God's grace flows despite our ongoing sin. Numbers 20:1–13 (NIV) 20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam [Moses' sister] died and was buried. 2   Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3  They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4   Why did you bring the LORD's community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5   Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” 6  Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7   The LORD said to Moses, 8  “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” 9   So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. 10  He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11  Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12  But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” 13  These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he was proved holy among them. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 4: The Danger of True Believers’ Falling into ­Serious Sins 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 - by their own fault - depart from the leading of grace,  and are 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,  They sometimes are carried away by God’s just permission! Witness the sad cases, described in Scripture, of David, Peter, and other saints falling into sins. Summary It's easy to see the Israelite's sin in today's passage. They'd already been sentenced by the LORD to wander in the desert for decades until the previous generation was dead and gone as a result of their previous perpetual complaints. They'd seen firsthand, over and over again, the miracles the LORD had wrought on their behalf, and had even heard God's voice call down to them from Sinai. And yet, here they are again, whining that their life of slavery in Egypt was preferable to God's almighty provision. But it's Moses who's the primary villain in this passage, not the sniveling population. And although his sin is obvious, in that once again his temper got the best of him as it had so often before, God's punishment of restricting his entry into the Promised Land initially seems overly harsh. In 1848, English preacher Robert Rawnsley unpacked the true severity of Moses' sin: Moses had failed in his duty towards God, and that in three particulars. (1) He had failed in strict obedience. God had bidden him speak to the rock, and he had smitten it, smitten it twice. (2) He had shown temper, used hard language. “Hear now, ye rebels.” (3) He had taken to himself the credit of supplying the Israelites with water. “Must we fetch water for you out of the rock?” This week we're being reminded that even the greatest of the Biblical saints had tremendous weakness and often failed miserably, as Moses did at Meribah. So it is that the Canons warn you of your weakness: when you fail to watch and pray that you not be lead into temptation, you can be carried away by the flesh, the world, and Satan into sins, even serious and outrageous ones. But don't miss that God gracefully caused water to gush out of a rock in the desert despite the egregious sins of His people and their leaders. So as you stumble through life, complaining like the Israelites and losing your cool like Moses, be sure to cling to God's amazing grace, which is far stronger than you are.   Dig Deeper   Commentator Rousas Rushdoony sees the rock in today's passage serving as two separate analogies: The rock represents Christ, the water of life. At the same time, it represents mankind in its hardness of heart. It is as unlikely for water to gush out of a dry rock in a desert as it is for unregenerate men to hear and believe. The command, however, is, “Speak to the rock.” It may seem an absurdity to do so. Isaiah was commanded to speak to people who would hear, but understand not, and see, but perceive not (Isa. 6:9). Our task is not as difficult, but, in any case, the command is clear: “Speak to the rock.” God’s word shall not return unto Him void, “but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). Therefore, go, “Speak to the rock.” Discourage-ment is wrong. We must speak to the rock, and, if they will not hear, “shake off the dust of your feet” and move on (Matt. 10:14). AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose glory appeared to Moses and Aaron, and who provided water for His sinful people; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would trust in the LORD enough to honor Him as holy; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 5

Anxiety begins the moment you move away from God's command. Genesis 12 (NIV) 12 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2   “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  3   I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4   So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. 6  Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7  The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8  From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9  Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. 10  Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11  As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12  When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13  Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” 14  When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. 15   And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16  He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. 17  But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18  So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19  Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20  Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 4: The Danger of True Believers’ Falling into ­Serious Sins 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 - by their own fault - depart from the leading of grace,  and are 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,  They sometimes are carried away by God’s just permission! Witness the sad cases, described in Scripture, of David, Peter, and other saints falling into sins. Summary Abraham is, of course, a household name all over the world. The three great religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity all hold Abraham in the highest regard. And when we see his faith on display here at the beginning of Genesis 12, it's easy to see why! God calls to Abram, seemingly out of nowhere, and tells him to leave all that he knows and go to the land I will show you. Immediately after reading the LORD's promised blessing, we read the simple line, so Abram went, as the LORD had told him. He doesn't know where he's going or why, but those details don't matter at this point. The LORD commanded, and Abram obeyed without hesitation. That's true faith. So although the entire world is very familiar with the first half of Genesis 12, it's easy to either overlook or set aside the abject failure of Abram's faith in the second half. The problem starts when he takes matters into his own hands. The LORD had sent him to Canaan, but then a famine hit, and rather than trust God to provide, Abram, on his own initiative, headed down to the abundance of Egypt. As soon as Abram deviates from the LORD's instructions, anxiety sets in. Abram doesn't trust the LORD to keep him and his wife safe in Egypt, so he concocts a plan for that contingency as well, telling his wife to identify as his sister. That wasn't a complete fabrication (which seems creepy to our ears but society was far different then), but it wasn't the full truth either. After the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharoah and his household because of Sarai, Pharoah unknots the deceptions Abram had spun and returned Sarai. How ironic that this chapter that begins with the Patriarch demonstrating tremendous faith ends with a pagan doing the right thing. Notice that the chapter ends with Abram silent in his shame.   Dig Deeper   This week we're going to dig into the stories of Biblical saints as they, by their own fault - depart from the leading of grace, and are led astray by the desires of the flesh . The Canons bring us to these sad accounts for two reasons. First, so that you are reminded that you must constantly watch and pray that you would not be led into temptations. Although the power of God strengthening and preserving true believers in grace is more than a match for the flesh, you're not always so activated and motivated by God to be able to resist all of the temptations that bombard you. So stay far from them! Secondly, we're reminded of the failures of great saints like Abraham to understand that it wasn't their greatness that saved them. It was the fact that God's grace is stronger than they were. This week we'll read that although these men seriously stumbled, God's grace brought them to repentance and restoration. This is the same grace that has you firmly in its grip. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who blessed Abraham so that all peoples on earth would be blessed through him; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would not be led into temptations; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 4

Life may look way better for others, but you're being guided to glory by the LORD's counsel. Life on the wide road always seems more attractive as you walk the narrow road. Psalm 73 A psalm of Asaph. 1   Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2   But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. 3   For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity ( šā·lôm ) of the wicked. 4   They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5   They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. 6   Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. 7   From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. 8   They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. 9  Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. 10  Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. 11  They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?” 12  This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. 13  Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. 14  All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. 15  If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. 16  When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply 17  till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. 18  Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. 19  How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! 20  They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. 21  When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22  I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23  Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25  Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27  Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28  But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end. Summary You've noticed what the psalmist Asaph notices here, probably more often than not. You've also envied the arrogant - those who on one hand have callous hearts, who scoff and speak with malice, and who ignore God altogether, yet who seem to have tremendous prosperity (literally: šā·lôm (shalom), the condition in which every thing is the way it's supposed to be). Their lives are always free of care, Asaph complains, and they go on amassing wealth. Worse yet, crowds of people turn to them and drink up everything they have to say. Asaph goes on to conclude he's been wasting his time working so hard to remain faithful to the LORD. Surely in vain, he writes, I have kept my heart pure. Yet all he seems to have gotten in return is affliction, and every morning brings new punishments. But then Asaph snaps back into reality as he entered the sanctuary of God. Do you see how important it is for you to recenter yourself each week by going to the Lord's house and hearing His Word proclaimed? It was there, Asaph reports, that he understood their final destiny. The wicked, whose lives appear so attractive, would be destroyed, completely swept away by God's justice.   Dig Deeper   In the final stanza (v18-28), Asaph confesses his embittered senseless ignorance, and it's then that he realizes God is always with him, holding him by his right hand and guiding him with His counsel. My flesh and my heart may fail, Asaph concludes, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. And so it is with you. Asaph's prayer of confession forms a beautiful foundation for these opening articles contained in this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in you, the Canons confess, and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, you could not remain standing in this grace if left to your own resources. But that's the beauty of Asaph's gospel here in Psalm 73! You're not left to your own resources! Your Father will guide you with His counsel and afterwards He will take you into glory! Sunday's quickly coming once again. You have discretion as to how you'll spend your time this weekend, so make going to the Lord's house a priority, because it is good to be near God. As you make the sovereign LORD your refuge, you'll be all the more refreshed and equipped to tell of all His deeds in the week to come. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is good to the pure in heart; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the LORD will truly be the strength of your heart and your portion forever; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 3

God holds on to you by strengthening you. Bible.com 2 Thessalonians 3:1–5 (LSB) 3   Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did  also with you; 2 and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will continue to  do what we command. 5 And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end. Summary Paul had faithfully learned this lesson the hard way - that in all times and places there are perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. Spend a few minutes paging through the book of Acts and be reminded of all the persecution the Apostles faced. Paul tells the Corinthians of the troubles, hardships and distresses... beatings, imprisonments and riots... hard work, sleepless nights and hunger he endured at the hands of these evil men as he preached the good news (2 Corinthians 6:4-5). By God's grace, you're not likely to face those things. Although there are Christians throughout the world who do continue to suffer this way, most don't. Now our congregations meet in nice, climate controlled facilities and our members for the most part are well to do and friendly. There's likely a committee in our church that has a ten step plan for growth, so we have - or at least we think we have - everything under control. So it's so easy for us to forget to do what Paul begs the Thessalonians to do: to pray that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified . It's interesting how Paul frames this request. His prayer isn't that churches will grow numerically or even that the people in those churches will strengthen their faith or go deeper in their discipleship. Rather, Paul's concern is that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly (literally: run ) and that it will be glorified (given honor and respect) . Paul knows that when the gospel is unchained and boldly proclaimed, churches will grow in every sense of the word, and so this is what he wants people to pray for.   Dig Deeper   Paul also requests the Thessalonians pray that he'll be rescued from these perverse and evil men, but for all of the trouble and hardship such men caused Paul throughout his missionary journeys, his words here can in no way be understood to be pessimistic and hopeless. Quite the opposite, in fact! Paul's confidence comes from knowing that the Lord is faithful and that He'll strengthen and guard you from the evil one. This is one of the core aspects of this final doctrine of the Canons of Dordt known as the Perseverance of the Saints . Even though your life remains plagued by problems, temptations and failures, you can be certain that God is faithful and will powerfully preserve you in His grace to the end. Paul offers a benediction (words of blessing) on your behalf in today's final verse, praying that the Lord would direct your heart into the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. He's asking God to do what God has promised to do: hold you tightly with grace that's stronger than you are. God uses ordinary means (tools) to direct your heart: the preaching of His Word, your participation in the sacraments, and the discipline & discipleship of the Church. These are the commands you must continue to do. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is is faithful, and who will strengthen and guard you from the evil one; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: John 2

God's grace is the gift that keeps on giving! Bible.com 1 Corinthians 1:4–9 (NIV) 4   I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5   For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6   God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7   Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8   He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9   God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end. Summary It's easy to have a limited understanding of grace which keeps it relegated to the realm of the undeserved forgiveness and justification we've been given in lieu of the wrath and punishment our sins deserve. This is the amazing grace we sing of, that saved a wretch like me. Certainly this is the primary aspect of grace, and even if it were the only aspect of grace we'd still owe our God an eternity of gratitude for giving it to us. But there's so much more to the grace given you in Christ Jesus that Paul always thanks God for. Not only has this grace forgiven your sins, but it has enriched you in every way. In other words, God's grace permeates into every part of your life, enabling you to glorify God in everything you do. Your worship, therefore, extends past the Lord's Day as you experience and live into God's gift of grace in your work, relationships and even your recreation. But Paul keys in on two particular ways God's grace has enriched you: with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge. Commentator David Prior notes , "The two words here are logos and gnōsis , both bundles of dynamite in the early church... On the speaking side he would have included... any use of the gift of speech which contributes to the building up of the church. As far as knowledge is concerned, the church as a body has access to all the wisdom, insight, discernment and truth which it needs: it needs no special gurus to bring it to them." So it is that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. Unfortunately, it's likely the case that, as much as you value God's grace in your life, you don't really think this verse applies to you. You probably think that somehow you got left out of the spiritual gift distribution. But you were not left out! Yet you do need to do the hard work (which we read about last Wednesday and Thursday ) of discovering and developing God's gracious gifts in your life.   Dig Deeper   The Canons make it clear that those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But, praise God, you haven't been left to stand on your own! Paul assures you that our Lord Jesus Christ will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of those words so rich in meaning that there's more than one way to translate into English. Christ will sustain you (ESV), strengthen you (NET) and confirm you to the end (LSB). The Canons go on to give you comfort and confidence by using language directly lifted from today's passage: God is faithful, mercifully strengthening you in the grace once conferred on you and powerfully preserving you in it to the end. Once again you're reminded that God's grace, which has enriched you in every way, is stronger than you are. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who will keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the desire to discover and develop all of the gifts our Father has graciously given to you; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter 5

Even the best you can do is like filthy rags. And that's good news! Logos.com Isaiah 64:1–8 (NIV) 64 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! 2   As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! 3   For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 4  Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 5  You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? 6   All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. 7   No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins. 8  Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9  Do not be angry beyond measure, LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end. Summary We've seen over and over as we've read the Bible together that one of the most fundamental components of our prayers is a cknowledging who God is. Doing so reminds us of God's glorious and powerful attributes as we come to Him in prayer, giving us a peace producing confidence that He has control over every situation. That's why a cknowledgement, the first 'A' of our triple A prayer pattern, so often comes at the beginning of prayers, as it sets the tone for everything that follows. In many ways the first seven verses of today's passage - this prayer Isaiah composed - comprise a giant lead in to the formal a cknowledgement of God that culminates in v8: Yet you, LORD, are our Father. A couple of things stand out about Isaiah's extended a cknowledgement. First, Isaiah flips the script on the way we so often pray. Our prayer - which Jesus taught us! - is often for God to deliver us from evil and from the situations which press us down. Isaiah, however, also inspired by the Holy Spirit, prays for the opposite. Rather than simply asking to be lifted out of life's misery, Isaiah begs God to rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble! Isaiah's short opening overture captures the entire message of scripture. Certainly our Father does deliver us from evil and from a host of pestilences, persecutions and problems, but the Bible doesn't end with God simply evacuating His children from this sin infested globe. Rather, it ends with the heavens rent open, the mountains trembling and the nations quaking as the Lord victoriously comes down to act on behalf of those who wait for Him.   Dig Deeper   It's the other aspect that stands out in Isaiah's a cknowledgement that draws our attention today. Indeed, one of the primary reasons the Bible teaches us to make a cknowledging God such a primary part of our prayer is that doing so causes us to see ourselves as we truly relate to God (which is the primary function of religion). As Isaiah contemplates the LORD's glory coming to the help of those who gladly do right, it becomes immediately apparent to him that on our own, we are not people who gladly do right. Rather, we continue to sin... all of us have become like one who is unclean. And it's not just our weak lapses that convict us, even our righteous acts are like filthy rags! All of this sounds so familiar from when we worked our way through the ugly doctrines of total depravity several months ago. Yet the Canons bring us back to our pathetic inability to follow God's simple commands here again today, not just to clobber us one more time, but to help lay the foundation for the massive comfort we call the perseverance of the saints. Isaiah had it figured out hundreds of years before Christ was even born. After seeing fallen humanity in the reflection of God's holiness, Isaiah cries out how then can we be saved?!? The Canons summarize the whole of scripture to answer his question. Even those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources . But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end. In other words, a cknowledging our depravity in the light of God's holiness makes it clear that God's grace is far stronger than we are, and reminds us that we are preserved by His strength, not ours. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : You, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that through God's preserving grace you will strive to lay hold of Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter 4

Jesus has big plans for you as you remain in Him. Logos.com John 15:1–8 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has just finished the Passover meal with His disciples in the upper room. Judas has just left to betray Him, and now they’ve headed out in the night for the Garden of Gethsemane, where He’ll be arrested. Jesus has been using these final moments to download a massive dose of theology onto the remaining disciples, who are tired, overwhelmed and terrified at this point. He gives them this metaphor to help them understand. 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4   Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  5   “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6   If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8   This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end. Summary It's interesting the way that Jesus describes Himself here - not just that He calls Himself the Vine, for the Bible uses this metaphor to describe God's people often, but that He specifies that He's the true vine. Jesus knew that His disciples - and us - live in a world of false vines , all of which beckon for our attention and allegiance. Judas had just made His move, cutting himself away from Christ and grafting himself to the world in exchange for a bag of silver.  Today you will face all sorts of temptation to do the same. You likely won’t be tempted to sell out your Savior to the local goon squad like Judas did, but the false vine that threatens you the most is even more insidious. Whereas Judas needed to help Jesus' enemies find Him, your enemy follows you wherever you go: Sarx  - your old sinful nature.   Dig Deeper   Our strongest weakness has always been our deep desire for independence - we want to bear fruit by ourselves. It seems so limiting and constricting to remain in Jesus; and even more so to have Him remain in you!   Then there’s the perennial pruning that our Father, the gardener, subjects us to - it hurts! And so often He cuts away the things we want the most. There’s nothing that Sarx wants more than to break free from this perceived bondage and join itself to a less restrictive vine, or no vine at all. Jesus knows how strong this temptation is. Adam fell for it, and Satan had tried to get Jesus to give into it as well. Over the next few hours, all of his disciples will have succumbed to it. So He pleads with them - and you - to fight against it. No branch can bear fruit by itself, Jesus explains, it must remain in the vine. He goes on to warn them that apart from Me you can do nothing. Ultimately this quest for independence ends up withered, thrown into the fire and burned. The Canons echo Jesus' words of warning, reminding you that you could not remain standing in this grace if left to your own resources. So listen to Jesus' earnest call to remain in me! Although Jesus' metaphor about the vine and the branches gives strong warnings about the consequences of abandoning the true vine, His words of encouragement ring out even louder. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, Jesus promises, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you! This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourself to be my disciple. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the gardener growing the one true vine; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will mercifully strengthen you in the grace once conferred on you and powerfully preserve you in it to the end; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter 3

Don't wait till you hit the depths to cry out to the LORD! Anne of Green Gables Psalm 130 A song of ascents. 1   Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; 2  Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3   If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4   But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5  I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6   I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7   Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8  He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness Hence daily  sins of weakness arise,  and blemishes cling to even the best works of saints,  giving them continual cause  to humble themselves before God,  to flee for refuge to Christ crucified,  to put the flesh to death more and more  by a spirit of supplication [prayer] and by holy exercises of godliness [piety / Spiritual Disciplines],  and to strain toward the goal of perfection,  until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven. Summary My wife and I raised four daughters, so with five women in the house, it meant we watched lots of movies like Anne of Green Gables. At one point where it seems like Anne will have to go back to the orphanage, she cries out "I'm in the depths of despair," to which her guardian Marilla, always with the stiff upper lip, replies, "To be in the depths of despair, is to turn your back against God." For all of Aunt Marilla's wisdom, the psalmist who penned Psalm 130 would have disagreed with her on this point. He realized that often it's only out of the depths that we cry to the LORD. Since we don't know who in particular wrote this psalm, we don't know the particular situation that gave rise to it. But not knowing what the depths looked like for the psalmist is actually a gift, for if we did we'd restrict our definition of the depths to only those situations that perfectly matched whatever the psalmist had experienced, when the reality is that the depths look different for everyone. But one thing seems clear: the psalmist’s depths have something to do with his record of sins , which he rejoices the LORD does not keep . Notice that this psalm of assent , which the Israelites sang together in small groups as they ascended up the hill to worship at the Jerusalem temple, only has one request of the LORD. Most of the prayer a cknowledges who God is and what it's like to wait for Him with our whole being, but the one thing the psalmist a sks the LORD for is that His ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.   Dig Deeper   Psalm 130 nicely unpacks what the Canons say your daily sins of weakness and blemishes should drive you towards. The should give you continual cause to: Humble yourself before God: 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; 3   If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 6  I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning... Flee for refuge to Christ crucified: 4   But with you there is forgiveness... 5   I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 7 ...for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8  He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. Put your flesh to death more and more  by a spirit of supplication 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 5  I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits and by holy exercises of godliness 4  But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 7  Israel, put your hope in the LORD AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, with whom there is forgiveness, unfailing love and full redemption; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that, having been forgiven of your sin, you would with reverence, serve the LORD; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter 2

The key to truly and fully experiencing peace is counterintuitive. Wouldn't it be great if the grandest buildings in our cities and campuses were dedicated to "training ourselves to be godly?" 1 Timothy 4:7–10 (NIV) 7  Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8   For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9   This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10  That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness Hence daily  sins of weakness arise,  and blemishes cling to even the best works of saints,  giving them continual cause  to humble themselves before God,  to flee for refuge to Christ crucified,  to put the flesh to death more and more  by a spirit of supplication [prayer] and by holy exercises of godliness [piety / Spiritual Disciplines],  and to strain toward the goal of perfection,  until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven. Summary Paul's expression of it here certainly isn't politically correct, but the world we live in now is as filled with godless myths and old wives' tales as it was two millennia ago. You're continually bombarded with biased news (from both the left and the right). 'Influencers' dominate social media with their myths and tales . So much downright godless entertainment gets streamed directly into your living room. But your more discerning than the average Joe, right? You know to take what you hear and see with a massive grain of salt and filter out the filth as you consume your media. But that's not at all what the Bible commands here. Paul doesn't just encourage you to be a bit more discriminating or even critical with what you surround yourself with, he implores you to have nothing to do with it. Other translations better capture his aggressive insistence: reject ( NET ) / refuse ( LSB ) it.   Dig Deeper   It's the same on nearly every educational campus anymore - from elementary schools to major universities. The biggest and most impressive buildings are the athletic complexes and gymnasiums. Obviously their massive sizes are necessary to facilitate the space required to throw and kick balls hundreds of feet through the air with enough space for tens of thousands to watch it happen. But the size and scope of these buildings says something about what our society values as well. It's been a bit since theology departments commanded the grandest buildings on campuses (although they used to! Theology is what put the uni in university !). But this phenomenon is nothing new. In Paul & Timothy's day, the gymnásion was also the biggest building in the city and drew the most attention. Paul draws on the universally popular appeal of athletics to make his point: Reject the world's drivel and instead, train ( gymnázō ) yourself to be godly. In other words, take the habits and methods gained from the physical training we impress upon ourselves and our children, which is of some value , and apply them, as the Canons put it, to holy exercises of godliness [piety / Spiritual Disciplines],  and to strain toward the goal of perfection. We often market the gospel as the key to peace and fulfilment, which it absolutely provides (this is what we promote on the front page of our church's website !). But the key to truly and fully experiencing this peace is counterintuitive: you're not just to peacefully and passively wait until you are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven . Rather, you must labor and strive, because you have put your hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who gives us a righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith in Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the burning desire to press on and strive toward the goal of perfection by coming to know & participate in Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter

Christianity isn't about how you're feeling, it's about what you're pursuing. Bible.com Philippians 3:7–14 (NIV) 7  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8  What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness Hence daily  sins of weakness arise,  and blemishes cling to even the best works of saints,  giving them continual cause  to humble themselves before God,  to flee for refuge to Christ crucified,  to put the flesh to death more and more  by a spirit of supplication [prayer] and by holy exercises of godliness [piety / Spiritual Disciplines],  and to strain toward the goal of perfection,  until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven. Summary So often Christianity is described in terms of how it makes people feel. It gives peace during trouble, a steady certainty in the midst of chaos, a divine friend when we need one. Christian faith fills our God sized holes, provides fulfillment and is the one thing you can count on when the rest of the world has rejected you. As wonderful and true as all of that is, the apostle Paul wanted much more than a feeling. He considered everything as a loss - garbage , even - compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Christianity for Paul was both an intellectual and experiential pursuit. The knowledge Paul was after was far more than just a few bits of trivia about Jesus. He didn't just want to know about Christ's resurrection, he wanted to know the power of His resurrection. In other words, he wanted to know all of the theological implications the flow out of it and how its historical reality made peace possible between God and man. Nor was he interested in the knowledge just to, as he writes elsewhere, puff him up. He wanted to participate in it in such a way that every bit of knowledge he gained would make him more and more like Christ in his death.   Dig Deeper   This final doctrine of the Canons of Dordt has come to be known as the Perseverance of the Saints, but maybe if Paul had been on the naming committee he would have tweaked it a bit. It's not that he'd argue against perseverance, but that he might better prefer the phrase Persistence of the Saints. Certainly Paul understood the sovereign work of God necessary for our salvation - after all, it's Paul's epistles that form the backbone of our understanding of it. But neither does he promote passivity - just listlessly waiting for God to impart the knowledge and participation he craved. Paul notes twice in today's passage that he pressed on in pursuit of it. These are aggressive words that Paul used to describe his efforts. They mean to strive after something - to go after it with every ounce of energy possible. It often gets translated as persecute to describe the way people chased down Christians. Ironically, Paul heard this word directly from Jesus on the road to Damascus: Paul, Paul, why do you persecute me - why do you chase after & pursue me? The Christian life, then, is a rigorous pursuit of knowing Christ and participating in His sufferings. This is exactly what the Canons call you to: to strain toward the goal of perfection, until you are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who gives us a righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith in Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the burning desire to press on and strive toward the goal of perfection by coming to know & participate in Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter