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

The Holy Spirit works lots of different ways in you to accomplish your sanctification. Into three parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; God the Holy Spirit There's not just one word that can fully explain what the Holy Spirit does, so we must use several. Dig Deeper The Holy Spirit has often been referred to as the shy member of the Trinity. timidity, instead it describes the fact that the Spirit often sets Himself in the background, shining the glory

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14  “Glory Their triumphant song has been forever memorialized in Latin: Gloria, in excelsis Deo!   Deeper   It's the final phrase of this army's song that brings us back to Christmas in March. 14  “Glory LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your words and deeds will reflect the angel army's song: Gloria , in excelsis Deo!

with the Father; coeternal; the exact image of the person of the Father and the “reflection of his glory But Micah, a prophet inspired by the Holy Spirit, shines the light of hope into this hopeless situation the skies surrounding Bethlehem would be filled with the angelic army of heaven triumphantly singing gloria-in-excelsis-deo

the Canons of Dordt, we will be reading some of the Bible's greatest doxologies - words of praise & glory every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and about their assurance of it— a teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory To this God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen. , ridicule, abuse and attack this teaching which God has very richly revealed in his Word for the glory

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26  to make her holy and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy face as he sees his radiant bride coming toward him, without stain or wrinkle or other blemish, but holy no credit for the beauty of their bride, Christ takes all of the credit for the radiancy (literally: glory us in a way far beyond the capacity of any earthly bridesmaid: He gave Himself up for us to make us holy

Christ alone, all of which we learn through Scripture alone, to which we give God alone all of the glory These tenants are often referred to as The Five Solas (alones) of the Reformation). Our God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - "is righteous in all of His ways and faithful in all He does loving Father, who is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (v8)," and in the Holy

imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24  For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory Literally translated, Peter writes, now that you have made your soul holy... . You've certainly have made your soul holy, but you've done so simply by obeying (literally: listening He took your filthy sin and replaced it with His pure righteousness and holiness.   Whatever glory we can muster quickly fades away, but the Word of the LORD endures forever!

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 that  the person who suffered it is— as was necessary to be our Savior— not only a true and perfectly holy also the only begotten Son of God,  of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Holy , glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  

the day of Christ, 11  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Article 11: The Holy it  that the gospel is proclaimed to them outwardly,  and enlightens their minds powerfully by the Holy shiny and attractive on the outside, its synthetic nature quickly becomes evident when inspected by our holy your Father will find good and acceptable: it's the fruit that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory