It's not a coincidence that courtrooms & sanctuaries look so similar! Find out why. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 112 Q. What is God’s will for you in the ninth commandment? A. God’s will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are devices the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name. Dig Deeper (you didn't read that wrong... our order is switched up today!) We're back to Deuteronomy again today, a book we've been in often as we dig into God's Law for our lives in this section of the Catechism. The Heidelberg Catechism is divided up into three sections, often referred to as the 3 G's: Guilt / Grace / Gratitude. As we go through the Law, we're in the Gratitude section, although the Law may often seem to us to fit better in the Guilt section, since through it we see how far from God's perfect righteousness our lives often are! But God's Law fits best in the Gratitude section, because that's how it's presented in the Bible. God does not give His Law to Israel as a condition for freeing them from Egypt, rather He gives it to define the covenantal relationship He's brought them into after graciously freeing them. Here's how one commentator describes this section of Deuteronomy: What follows is not a code of laws, but a pastoral address [from Moses] presenting a vision of covenant righteousness that is not legalistic; it is guided by Torah, but driven by the Spirit of God and arises from a grateful and compassionate heart. In this regard, this "vision of covenant righteousness" that you read about in Deuteronomy applies to you as a Christian whose been set free from slavery to sin in the same way it applied to the Israelites freed from slavery in Egypt, even if at certain points the particulars differ. Summary Courtrooms often have a church sanctuary type of feel to them. Both rooms often have similar architecture, often with deep wood tones. The one leading the proceedings sits slightly above the audience, which is often seated in pews. Both rooms are quiet, and a certain decorum is maintained. Certainly these similarities reflect the serious nature of the subject in both the court and church, but it also pays homage to the same Lord who is present in both settings (v17). Notice, though, that God does not act as the prosecutor, or sit in the judge's seat, or even pronounce the jury's verdict. Rather, God oversees justice using ordinary means: people He's authorized to "make a thorough investigation" into the matter at hand (v18). The judges, lawyers and jury are all doing the Lord's work! The whole system is predicated on honesty, but yet honesty is never assumed. Testimony must be corroborated, claims must be verified and accusations must be proven. Liars, false witnesses and perjurers are to be dealt with severely: the punishment that would apply to the accused if guilty must fall upon them so that when others hear about what happened, they'll be too terrified to lie in court if they every must take the stand. Moses tells them to "show no pity" in invoking the principle of lex talionis: "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot (v21)." As a Christian, do whatever you need to do to "purge the evil from among you (v19)." The best way you can do that is to make sure you keep the 9th commandment and never bear false witness. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the God of all justice; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the wisdom to be able to discern the truth, and the courage to always speak truthfully; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 7

Revenge is best served by our holy & righteous Father. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 105 Q. What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment? A. I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor— not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds— and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword. Summary One of our most fundamental inclinations as Americans is the concept of fairness, that people ought to get exactly what they deserve. It's this deeply embedded motivation that the Bible calls you to push back against. Rather than repaying a person by giving him what he's got coming, you must "not take revenge." The catechism reminds us here that that an ugly concept like murder is not limited to the overt actions related to physically taking a person's life, but extends to seemingly benign actions such as belittling and insulting people. Sometimes it might feel good to blow off a little steam by verbally assaulting a person who's been giving you grief so that things don't escalate into a full blown physical confrontation, but you can see that the catechism is simply echoing Paul's advice to, "as far as it depends upon you, to live at peace with everyone, and do not take revenge." This peace that you're called to is much more than just an outward politeness in which you don't say the quiet part out loud, even as you seethe and simmer on the inside. No, the Bible calls you to a pervasive, permeating peace that radiates from the inside out; a peace that keeps not just your mouth and hands in check, but your thoughts, looks and gestures as well. This passage ends with the famous line: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This passage often gets externalized, as if the best way to overcome bad guys is to shower them in good deeds. That may occasionally be the case, but I don't think that's what Paul means here. He wasn't referring to the evil reigning all around you, but the evil that seeks to plant its flag inside of you - your sinful nature (Sarx), who gains ground with every revenge filled thought and attitude you allow to fester. Overcome Sarx by flooding him out as you fill your mind with whatever is noble, right, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Dig Deeper The concept of revenge is a theme deeply woven into the fabric of scripture. In fact, the Bible draws to a close with Jesus promising to do the very thing that Paul here prohibits you from doing: Jesus will return with His settlement, meaning that He will repay everyone with exactly what they deserve, either good or bad. Base the peace that you've been commanded to have by "leaving room for God's wrath, for it is written, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who has promised to reward good and repay evil; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to let go of your sinful instinct to desire revenge and instead reflect the goodness and forgiveness Jesus has shown you; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 John 3

he has for us and our salvation— commanded his servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit this revealed (v20)" In other words, every word of the Old Testament is shining its light on what would be revealed

Two spirits are battling for your allegiance. Which will you follow? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 87 Q. Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and impenitent ways? A. By no means. Scripture tells us that no unchaste person, no idolater, adulterer, thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like is going to inherit the kingdom of God. Summary If you attended Sunday School growing up, you likely learned about fruit of the Spirit. Perhaps you have even memorized Galatians 5:22-23: “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against these things there is no law.” While many know of the Fruit of the Spirit, much less attention is typically paid to the warning that comes immediately before that famous passage. Before we are given the Fruit of the Spirit, we are first told of the desires of the flesh. These desires of the flesh are aligned with our human nature, which is part of a fallen creation. Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians to warn them about the danger of thinking their own good deeds were necessary for salvation. By comparing these two lists - the fruit of the Spirit vs. the desires of the flesh, Paul shows them (and now us) the danger that comes from depending upon our own selves rather than having faith in Christ. Dig Deeper Everyone has their own unique quirks, one of mine is that I do not like to leave things unfinished. A side effect of this is that I prefer to not start watching a movie in the evening. While others may doze off during the movie, I will stay up until I’ve seen the ending. In matters of entertainment, missing out on a few details is not a life altering event. However, in matters of faith those few details can be very important. This can be seen in the desires of the flesh of which we are told those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Upon reading the desires of the flesh listed in Galatians 5, you may be tempted to become hyper-focused on avoiding those sins. And while we are called to repent and turn away from our sin, there is more to this teaching than just trying to not sin. It matters not only that you depart from sin but also to where you are placing your trust upon that departure. This teaching on the desires of the flesh is intertwined with the Fruit of the Spirit. The encouragement is to walk by the Spirit, trusting the work of the Holy Spirit in your life rather than your ability to not sin. The presence of the Spirit is what leads to the manifestation of the Fruit of the Spirit in your life. Alternatively, if your life is oriented around the desires of the flesh, you will not inherit the kingdom of God because you have instead established a kingdom of your own. Be mindful of not only the presence of sin in your life but also where you are placing your trust. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sends His Spirit to walk with us each day; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be led by the Spirit and not your own desires; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 9

Find out how to escape. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NIV) 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection

As we've read Psalm 19 and Psalm 8 these last couple of days, we've seen just how clearly God has revealed So it is with being told that "God's wrath is being revealed." The very first word that Jesus spoke in beginning His earthly ministry reveals the solution to our primary

God empowers your faith so that Christ's power is at work in you. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 76 Q. What does it mean to eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink his poured-out blood? A. It means to accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and death of Christ and by believing to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But it means more. Through the Holy Spirit, who lives both in Christ and in us, we are united more and more to Christ’s blessed body. And so, although he is in heaven and we are on earth, we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. And we forever live on and are governed by one Spirit, as members of our body are by one soul. Summary The first three chapters of Paul's letter to the Ephesians is one of the greatest summaries of Christian theology in the Bible. After expressing these glorious truths, Paul concludes with these beautiful verses that are part intercessory prayer (prayers given on behalf of others), part benediction (a Latin word that literally means 'good words,' which comprise a blessing), and part doxology (a Greek word that literally means 'words of glory,' directed to God). Though an entire book could be written to unpack the awesome truths in this short passage, today we're going to focus on just two aspects. First, notice that Paul prays that God would "strengthen you with power... so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Two things stand out here. First, you're not strong enough in your own power to host Christ in your life. You need God the Father to intervene and provide you the strength to make this possible, since as Paul goes on to mention, Christ's power will be at work within you. Secondly, notice how it is that Christ dwells within you: He "dwells in your heart through faith." It's critical to get this order correct. Conventional wisdom says that if you display enough godly strength and power, Christ will come to dwell in you. But the opposite of that is true. Christ's power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9), because a weak person realizes how much they must trust another. Dig Deeper Regular participation in the Lord's Supper is key to both of these important concepts. In the past few weeks we've been reminded that the tiny portions of bread and wine nourish and strengthen your soul for eternal life. In other words, by eating at the Lord's Table, you are being strengthened by your Father through His Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your heart (v16-17a). We've also seen that the sacraments are one of the ordinary means God uses to give you faith, which is the one thing you need in order for Christ to dwell in your heart. So it quickly becomes clear that participation in the Lord's Supper is not just an optional 'extra' that you can take or leave. Rather, this simple exercise has been commanded to you to strengthen, equip and maintain Christ's presence in your heart. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: We kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you live in such a way that demonstrates you've been filled to the measure of all the fullness of God; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 12

God reveals Himself to you in his Word.

God's Word can be described many ways, but 'boring' isn't one of them. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 92 simply reproduces the Biblical text of the ten commandments Summary We're going to focus on the beginning and ending of our passage today, since we'll be learning lots about the commandments in the middle in the weeks to come. Notice how the passage begins: And God spoke We could turn multiple places in the Bible for a demonstration of God's awesome power at work in nature. Indeed, the Israelites had just witnessed it firsthand for themselves, having walked between two towering walls of ocean as the crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. But as amazing as God's command of nature is, the best demonstration of His power can be found when He speaks. Remember the opening words of the Bible, which record God creating all that is out of nothing by simply repeating the phrase "and God said..." Jesus Himself is called the Word, and His ministry begins with God's voice booming from heaven that Jesus is His son, whom He loves. The book of Romans begins with an announcement that the gospel - the proclamation of the good news of salvation - is "the power of God..." Imagine being there, hearing these words come out of the fire (Dt. 10:4), accompanied by thunder and lightning (v18). It would quickly become clear that the ten commandments are so much more than a historic document to hang in a courtroom or to doze off to as you hear them recited for the umpteenth time in church. These words, just like the gospel, are the power of God, and necessary for you to know well and follow as you live in Christ. Dig Deeper The Israelites didn't miss God's demonstration of verbal power: They "trembled with fear" and "stayed at a distance," convinced that if God were to utter another word to them they would instantly die. They knew they were not worthy to come face to face with God, so they sent a representative up them mountain in their place. As we begin our nearly three month study of these commandments, we're beginning with a much different attitude than these Israelites had. We're coming to them as people who have peace with God because we've been justified through faith in Jesus Christ. We come to them in gratitude because in Christ, we've fully met the conditions of God's law. As Moses reminds us, these commandments are given "so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning (v20)." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The Lord our God, who brought you out of slavery to sin; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for giving us the tools and instructions to live as the holy people He's declared us to be in Christ. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 15

Today: Revelation 21