Even good & godly things can become idols. What are you tempted to idolize? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 97 Q. May we then not make any image at all? A. God can not and may not be visibly portrayed in any way. Although creatures may be portrayed, yet God forbids making or having such images if one’s intention is to worship them or to serve God through them. Summary After the people of Israel had been wandering in the desert for some time, they became impatient with the Lord. They were sick of eating the same food, and they grew frustrated that God was not immediately taking them to the Promised Land. So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died. The people cried out to God, admitting their sin. God told Moses to create a bronze snake, so that when the people were bitten by a venomous snake, they could look at the bronze snake and be healed (Numbers 21). Seven hundred years later, during the reign of King Hezekiah, the Israelites were burning incense to the bronze snake. You read that correctly, 700 years later the people were burning incense to the same bronze snake that Moses had lifted up in the desert. God had told Moses to make the bronze snake to save the people, and the people ended up burning incense to that snake, turning a symbol of the coming Messiah's salvation into an idol. King Hezekiah came along and destroyed that snake to keep people from falsely worshiping it. Dig Deeper Is there an item in your church building that was donated by someone years ago? Perhaps it has a little plaque by it saying who donated it? Or maybe there is a beautiful tapestry sewn by hand that hangs on a prominent wall. It seems that every church building that is 30+ years old has at least one of those types of items. It was donated at one time, and now it sits there because how do you get rid of something someone donated? We may not worship that item like we worship God, but it may have become sacred. I’ve seen church members leave a church because an item their family donated twenty years ago was being moved to a different place in the building. Something that was meant to honor God has become something that causes division in his church. This is the danger of idolatry and why God has given this commandment. We do not set out to make idols. When Moses made the bronze snake, he did so at God’s command. But over time, these items become sacred, putting them in a place that should only be reserved for God. What item in your church building has become sacred? Is it time to get rid of that item? Would that cause an issue in your congregation? Nothing should be put before the Lord. We are to worship God and serve him alone. The bronze snake - the very symbol of salvation - became an idol to the people of Israel, and it needed to be destroyed. Do not fall into the same trap with an item in your church building. Worship and serve the Lord alone. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Lord of all Creation, nothing is above you; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Lord, what have I placed before you? What it is occupying a place in my heart that should only be reserved for you? ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 6

We've read from at least 47 different books of the Bible, spending just slightly more time in the New

Summary From Q&A 6 and Genesis 1 and 2, we learned that God is not the culprit of the corruption of human

Lots of people say 'Jesus Christ' often... be one of the people who knows what it means! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 29 Q. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “Savior”? A. Because he saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere. Summary While we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas, there is no reason to limit our study of these verses to one season. Just as the resurrection is relevant all year long, so too is the virgin birth. Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus is less detailed than the one found in the Gospel of Luke (which gets the most love around Christmas time). However, what we see in Matthew’s condensed telling of Jesus’ birth is the most important details being highlighted: the role of the Holy Spirit in Mary conceiving Jesus, the name and purpose of this child, and the faithfulness of Joseph to the angels command in naming the child. Dig Deeper When each of our children were born, there was a time at the hospital when my wife and I had to fill out information for the birth certificate. It is common today for parents to name their child either on the day they are born or shortly after. For us, this was something my wife and I did together. Things were a little different when Jesus was born into the world. According to the custom of the day, the duty of naming a son was reserved for the father, who would do so when the child was circumcised, eight days after birth. The visit from the angel changed Joseph’s perspective. Instead of doubting Mary, he now knew the truth of this miraculous child. Instead of leaving Mary, Joseph was faithful to the directions given to him by the angel. When the day came, Joseph gave the child the name Jesus, as he had been instructed. The name Jesus is significant because its Hebrew root means Yahweh saves. As the angel explains to Joseph, this name is fitting because Jesus would go on to save his people from their sins. What is shown in the angel’s message is how Jesus’ purpose was made clear before he was ever born. Jesus came to save us from our sins. Rejoice this day not just in the grace given by Jesus on the cross, but that saving believers like you and me is the reason Jesus came into the world at all. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God almighty, who became Immanuel - God with us; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you, like Joseph, will do what the Lord has commanded you to do. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 7

Summary We're jumping into a discussion here in 1 Corinthians 3 in which Paul is helping these early

Christian Pictures Blog Romans 4:16–17 (NIV) 16  Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Article 15: Responses to God's grace God does not owe grace to anyone.  Summary The final clause of Romans 4:17 is one of the most stunning statements ever written. Today: 1 Timothy 2

Frivolous warning signs are easy to ignore, but not all warnings are frivolous. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 82 Q. Are those to be admitted to the Lord’s Supper who show by what they say and do that they are unbelieving and ungodly? A. No, that would dishonor God’s covenant and bring down God’s anger upon the entire congregation. Therefore, according to the instruction of Christ and his apostles, the Christian church is duty-bound to exclude such people, by the official use of the keys of the kingdom, until they reform their lives. Summary The celebration of the Lord's Supper in Corinth had become a farce. Earlier in this chapter, Paul writes of how some would go hungry while another would over indulge until he was drunk. After reiterating the instructions Jesus gave for participating in His body and blood, Paul lays down a stern warning: those who come to the table in an unworthy manner are guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Jesus! So serious is this sin that it may even cause the entire congregation to get sick and even die (v30)! This seems really harsh, but we're reminded that the Lord disciplines us now so that we will not be condemned with the rest of the world. The Lord's discipline, though sometimes painful, is actually an act of His grace! One important key to coming to the Lord's table in a worthy manner is given in v28: you must examine yourself beforehand. That means, as one lexicon put it, "to try to learn the genuineness" of your faith. This is why most Reformed churches announce their communion celebration well in advance, and then spend time corporately as also individually preparing, so that each member of the congregation can examine their faith, hope and love to make sure it's firmly rooted in Christ alone. Dig Deeper We get so used to warning signs being slapped on to everything due to the overabundant caution manufacturers exercise as the result of often frivolous lawsuits stemming from people who hurt themselves by abusing the company's product. We see WARNING, DANGER & CAUTION placards so often now that we rarely take the time to read them or understand the dangers they communicate. It's easy to convey that lackadaisical attitude toward scripture. Certainly there are all sorts of warnings, especially in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament, about the repercussions God's covenant people can expect if they transgress God's commands. But as Christians we're so accustomed to downplaying and flat out disregarding these warnings because we know in the end our sins have been atoned for and forgiven in Christ, and that somehow that makes us exempt from God's discipline. Don't make that mistake. Take the Bible's warnings against sin, and especially this warning regarding unworthy participation in the Supper seriously. Don't let it scare you away, but as you prepare for it, examine your life for indwelling sin and root it out as you ensure your faith is placed squarely in Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who lovingly disciplines His children to save them from eternal condemnation; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you take all of the Bible's warnings against sin seriously; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 22

Gospels: Week 4 - Kingdom Teaching and Parables Photo: Jaspreet Kalshi, via Unsplash Mark 4:30–34 (NASB95 But it is spread and dispersed throughout the entire world, though still joined and united in heart and Summary In Mark 4 we come across the Parable of the Mustard Seed. In Mark 4, it is the kingdom of God which is being compared to a mustard seed.

communion, know that you are spiritually in the very presence of Jesus Christ, and that you are being joined

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