The world keeps trying to drive a wedge between Jesus and the Church. Don't fall for it! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 23 Q. What are these articles of the Christian faith? A. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Summary The letters that Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus are called the pastoral epistles, since Paul sent them to these two young pastors with instructions on how to build up and care for their local churches. This first letter to Timothy begins with instructions on how worship and how to identify men to lead the churches as elders and deacons. But it's in the verses we read today, which is almost at the exact center of the letter, that Paul lays the foundation for the Church: the Church is built upon a creed. A creed is a summary statement of the primary tenants of a particular belief system. There's a ton of theology packed into these two sentences: The Church is the household of God, and since the Church's main task is to proclaim God's Word, it is the "pillar and foundation of the truth." Jesus Christ is the source of all true godliness for those who are in Him; God became incarnate, and the God-Man was given the stamp of approval by the Holy Spirit; The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is meant for the entire world; Jesus has ascended to glory! This means that a Man is presently sitting at the right hand of God working out all things for His Church. Dig Deeper Most of us in this Bible reading plan are part of Reformed churches, and one of the distinctives of Reformed churches is a strong adherence to creeds and confessions. Confessions are slightly longer documents that summarize what we believe the Bible says about important topics. The Heidelberg Catechism, which we're also reading through this year, is an example of a confession. The Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dordt are the two other confessions Reformed churches subscribe to. Many Presbyterians subscribe to the Westminster Standards, while some Lutherans hold to the Formula of Concord. Confessions, for the most part, are products of the Protestant Reformation - tools used to articulate what the Bible actually teaches about core doctrines. Creeds are much older than confessions. Adherence to creeds like the Apostle's Creed often is the determining factor as to whether a particular church can properly call itself Christian or not. There have always been some, who look at all of the strife and division in the Church and trace it to these 'man made' creeds, and self righteously declare they have no creed but Christ, as if somehow their own personal interpretations of the Bible will be more pure than declarations that have passed centuries of examination. It's true that the Apostle's Creed was written by men. We don't considered it to be inspired or give it the same authority we give to scripture. But not only is every word and phrase of our creeds and confessions meticulously based in scripture, you can see from our passage today, which is just one of dozens of similar passages in the Bible, that's God's people have always expressed their core beliefs in the form of creeds (note the different formatting of v16 - Paul was likely quoting an early creedal hymn of the church). Praise God for those who came before us and wrote the creeds to keep the Church centered on God's inerrant, infallible Word of Truth. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The Living God, who lives in His Church, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will know and believe the core doctrines of Christianity well. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 19

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 5

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 55 Q.

Joshua 5:2–6:5 (NIV) 2  At that time the L ORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5  On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5  When Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That will of His Father , the LORD, who had sent Him was to raise up all those He has given me ( John

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 53 Q.

The sacraments are a participation in Christ. How much participation would you like? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 65 Q. It is by faith alone that we share in Christ and all his blessings: where then does that faith come from? A. The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts by the preaching of the holy gospel, and confirms it through our use of the holy sacraments. Summary Our faith is brought about by hearing the gospel preached. The Holy Spirit works through God’s holy Word to bring about faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit confirms this faith by our use of the holy sacraments. Jesus tells us in the Great Commission (Matthews 28:19-20) to go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says that by eating the bread and drinking from the cup of the Lord’s Supper we are participating in the body and blood of Christ. When celebrating the Lord’s Supper and baptisms, the Holy Spirit works through these two holy sacraments to confirm your faith in Jesus Christ. That is why the sacraments are referred to, along with the preaching of God's Word, as means of grace. By celebrating these two sacraments, you receive God’s grace through the work of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), point us to Jesus and His saving work and deepen your relationship with Him. Dig Deeper When I was a kid, my mother would only use her good plates on special occasions like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They were ornately decorated, and were only for important events. Otherwise, they would sit in a hutch. Is that how the Christian Church views the Lord’s Supper? Is it something that is so special, it can only be brought out occasionally? We think, “we cannot celebrate communion too much, otherwise it is no longer special.” How often does your church celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Is it quarterly? More frequently? The Lord’s Supper and baptism are a blessing given by Jesus to confirm our faith in him. While we can only celebrate baptisms when there are children or new unbaptized converts to baptize, we can celebrate the Lord’s Supper more frequently. If the Holy Spirit confirms our faith through the sacraments, shouldn’t we want to celebrate them more often? As followers of Christ, Jesus places the Great Commission before us. We are to go and make disciples. By making disciples we will get to celebrate baptisms, and there will be rejoicing in heaven! The Lord’s Supper is given to us by Jesus to celebrate and confirm our faith in him. Your elders and pastor oversee the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, so if you wonder why you celebrate it when you do, be sure to ask them. We will spend more time on Wednesday and Thursday digging into what it means to receive grace from the sacraments. For now, know that the Holy Spirit works through the Lord’s Supper and baptism to confirm our faith in Jesus. While both are holy, we can celebrate them often to help confirm our faith. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God of grace, who sends us, His people, out with the good news; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Draw me closer to you through celebrating baptism and the Lord’s Supper; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Philippians 4

Summary While it's difficult to determine precisely, it's estimated that God makes well over 5,000 promises So, yes, all 5,000 promises of God are all fulfilled in Christ, but there are many that we're still waiting

God's name must only be attached to that which is absolutely true. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 99 Q. What is God’s will for us in the third commandment? A. That we neither blaspheme nor misuse the name of God by cursing, perjury, or unnecessary oaths, nor share in such horrible sins by being silent bystanders. In a word, it requires that we use the holy name of God only with reverence and awe, so that we may properly confess him, pray to him, and praise him in everything we do and say. Summary Leviticus 19 forms the basis for much of the New Testament book of James. James, the younger, half-brother to Jesus, would preach to new Christian converts by taking a portion of God's Word they knew well and unpacking it in the light of Christ. We'll see an example of this in tomorrow's reading. This section of the law, given to Israel through Moses, directs the Israelites to not thwart justice. The people are directed to not lie, steal, or profane the name of God by swearing falsely by it… something we call perjury. This command draws upon the third commandment, to not misuse the name of God. To commit perjury using the name of God is to bring the name of the Lord into your lie, and it is about as clear of an example of the misuse of the name of God as there is. Sin often starts small but quickly grows big. The transition from lying to perjury in verses 11 and 12 demonstrates how one sin can lead into more and greater sin. Notice the how each of these actions God prohibits quickly leads to the next if unchecked: steal → lie → deceive → blasphemy. Lying, under the right circumstances, can be something more than deceitful words but an act of blaspheming the very name of God. Dig Deeper In a courtroom, when you are sworn in under oath, it is tradition to place your right hand on the Bible. The symbolism on display in this action is that you are swearing by God that you will be honest in your testimony. To make such an oath, and then speak dishonestly, is perjury. Swearing falsely by the name of God is a means of profaning the name of God. In being sworn in under oath, you are calling upon the name of God to witness to the truthfulness of your testimony. But when you willingly lie under oath, you are instead calling upon God to bear witness to your lie. And while God will not bear witness to your falsehood, so calling upon our Heavenly Father to bear false witness is a blasphemous way to use the name of the Lord. We should all be careful not to misuse the name of the Lord through perjury. Also, do your best to avoid using lies and deceit in your dealings with others so that these sins will not lead into a larger web of sin, which might quickly end up including blasphemous perjury. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father is holy, so we must be holy; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for His law and pray for the strength to keep it as a new creation in Christ; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 10

In 1 Cor. 11:23-26, the Apostle Paul is ensuring the church in Corinth knows what the Lord’s Supper means

Exodus 5:1–21 (NIV) 5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the L ORD , the 5   Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” 17  Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that