You can find immense comfort in the fact that Jesus' dead body was buried. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 41 Q. Why was he “buried”? A. His burial testifies that he really died. Summary Following the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea was granted permission by Pilate to take the body of Jesus so that he may be put to rest. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, provided the myrrh and aloes that would be used as part of the burial process. This amount of burial spices, 75 lbs of myrrh and aloes, far exceeded the typical amount used for the burial custom. Using this many burial spices would have been considered a showing of respect towards Jesus; one that came at a very high price, since these ingredients were very expensive. Dig Deeper Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took great personal risk in ensuring Jesus received a proper burial. And while their actions are commendable, the most important aspect of this passage was not their bravery, but the fact that Jesus indeed had died and was buried. Jesus' body created from dust seemed like it was well on the way to becoming dust again. The miracle of the resurrection is that Jesus, who had died and was buried, became alive again. The logical order of events dictates that indeed, if Jesus was going to rise from the dead, that He first be dead. This simple act of the burial of Jesus plays an important part in the Biblical accounts of the resurrection. This importance can be seen in how the burial account is included in all four of the Gospels. The reality of Jesus’ death and burial can also be seen in the chief priests’ response to the burial. Fearing that the disciples might try to steal away Jesus’ body, they asked Pilate to lend them soldiers to secure and guard the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66). Certainly, part of securing the tomb was to ensure that Jesus’ deceased body remained inside. Between the witnesses of Jesus’ death on the cross, those who prepared his body for burial, and those who secured his body in the tomb; there are more than enough witnesses to verify that Jesus really had died. Because Jesus had died and was buried, we rejoice in the miracle that on the third day he rose again from the dead. Today's catechism question, emphasizing the fact that Jesus was indeed buried, seems out of place in a year long study of what your only comfort in life and in death is. But this little question, with its seemingly simplistic answer - that Jesus' burial indicates that He was in fact actually dead - will give you immense comfort the next time you're looking at the casket of a loved one that's about to be lowered into the ground. Just as Jesus' lifeless body was made to live again after it had already been sealed in a tomb, so too will that loved one whose faith was in the resurrected Savior rise from the grave when Christ returns. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who seemed so distant and far away from Joseph and Nicodemus as they placed Jesus' body in the ground; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Both Joseph & Nicodemus had followed Jesus in secret. Pray that you will have the courage to follow Christ in a way that's visible to all. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 9

Then let go of your stuff. 1 Timothy 6:17–19 (NIV) 17 Command those who are rich in this present world enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19

If you have to ask how much salvation costs, you can't afford it. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 34 Q. Why do you call Jesus “our Lord”? A. Because— not with gold or silver, but with his precious blood— he has set us free from sin and from the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be his very own. Summary In 1 Peter, the apostle Peter is writing to the churches in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (what is now modern-day Turkey). They are enduring persecution for being Christians, and he is writing to encourage them. One of his points of encouragement focuses on being holy because they now belong to God through Jesus Christ. His encouragement focuses on the cost of their salvation. Their salvation was not bought with silver or gold, things that are perishable, but with the precious blood of Jesus. Dig Deeper The Reformation started because a man named Martin Luther spoke out against indulgences, among other things. On October 31, 1517 he nailed his ninety-five theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. The Roman Catholic Church was selling indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. At that time, the Roman Catholic Church claimed that indulgences absolved buyers from all punishments and granted them salvation. Essentially, you could buy a loved one’s way into heaven. This was an especially powerful tactic that focused on those who had already died. If you were unsure of your deceased loved one’s salvation, you could buy an indulgence and they would be saved. Luther correctly stated that was unbiblical, and therefore, untrue. A person cannot buy their way into heaven, nor can they purchase the salvation of another. While we may understand this biblical truth, we may not always live it. At times, we may think our hard work, our acts of kindness, our worldly success, or our status make us good enough. If we do enough good things, we will be worthy of God’s love and have earned our salvation. That simply isn’t true. No amount of good works will earn salvation. No amount of worldly success will be enough for heavenly glory. No amount of money is enough, because salvation cannot be purchased. If we cannot buy or earn our salvation, how then can we be saved? We will explore that over the next two days. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Heavenly Father, you are merciful and full of grace; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Help me to remember that I cannot buy your love or earn my salvation, so that I show you gratitude by the way I live. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Galatians 6

John 3:19–21 (NIV) 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead created good, but in which "people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19

Jesus tells us in the Great Commission (Matthews 28:19-20) to go and make disciples of all nations and

Summary Leviticus 19 forms the basis for much of the New Testament book of James.

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives the Christian Church our marching orders.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands (Psalm 19)."

In fact, Jesus' words in Matthew 22:39 appear to come as a direct quote of Leviticus 19:18. When considering what it means to love your neighbor, much of what is described in Leviticus 19 falls When you have time, read Leviticus 19:9-19 again, it essentially contains a list of what NOT to do if

Psalm 104:27–30 (NIV) 27 All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. 28 When Summary The Psalms are such a blessing from God because of the way they take complex theological concepts Our Psalm today squashes these sort of deistic theories. Psalm 104 uses the Hebrew word rûaḥ twice, but all of the English translations properly translate each