Psalm 95 (NASB95) 1 O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 Massah in the wilderness, 9 “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. 10 loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. 11

Having your sins washed away is not just a figure of speech! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 73 Q. Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins? A. God has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ wash away our sins just as water washes away dirt from our bodies. But more important, he wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign, that the washing away of our sins spiritually is as real as physical washing with water. Summary The Apostle Paul is speaking these words to a large crowd in Jerusalem after having been placed under arrest for his own protection from this same crowd who wanted to kill him. He tells his amazing Damascus Road experience, where he was instantly converted to Christ while traveling to persecute Christians. The bright light Paul encountered had blinded him, and after Jesus finished speaking to him from the light, Paul was brought to the house of a man named Ananias. He restored Paul's sight, and commissioned him to be Christ's witness to all people. Ananias' words to Paul were straightforward and to the point, giving Paul four instructions: Get up: Paul has just gone through a massive experience that knocked him down physically, emotionally and especially spiritually. But Ananias has no time to sit around contemplating what just happened when there's so much work for Paul to get done. Be baptized: We've been seeing these last few days that baptism is a sign and seal of the promises Christians have in Christ, so it makes sense that all new Christians be initiated with this sacrament. Wash your sins away: I wonder what Paul, a brand new Christian at this point, thought of this instruction. As a devout Jew, he would have been very familiar with the concept of the forgiveness of sins, but for him such an action was always connected to sacrifices made in the temple, although the process there did involve ceremonial washings. I wonder if he instantly remembered David's confession and plea to God in Psalm 51:2 to wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin? I wonder if he connected the concept of baptism and washing away sin? [Continue] calling on His name: It's not the hard work Paul would put in nor the baptism he received that would enable his sins to be washed away and his mission to be completed. Paul would need to fully depend on Christ, not just at the beginning of his career, but every moment along the way. Dig Deeper We often use the phrase 'wash your sins away' in a strictly metaphorical sense. Obviously we don't take a scrub brush and power washer to a person. We've also been reminded now that the physical experience of baptism is just a sign - a reminder of the washing away of sins that we've experienced. But be sure to hold these metaphors in tension. The reason we baptize a person with real water, rather than just talking about it, is because we want to demonstrate that the person has undergone a real washing. Part of our problem is that we tend to view our physical selves as being 'real,' while we consider our spiritual selves as something less than that. We know our spiritual self certainly isn't imaginary, but we often consider it as something different, or even less, than being 'real.' But that's not the case. Your spiritual self is just as real as your hand is in front of your face, and baptism - real, flowing water - is there to remind you that having been initiated into Christ, your whole self - body and soul - has been washed clean and made acceptable to God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The God of our fathers, who has revealed His will and has sent His Righteous One; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you, having been baptized in Christ, will continue calling on His name; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 6

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. 1 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! Selah. 5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! Selah. 9 Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12

Baptism doesn't make you a Christian, it's always been a core part of Christianity. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 71 Q. Where does Christ promise that we are washed with his blood and Spirit as surely as we are washed with the water of baptism? A. In the institution of baptism where he says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” This promise is repeated when Scripture calls baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins. Summary Matthew’s Gospel closes with Jesus giving the Great Commission to the Disciples. This passage has been quoted as the rallying cry behind countless outreach and discipleship efforts. While commanding the eleven remaining disciples to go and make more disciples, Jesus teaches them how to do this: by baptizing and teaching. Dig Deeper Jesus’ command to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit was taken seriously by the first disciples. In the history of the Christian Church, there is no time that we are aware of where the people of God were without baptism. On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit poured out on the Disciples, Peter preached what is considered the first Christian sermon. This is the response of the crowd and Peter’s reply from Acts 2:37-38: When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thousands came to faith in Christ that day and what was it they were commanded to do? Repent and be baptized. From the beginning, the Church has taken Jesus’ command to baptize seriously. It would be hard to deny that there has been a cultural shift in the United States in the last few decades. With the rise of the “nones” (those without a declared faith), there is an increasing number of people in the United States who are not baptized. As the Church reaches out to these people groups, the discussion around baptism will grow ever more important. Are we, the Body of Christ, ready for those discussions? If you have never been baptized yourself, what is holding you back from taking this step of faith? If you have been baptized, do you feel prepared to share the significance of baptism with someone who asks? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has equipped us His children and commissions us to gather those He's called into His Kingdom; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for your baptism, or if you haven't been baptized, pray that you will step forward and request it; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 2

Proverbs 9 (NASB95) 1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; 2 She has prepared To him who lacks understanding she says, 5 “Come, eat of my food And drink of the wine I have mixed. you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you alone will bear it. 13 The woman of folly is boisterous of the city, 15 Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight: 16 “Whoever is naive The woman of folly takes a different tact. Unlike her industrious competitor, she's boisterous.

Proverbs 3:1–12 (NASB95) 3 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even

A Song. 1 God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us— Selah. 2 That Your Selah. 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 The earth has yielded its Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 117 Q. How does God want us to pray so that he will listen to us? A.

Nehemiah 8:1–12 (ESV) 8 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. of the Law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose... 5 For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. , saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to :105).

Faithlife.com Daniel 7:1–14 (NASB95) 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. 5 His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. 10 “A river of fire was flowing And I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. 12 One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14

Bible.com PSALM 63 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. 1 O God lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. 11 But the king Canons of Dordt Point V, Article 13: Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness The confidence of perseverance