It's not wrong to doubt. But don't cling to it when the Gospel's truth becomes clear! Gospels: Week 12 — Jesus' Resurrection and commission SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... The women who went to prepare Jesus' body for burial, found the tomb empty and returned to tell the eleven disciples. Peter and John had run to see the empty tomb that the woman had reported early in the morning, and Mary Magdalene had already spoken to Jesus, and even hugged Him. John 20:18–31 (NASB95) 18 Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her. 19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 22 Q What then must a Christian believe? A. Everything God promises us in the gospel. That gospel is summarized for us in the articles of our Christian faith— [the Apostles' Creed] — a creed beyond doubt, and confessed throughout the world. Summary The doors we're still shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. The evidence is beginning to pile up that something big has happened; His tomb is empty and Mary Magdalene even claims to have hugged the once again very much alive Jesus. But still they huddled together in that room afraid to go out. Thomas has carried with him the moniker of 'Doubting' for two millennia for his role in this scene, but really, none of these disciples is demonstrating strong faith here. They're all 'doubters' at this point as they hide behind a locked door. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, Jesus came and stood in their midst. His opening words left no doubt as to His true identity, as He says to them peace be with you! But Jesus has no time for small talk, or even to give an explanation for how He extricated Himself from a sealed tomb after having publicly died on a cross some three and a half days earlier. Rather, Jesus gives them (and us) a commission: As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. Where to? The destination Jesus gives isn't geographical, it's evangelical. Jesus' mission for His newly formed Church is to proclaim forgiveness. Those to whom the Church forgives, their sin will be forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained. Jesus here is not giving the disciples present in that room some sort of spiritual superpower to zap guilt in those they favor while leaving others to wallow in it. As D.A. Carson explains, "it is simply the result of the preaching of the gospel, which either brings men to repent as they hear of the ready and costly forgiveness of God, or leaves them unresponsive to the offer of forgiveness which is the gospel, and so they are left in their sins." Dig Deeper But Thomas missed out; He was not with them when Jesus came. Of course his colleagues eagerly tell him that we have seen the Lord as soon as Thomas gets back, but Thomas wants more than a story. He wants proof; He wants to see in Jesus' hands the imprint of the nails, and to put his finger into the place of the nails, and put his hand into His side. Without this sort of hard, incontrovertible evidence, Thomas stubbornly reports that he will not believe. Thomas stubbornly held the line for eight days. But then suddenly Jesus came through the (still) shut doors once again, this time when Thomas was with them. What would Jesus say to Thomas, who so far has refused to believe? Would Thomas be subjected to the 'O ye of little faith' scold that the disciples heard so often during their three years with Jesus? No. Not even close. Rather Jesus invites Thomas to experience the proof he'd demanded, so that he would no longer be unbelieving, but believing. Notice, though, that Thomas never touched Jesus' wounds. He didn't need to - He'd been fully convinced seeing and hearing His Savior. Thomas immediately responds with the Bible's most beautiful confession of faith: My Lord and my God! Believing in the truth of the Gospel has never ever been about simply taking a blind leap of faith, or substituting logic and reason for mere belief. Like Thomas, you can and even should ask hard questions of Scripture and have a high bar of proof that must be satisfied. Truth can sustain the most aggressive of inquiries. But when that bar has been met, like Thomas, you must confess your belief and submit to it. You will not see Jesus like Thomas and the other disciples did. But as awesome as that experience must have been, we've been given something better. Jesus told Thomas, blessed are they who did not see, and yet believe. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who through His Holy Spirit, and because of His Son Jesus, builds His Church; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would have faith like Thomas'; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Jesus is alive! Remember His words, and marvel at what has happened! Gospels: Week 12 — Jesus' Resurrection and commission Lifeway.com SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Jesus has been nailed to a cross and died, his final words having been a quotation of Psalm 31 - Father "into Your hands I commit My spirit." After "He breathed His last," He was buried with royal honors, ironically, by a couple of sympathetic Pharisees. Luke 23:55-24:12 (NASB95) 55 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 45 Q. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us? A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death, so that he might make us share in the righteousness he won for us by his death. Second, by his power we too are already now resurrected to a new life. Third, Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection. Summary Luke makes clear that the women who early on the first day of the week came to the tomb bringing the spices with which they would adorn Jesus' broken body for burial were not lost. That must have been their first thought when they arrived and found the stone rolled away from the tomb's opening, that somehow they must be at the wrong tomb. But it couldn't be, for it was just the night before that they had followed the men who burried Jesus, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. Luke, in his typical understated style, reports that they were perplexed after they entered the tomb and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. But their mounting confusion and anxiety was just getting started when two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing. Now they weren't just perplexed, they were terrified! This isn't the first time Luke reports of an angelic interaction with a woman. Luke's gospel account begins with Gabriel's appearance to Mary, in which he immediately tells her do not be afraid. But the two dazzling men that appear now offer no such comfort. Ironically, they're just as perplexed as the women, but for much different reasons. Why, they wonder outloud, do you seek the living One among the dead? After all, Jesus had spoken very clearly while He was still in Gallilee, explaining that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. But at the time, Jesus' proclamations sailed right over the heads of those He spoke to. It wasn't until this very moment that anyone finally comprehended what He had meant, when these women remembered His words. Dig Deeper The eleven and all the rest to whom these women came and reported all these things didn't think much of what they heard. Luke tells us that their words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But can you really blame them? We have the luxury of reading these words 2,000 years after the fact, after they've been passed on from not just one, but four different gospel writers, all reporting the same exact fact from slightly different perspectives and after reading the accounts of hundreds of witnesses who saw Jesus very alive and well after He'd been beaten to a pulp, nailed to a cross, and taken down very, very dead. So if you'd been locked in that room with the eleven disciples and all the rest, you probably would have scoffed as well. Dead people generally stay where they're put. These women must be crazy. But Peter - of course it was Peter - got up and ran to the tomb, and he too only saw the linen wrappings - but no body. What these perplexed, terrified women had reported was absolutely true! After three days, Jesus had risen again, just like He said He would! Peter went home, marveling at what had happened. We celebrate the resurrection each spring. Of course, remembering and celebrating it is good, but you've likely heard this story so many times that it's lost much of it's original impact. So as we review the most important event in human history this week, take time often to do what these three women and Peter did: remember Jesus' words, and then marvel at what has happened! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who raised Jesus from the dead; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will truly marvel at this, the most stupendous miracle ever performed, that forms the basis for your salvation. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

The best way to give thanks to God is to know Him and confess Him to others. The Bible App Psalms Book V Psalm 107:1–22 (NASB95) 1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary 3 And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city. 5 They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. 7 He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city. 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! 9 For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. 10 There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains, 11 Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High. 12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help. 13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart. 15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! 16 For He has shattered gates of bronze And cut bars of iron asunder. 17 Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. 18 Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. 20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! 22 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And tell of His works with joyful singing. Belgic Confession Article 1: The Only God We all believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God— eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty; completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good. Summary This week's psalm begins the fifth and final 'book' of the Psalter. These various 'books' are identifiable in that they end with several verses of doxology (words of praise), after which the next 'book' begins by setting its overall theme. The psalms in this section emphasize divine restoration and praise. This theme is made evident in the second verse: Let the redeemed of the LORD [give thanks], Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. We only read the first half of the psalm, but already the overall template for it becomes clear: (1) God’s people experience trouble; (2) they cry out to God in their trouble; (3) they are rescued; (4) they are invited to give thanks for God’s unfailing love demonstrated in their deliverance (source). This mirrors the pattern of the entire Old Testament. It also shows the futility of trying to attain lasting peace and salvation outside of Christ. Yes, as Psalm 107 makes crystal clear, God's love and redemption are unfailing, but it also makes clear our sinful tendency to continually wander back into sin and trouble right after being saved. Christ broke this hopeless pattern by becoming man and finally fulfilling on our behalf the perfect and lasting and complete righteousness the holy LORD God Almighty requires of us. Dig Deeper There's a ton of theology packed into Psalm 107's opening verse: Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let's work through it: Oh give thanks This command appears five times in Psalm 107. The thanksgiving we are called to here goes beyond just simple gratitude. Literally translated the Hebrew word means to confess / praise. So one of the best ways to express gratitude to the LORD then is to speak theologically - that is, to exuberantly proclaim who the LORD is and what He has done and continues to do. to the LORD Remember, every time you see the word LORD in all caps in the Bible, it's referring to the holiest of God's names - the one He called Himself by as He introduced Himself to Moses from the burning bush: I AM WHO I AM. The ancient Hebrews held the name YHWH as being so holy that they did not dare to pronounce it. They would instead pronounce the word Adonai, which translates into the word Lord. for He is good The adjective good can seem dull, since we prefer more superlative words to describe things of tremendous value. But whatever other word that you might prefer - awesome, superb, excellent, etc. - remember that the LORD is the overflowing source of it. For His lovingkindness Almost every time you see the word 'love' either in a compound form or preceded with an adjective in the Bible, it's referring to God's ḥěʹ·sěḏ - His loyal, covenant love, unfailing kindness and devotion. is everlasting. The concept of eternity is almost incomprehensible for us. God's ḥěʹ·sěḏ will not just last all throughout your lifetime, but will never ever fail and last forever and ever. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD, whose good lovingkindness is everlasting; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength and desire to know God as best as you can so that you can properly give thanks as you've been commanded; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

The final promise the Man on the middle cross made before dying is the most comforting of all. Gospels: Week 11 — Jesus' Suffering and death SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Jesus has been convicted and sentenced to death. After first being flogged, He was nailed to a cross in one of the most shameful, cruelest forms of capital punishment ever devised. Luke 23:39-43 (NIV) 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. -- 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 57 Q. How does “the resurrection of the body” comfort you? A. Not only my soul will be taken immediately after this life to Christ its head, but even my very flesh, raised by the power of Christ, will be reunited with my soul and made like Christ’s glorious body. Summary Today's Summary and Dig Deeper are reposted from May 29, 2023. This is a story of two criminals, one hanging on either side of Jesus, but both looking at their present situation from vastly different perspectives. To call them 'criminals,' or even 'thieves' as the older translations put it, is an understatement. In modern parlance, these guys would be classified as terrorists or insurrectionists guilty of murdering multiple people and fomenting violence wherever they went. Regardless of how they're referred to, they represent two different types of people in this world. The one insults and belittles the Son of God hanging next to him, since God is not giving him exactly what he wants. The other man better understands the reality of the situation: God is giving the both of them exactly what they deserve. It's this ability to look past the lies that come from within - an ability given by the Holy Spirit - that results in the proper attitude as he approaches his maker: This second, humbled criminal fears God. But notice this properly grounded fear of God doesn't result in terror and dread, rather it brings about one simple request to the Savior innocently suffering the same punishment as him: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus' reply, likely coming between gasps for air as he hung, forms the foundation for one of the most comforting doctrines in the Bible. He says to this sinner turned saint, "Today you shall be with me in paradise." Dig Deeper Although this criminal's theology was spot on in his dying moments, it certainly wasn't well developed or comprehensively applied to life. He'd likely never read the Bible, and the only thing he knew about God's law was how to break it. But he obviously wasn't saved because of his lifetime of faithful service or good deeds, nor because of what he knew about the man hanging in the middle. Rather, his salvation came because of what Christ remembered of him, that he was a child of the God he ultimately came to fear, chosen before the creation of the universe to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Today we're focusing on the immediacy of the criminal's salvation. Because of this short conversation between two dying men, you can have absolute certainty that those you've known who placed their faith in Jesus Christ instantly were welcomed into paradise upon drawing their final breath. In addition, you can live the life of gratitude that this criminal would have most certainly lived had he been given the chance, knowing that you're last day in this life will instantly give way to your first day in eternity. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who judges justly and calls all sinners to account. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live with the assurance of and gratitude for your sure salvation. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

King Jesus speaks truth to a world that's allergic to it. Gospels: Week 11 — Jesus' Suffering and death SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Jesus has been arrested, left alone by all of His disciples, including Peter, who denied Him three times. He's been carted around to multiple venues as the Jewish establishment desperately attempted to legitimatize their case against Jesus. They've sentenced Him to death for what they considered to be blasphemy, but to carry it out, they need Rome's help. So they've now brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the regional Roman governor. John 18:33–38 (NASB95) 33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. Belgic Confession Article 21: The Atonement We believe that Jesus Christ is a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek— made such by an oath— and that he presented himself in our name before his Father, to appease his wrath with full satisfaction by offering himself on the tree of the cross and pouring out his precious blood for the cleansing of our sins, as the prophets had predicted. For it is written that “the chastisement of our peace” was placed on the Son of God and that “we are healed by his wounds.” He was “led to death as a lamb”; he was “numbered among sinners” and condemned as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, though Pilate had declared that he was innocent. Summary The conversation between Jesus and Pilate revolved around two massively important topics: Kingdom and Truth. Pilate's dismissal of both topics is tragic. Pilate begins his interrogation by asking Jesus are you the King of the Jews? This was one of the key charges that the Jewish establishment had brought against Jesus, trying to make Him appear as a rebel against Rome's imperial power. Pilate's reply was insulting to Jesus' accusers, for the idea of the Jews having a king was laughable to a powerful man like Pilate. But at the same time, he insulted Jesus. You, Pilate asked the one whom Isaiah prophesied would have no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to one from whom men hide their face - you're the King of the Jews? John doesn't record it, but certainly Pilate must have scoffed as he asked. Jesus answers Pilate brilliantly. He neither accepts nor denies Pilate's faulty premise. He simply reports that His kingdom is not of this world. Notice first of all that Jesus referred to His kingdom in the present tense. His is not just a coming, future kingdom; Jesus was, is and always will be the King. Secondly, Jesus' answer demonstrates that, as Robert Mounce puts it, "Jesus’ kingdom is of a different order. Unlike the kingdoms of this world, it is not based on earthly power. It is a kingdom that is spiritual and internal, in contrast to those that are external and physical." Dig Deeper Political kingdoms, especially like the Roman Empire that Pontius Pilate represented, rely on brute force to govern its people. Their authority was absolute regardless of the opinion of their citizens regarding the empire's legitimacy. Conquesting armies weren't sent out with a mandate to encourage people to join the empire, they went out to impose the empire upon those they conquered. But Jesus' kingdom - the one that's not of this world - takes a different approach. He invaded, so to speak, to testify to the truth. And everybody who is of the truth hears (listens to / obeys) His voice. Jesus brought His kingdom not with conventional weapons, but with verbal weapons. He simply spoke the truth in a world darkened by lies, which is a far more powerful weapon against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:14). Paul describes Jesus' truth - the gospel - as the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). But Pilate, as smart, erudite and powerful as he was, makes it clear he wasn't really interested in the truth, and therefore, consistent with the words Jesus had just spoken, he didn't hear Jesus' voice testifying to the truth. He missed his opportunity to serve the King of Truth. He contented himself with a world/kingdom that still remains allergic to absolute truth. The time will come when this kingdom that's not of this world once again transcends the spiritual and internal realm it currently restrains itself to. King Jesus will come again and establish His kingdom externally and physically as well, using unimaginable force to compel those who refuse to listen to the truth of His voice (Revelation 19:11-21). Come into the Kingdom of Truth now. Listen to the voice of Jesus! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has exalted His Son as the King of Truth; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will listen to Jesus' voice of truth as you serve Him in this dark world; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Hope reigns even when misery seeps through the cracks! Gospels: Week 11 — Jesus' Suffering and death SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Jesus has been betrayed by Judas and arrested after praying so intensely in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:54–65 (NASB95) 54 Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. 55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly. 63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, 64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” 65 And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming. Canons of Dordt Point V, Article 4: The Danger of True Believers’ Falling into Serious Sins Although the power of God strengthening and preserving true believers in grace is more than a match for the flesh, yet those converted are not always so activated and motivated by God that in certain specific actions they cannot by their own fault depart from the leading of grace, be led astray by the desires of the flesh, and give in to them. For this reason they must constantly watch and pray that they may not be led into temptations. When they fail to do this, not only can they be carried away by the flesh, the world, and Satan into sins, even serious and outrageous ones, but also by God’s just permission they sometimes are so carried away—witness the sad cases, described in Scripture, of David, Peter, and other saints falling into sins. Summary Peter's life as a disciple is marked by the highest of highs - he's the one who first recognized the deity and Lordship of Jesus and who by faith walked out on the raging water to meet Jesus - but also by the lowest of lows, as his denial makes evident in today's episode. But what's so shocking is just how quickly Peter - and us! - oscillates between these highs and lows. Yesterday we saw the same thing in the Garden of Gethsemane: On one hand, Peter hit a high in that he was one of the three disciples Jesus choose to bring with Him farther into the Garden to keep watch and pray. But before he could even begin this sacred duty, he fell from this honorable height to a miserable low by falling asleep. This account of Peter's three fold denial of the Lord that he'd so boldly confessed is widely recognized as one of mankind's most infamous failures. The Canons use it as one of only two Biblical examples given to illustrate how it is that true believers can be carried away by the flesh, the world, and Satan into sins - even serious and outrageous ones. But don't miss Peter's high water mark that immediately precedes his lowly failure: even after everyone else had fled from Jesus, Peter was following. Yes, he was following at a distance, but he was following nonetheless. This may not seem to be nearly as high of an accomplishment as walking on water or being chosen to be part of Jesus' inner circle, but one of the most basic definitions of being a Christian is being one who simply follows Jesus. Dig Deeper Why is it that all four gospel writers chose to include this shameful incident in their accounts? Peter, of course, will go on to be the central figure who leads the new church after Pentecost, so if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were trying to promote a scam, as is often alleged, certainly they wouldn't want to publicize one of their key leader's lowest moments! They included this story not just to demonstrate Peter's fallibility or to pass along a cautionary tale, but to showcase Jesus' grace. Dale Ralph Davis explains this the best: Peter's was a pathetic fall, but a fall that landed amid the shreds of hope. For here Luke tells us something no other gospel does: the Lord turned and looked at Peter... What did Peter see in that look? Sadness? Disappointment? Grief? Compassion? Whatever it was, it was the beginning of Peter’s recovery. Once Jesus had rescued Peter with the grip of His hand (Matt. 14:28–31), now He did it with the glance of His eye. No, not that Peter realized it at the time. Now he could only go out and bitterly weep. Grief and heartbreak and despair must have its way and time. But as he mourned and despaired, can we doubt that during that fateful week-end Peter must have replayed the moment of Jesus’ look? And if he remembered Jesus' ‘rooster prophecy’ (v. 61b), can’t we assume that he may also have dredged up ‘But I have prayed for you,’ and ‘when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers’ (v. 32)? I don’t doubt that misery reigned but hope may have seeped through the cracks. And the hope continues. For how many contemporary disciples find in Peter’s story (in Peter’s Jesus!) a paradigm of hope. Here is a Lord who looks on us in our failure, folly, and falseness and refuses to cast us into a landfill for miscarried disciples. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who through His Son, Jesus Christ, gives us hope even when we fall to the lowest of lows; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that, come what may, you will always follow Jesus; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

There's only one way to build physical, mental & spiritual strength: Keep watch & pray. Gospels: Week 11 — Jesus' Suffering and death Logos.com SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... After leaving the Upper Room, Jesus has given His disciples some of the most intense teachings of the Bible as they made their way through the inky blackness of Jerusalem, all while the establishment - the Pharisees and Sadducees - put their plot to kill Jesus in action. Matthew 26:36–47 (NASB95) 36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” 47 While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 44 Q. Why does the Apostles' Creed add, “He descended to hell”? A. To assure me in times of personal crisis and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, especially on the cross but also earlier, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell. Summary Imagine that as you settled in to hear a Sunday sermon, the preacher instructed the congregation to open their Bibles to John 14, but then never announced the particular verses delimiting the day's passage. Instead, after reading all 31 verses of John 14, he went on to read chapters 15, 16 and 17 as well. Then the preacher went back and unpacked the significance of all of the mind blowing doctrines in these extraordinary chapters that detail all that Jesus taught His disciples in His last hours with them. After hours of intense preaching, the chords of the doxology ring out and you can finally get up. How exhausted would you be? How exhausted would the preacher be? This is what it would have been like as these twelve men - Jesus and His disciples, minus the one who'd already left to rat them out - entered Gethsemane. Jesus commanded eight of them to sit, while He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James and John) a little farther into the garden. As He speaks to them, Matthew writes nothing of Jesus' exhaustion, but only because His other problems were far more pressing. Matthew notes that Jesus began to be grieved and distressed - quite literally, Jesus was racked with crippling anxiety. Jesus Himself confirms and expounds upon Matthew's observations, telling the three that He wasn't just grieved, but that He was deeply grieved, to the point of death. Jesus' mental stress and grief as He anticipated what lay immediately before Him had crushing physiological effects; in fact, it almost killed Him before He was even arrested. Yet Jesus three followers - meant to function here in Jesus' final hours more as peers than disciples - fell victim to their own set of physiological challenges: three times, after pleading with them to keep watch and pray, Jesus returns to find them sleeping. Their spirits were willing, but their flesh was weak. Dig Deeper Had Jesus succumbed to the overwhelming grief and distress, His death would have certainly been tragic, but it would not have been the cup He needed to drink in order to save His people. But at this point, all Jesus could do was to fall on His face and pray. And it should be no surprise at all for us to see that His three short prayers perfectly exemplify the AAA Prayer Pattern, for after all, it's the way He taught us to pray! ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: My Father; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: not as I will, but as You will; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; But it wasn't possible for the cup to pass. Jesus must drink it, for it was His Father's that all who belonged to Him would be saved by having their sins atoned for with perfectly holy blood, ironically shed by the very hands that deserved it. Yet Jesus' three prayers did not go unanswered. Jesus entered the garden with His soul deeply grieved and at the point of death. But after praying, Jesus' mental and physical stamina have been strengthened for the task, as opposed to the disciples, who although they got a couple of hours of sleep, would find their strength quickly failing as they fled. So it's important to read Jesus' final words in the garden in the proper tone of voice. When Jesus called out to the disciples to get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand, He's not fearfully calling them to flee. He's purposefully walking toward Judas and the approaching large crowd with swords and clubs. Jesus was not a victim. Though betrayed, He was not caught. Rather, in one of the greatest displays of physical, mental and spiritual strength ever, He gave Himself up. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that not only would your spirit be willing, but that your flesh would be strengthened to follow Christ; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Finish your week being reminded that your all powerful Father provides. PSALM 104 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. 3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; 4 He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers. 5 He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains. 7 At Your rebuke they fled, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. 8 The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. 9 You set a boundary that they may not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth. ------ 24 O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. 25 There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. 26 There the ships move along, And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it. 27 They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. 28 You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. 29 You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their spirit, they expire And return to their dust. 30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground. 31 Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; Let the LORD be glad in His works; 32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth And let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD! Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 26 Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”? A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. Summary The opening chapter of the Bible describes God's creative power in a very understated way, by repeating the simple phrase and God said as He omnipotently called everything that is into being. This week's Psalm gives a glimpse into the powerful actions that God's Word brought about. As He created, God stretched out the heavens, made the clouds His chariot and walked upon the wings of the wind. He established the earth, covered it with the deep [waters], which, although they initially stood above the mountains, fled at the LORD's thunderous rebuke. He raised the mountains and sank the valleys, as He set boundaries for the waters so that they would not cover the earth. And God was not learning on the fly as He powerful brought reality into existence, as if He needed to try out a few different iterations to see what worked the best. Rather, His Word tells us that in wisdom He has made them all: the earth, which is full of His possessions, the seas and its animals - including the mysterious Leviathan, and even the ships that move along. There is nothing in all of creation that was not brought into being, or that does not belong to, the LORD our God, who is clothed with splendor and majesty and covered with a cloak of light. Dig Deeper Psalm 104 makes clear that God did not just create and let go, as if He just wound up some grand cosmic mechanism and sat back to let it autonomously go through all of its motions. Every animal, both small and great, all wait for the LORD to give them their food in due season. In other words, not only does every creature owe its very existence to the LORD, but continually depends upon Him for every bit of their sustenance. And our loving Father does not hold back! He opens His hand and satisfies with good. But there are also times where He hides His face, bringing dismay. When the LORD takes away their spirit [breath], they expire and return to dust. But then the LORD sends forth His Spirit, renewing creation. As the psalmist considers our Father's unbridled power and ongoing care, he makes three commitments: To sing praise to our God as long as he lives and has being; To make his meditation - that is, his deepest thoughts - pleasing to the LORD; To be glad in the LORD; These are the commitments that you make as well, every time you proclaim Bless the LORD, O my soul! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose glory endures forever! ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that, inasmuch as you have influence over, that your actions and words would let the LORD be glad in His works; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Jesus' comforting words mark a huge development in the Biblical narrative. Gospels: Week 10 — Jerusalem, commandment, service, and Supper SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... After washing the disciples' feet in the upper room after the Last Supper, Jesus explained to them that He would be betrayed by one of His own, and that even Peter would deny Him three times before the morning came. John, who opened His gospel with the announcement that the Word was the Light of all men, describes this extended conversation between Jesus and the disciples in a hauntingly profound way, simply writing immediately after Judas left, "And it was night." John 14:1-6 (NASB95) 14 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. Belgic Confession Article 26: The Intercession of Christ We believe that we have no access to God except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor: Jesus Christ the Righteous. But this Mediator, whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one, according to our fancy. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does. Although he was “in the form of God,” he nevertheless “emptied himself,” taking the form of “a man” and “a servant” for us; and he made himself “completely like his brothers." ---- What more do we need? For Christ himself declares: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to my Father but by me.” Why should we seek another intercessor? Summary The opening words of John 14 are but one of many times in the Bible that God tells His frightened children not to be afraid. But Jesus' encouragement to His disciples - and, of course, to us - to not let our hearts be troubled shines into one of the darkest moments in history. Jesus has been explaining to them that He would be with them only a little longer and that where He was going, they could not come. It would seem that the disciples had every reason for their hearts to be troubled; their entire world was quickly caving in. So Jesus, in an effort to calm our hearts, tells them a bit more, explaining that He was going to prepare a place for us in His Father's house. This little insight from Jesus marks one of the Bible's most important developments. We've been working through this grand story now for nine months as we've read the Bible each weekday together, and it's so easy to become enamored with all of the fascinating trees we've come across along the way that we lose sight of the forest. But let's increase our literary altitude here so that we can once again see the entire forest, and not just a few particular trees. Man began in the Garden living in the very presence of God Almighty, who would come for fellowship with them in the cool of the day. But after exchanging the truth for a lie, we were evicted from God's presence, and one of His most powerful angels was sent with a flaming sword to keep us out. Ever since that fateful moment, God's people have been wandering - always figuratively, and often literally - longing to return to the way things were. Now here in John 14, Jesus announces that He would not only be going to prepare a place for us in His Father's house - that is, back in the immediate presence and peace of the God who evicted us - but that He would be coming again and receive you to Himself, that where He is, you may be also! So do you see the amazing reason that you have to not let your heart be troubled? Dig Deeper John 14:6 has been under attack ever since the moment that Jesus told Thomas that He is the way, and the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but through Him. Critics decry Jesus' words here as being abusively exclusive, because it flies in the face of the pluralistic worldview they cling to that there are many ways to God, and that Jesus is only one of them. Sadly, many of these critics fill pulpits in mainstream churches. D.A. Carson explains well the significance of Jesus' amazing claim, and how it summarizes so much of John's gospel: Jesus is the way to God, precisely because he is the truth of God and the life of God. Jesus is the truth, because he embodies the supreme revelation of God—he himself ‘narrates’ God (1:18), says and does exclusively what the Father gives him to say and do (5:19ff; 8:29), indeed he is properly called ‘God’ (1:1, 18; 20:28). He is God’s gracious self-disclosure, his ‘Word’, made flesh (1:14). Jesus is the life (1:4), the one who has ‘life in himself’ (5:26), ‘the resurrection and the life’ (11:25), ‘the true God and eternal life’ (1 Jn. 5:20). Only because he is the truth and the life can Jesus be the way for others to come to God, the way for his disciples to attain the many dwelling-places in the Father’s house (vv. 2–3), and therefore the answer to Thomas’ question [about how we can know the way to where Jesus would go]. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who through His Son Jesus, now welcomes us back in His House; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will cling to Christ Jesus, who is the only way, the truth, and the life; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Jesus showed that ultimate power looks far different than you might think. Gospels: Week 10 — Jerusalem, commandment, service, and Supper Logos.com John 13:1–17 (NASB95) 1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 69 Q. How does baptism remind you and assure you that Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross is for you personally? A. In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it gave the promise that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and his Spirit wash away my soul’s impurity, in other words, all my sins. Summary We've seen before in our Bible reading together that John's gospel is different than the other three. John provides less of a synopsis of Jesus' activities (which is why the other three accounts are often referred to as the synoptic gospels) and features more insight and commentary on Jesus' character and divine nature. This difference is well demonstrated in today's passage. While the synoptic gospels all record various elements of what we often refer to as the Last Supper, John skips over those details. Ironically, the only aspect he passes along is that during the supper, the devil put into the heart of Judas Iscariot... to betray Jesus. John puts his focus on what happened after the supper, and in doing so, he's the only gospel writer to pass along the account of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. Feet have never really been considered one of the more attractive areas of the human body, and in that age in which the streets were dusty, grungy and filthy, they were even less so. People reclined as they ate then, a position that seems awkward to us, but one that keeps a persons dirty feet as far as possible from their food. So Peter's emphatic refusal to allow Jesus to wash his filthy feet seems appropriate. Jesus, of all people, deserved the place of highest honor, not a position of such low servitude. But Peter suddenly and faithfully reverses himself when Jesus makes it clear that if Jesus doesn't wash him, Peter would have no part in Jesus. Dig Deeper One commentator describes both the Last Supper and Jesus' feet washing exercise as "enacted parables." Remember, a parable is a shocking story with a spiritual meaning, and Jesus' actions in both the Supper and in washing feet are filled with both! John opens this passage by reporting that having loved His own who were in the world, Jesus loved them to the end. He showed this love in the most humble way He could, with the self sacrifice demonstrated here eclipsed only by what He'd show on the cross a few days later. Jesus did this all knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands. Yet Jesus used this immensely infinite power to serve others in the most menial way He could. By cleaning the filthiest part of the disciples' bodies, Jesus prefigured how His ultimate self sacrifice would cleanse us from the filthiest of our sins. Jesus expected His disciples - and us - to pattern our lives in this same way, explaining that He gave us an example that we also should do as He did. It's not the particular act of foot washing that we must model in our day and age, but rather it's Jesus' humble attitude. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, to whom we will depart when we're taken out of this world; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the same humble, self-sacrificial attitude that Jesus demonstrated; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: