Participating in the sacraments connects you to God's covenant people in all ages. 1 Corinthians 10:1–4 (ESV) 1  For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3  and all ate the same spiritual food, 4  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary In the 7th-8th grade Bible class I teach each week at Worthington Christian School , we've been learning about how the Bible often uses a literary device called typology to point to Jesus from the Old Testament. Today's New Testament passage is a perfect passage to demonstrate how typology works. Paul describes the Israelites who escaped from Egyptian slavery as being under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea . If you're familiar with this narrative, you remember that the people followed God, who appeared as a pillar of cloud (and fire at night), and their dramatic escape from Pharaoh as they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. Paul next mentions their diet. They of course ate the manna that descended from heaven and the quail that God provided, and often their water would spring forth from a rock in the middle of an otherwise parched and dry desert. But Paul inserts a surprising word to describe this food and drink: It wasn't merely sustenance to keep them alive physically, it was spiritual food and spiritual drink. The rocks that miraculously bursted forth with water was none other than Christ Himself. So all of those elements: the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud, manna and springs of water were all types pointing us to Christ and signifying how these were not just ethnic Hebrews wandering across the wilderness, but were marked as God's people in the same exact way you are! Dig Deeper People often despair at the myriads of denominations the church has splintered into over the last two millennia. But the remarkable thing is the massive amount of doctrinal agreement between the various groups - on paper, at least (this might not seem so because at present so many individual groups have deviated far from what their denominations actually profess to believe). So the biggest discrepancies between various aspects of the Church aren't necessarily in what we believe but more so in how we express those beliefs (especially in public worship). And there's no bigger example of this than in how each church handles the sacraments; not only in how to perform them, but even in how many sacraments there are! Part of the difficulty is the vagueness with which the Bible describes them. Today's passage is the only one that mentions both sacraments simultaneously, and it does so in a somewhat cryptic way. Often the Biblical instructions seem short on detail. Who, exactly, ought to be baptized, and when? How much water must be used, and what words should accompany it? What did Jesus mean when He took bread and wine and said "This is my body and blood?" These are questions we'll wrestle through over the next couple weeks. One thing that stands out over these past few weeks as we've looked at church polity is that as Reformed churches, we seek to do everything the Bible commands and nothing it doesn't as we shepherd and govern God's people. We take that same sola scriptura principle to our understanding to the sacraments: We adhere to the only two that Christ our Master has ordained for us. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who has gathered us in as His covenant people; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will not be stubborn and rebellious as His people were long ago as you wander through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 15

Sacraments are designed to Spiritually cut your heart. Romans 2:28-29 (NIV) 28  A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29  No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary I've written before in this space about the Red Delicious variety of apples , that look so good from the outside, but on the inside are often mushy and tasteless. This is what Paul has in mind here as he writes of people who externally look really good and proper, but in reality have no depth or character. You probably know people like this. Maybe you've even been a person like this! People who go through all of the proper religious motions: show up like clockwork to church on Sundays, maybe even serve on a committee or two, and faithfully contribute to the financial needs of the congregation, but yet who have no real relationship with God and who don't seem to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit or the marks of Christians in their daily lives. It takes more than just participating in outward (literally: lit up / visible) activities to make a person a true believer. Even things that are otherwise holy, like attending worship services or participating in the sacraments, have no lasting effect upon a person if they are simply taken externally. True religion, Paul writes, is that which is inward . Literally, it shows up in the hidden, concealed aspects of your life that nobody else can see. The physical act of circumcision, one of the sacraments that God had ordained for Israel, involved the cutting off of external flesh, but truly spiritual circumcision happens when the Holy Spirit cuts a person's heart (see Acts 2:37). Dig Deeper Unfortunately many people view the sacraments as if they're some sort of magical rite. Grieving parents may want a dying child quickly baptized to ensure the child will go to heaven. More commonly, people might think that nibbling on a bit of bread and chasing it down with a swig of wine every so often will miraculously absolve their sins. That's exactly the type of thinking that Paul warns against in today's passage. On their own, sacraments - whether it was the circumcision and Passover meal of the Old Testament, or the baptism and communion of the New Testament - have absolutely no effect on a person. Taken by themselves, sacraments are simply empty and hollow signs which fool and deceive those who think that their salvation comes by merely participating in them. We properly refer to sacraments as being part of God's ordinary means of grace. There is true power that's conveyed through the water of baptism and the bread & wine of the Supper. But their powerful truth is Jesus Christ. Their life altering effect comes from the precise circumcision (cutting) of the heart that the Holy Spirit works through them. All of this to say that if you are not truly and Spiritually experiencing Christ as you participate in the sacraments, you might just be simply going through the external motions of an otherwise meaningless religious rite. Understand that such an experience of Christ may occasionally feel like a profound and extraordinary spiritual high, but ordinarily it's most evident in a slow but steady life of increasing sanctification. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : The LORD, who cuts His people to the heart by the powerful working of His Holy Spirit through the ordinary means of grace; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you participate in the sacraments, you will clearly see the evidence of a life changed by Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 14

Participating in the sacraments is necessary for your salvation! Exodus 12 (NIV) CONTEXT: We began this passage yesterday in which the Israelites were commanded to protect themselves from the coming Angel of Death by covering their door frames with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. 21  Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22  Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23  When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. -- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (NIV) 7  The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8  But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary In looking at the beginning of this passage yesterday, we noted how anxious the Israelites must have been as they watched the drama unfold between a God they barely knew and Pharoah, the mighty despot who held them in slavery. As he conveys God's instructions for how they needed to protect themselves from the terror about to be unleashed, Moses increases the anxiety level by several notches. He commands the Israelites to go at once to select and slaughter their best lambs. Don't stop to discuss things with friends and neighbors, don't even take time for prayer or reflection, drop what you're doing and go at once. Then after you've killed the lamb and smeared its blood all over your door, go inside and stay inside until morning. Then Moses tells them what the blood of the lamb will protect them from: the destroyer. If they were to go out, they'd no longer be covered by the blood and the LORD would not stand in between them and the destruction that would be unleashed. After having already witnessed the first nine plagues, I'll bet each man huddled tightly with his family behind their blood stained doors. That night these enslaved Israelites learned what it means to truly fear the LORD. Dig Deeper Often times the conventional wisdom is that in order to be saved, you need to do the best you can to be righteous, and then Jesus will cover any shortcomings that need to be filled in. But the wonderful good news of the gospel is that your salvation is fully accomplished by grace alone, because of Christ alone, and that all of this becomes yours through faith alone. So what about sacraments? Is being baptized and regularly participating in communion necessary for salvation if salvation is fully the result of God's grace? Yes! Notice how the short passage we read from Deuteronomy demonstrates God's sovereignty in saving Israel. The LORD saved them not because of their strength or the things that they had done, but solely because He is faithful to His covenant. Yet in order for them to realize their salvation, they had to take action. They must comply exactly with God's instructions on that fateful night, for if they deviated from them, they would certainly die. It's not that God saved them because they did what they were told, but it was through their obedient participation in that sacrament that God made known His sovereign, saving grace to them. This is why we understand sacraments to be part of the ordinary means of grace. If you don't obediently participate in them, you will not (ordinarily) come to know God's grace. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : The LORD, who strikes down all who stands against Him, but who passes over all those covered in the blood of the Lamb; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making His Word visible to you and pray that you will see the gospel more deeply each time you participate in the sacraments; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 13

Sacraments help you viscerally understand the gospel story. Exodus 12 (NIV) CONTEXT: God has subjected Pharoah and the Egyptians to nine of the ten plagues, and He's about to unleash the tenth: the Angel of Death striking down the first born of all who were not covered by the blood of a sacrificial lamb. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2  “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3  Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4  If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5  The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6  Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7  Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8  That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9  Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10  Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11  This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. 12  “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13  The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14  “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. -- Moses later speaks to the people: 24  “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25  When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26  And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27  then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary Put yourself in the sandals of one of these Israelites. Certainly life has been miserable as a slave in Egypt, and it's only gotten worse lately as Moses has been demanding freedom for your people. You've seen the power of the LORD in all of the various terrible plagues that both mocked the gods of the Egyptians but also made them suffer. Yet even though you've heard of the LORD and His greatness, you really don't know much about Him. Now you're being told to pack up all of your belongings to move out, and you're not even sure where you're going. On top of that it sounds like the biggest plague yet is about to be poured out, and if your family isn't protected, they'll be swept up in it as well. All of this to say that that those ancient Israelites had good reason to be on edge that night that Moses relayed the LORD's commands. They needed more than just an uplifting sermon from Moses reminding them of God's covenant faithfulness. They needed more than words. They needed something tangible: a sign that they could see, touch and even taste. They needed a sacrament (the Word made visible). But do you think that the sacrament the Lord provided here was comforting on that particular night? He had them slaughter their best lamb and then smear its blood all over the door frame. What kind of God were they following? Dig Deeper It's easy for us to see what's going on here in Exodus 12 as this first Passover is described. On this side of the gospel we can see how each of the elements involved paints a crude picture of who Jesus would be and what He would do. We can see how the blood of an innocent and perfect lamb protects those covered by it from the terrible but righteous wrath of our holy God. God provided us with sacraments so that we can viscerally experience the Gospel. We see the cleansing power of the baptismal waters. We see the bread symbolizing the body of Christ being broken and the cup of wine poured out like Jesus' blood reminding us that in His sacrifice our sins are completely forgiven. Those experiences sink in far deeper than words. Notice that these sacraments are given as a learning opportunity, certainly for you, but especially for our children. They're visible tools to be used to explain the gospel each time we participate in them. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : The LORD, who strikes down all who stands against Him, but passes over those covered in the blood of the Lamb; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making His Word visible to you and pray that you will see the gospel more deeply each time you participate in them; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 12

God knows what you need, and He makes His promises visible to you. Genesis 17:9-14 (NIV) CONTEXT: God comes to Abraham when Abraham is 99 years old to renew His promises and to command Abraham to signify their covenant with an external sign. 9  Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10  This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11  You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12  For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13  Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14  Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe that our good God, mindful of our crudeness and weakness, has ordained sacraments for us to seal his promises in us, to pledge his good will and grace toward us, and also to nourish and sustain our faith. He has added these to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts, confirming in us the salvation he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible, by means of which God works in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So they are not empty and hollow signs to fool and deceive us, for their truth is Jesus Christ, without whom they would be nothing. Moreover, we are satisfied with the number of sacraments that Christ our Master has ordained for us. There are only two: the sacrament of baptism and the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ. Summary It had been over 16 years since God had promised to make Abram into a great nation, and yet at 99 years old, he and his equally old wife remained childless. In the meantime, Abraham had tried to help nudge along God's plans by having a son with his wife's servant. But God makes clear to Abraham that Ishmael was not the promised son. In a real sense, God's conversation here with Abraham can be summarized in just two words: "Trust me." Those words ring hollow to us here and now, especially in the midst of election season when each day it becomes more and more apparent that we really can't trust anything that we're told by people in power. Promises that get made so flippantly and easily on the campaign trail are so quickly forgotten or reneged upon after the votes have been counted. If you're feeling a bit cynical about promises now at the close of yet another campaign cycle, you have a small inkling of what Abraham likely felt like after over a decade and a half of seemingly unfulfilled promises. Of course as we read Abraham's story thousands of years later, we know just how rock solid God's promises were. Abraham certainly was made into a great nation, and his descendant would come to save people from every nation. But those promises were just words as God spoke to Abraham at 99 years of age, and Abraham had heard them before. Abraham needed something more to cling to as He waited and trusted upon the Lord. Dig Deeper Our Confession tells it like it is: God is mindful of our crudeness and weakness . He knows that we need more than just words to hold on to in those long and often lonely times between when we first hear the promises God makes to us and when they finally will be completely fulfilled. We need something tangible that we can see, touch, feel and even taste to fully understand what God has promised. So starting here with Abraham, God made His Word visible. We call this aspect of divine revelation sacraments . You won't find that particular word in the Bible. Early Christians borrowed it from the Latin word sacramentum, and in doing so they made a good choice in describing what God meant in giving us these signs and seals. A sacramentum  referred to the sacred oath of allegiance that Roman soldiers would swear upon entering the army. This oath was a personal commitment to loyalty and obedience to their commanders and the Roman state. The oath was made with their right hand raised, and their left hand resting on a symbol of the powerful Roman military, such as an Aquila (eagle) . It was a two way commitment; the recruit certainly swore his commitment, and in response, the military gave him an identity as a Roman soldier. We'll be learning in these coming weeks exactly how and why the sacramental symbols are different for us than what God initiated here with Abraham and later with the Israelites as they escaped slavery in Egypt. But remember each time you witness baptism and participate in communion that you are experiencing the same promise made visible that God first extended thousands of years ago. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Yahweh, our covenant God and Father; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making His Word visible to you and pray that you will be faithful to the sacramentum you've made with Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 11

Your biggest threats are the hardest to see. Romans 16:17-20 (NIV) 17  I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19  Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   32: The Order and Discipline of the Church We also believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us. Therefore we reject all human innovations and all laws imposed on us, in our worship of God, which bind and force our consciences in any way. So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and unity and to keep all in obedience to God. To that end excommunication, with all it involves, according to the Word of God, is required. Summary The 8th chapter of this letter to the Romans forms the basis for our assurance more so than any other chapter of the Bible. It begins with a reminder that there's no condemnation for those in Christ, explaining that we've been adopted as sons of God, who is working out all things for our good. We've been squarely in God's hands since before time began, and nothing will or ever could separate us from His love! So it's a bit surprising to read a warning here at the end of this letter to watch out . You'll always be held securely in God's hands, but you need to keep your eye out for those who will continually try to pry you out! Once again, as we've read so many times these last couple of weeks, the danger doesn't lie outside of the Church, but comes from within it. Insiders will cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to what you've learned. Sometimes these obstacles will be explicit false teaching. But most of the time (especially in our contexts), these efforts to divide will so subtle that they're hardly noticeable. One or two begin to drop their Spiritual Disciplines in favor of filling their time with worldly pursuits, and soon many more will follow. It's no secret that we live in a world and society that's becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity, but I think that ultimately this pressure will only make our churches stronger, as it almost always has in the past. What is far more dangerous and scary is the smooth talk and flattery that percolates from within our own ranks which can deceive the minds of naive people . Dig Deeper Paul's instructions for us here are entirely defensive in nature: watch out, and keep away. All of us, but especially our deacons, elders and pastors, need to be ever vigilant and on the lookout for divisive and scandalous people (the Greek word translated obstacle in v17 is skandalon ). When such people are identified, they must be put out of the flock. But since these types of people employ smooth talk and flattery , identifying them can seem impossibly difficult! They seem so nice, so solid and orthodox, and they tell everybody exactly what they want to hear. But there's one tell-tale attribute: their appetite. Are their motivations set on glorifying Christ alone, or is their overriding goal building themselves up? Trying to determine another person's motivation is a dangerous business, and ought not be done lightly. Great patience must always be extended, because at a certain level we all stumble and default to words and actions that seem the best for us at the moment, but ultimately detract from Christ. Before judging others' motivation, always be sure to check your own (Matt. 7:3-5). But watch out nonetheless, and keep away from those who show no indication or desire to serve our Lord Christ . AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the God of peace, who will soon crush Satan under your feet; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will serve Christ and not your own appetite, and for wise discernment as you evaluate the motivations of others; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 10

The quickest way to get thrown out of the church is by plugging your ears. Matthew 18:15-18 (NIV) 15  “If your brother or sister sins [against you], go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16  But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  17  If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   32: The Order and Discipline of the Church We also believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us. Therefore we reject all human innovations and all laws imposed on us, in our worship of God, which bind and force our consciences in any way. So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and unity and to keep all in obedience to God. To that end excommunication, with all it involves, according to the Word of God, is required. Summary Jesus knew His sheep that He would give His life for. He knew that those who would follow Him would often wander away (which is what the parable right before this passage in Matthew 18 is about). As we wander, we not only put ourselves in danger, but we often hurt the sheep closest to us. Jesus' words here are properly translated " If your brother or sister sins...," but it could just as accurately be rendered " When your brother or sister sins... ." Jesus knew we'd hurt one another, and so here He gives instructions to handle such issues as they arise. However, His instructions cut against our instinct. Instead of silently stewing over it our own minds, or even worse, griping about it with other people, Jesus here tells us to confront the situation head on. Talk directly to the person, pointing out their fault . Your goal here, Jesus says, isn't just to let them know how they hurt you, but to win them over so that they can repent of their actions and find forgiveness, most importantly from the Lord, but also from those they hurt. If the initial, private confrontation doesn't solve the problem, Jesus passes on the Old Testament's advice to slowly escalate the situation by bringing in more people (Deuteronomy 19:15). Ultimately, if there's no repentance, the person's sin must be told to the entire church, and if the sinner still remains defiant, the rest of the church should withhold fellowship as they would with pagans or tax collectors. Dig Deeper The idea of church discipline and ultimately excommunication is distasteful. We all know of instances in which it went horribly wrong, resulting in lifelong wounds. Nobody begins their term on council hoping to get to try out this part of church order. But as Jesus explains the process here in Matthew 18, notice who the primary active agent is. Jesus puts the ball squarely in the court of the sinner. It's the sinner who initiates the discipline in the first place and then determines the length and the outcome of the process. If they listen , Jesus says, then they've been won them over . But then Jesus repeats the same phrase three times: But if they refuse to listen ... . Success or failure is determined by whether or not sinners listen . Jesus teaches us two things in this short passage. First, church discipline is critical to maintain healthy, thriving churches. It's never pleasant, but always necessary. The goal of church discipline at every stage is restoration; to win them back over . Secondly, be reminded how important it is for you to listen to the Godly people you've been placed among. God uses them to keep you from following your instincts and wandering off. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who commands us to listen to Him; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will listen to the Lord and those He's placed around you, and pray for the courage to confront those who sin against you so that you might win them over; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 9

Worship has two goals. Does your church meet both? 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 (NIV) 26  What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27  If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28  If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29  Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30  And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31  For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32  The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33  For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   32: The Order and Discipline of the Church We also believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us. Therefore we reject all human innovations and all laws imposed on us, in our worship of God, which bind and force our consciences in any way. So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and unity and to keep all in obedience to God. To that end excommunication, with all it involves, according to the Word of God, is required. Summary Nobody could ever say that going to church in first century Corinth was boring! A few chapters earlier, Paul had scolded them about their communion meals which had turned into drunken feasts . Here he describes their worship services, which sound like a free for all; whatever happened to spring into a congregants' mind immediately spewed out of their mouths, be it a song, a supposed word from the Lord, or even an unintelligible utterance nobody could interpret. It would be bad enough to have just a couple of people acting this way, but the way Paul describes it, everyone was in on it. What a cacophony! Again we're reminded how grateful we are for these Corinthians louts, for if they hadn't first stumbled and fell on these various matters, we certainly would (and often still do!). It's in addressing this chaotic mess that Paul lays down for us a bedrock principle of corporate worship. Our worship services must be crafted and conducted with two complementary goals in mind. First, certainly they must bring honor and glory to the Lord. After all, He's the One being worshipped! But secondly, and no less importantly, our worship services must build the church up. If an element in our services doesn't simultaneously meet these two ends, it ought not be included. Dig Deeper Maybe you're feeling a bit left out as a member of a Reformed church at this point. After all, when's the last time someone spoke in tongues or stood up and delivered a new revelation from the Lord at one of our services? One of our emphases these last few weeks is that the hallmark of Reformed theology and church polity is that our churches strive to do everything as Biblically as possible. Yet here's some straight up Biblical teaching about tongues and revelation and we seem to gently set it to the side. It's good to remember here that the book of Acts unfolds over a matter of years, and the various epistles span decades (this first letter to the Corinthians was likely Paul's first epistle). As we look at the New Testament as a whole, we can see an evolution moving from extraordinary acts of the Spirit, such as tongues and healings, to more ordinary means like preaching and sacraments supervised by pastors, elders and deacons. But rest assured you're not missing out on anything. The Holy Spirit is just as active now in the songs we sing and the sermon that's proclaimed as what He was in that early Corinthian church. As Paul reminded both them and us, God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is a God of order and peace; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your church's worship would be pleasing and acceptable to God, AND that it will build up your congregation; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 8

Remember, you're the pot, not the potter. Isaiah 29:13-16 (NIV) 13  The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. 14  Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” 15  Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” 16  You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   32: The Order and Discipline of the Church We also believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us. Therefore we reject all human innovations and all laws imposed on us, in our worship of God, which bind and force our consciences in any way. So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and unity and to keep all in obedience to God. To that end excommunication, with all it involves, according to the Word of God, is required. Summary One commentator put it this way when describing the situation the LORD spoke into here in Isaiah 29: "Religion remained, but the reality had perished." Israelite society, designed to be centered around the worship of God, had become a mere façade. The right words were still muttered on their lips, but their hearts were nowhere to be found. The LORD provides an analogy to explain the upside down situation resulting from replacing God given principles and practices with worship based merely on human rules . He compares it to the pot rejecting the potter as it could form itself into the image it desires for itself, rather than what the potter intended for it. If you asked people at random what attributes they associate with God, you'd likely hear lots of answers related to peace, love and kindness. And those attributes definitely describe who God is! But those aren't the attributes God reveals about Himself in this passage. Here we read of His wrath which will be poured out to bring woe to these pretenders who think they can fool God by just going through the religious motions. What's surprising about the target of God's wrath here is that they wouldn't otherwise fit the profile of those that deserve God's wrath. In all other aspects of life, they were probably decent people. So notice how seriously God takes hypocritical worship! Dig Deeper Our Confession helps us understand what it means to adhere to the Regulative Principle of Worship, because there are two aspects to it. Most Protestant churches get the first part right by not doing anything in our formal worship (or even lives, for that matter) that directly contradicts God's law. In other words, you're not likely to see flagrant violations like golden calves. But true Biblical worship must be more than just not violating God's commands. In passages like today's, we see that God is not interested in our improvements to His design for worship. This is why Reformed churches adhere to both aspects of the Regulative Principle. We don't just do not do what God forbids in worship, we don't do anything that God doesn't command either. The abundance of negatives in that statement makes it hard to understand. More positively, we worship God the way He's commanded in His Word without adding "human innovations" to it. But as the LORD reminds us today from Isaiah, even the purest Biblical worship service is a farce if the worshippers are simply going through the motions. God demands that your worship be more than just checking boxes and guarding from errors. He wants you to worship Him with all of your heart, mind and strength. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who formed us as a master potter forms clay; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your worship will be both orderly and sincere; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 7

Both you and the Church must be continually reformed to align with God's Word. 1 Timothy 3:14-16 (NIV) 14  Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15  if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16  Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   32: The Order and Discipline of the Church We also believe that although it is useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church, they ought always to guard against deviating from what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us. Therefore we reject all human innovations and all laws imposed on us, in our worship of God, which bind and force our consciences in any way. So we accept only what is proper to maintain harmony and unity and to keep all in obedience to God. To that end excommunication, with all it involves, according to the Word of God, is required. Summary What is plentiful is not precious. So goes an old Latin proverb. For those of us in SW Minnesota & NW Iowa, we weren't considering water very precious this past June when our communities were being inundated by it. But now after a super dry fall, just a few drops of rain would have tremendous value. So image how valuable Paul's letters were to young Pastor Timothy. He didn't have a bookshelf full of theology or the latest books on achieving church growth. He couldn't quickly consult a few youtubes to see how others solved a problem or fixed something broken in the church. Although he would have known the Old Testament well, he certainly wouldn't even have had his own copy of that! Obviously he couldn't just quick call or text Paul when a question or concern came up either. So when a letter from Paul arrived, whether it was written to Timothy, Titus or any of the other letters Paul wrote, people would pour over it, soaking in every precious syllable. And here in the third chapter of the first letter he wrote to Timothy, Paul explains exactly why it is he wrote all of the letters he did: so that we will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Dig Deeper Speaking of old Latin phrases, the hallmark of the Protestant churches for the last 500 years has been Semper Reformanda! Literally translated, it means the Church is always being reformed. So in a sense, the Protestant Reformation that began when Luther nailed his theses to the castle door won't come to an end until Christ comes back. For some, this means that the Church is a blank canvas, just waiting for each new generation to reform it with color and structure as it sees fit. Since society and culture continually change shape, the Church ought to as well in order to continually be well positioned to meet society's shifting needs. Such an attitude might have seemed really attractive to Pastor Timothy! After all, Paul had founded his Ephesian church and then left Timothy in charge, but like everything else, the situation and needs changed. Maybe Timothy should 'reform' the church as he and the current crop of elders saw fit? Of course not. But this continual temptation we have to reshape the Church according to our own whims needs to be met with the full version of that old Latin battle cry: ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda (the church reformed, always reforming). What this means is that the Protestant church has been reformed according to scripture, so our task is to continually keep it conformed to the Word once delivered! Today the Bible is plentiful. You have the blessing of (likely) having multiple copies of the Bible in your home, not to mention a choice of Bible apps with massively powerful searching & study tools built in that you can utilize wherever you happen to be. But the ironic thing is that the more plentiful God's Word has become, the less precious it seems. Don't let this happen to you! Prioritize being continually reformed in His Word on a daily basis so that you know how to conduct yourself as a member of God's household, the church of the living God. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the pillar and foundation of the truth; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that through the Spirit God's Word will remain precious to you and that it will guide you and the Lord's Church; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 6