Proverbs 28:13-14 (NIV) 13  Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and

Hebrews 9:24–28 (NIV) 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 sin, be assured that your justification has been fully paid for by Christ and can never be reduced no matter

Hebrews 7:25-28 (NIV) 25 Therefore Christ is able to save completely those who come to God through him He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests

Romans 8:28–30 (ESV) 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for But no matter where you come down on that continuum, don't fall into the trap of skepticism. Today: Matthew 4

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 28

Is the Roman Catholic Eucharist really a "condemnable idolatry?" Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 80 Q. How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass? A. The Lord’s Supper declares to us that our sins have been completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ which he himself finished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his very body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father where he wants us to worship him. But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead do not have their sins forgiven through the suffering of Christ unless Christ is still offered for them daily by the priests. It also teaches that Christ is bodily present in the form of bread and wine where Christ is therefore to be worshiped. Thus the Mass is basically nothing but a denial of the one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ and a condemnable idolatry. Summary Many of us knows what it feels like to be in what seems like a never ending rut, whether it's milking cows daily, sitting in a nursing home day and night, or dealing with the same problems time and time again at the office. Such was the tedious nature of the temple in Jerusalem: priests would "offer sacrifices day after day, first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people (v27)." Imagine being one of those priests, first making a bloody mess and then cleaning it up, day after day, all while knowing you could never kill enough animals to fully atone for your own sin, much less than those crushed by their own guilt who delivered animals to you daily. That's why the writer of Hebrews keeps coming back to the theme articulated in v25, that Jesus Christ is able to save completely those who come to God through Him! Christ sacrificed Himself - once for all. Unlike the blood of bulls and goats, which was inadequate to save anybody, Christ's sacrifice was fully sufficient to fully pay for the sins of those God had entrusted to Him (see our post on Hebrews 10, which is very similar to this passage). Dig Deeper For all the differences between the Roman Catholic Church and Reformed churches (or protestant churches in general), none is greater than how the Lord's Supper is understood. The Heidelberg Catechism is often praised for its peaceful, pastoral approach to systematic theology (remember, after all, that its theme is explaining what our only comfort in life and death is), but yet this irenic document describes the Eucharist as a "condemnable idolatry." That's pretty harsh! Many modern Roman Catholic theologians would say it's too harsh, and that the Heidelberg doesn't fairly explain how the Eucharist is currently understood by the RCC. They'll cite several references from their own Catechism which present a very sound view of how Christ's once-for-all sacrifice on the cross is celebrated in the Eucharist. Praise God that the RCC has come to understand salvation more clearly in the centuries since the Heidelberg Catechism was first written! Yet the unfortunate truth remains that Rome has chained herself to the continual participation of the eucharist as the necessary means of salvation. "The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part II, Article 3, para. II.1325)." This makes your continuing salvation dependent upon your action: if you separate yourself from the sacrament, you separate yourself from God's grace; that somehow Christ, who as we just read in v25 "always lives to intercede for you," is unable to do so unless you continually take action to bind yourself to Him. This grave misrepresentation of the gospel, coupled with the teaching we've looked at earlier that the bread and wine transubstantiate into the real body and blood of Jesus which must be worshipped, is therefore, as the Heidelberg Catechism describes it, a condemnable idolatry. Many of you used to be, and maybe still are, members of the Roman Catholic Church, so these words likely are upsetting to hear. If you're struggling with this difficult concept, please don't struggle alone. Know that your elders and pastors have no desire to condemn you, but will walk alongside you to help you better understand your only comfort in life and in death. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God our Father, who accepts all those who come to Him through Christ by faith; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that Christ has "saved you completely," and that you'll be reminded of this salvation as you come to His table. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 20

We pray "your Kingdom come," but the firstfruits already have come! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 122 Q. What does the second request mean? A. “Your kingdom come” means, Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Keep your church strong, and add to it. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your Word. Do this until your kingdom is so complete and perfect that in it you are all in all. Summary Jesus has been raised from the dead and is the firstfruits of the resurrection. Paul is referring back to the harvest time offering made by the Israelites. At harvest, the Israelites were required to bring an offering from the firstfruits (the first part) of their crop. This offering symbolized how the entirety of the harvest belonged to God. By comparison, Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection as he was the first to be raised from the dead. And just as the first part of the harvest was a token of the entire harvest belonging to God, Jesus’ resurrection serves as a token that we too belong to God and will be raised in a resurrection like his. In addition to the promise of the resurrection for those who belong to Christ, Paul also expresses the fate of God’s enemies. Christ will destroy all his enemies; with the last of these enemies being death itself. With his enemies destroyed, the rule of God will be universally acknowledged, so that he may be all in all. Dig Deeper In verse 22 Paul addresses our dual solidarity by writing, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” We all die in Adam, the first human, in that we are united with him in sin and death. With that first disobedience in the Garden by Adam and Eve, sin entered the world. We, as Adam’s descendants, inherit this original sin. However, despite being united with Adam in sin and death, God offers grace. For we are also united with Christ by grace through faith. The resurrection is not an isolated event with a limited scope. The resurrection is the culmination of God’s plan of redemption. The resurrection of Jesus affects everything and will not be fully complete until Christ “has put everything under his feet.” One of the comforts we have as God’s people is knowing that our eternity is secure in the hands of Jesus. This is one of the reasons why the funeral of a faithful saint is different from that of an unbeliever. There is hope present. Hope in what is to come, including the promise of the resurrection. And while we look forward to the resurrection and being in the presence of Christ; Paul gives us something else to look forward to with anticipation. For we also wait for the day when the enemies of Jesus, including the devil and even death itself, will be no more. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who is all in all; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that since you have been included in Christ, you have been made alive in Him; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 2

providential activity in creation (17:24), in providing (17:25), sustaining and directing human life (17:26, 28

Psalm 102 is that for those whose hope is grounded in God's unchangeable character, it really doesn't matter

authority over the nations, but He has grafted you into the One to whom all authority has been given to (Matthew 28:18)!