Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 14: The Creation and Fall of Man Here John calls men “darkness.” (Genesis 4:1, ESV). -19). Today: Matthew 10

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 106 Q. language to describe this ongoing process: you are to put to death the misdeeds of the body (Romans 8:13 in your own life; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 John

God's expectations have been clear since day one: Obey Him and live. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 40 Q. Why did Christ have to go all the way to death? A. Because God’s justice and truth demand it: only the death of God’s Son could pay for our sin. Summary When Adam was placed into the Garden of Eden to work the land, God commanded him to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Of all the fruit of the trees in the garden, only the fruit of this one tree was forbidden. This was a choice God did not have to give Adam. God could have hidden the tree of the knowledge of good and evil away from Adam, or created Adam without an ability to choose. Yet God did neither of these. Instead, God gave this command and Adam was given a choice between obedience and rebellion. The cost of rebellion was steep, for Adam and all whom he represented, disobedience meant that he would surely die. This consequence would not be an immediate physical death for Adam, but that death would become a certainty. Dig Deeper In Genesis 3 we find the account of the fall, where Adam and Eve as the first humans “fell” from grace through the first act of human disobedience. Despite God’s clear command that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was off-limits and the warning of the consequences of rebellion, they chose to partake of it. With this act of disobedience death began its reign in mankind. The only remedy for the fallen state of mankind is the supervening grace of God. This is why Jesus was born into this world and suffered death, to intervene in the fate of a fallen humanity. With this first act of rebellion came the certainty of death. God’s justice and truth require payment for our debt of sin. And nothing else could pay for our sins except the death of the Son of God. Because of Jesus, the fall is more than the origin story of the misery of mankind and how we came to be in a state of rebellion against God. The fall is part of God’s larger plan of redemption. God certainly didn't want Adam to fail, yet He knew that Adam and Eve would disobey in the garden. This is why a means of grace was already part of God's plan of redemption. Jesus is God’s intervention for a fallen humanity. Only the Son of God could pay our debt of sin. Thank God that Jesus intervenes in humanity’s state of misery, rescuing us from the consequences of our rebellion of sin. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our covenant God, the creator of all that is who has called us to a life of righteousness. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that through Christ you've earned everlasting life, and pray for wisdom to fulfill your purpose of ensuring God's creation reflects His holiness. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 8

You're not just a citizen of the Kingdom of God, you've been given a title: Ambassador Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 38 Q. Why did he suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge? A. So that he, though innocent, might be condemned by a civil judge, and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us. Summary The focus of 2 Corinthians 5 is reconciliation. Our sin has separated us from God, but those who confess their sins are reconciled to God, they are forgiven in Jesus Christ. Once reconciled, we become ambassadors for Jesus, that is, we represent Jesus in this world that we live in as exiles. We tell the world that we were once dead in our sin, but Jesus has set us free. Jesus died on the cross so that we could live. This passage is a beautiful invitation to live into the freedom we have in Jesus. Our freedom is not for our own personal gain, but for Christ, our redeemer! After all, And Christ died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again (v15). Dig Deeper The passage ends this way a few verses later in v21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Yesterday we looked intently at Jesus’ innocence. Today we turn to our own guilt. Jesus was innocent, so He is the one person who has ever lived who did not deserve to die. So why was He crucified? Jesus was crucified due to our sin. God’s plan for salvation required satisfaction, and you cannot pay the price for your sin. No offering you sacrifice can atone for your sin. Just as your sin separates you from God, it condemns you to eternal punishment. Jesus took your sin on himself so that God’s wrath could be satisfied. He was the perfect sacrifice, offered once on the cross, for your sins and salvation. Through this amazing act of love, Jesus, who was unjustly condemned, became sin so that you might become the righteousness of God. This is why you are implored to be an ambassador for Christ. You should have been punished by God, but in Jesus, you've been given new life. This gift is available to all who call on the name of the Lord. It is your duty, as a child of God, to make him known to a sin filled world. You were condemned. In Jesus, you are given freedom. Let the world know what Christ has done! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and then gave us the ministry of reconciliation ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength, desire and opportunities to be the ambassador of reconciliation that you've been called to be. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 6

Today: John 14

Jesus was unfairly convicted so that you could be considered innocent. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 38 Q. Why did he suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge? A. So that he, though innocent, might be condemned by a civil judge, and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us. Summary Anyone who has heard the crucifixion account before knows that Jesus was unjustly crucified. The chief priests conspired against Jesus because they believed he was blaspheming God. Jesus had been speaking boldly and performing miracles, which got their attention. What drew their anger was his refusal to deny the claim that he was the Son of God. The chief priests had Jesus arrested and ultimately brought before Pontius Pilate. When he was brought before Pontius Pilate, Pilate found no reason to crucify him. Three times Pilate tried to reason with the chief priests, even stating that Herod, a second Roman official, found no reason to punish Jesus by death. Pontius Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus, he wanted to release him. The chief priests, elders, and teachers of the law would not let that happen. They stirred up the crowd and eventually the shouts and demands of the crowd prevailed and Pilate decided to crucify Jesus for no reason, other than to appease the crowd. Jesus was innocent, but he was going to die. Dig Deeper The Heidelberg Catechism ensures that we know that Jesus was innocent. There is very good reason for that: there should be no doubt or question of his innocence. Jesus did not deserve to die; he committed no crime. Whenever a crime is reported on the news, oftentimes the suspect’s past behavior is shared. Has the suspect been arrested before? Does the suspect have past criminal behavior? Has the suspect been convicted of crimes before? This information may or may not help the audience in discerning the suspect’s guilt. If Jesus’ trial were to happen today, there would be no past criminal behavior to bring forth. There would be no evidence of malicious intent or conspiracy to overthrow the government. All the public would find is Jesus, the Son of God, preaching boldly to anyone who would listen that the kingdom of heaven is near. There would be thousands of witnesses to Jesus’ miracles who would corroborate the report that he has done amazing things. All that to say, Jesus did not deserve to die on that cross. There is no doubt whatsoever that he was wrongly sentenced to death. Jesus was innocently condemned to death by the early judge, Pontius Pilate, so that you would not experience the judgment from God you actually deserve for your sin. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father is a holy and just God who will judge all people righteously ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Confess the many times you've unfairly condemned others, and thank God Jesus endured unjust judgment so that you'd be freed from God's righteous judgment ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 5

Be reminded why Jesus' death & resurrection were possible in the first place. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 36 Q. How does the holy conception and birth of Christ benefit you? A. He is our mediator, and with his innocence and perfect holiness he removes from God’s sight my sin—mine since I was conceived. Summary Old Testament worship was a bloody affair, because God wanted Israel to know what so many of us as Christians have forgotten: that forgiveness requires blood be spilled. Had we kept reading Hebrews 9 for just a bit longer, we would have been reminded that "the law requires that everything be cleansed by blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (v22). But not just any blood will do. The way that the Torah describes it over and over, the animals offered to atone for sin had to be without defect, or in other words, they had to be unblemished. This is a big reason why so many people missed the point when Jesus hung on the cross, and why so many Jewish Biblical scholars rejected the message of the gospel. They knew it would be impossible for any man to make payment even for his own sins, much less the sins of others, because every son and daughter of Adam has been born defective, being totally infected with sin. And they were right. But Jesus Christ is not just any man. Remember, "he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary," and so he didn't share the same defect every other person inherited from Adam. Not only was Jesus born unblemished, that is, sin-free, He remained so throughout his life. Because it conveys this concept, v14 is one of the most important of the entire Bible: The blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, will cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death. Dig Deeper As you approach Resurrection Sunday, you've seen in this past week that the idea of Christ's virgin birth is so much more than an obscure doctrine that you can toss out if you don't like it. It is, in fact, the bedrock foundation that makes Christ's saving work on the cross and victory over death possible in the first place. As if that weren't important enough, knowing that Jesus was born, lived and died, and came to new life unblemished results in huge additional benefits for you. You've been put into a new covenant (v15). You were born into God's covenant with Adam in which you only gain ongoing life if you perfectly obey God (which you failed to do before you were even born). But Christ died as a ransom to set you free from that arrangement, and so as one who has been called to Christ, you will receive the promised eternal inheritance of the new covenant! But understand that all of these benefits come with strings attached. You obviously can't continue to live in the sins of the world, but just as importantly, you can't just sit and passively wait for the promised eternal inheritance to show up. Circle the words 'so that' near the end of v14, because they indicate why you've been cleansed and set free: "so that you may serve the living God." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our holy and perfectly righteous Father, who justly requires unblemished obedience ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for your mediator who had no defects and pray that you will serve the living God since you've been set free. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 2

Christ's virgin birth is more than just trivial doctrine. Your confidence depends on it! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 35 Q. What does it mean that he “was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary”? A. That the eternal Son of God, who is and remains true and eternal God, took to himself, through the working of the Holy Spirit, from the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, a truly human nature so that he might become David’s true descendant, like his brothers in every way except for sin. Summary We've often ended up here in the book of Hebrews this year as we've been reminding ourselves what our only comfort in life and in death is: the fact that in life and in death we belong to Jesus Christ. One of the key themes of this book, and the reason it has the name Hebrews, is that it shows how Jesus fulfilled all of the requirements the Old Testament priests (remember, Jesus is anointed (christos) as a prophet, priest, and king). As our high priest, Jesus is our perfect mediator - He stands between us and God, so that when God looks at you, He sees Christ! Often skepticism grabs ahold of us with the temptation that since Jesus was so perfect, and never fell into sin, that He really doesn't know what it is that you're struggling with on a day to day basis. Be sure to memorize v15, so that when this doubt sets in, these words will remind you that your Savior does empathize with you, since He faced the same temptations that you do. This verse is given to comfort you, not to intimidate you. Jesus knows first hand the difficulty you face every day, but yet He doesn't just leave you to try and work through things on your own. Rather, He invites you to confidently approach God's throne of grace so that you can overcome trials and temptations in His strength, and through His grace and mercy. Dig Deeper The fact that Jesus had no earthly father may not seem as important as the fact that He was resurrected from the grave, but it really is. If Jesus had descended from Adam, as every other human being has, then He would have inherited Adam's sin, just as every other human being has. If that were the case, He wouldn't be qualified to pay for the sins of others, since He also would have been born sinful, and His death and subsequent resurrection really wouldn't matter. But Jesus didn't descend from Adam. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is a brand new Adam. Because 'He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary,' He was born holy and blameless. Although He suffered great temptations, He never succumbed to them, and instead lived the sinless, perfect life that God had originally commanded Adam to live. Jesus didn't become man just to prove that He could live sinlessly even though everyone else couldn't. He didn't come to Earth just to give an example so that you could live perfectly like Him if you would just try harder. He did it so that He could give you the one thing that you need more than anything else, and the one thing that you'll never attain on your own as a descendent of Adam. When you put your trust in Him, you go from being in Adam to being in Christ. He gives you that perfect righteousness that God demands that only He was able to accomplish, so you can confidently approach God's throne! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sits on the throne of grace where we can receive mercy and grace. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that you have a Savior that can empathize with your weakness, and ask for the strength you need to overcome it as He did. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - James 5

Be strengthened in the name of Christ, the one & only source of salvation. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 29 Q. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “Savior”? A. Because he saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere. Summary Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Disciples ventured out into the streets of Jerusalem actively preaching and healing in the name of Jesus. After healing a crippled man unable to walk since birth, Peter shared that this man was healed by the name of Jesus. This was followed by a declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, which included a critique of the Jewish rulers. These same rulers had charge of the temple and played a role in pressuring Pilate to execute Jesus. Word of this made it to the captain of the temple, who had the disciples arrested. After being held in custody overnight, they were then brought before a group of leaders from the Jewish religious council known as the Sanhedrin. In response to their questioning about what had taken place Peter does not back down from his prior declaration, despite knowing the role these men played in Jesus’ crucifixion and the danger they posed for him. Instead, Peter makes a bolder declaration in their midst: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Not only was Peter stating outright that salvation is found in Jesus, but that salvation is ONLY found in Jesus. Dig Deeper The Book of Acts is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I have always been drawn to the fact that the miracles did not stop after the resurrection. Despite Jesus having already ascended to heaven, the Disciples were out healing the sick and making the lame walk. These miracles were a sign to the people that what the Disciples spoke of Jesus was true. These signs also protected the Disciples in this instance, for while it would have been easier to “get rid” of the Disciples, the council’s hands were tied, since the people had already seen the miracles, with thousands coming to faith in Jesus as a result. Instead this group of leaders on the council tried to compel the Disciples to stop telling people about Jesus. Despite the council being a powerful enemy to have, Peter refused. Peter had seen the risen Jesus and been filled with the Holy Spirit. He was not going to give in to the demands of the council; they could not offer him salvation. Instead, Peter held firm and trusted in Jesus, the only one who saves. You will likely never stand before a council and have to speak on behalf of your faith. However, you might be put in a position someday where you are asked to compromise on your faith and values. If that day comes, remember Peter’s example of standing firm on your faith in Jesus and his reason for doing so: “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Almighty God, who raised Jesus from the dead; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will build your life with Christ as the cornerstone. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 9

As Jesus said in John 10:28, no one - not even Sarx, your nagging sinful nature, can snatch you out of