, and likely doesn't look the way it ought - and that's if you're fortunate. So many are afflicted with disease or conditions that result in true suffering on top of the normal age related decay. So no... physically you're not a new person, and thankfully you can look forward to your sin infested flesh ( sarx ) being completely rejuvenated when you step into the Kingdom in which sorrows, tears and pain do not exist. But the fact that you can't (yet) see or touch your new re-created self doesn't diminish the reality of what's been accomplished. Spiritually (remember, although it's so hard to think this way, your spiritual aspect is even more 'real' than your physical) your re-creation is already complete because God reconciled you to Himself through Christ. In other words, the sin that kept you separated from God just as opposing magnet ends repel each other has been completely atoned (paid for) by Christ, so you've been reunited / reconciled with the One in whose image you've been created!   Dig Deeper   Our focus today is the opening clause of v18 - All this is from God... . The fact that you've been reconciled to God has nothing to do with your own effort, but rather because in Christ God no longer counts your sins against you. This is why one of the key marks of Reformed theology is that your salvation comes by grace alone ( sola gratia ). The Canons today remind you that God owes this grace to no one— rather, it's been given to you in Christ from eternity (!!) . Isn't that amazing - God had reconciled you to Himself in Christ before you ever sinned (or even existed, for that matter!). Yet notice that today's passage is more than just a recitation of indicatives detailing what God has graciously accomplished for you. It contains a big 'ol imperative at the end of v20 - Be reconciled to God! On the one hand, this comes as a command to keep: be reconciled by often publicly professing your faith in Christ, actively participating in the ordinary means of grace and eliminating the recurring vestiges of your old physical/sinful self. But yet notice that this imperative is set in a passive voice - be reconciled. Stop trying to force it. Let the reality of God's undeserved grace flow over and around you as you read and listen to God's Word each day, and especially on the Lord's Day. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would fulfill the simple imperative you've been given in every sense by being reconciled; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 10

Godly fear is the path to true peace and salvation. Matthew 18:6-9 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has just famously called a child to Him, and tells His followers that 'whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.' 6  “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8  If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9  And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 5 Article 6: Unbelief, a Human Responsibility However, that many who have been called through the gospel  do not repent or believe in Christ  but perish in unbelief  is not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross  is deficient or insufficient,  but because they themselves are at fault. Article 7: Faith God’s Gift But all who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved  by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction  receive this favor solely from God’s grace— which God owes to no one— given to them in Christ from eternity. Summary The Canons, echoing scripture, indicate that those who do not repent or believe in Christ have nobody to blame but themselves. It's not that the sacrifice of Christ is somehow deficient or insufficient, but because they themselves are at fault. They deserve the punishment prescribed for them: they will perish in unbelief. But just as in criminal law an accessory to a crime shares in some of the guilt, so to will those who cause people to stumble in their faith be held accountable for doing so. We often rightly apply Jesus' warning to those who harm children, but Jesus makes it clear that the term little ones encompasses much more than just kids - it includes all those who believe in Jesus. And Jesus here isn't just thinking of those who lead people to completely fall away from their faith, but even those who cause believers to stumble, even if only for a moment. Most of us have a visceral reaction to those who hurt children, so it makes sense that our Father does as well! He will passionately bring His wrath down upon anyone who messes with His children. But it doesn't seem like Jesus uses harsh enough language to describe what such people deserve; He just says woe to them. Although that word seems sort of benign, it's anything but. One lexicon describes the word as conveying a state of intense hardship or distress—‘disaster, horror.’ Jesus doesn't specify exactly what this woe - this intense distress - would include, but He does say it will be worse than having a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea . Such an experience would be an unimaginable horror. The phrase 'go to hell' has a somewhat muted effect because it gets used vulgarly so often, but in a very real sense, that's exactly what Jesus here says to those who cause harm to His children.   Dig Deeper   Jesus' straightforward condemnation of woe against the world because of the things that cause people to stumble is coupled to some pretty complex theology. He added, such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! It brings us right back to the issue we've already wrestled with so often this year: God's sovereignty vs. man's responsibility. God has ordained such things must come , but yet the guilt fully falls upon the people through whom it comes. Once again, we turn to commentator NT France to help explain this: The idea that people are responsible for their actions even though these are “necessary” is one which runs through both OT and NT (most notably in the story of Judas Iscariot; note a similar “woe” specifically directed at him in Matt. 26:24). The fact that a person is operating within a determined structure does not excuse them for their personal choices and decisions (Emphasis added). With so much on the line, Jesus' hyperbolic advice makes sense: whatever it is in your life - even if it's your hand, foot or eye - that causes you to stumble (and by extension, causes those around you to stumble ), cut it out of your life. Not doing so puts you at risk of being thrown into the eternal fire of hell. It's hard to hear such stark language come from our Savior. We naturally gravitate toward His words of peace—of which there are so many—rather than those that evoke fear. Yet, this is a central message of the Bible: godly fear is the path to true peace and salvation: Psalm 85:9  - Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Psalm 147:11 - But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Luke 1:50  - And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. Philippians 2:12  - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who zealously avenges those who harm His children; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will cut out anything in your life causing you or others to stumble; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 9

You've received the invitation of a lifetime; How will you respond? Matthew 22:1-14 (NIV) 22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2  “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 5  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9  So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12  He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. 13  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 5 Article 6: Unbelief, a Human Responsibility However, that many who have been called through the gospel  do not repent or believe in Christ  but perish in unbelief  is not because the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross  is deficient or insufficient,  but because they themselves are at fault. Article 7: Faith God’s Gift But all who genuinely believe and are delivered and saved  by Christ’s death from their sins and from destruction  receive this favor solely from God’s grace— which God owes to no one— given to them in Christ from eternity. Summary Once again, as we see so often in the gospels, Jesus spoke to them in parables. It's often thought that Jesus spoke using stories and analogies rather than cold, hard theology because He knew the people would understand them so much better. As He related what are often referred to as 'heavenly stories with earthly meanings,' people would easily get the point and change their life accordingly. But again, we're reminded here that Jesus really didn't have accommodation in mind as He spoke parabolically. He wasn't just trying to repackage the commandments into more palatable bites to improve day to day life. That's why so many parables begin as this one does, announcing what the kingdom of heaven is like..., not 'here's how to improve how you're living. Parables are better understood as 'shocking stories with spiritual meanings.' And this parable certainly shocks! The thought of people so callously blowing off an invitation from their benevolent king?? And for reasons as silly as field work or another day in the office? It's unthinkable! And the people are not only rude, they become belligerent by seizing the king's servants, mistreating and ultimately killing them. What kind of people would behave so badly?!? But so it is with the kingdom of heaven. As Jesus concludes, many are invited... . Paul would later write, God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of truth ( 1 Timothy 2:4 ). Peter adds, the Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance ( 2 Peter 3:9 ). But Jesus' parable makes clear that many people couldn't care less about the invitation they've received from the King and even reject it violently.   Dig Deeper   The banquet hall ends up filled with undesirables that in any other circumstance would never be thought of as worthy of an invitation to a royal feast. By God's grace, you and I are on this part of the guest list. But Jesus adds another twist to the parable to show that it's not enough to just give lip service to the King's invitation and carelessly show up. As the king mingles with his guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. There are few events even in our own day and age that people are expected to really dress up for, but a wedding feast is one of them - and that Ancient Near Eastern culture had that same expectation. Commentator RT France explains the implications of this shocking situation: The clothing expected at a wedding was not a special garment but decent, clean white clothes such as anyone should have had available. In that case the man’s fault is that, even though invited to a royal wedding, he had not gone home to change into his best; to turn up in ordinary, dirty clothes was an insult to the host. The symbolism is of someone who presumes on the free offer of salvation by assuming that therefore there are no obligations attached, someone whose life belies their profession: faith without works. Entry to the kingdom of heaven may be free, but to continue in it carries conditions. Even though this man belongs to the new group of invitees, he is one who produces no fruit, and so is no less liable to forfeit his new-found privilege than those who were excluded before him. The benevolent king, who addressed this man as friend , reacts to this insult in the same violent manner as he responded to those who rejected his invitation and killed his servants: He orders the man to be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Keep the words of Jesus' shocking parable in mind as you live your life responding to the undeserved invitation you've received from the King. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the King, who has invited us to the wedding banquet of His Son; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will neither brush off this all important invitation nor respond to it with casual indifference; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 8

The Good News of the Gospel is found only in God’s Word, and it must be proclaimed! Biblia.com Psalm 19 (ESV) To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1   The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2   Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3   There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4   Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5   which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6   Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7   The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8   the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9   the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10   More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11   Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12   Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13   Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14   Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 4 Article 5: The Mandate to Proclaim the Gospel to All Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel  that whoever believes in Christ crucified  shall not perish but have eternal life.  This promise, together with the command to repent and believe,  ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination  to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel. Summary I love this time of the year for a number of reasons: it’s getting warmer after the cold of winter, plants are beginning to bud and blossom, and one reason in particular is looking forward to camping.  My wife and I love to go camping over the course of the summer, and are already planning our summer camping trips for this year.  It’s a great opportunity to get out and spend time in God’s beautiful creation.  There’s nothing like sitting around your campfire at night, soaking up the warmth, looking up at the darkened sky, and taking in the breathtaking beauty of it all, praising the Lord for all that He has made and how it points us back to Him.  Creation does that, it points us to the Lord.  It’s one of the ways God reveals Himself to us - one of two mentioned in Psalm 19: General revelation in creation (vv. 1-6), and Special revelation in God’s Word (vv. 7-11).  General revelation is enough to make mankind aware of God and so leave us without excuse ( Romans 1:19-20 ), but insufficient for salvation.  Only Special revelation reveals the Good News of the Gospel; It's through Special revelation that we can better interpret General revelation.  And this Good News of the Gospel in Special revelation goes out by the preaching of God’s Word.  As we’re reminded in Romans 10:14-15 , How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'   It's not that people can’t come to know the Good News of the Gospel from reading the Bible themselves, but there’s an importance to the preaching, the proclamation of the Word.   Dig Deeper   The Canons highlight this importance of the proclamation of the Gospel when it says: This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel .  This is why the preached Word of God every Sunday is so important!  It is one of the marks of the true Church (see Belgic Confession Article 29 ). Theologian Louis Berkhof states that "God’s Word is the most important means of grace.”  As God’s Word is faithfully preached Sunday after Sunday, the proclamation of the Good News of the Gospel goes out to all!  And God’s Word does not return void, it accomplishes the purposes God has for it ( Isaiah 55:11 ), whether it be molding and shaping us to be more like Christ, or planting/watering the seed of the Gospel.  So, as you gather for worship this Sunday, and every Sunday after, may you see in the faithful handling and preaching of God’s Word the undifferentiated, indiscriminate proclamation of the Gospel to all. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose glory is declared in the heavens; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your activities and decisions will be guided by God's revealed Word; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 7

Be refreshed in the Good News of the Gospel daily. John 3:16–17 (ESV) 16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 4 Article 5: The Mandate to Proclaim the Gospel to All Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel  that whoever believes in Christ crucified  shall not perish but have eternal life.  This promise, together with the command to repent and believe,  ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination  to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel. Summary For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  It's likely many of you at one time or another have memorized this verse!  It often gets quoted as a part of presenting the Gospel to someone, sharing what God has done for us out of His great and pursuing love in sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to stand condemned in the place of lost sinners, our place, so that, for those who believe in Jesus, trusting in Him alone for salvation, we can be redeemed and reconciled to God.  Through Jesus’ sacrifice, when we believe, we have God’s gracious gift of eternal life!  The Canons, at the start of its article on The Mandate to Proclaim the Gospel to All takes up this language from John 3:16: Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life.   Sadly, in the second half of v18, we see what the next article of the Canons addresses: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God .  Yet, for those of us who believe, what a refreshing thing the Good News of the Gospel is!   Dig Deeper   Just the other night, after I got back from our evening church council meeting, my wife was taking care of a few things around the house before bed. As she did so, she was listening to some music.  On the playlist she was listening to, there was a song where someone put these words from John 3 to music and was singing God’s Word.  What a wonderful way to be reminded and refreshed in the Good News of the Gospel!  Yesterday , we talked about thanking God each day for what He’s done for us, but it’s also important to take time to be refreshed in the Good News of the Gospel.  Yes, that requires us to recognize the weight of our sin, the ways we sin against God and neighbor, but even as we do, we are also reminded of God’s amazing grace poured out on us in Jesus and it can refresh us, especially if we are going through a season when we are painfully aware of our own sin to the point where we have no grace for ourselves.  The Gospel is to be proclaimed to all, but sometimes, the first person we need to proclaim the Gospel to is ourselves, being reminded of our sin, our need for God, but also His forgiveness and grace that covers a multitude of sins.  Thanks be to God for His amazing grace!  AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who so loved the world that He gave His only Son; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to give you a continual hunger to read and hear His Word, that you might be refreshed daily by the gospel; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 6

Thank God for Jesus’ perfect sacrifice every day! Biblia.com Hebrews 2:14–18 (ESV) 14  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15  and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16  For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17  Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18  For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1-3 Article 4: Reasons For The Infinite Value of Christ’s Death This death is of such great value and worth for the reason that  the person who suffered it is— as was necessary to be our Savior— not only a true and perfectly holy human,  but also the only begotten Son of God,  of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Another reason is that this death was accompanied by the experience of God’s wrath and curse, which we by our sins had fully deserved. Summary So far this week, we’ve taken a look at how Jesus is fully God and fully man united in one person.  But the question still remains to be answered - Why is that so important?  Why is it so important for our salvation that Jesus is both fully God and fully man?  The author of Hebrews tells us as much in our passage today, at least the importance of why Jesus needed to be fully man.  Having been talking about how Christ is not ashamed to be called our brother, believers throughout every age are reminded of the necessity for Jesus taking on our flesh, tabernacling among us.  Jesus took on our flesh in order that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery .  Not only that, but we are told: He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people .  It was necessary for Jesus to take on our flesh so that He could pay the debt of our sins.  The Canons remind us of this necessity, that Jesus be a true and perfectly holy man  as human nature must pay the debt of sin (which is echoed in the Heidelberg Catechism QA 16 ).  So, it was necessary for Jesus to fully man.  Then why is it also necessary for Jesus to be the only begotten Son of God ?  Because it’s only by Jesus being fully God that He could bear the weight of God’s just wrath on our sin (see HC Q & A 17 ).  This is why Jesus was the perfect sacrificial lamb on your and my behalf, why His sacrifice is of infinite value!     Dig Deeper   As I write this, this week is preparation week for our congregation as we look forward to celebrating Communion in our congregation this upcoming Lord’s Day.  It is this perfect sacrifice of infinite value that we remember, celebrate, and proclaim whenever we gather around the Lord’s Table together.  But it shouldn’t be just when we celebrate Communion, nor only at Good Friday and Easter, which we celebrated not too long ago.  Every Lord’s Day, as we gather as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to worship the One True God, we come together to celebrate, praise, and worship the Lord out of gratitude and love for what He’s done for us in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus!  And every day, through the Lord’s grace and strength, may our lives be ones lived in gratitude for what God has done as the Gospel works its way into our daily life, thanking and praising the Lord often for His amazing grace in Jesus!     AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, in heaven. Hallowed be His name! A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that when temptation comes, you will remember that because Christ Himself suffered when tempted, He is able to help those being tempted; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 5

When you face trials and hardships, look to the Word become flesh. Biblia.com John 1:9–18 (ESV) 9  The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15  (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16  For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1-3 Article 4: Reasons For The Infinite Value of Christ’s Death This death is of such great value and worth for the reason that  the person who suffered it is— as was necessary to be our Savior— not only a true and perfectly holy human,  but also the only begotten Son of God,  of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Another reason is that this death was accompanied by the experience of God’s wrath and curse, which we by our sins had fully deserved. Summary John alluded to the beginning of Genesis in this first chapter of his Gospel account as He affirms that Jesus is one hundred percent God, as we saw yesterday . But Jesus is also one hundred percent man.  The same passage that described Jesus as fully God - He Who is from eternity - also shows that He became man, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.   Just as God dwelt amidst His people in the Tabernacle in the wilderness wanderings of Israel, Jesus literally “tabernacled” ( skénoó  - “to pitch tent, encamp; to tabernacle…”), dwelt among us as true man.  Jesus took on our flesh, which was absolutely necessary for our salvation, as we’ll talk about tomorrow.  Even though we talk about these two natures separately, it’s so important for us to remember that they are united in one person.  Just like various errors arose theologically concerning Jesus’ deity throughout Church history, so also errors arose regarding Jesus’ two natures and their union in Him.  Some have believed that because there is both a human and a divine nature, that means there are two people, but that’s not the case.  The Belgic Confession puts it well when it says: “We believe that by being thus conceived the person of the Son has been inseparably united and joined together with human nature, in such a way that there are not two Sons of God, nor two persons, but two natures united in a single person, with each nature retaining its own distinct properties” ( Article 19 ).   Dig Deeper   Just as Jesus being one hundred percent God can and should provide you immense comfort throughout your life, so too should the wonderful truth that Jesus is also one hundred percent man give you comfort.  It is truly amazing knowing that He Who is eternal God would willingly come, take on our flesh, and tabernacle among us.  What wonder that He by Whom everything was created would humble Himself to experience our heartache, temptations, ridicule, agony, suffering, loss, and eventually go to the cross for lost sinners, coming to His own who did not receive him .  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…  As you face trials and hardships throughout the course of your life, may you ever look to our God, Who took on our flesh and has experienced sufferings and trials too.  May you find comfort in and rest knowing that He is walking with you through your trials and difficulties as your Great High Priest.  May you rely ever on the grace and strength that He provides for each new day. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who sent His divine Son, full of grace and truth, to become man; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you live in a way that acknowledges that Jesus has made His dwelling among you; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Romans 4