Communion is full participation in the body and blood of Christ. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 78 Q. Are the bread and wine changed into the real body and blood of Christ? A. No. Just as the water of baptism is not changed into Christ’s blood and does not itself wash away sins but is simply God’s sign and assurance, so too the bread of the Lord’s Supper is not changed into the actual body of Christ even though it is called the body of Christ in keeping with the nature and language of sacraments. Summary This is my body; this is my blood. On one hand, there's no way Jesus could have been clearer as He commanded the Church to "do this in remembrance of me." On the other hand, no other words of the Bible have created so much division in the Church over the centuries. Does Jesus mean that the bread & wine somehow literally turn into His flesh & blood, or is He speaking metaphorically? There are three main schools of thought as to the relationship of Jesus' body and blood and the communion elements: Roman Catholic: The elements trans-substantiate: The bread & wine somehow become the flesh and blood of Christ after they've been consecrated by a priest; Lutheran: The elements con-substantiate: The bread & wine don't physically change, but Christ's presence coexists with them as they are consumed; Reformed: The elements are spiritually substantial: The bread and wine possess a spiritual substance that conveys the true presence of Christ to believers. One of the primary passages Reformed theologians lean on for this understanding is v16 from our reading today: the cup and the bread are a participation in the blood and body of Christ. Dig Deeper The Lord's Supper is perhaps better known in our churches as communion. There is a relationship between the Latin word communio and the Greek word translated as 'participation' that Paul uses in v16: koinōnía. Both words are derived from a common root and share similar meanings. The Latin word communio means "common" or "shared." It refers to the act of sharing, participating, or having something in common with others. In a broader sense, it can also convey the idea of community, fellowship, or communion. Similarly, the Greek word koinōnía also means "common" or "shared." Κoinōnía encompasses the notions of fellowship, partnership, and participation. When Jesus first invited His disciples, and later us, to understand that the bread and wine are His body & blood, He was speaking of something much bigger and broader than His physical body. As you participate in communion, know that you are spiritually in the very presence of Jesus Christ, and that you are being joined to His body which is the Church, and as such you receive all of the blessings, benefits & responsibilities that come with it. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, in heaven; Holy is His name! ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will flee idolatry and live your life in a way that's consistent with one who's participating in the body and blood of Jesus. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 15

Let passages like this one here in 1 John build your confidence that "God will surely listen to your

A bite sized piece of bread & tiny cup of wine is able to nourish your soul for eternal life. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 75 Q. How does the Lord’s Supper remind you and assure you that you share in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross and in all his gifts? A. In this way: Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup. With this command he gave this promise: First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup given to me, so surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured out for me on the cross. Second, as surely as I receive from the hand of the him who serves, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the Lord, given me as sure signs of Christ’s body and blood, so surely he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his crucified body and poured-out blood. Summary One of the most indelible marks of man's fall into sin is our propensity to be controlled by our appetite. The forbidden fruit 'was 'good for food and pleasing to the eye (Gen 3:6).' The Israelites who had just been freed from slavery in Egypt longed to go back because they were tired of eating manna. So it's not surprising that the first tactic the devil uses to tempt Jesus is by way of His stomach. After fasting for forty days it only makes sense that Jesus hungered in a way that most of us can't even begin to imagine, so the devil seizes the opportunity by planting an idea which doesn't seem all that unreasonable. He tempts the one who turned water into wine and multiplied a few baskets of bread to feed 5,000 to simply turn the surrounding stones into a some loaves of bread - bread that Jesus desperately needs at this point. Certainly it's not wrong to eat, so why would it have been wrong for Jesus to give into this temptation? Because Jesus wasn't in the wilderness on His own accord, He had been led there by the Spirit for the express purpose of withstanding the devil's temptations, reasonable though they may be. The Spirit had not yet given Jesus permission to resume eating yet, so it would have been sinful for Him to do so. Jesus responds to each of the devil's temptations by quoting scripture, which is just one more reason for you to know scripture well. This first time, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, which is a promise God makes to bless Israel if they put following 'every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord' ahead of their own appetites in life. Dig Deeper We come to this passage today in the context of understanding the significance of participation in the Lord's Supper. The entire sacrament is predicated on God's command to Israel to not live on bread alone, but to rather be fully dependent upon everything God has spoken in His Word. But God knows our weakness, and how central our physical appetites are to our decision making process, so what a blessing it is that God communicates the gospel to us physically through bread and wine. Notice the language the catechism uses to summarize scripture: the bread and cup nourish and refreshes your soul for eternal life. In most churches, the communion bread is a tiny bite sized square and the wine comes in the smallest of all cups. These portions aren't going to physically nourish or refresh anyone! Yet the spiritual nourishment you receive as you participate in the Lord's Supper, which is always accompanied by the proclamation of God's Word, surely feeds your soul with the assurance of God's grace enabling you to realize His blessing in your life. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose every word is more necessary than bread; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Praise God that Jesus put God's Word ahead of His appetite on your behalf, and pray for the strength to do the same. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 10

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 28 Q. In Ephesians 1:14, Paul calls the Holy Spirit the downpayment from God, guaranteeing our inheritance

forbidden Israel from making treaties with nations within the borders of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 7:2- 4), but they could enter into agreements with far off nations (Deuteronomy 20:10-11). you've made in His name; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Timothy 2

How would you act differently if you knew a lion was seeking to devour you? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 127 Q. What does the sixth request mean? A. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” means, By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies— the devil, the world, and our own flesh— never stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory. Summary Peter's tremendous benediction begins with a call to humility, to literally put yourself under God's mighty hand. You're not to do this out of a sense of groveling, as if putting yourself down low will somehow enhance the chances of God giving you what you want, rather, it's as you yield your will to His that you will be lifted up when the time comes. Verse 7 is well worth memorizing: "cast all of your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you!" But these words of comfort are followed by a stark warning: a reminder that you live in the midst of a great spiritual war, and your enemy is on the hunt. Perhaps these words seem a bit over the top here, as if Peter's getting a little carried away with his rhetoric. But he's not; if anything, Peter is using quite restrained language here, compared to the vivid war scene John reports in Revelation 12. The last thing Peter wants to do in this passage is frighten you. Yes, the devil is prowling around seeking to devour you, but you can and must resist him. What Peter wants you to know here is that although this roaring lion can hurt you - even rip off an arm or leg, so to speak, if you stand still long enough - but ultimately all the beast can do is seek to devour you. The devil can not completely devour you because of what Peter teaches us in his first four chapters, and accentuates in today's final verse: you've been called by God to belong to Him, so you can be certain that the God of all grace will Himself fully restore you and complete the work He's begun in you. Dig Deeper Certainly we'd all be much more alert if we could actually see the devil prowling around us like a lion. The distractions the world throws at us wouldn't divert our attention one bit if we could see its sharp teeth and smell its acrid breath as the hellish creature roared at us. Just remember that even though the spiritual realm is beyond what we can sense, it is no less real than the physical things you can see, touch, hear, smell and taste. So take Peter's warning/blessing here seriously! You're given three instructions you must follow to keep the devil at bay: Humble yourself and cast your anxiety upon your Father, which we've already reviewed; Be alert and of sober mind: This lion rarely relies on brute force. His most effective strategy is to lull his prey to sleep with worldly distractions and anxieties. Keep your mind sharp (sober) by reading and thinking about God's Word every day. Let go of the distractions you can't avoid by casting the anxiety that results from them onto your Father! Resist him: Ultimately you are stronger than the lion! But certainly not in your own strength; you must stand firm in the faith! Remember that it is God who makes you strong, firm and steadfast in Christ. This is what you're praying for when you pray the simple line, "Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The God of all grace, who lifts you up in His mighty hand; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for the strength to be humble and alert, so that you can stand firm in the faith and resist the devil; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 19

When you die with faith in Christ, you will immediately be with Him in heaven. But not forever. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: 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 Yesterday we were reminded of the tremendous faith of the criminal who hung on the cross beside Jesus, and the tremendous assurance that Jesus responded with, saying "Today, you will be with me in paradise." This is a beautiful comfort that we cling to in the loss of a loved one, that immediately upon taking their last breath they've gone to heaven to be with Jesus. But passages like today's help us understand that our stay in heaven will only be temporary, because there's something much better in store. When Christ returns, He will not return alone, rather "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him (v14)." As the Lord himself comes down from heaven, He will command His archangel to sound the trumpet of God, and those who "have fallen asleep," which is a New Testament euphemism for having died in Christ, will "rise first." That is, their souls, which have been in heaven with Jesus, will be rejoined to their newly resurrected bodies. After that, Christians who are still living at the time, having witnessed this awesome second coming of Christ, will be "caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (v17)." It's at this point that the final judgment will take place, and the new heavens and new earth will be inaugurated. Dig Deeper This Biblical teaching is surprising to most Christians. While the Bible tells us everything we need to know about how to attain salvation by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone, it tells us very little about what eternal life with Him will be like. We do know that it will be eternal, however, so it's quite easy for us to assume that when we die and go immediately to heaven as Jesus promised that we will be there with Him forever and ever. But that's not at all what you've been designed for. You were planned for and created with two distinct aspects: both a soul and a body. This is one of the things that makes you unique and different from any other embodied creature. So many other religions have looked at this dichotomy and concluded that true peace is not possible until a person has completely freed his soul from the physical prison of this world. Thus anything that's physical is bad, and anything that's spiritual is good. But since God created you with both a spiritual and physical aspect, it only makes sense that true perfection can not be fully attained until both parts are once again joined. Certainly heaven will be wonderful, and we can find true peace knowing that our loved ones who trusted in Christ are enjoying it, having been freed from sin, sickness and suffering. But they, like you, are waiting for something even better. This is confusing and hard to understand for sure, but as it says in v18, these words are given to you for encouragement. Christ is coming to make all things new again: both your body and a new earth for you to live on with Him forever. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who will bring Jesus back, along with all who have fallen asleep in Him. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask that God will encourage you with these words so that you can live optimistically in a very pessimistic world. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 11

can give thanks in everything Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 28 21). There are many blessings in your life that you can acknowledge your gratitude to God for, and Q&A 28 Thess 1:6). know any momentary sufferings pale in comparison to the eternal glory God has in store for His people (2

Psalm 2 (NIV) ¹ Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? Psalm 2 sets forth two competing realities, but it also makes clear that only one of these realities You didn't need Psalm 2 to tell you about the existence of the first reality: that all of the nations You didn't need Psalm 2 to tell you this because you see evidence of it everywhere you look, whether What you need Psalm 2 to be reminded of is what's in store for these wicked and corrupt rulers.

As we come to the end of Lord’s Day 25 we are going to look at one more question. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives the Christian Church our marching orders. In 1 Cor. 11:23-26, the Apostle Paul is ensuring the church in Corinth knows what the Lord’s Supper means That is why this question comes at the end of Lord’s Day 25 after we have looked at what sacraments are